Page 73 of Atlas
And maybe that’s the problem.
He crosses the room again and crouches in front of me, taking my hands in his. His thumbs brush across my knuckles, gentle like I’m something he still wants to protect. “You scared the shit out of me tonight,” he says.
“You took your time,” I whisper, not accusing, just honest.
“I told her I was on club business,” he admits, voice low. “I lied. I didn’t know why at the time . . . I just . . . didn’t want her to know I came running to you.”
I nod slowly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Because if she knew, she’d wonder why.”
He looks at me like he doesn’t have the answer either. Like maybe he doesn’t want to admit that some part of him still belongs here.With me.Even if he’s already falling for her.
I should be stronger than this. I should push him away. But the second his eyes meet mine, I know he’s not here just out of duty. I know the truth buried under his silence.
I lean in slowly, brushing my lips over his.
Soft. Lingering. Familiar. Cautious, waiting for him to reject me again.
He doesn’t kiss me back immediately, but he doesn’t pull away either. He just stays frozen, his grip on my hands tightening, like he’s fighting a war inside himself.
When I finally pull back, I whisper against his lips, “You lied because you still love me.”
His jaw clenches. His eyes close. Still no words. But silence can be louder than the truth. And it’s all I need.
I reach for the front of my dress, fingers trembling slightly, and tug the zipper down. The fabric parts, slow and deliberate, exposing the top of my lace bra and the bare skin of my chest.
His eyes snap open, and he looks wrecked.Torn.I should stop, put an end to his misery. But a sick part of me needs to see if he’s still mine, even a little. And fuck knows I need to feel something other than the drowning I currently feel.
“Anita . . .” he breathes, like my name hurts.
I shrug one strap off my shoulder, then the other. “Tell me you don’t want this,” I murmur. “You came because you heard the fear in my voice and your heart knew it belonged here.”
His hands are on my waist before he even realises it, dragging me into him. His mouth crashes against mine, hot and desperate, the kiss anything but controlled. I moan into him, my arms wrapping around his neck, and I feel him groan into my mouth as I climb onto his lap.
“You make me crazy,” he mutters, kissing along my jaw, down my neck. “I can’t fucking think around you.”
I reach between us, palming him through his jeans, and he jerks beneath me, biting down on a curse. His hands slide under my dress, gripping my thighs like he needs tofeelme to believe I’m still his.
“Please,” I whisper, kissing his jaw. “Just one last time.” His face twists, anguish, desire, guilt all tangled together. He’sshaking his head, but his hips are grinding up into mine like he can’t help himself. “No one has to know.”
“I can’t,” he says.
But he doesn’tstopme as I kiss him again, deeper this time, and I feel him starting to give in. He unhooks my bra, thumbs brushing over my nipples, his mouth claiming mine like he’s drowning.
We’re a breath away from crossing that line.
And then there’s a frantic knock at the door.
I freeze, and Atlas goes still beneath me, his breath ragged.
There’s another knock, louder this time. “Anita? It’s Tom. Open up.”
Shit.
I scramble off Atlas’s lap, pulling my dress up and dragging the zipper halfway closed. My heart is thundering.
“I called him,” I whisper, panic rising. “When you didn’t answer, I didn’t know if you’d come. He’s my solicitor.”
Atlas stands slowly, running both hands through his hair, stepping back like he’s just realised what almost happened.
