Page 46 of Sleeping Redemption
“I knew you had it in you, love.” His smile was damn near infectious.
He spun around to call out, “Hey! Atlas! You owe me fifty dollars and a jar of peanut butter, mate!”
Atlas appeared in the doorway of my office, his fingers rubbing over his eyes at the news of his lost bet as his shoulderleaned against the frame. His other hand tucked into his pocket casually.
When he finally dropped his hand away from his face, Atlas bashfully smiled at me after that the little wager had been revealed.
Tension filled the air around us in the office. After my carnal reunion with Atlas, things had been strained. I had been emotionally distant, knowing that the woman he had fallen in love with so long ago was a weaker version of myself. I had grown into my authority as Lucifer’s right-hand angel. I saw humans for who they truly were: disposable pets.
My eyes settled on Atlas’s form, admiring the casual look he had going on for him that day. From his dark blonde locks hanging down freely, just barely gracing his muscular shoulders, to the jeans and grey tee he had on. All of it together made for a delicious package that had my insides stirring.
No, Kinley, you’ll give him false hope. He wants the old you, the one he can handle.
The dark voice in my head echoed inside my skull. The Devil never did seem to sleep these days.
Needing a reprieve from the suffocating and unspoken tension, I stood from my seat. I looked at Rook, who undoubtedly looked like he was ready to gloat about his interview skills for the next year or perhaps the next ten.
Atlas pushed away from the doorway, taking several steps into the office so the three of us stood in the professionally designed space.
Although his voice was gruff, it was like silk against my soul. “Guess I will have to ante up.” The words were directed at Rook, but his body language was directed at me.
His eyes met mine with a heat that could melt all the ice in Antarctica. I was certain that the shiver that zipped down myspine was designed to make even the most chaste of women cry out Satan’s name in pleasure.
Shutting the notepad on my desk closed, I looked at both of my men. “You two settle the score. I have some things to take care of.” After everything I had been through lately, I needed a little bit of self-care.
Both Rook and Atlas looked at one another before directing their gazes at me.
Noting the partially concerned looks on their faces, I stepped around my desk to stand in front of both of them. “I’m just going to get my nails done, maybe a little shopping afterward. Why don’t you two get to know one another better?”
There was a mischievous grin on Rook’s face and a glint in his eye as he looked over at Atlas. When Atlas saw it, he immediately shut down whatever had Rook looking particularly devilish. “Not happening, Rook. There’s only one person in this room I want touching my dick, and it’s not you.”
Rook gave a defeated pout. “Way to squash a lad’s dreams.”
I giggled at the exchange between the two of them. Perhaps having them both under the same roof would be more fun than I had anticipated.
After pulling into my garage,my hands rested on the top of the steering wheel while I admired my freshly painted nails splayed out in front of me. I had opted for my favorite color, scarlet, to help get me back into my typical spirits. I smiled in satisfaction at how perfectly the color contrasted against the paleness of my skin.
As I got out of my car, Rook had already come through the door that led from inside my house. I began to pull several bagsfrom my backseat before he appeared at my side, easing them out of my hands.
“Ah-ah, love. Allow me. I have a glass of wine already poured for you. It’s inside on the kitchen counter.”
Who could argue with this level of service? I let him take the bags from me and stepped away from my car so he could collect the rest.
“Looks like someone is already proving to be quite the helper,” I said with the edge of a tease in my voice.
Rook smirked at me as he pulled out several more bags from my impromptu shopping spree. “What can I say? I’m a mere demon dedicated to living a life of service.”
I grinned and thought about all the ways he could service me.
“Don’t forget about the bags in the front seat,” I said as I headed for the door that led inside my home.
When I stepped inside, I was immediately greeted with the most pleasant of scents. My entire house smelled incredible, much like the warmth and spice of apple pie but with a deeper layer of something like cranberry just underneath it.
It brought a delighted smile to my face; it seemed that Rook had been hard at work, taking his role as my new house manager seriously. I’d have to reward him for a job well done later.
Hearing me come in from the garage into the kitchen area, Atlas looked up from the kitchen table, where he currently chipped away at a small piece of wood. The knife in his hands curled pieces off the block as he sculpted a design into it.
He smiled at me, a sparkle in his eyes. “Have fun, angel?”
