by T. L Smith
“Theadora,” he mumbles. One eye opens, and he jerks his head back for me to come over to him.
“That isn’t a great idea,” I reply. “Maybe I like it better when you get all moody and leave.”
“I don’t do moody,” he declares, turning on his side and rubbing his face. “Fuck, I’m tired.”
“I need a run,” I tell him. He sits up and looks at me. “Go run, I’ll get something for dinner.”
“What if I want you to leave,” I ask, then bite my lip.
Atlas stands, completely naked in front of me, then stretches his hands above his head.
Fuck! That body.
“You don’t want me to leave,” he says, turning and not even bothering to cover himself. His ass is in full view, and I do not care in the least that I am staring. That’s one great ass.
“Run. Go.”
I don’t take orders from any men, but this one is holding my sister hostage, and that gives me no other choice.
But I really do want to run.
Atlas is at my table, and he’s managed to put his jeans back on when I return. I pull my AirPods out and look at my table. There’s food, and lots of it. Guess he wasn’t lying when he said he would arrange for dinner.
“You ordered?” I ask.
Atlas nods and sips whatever drink he has and looks back at his cell phone.
“Shouldn’t you be leaving now? I’m sure one of your illegal jobs requires your assistance.”
“I actually came here to give you yours back,” he says, placing his cell on the table.
“Mine?” I ask, confused.
“Yes. And you can rehire all the staff who were let go. You will get a pay rise above what you should have been paid,” he says.
“Did you negotiate this for me?”
Atlas looks back at the food and picks up a burger as he answers, “No. The business is mine now. You were way underpaid, did you know that?”
“Yes. Yes, I knew.” I take a deep breath before I decide to move the conversation in another direction.
“Atlas?” I ask. He’s mid-bite, so he bites down and starts chewing when he looks up at me while wiping the side of his mouth. “What about my sister?”
“What about her?”
“You still have her. Do you not?”
Atlas puts his burger down and wipes his hand on his jeans. “Come and eat, then we can talk.”
“You will talk?” I ask.
He gestures to the food on the table. “Eat, and yes, I will talk.”
I do as he says and pull out the seat next to him.
“You ran for a good hour. Something on your mind?” he asks, picking up his burger again.
“Yes. A lot, actually.”
“Such as?” He bites, and I watch in fascination as he eats. He chews silently, and I love that. A lot of men have no idea how to eat silently.
“When is my debt going to be over? What else do you expect me to do?”
Atlas pushes a bag toward me, and I open it to find a burrito, smiling when I pull it out.
“Do you really want it to be over? Isn’t your life so much fuller now?”
“Fuller? No. Dangerous? Maybe. Annoying? Yes.” I bite into the burrito.
“You have a sexy mouth, and I fucking love to kiss it.” Atlas leans over and does just that. His lips push onto mine. It’s a quick kiss before he pulls away, making me forget I was even eating.
“Why did you do that?” I ask. “Why are you even here?”
Atlas’s cell rings, and he pushes ignore, then looks back at me. “I told you, I like to kiss you.”
“Why—” His phone interrupts me.
He sighs and picks it up. I hear fast talking, then his face does this thing I have come to know. It’s like he places on a mask where everything shuts down, and back in its place is the Atlas I first met. When he finishes the call, he stands, walking over to his shirt and pulling it on before he turns to face me. “I have to go.”
I don’t say anything.
“Theadora,” he says my name, snapping me out of my trance.
“Maybe it’s best you don’t come back.”
“I plan to come back and sleep in the same bed as you,” he says while walking to the door. “Unlock it when I call.”
Then he walks out, leaving me sitting where he left me and having no idea what’s even happening.
It’s almost midnight when I get a message telling me to unlock the door. I contemplate not doing it, or not even replying to him, but I know how relentless he can be. When Atlas wants something, my bet is he always gets it, even if that includes me.
I wait until he knocks, and when he does, my feet are sluggish as I go to the door to open it. Pulling it open, I see his eyes are bloodshot, and his lip is busted. He’s changed and is now dressed in a white button-up shirt and dark jeans.
“What happened?” I ask while stepping up to touch his lip. Atlas doesn’t back away or even tell me to move, he lets me touch his sore lip as if he’s relishing my touch. His eyes even close for a brief second before they fling open and he reaches for my hand, pulling it away from his face but not letting go as he steps inside.
“It’s nothing.” His voice is soft, so I don’t push it. I like it when he’s nice, when he’s good to me. “I’m tired. I told you I would stay, so I am staying.”
“What if I don’t want you to?”
“You do,” he declares categorically while pulling me along as he heads in the direction of my bedroom. I let him, being too tired to argue with him. When we reach my bedroom, he starts to undress before pulling my covers back. His shirt is already off, and his hands start yanking at the top of his jeans as he looks up at me. “You want to talk?” he asks.
“I want answers.”
Atlas rubs his face with his hand, showing his extreme tiredness, but I have put off my questions for long enough.
I want answers.
I deserve answers.
And I am not climbing into that bed with him until I get them.
He finishes dropping his jeans and sits on the edge of my bed, naked. Amber eyes look up at me. “Ask.”
“My sister.” The two words leave my mouth in a rush.
“I’ll let her go tomorrow,” he answers just as fast.
Relief lifts off my chest at his words.
“But if she does it again, you won’t ever see her again.”
My head snaps up.
“She won’t.”
“You believe that?” Atlas raises one eyebrow.
“She won’t,” I protest, shaking my head. “Well, I hope not.”
“Lucy isn’t healthy. She is sadistic and only cares about what she wants.” His words are the truth, and I know it. But the fact that he does know that makes me believe he knows her maybe even better than I do, so I ask, “How well do you know her?”
He reaches for me, pulling me forward to him, his head lies on my stomach, and his hands grip my ass. “Well enough.”
My hands shake as they lift and touch his hair. He doesn’t move, and I wonder if he’s even breathing as I start stroking it.
“You were never with her?” I ask, confirming it one more time.
Atlas keeps his head on my stomach as he answers, “No, never was. Even when she tried so hard,” he said. “You know my type… you.”
“There hasn’t always been just me, and well, we aren’t even a type that will stick together. We are bound to break.” I go to pull away, but he holds onto me tightly and pulls me back as he lies on the bed, bringing me with him. When I go to get up, he slides me up, so our faces are inches from each other.
“Bound to break,” he mutters. “Once I set my eye on something, I usually get it.” He leans up so his lips brush against mine.
“Lucky for you I am not a possession.”
Atlas pulls back, and then he does it again, his lips brush mine. “But you are. A treasure more like it.”
“You trying to sweet talk me, Atlas Hyde? Do you even know how to?” I ch
uckle.
“No. I don’t. I’ve never had to work this hard in my life to impress a woman.”
“Well, you still have a long way to go, because I’m far from impressed,” I say back to him, raising my eyebrows.
He pushes up between my legs; all I have on is an oversized shirt and panties, while he is completely naked below me. And believe me, I can feel every inch of him. It’s difficult to not move and touch it, because Atlas has an impressive dick, just like the rest of his body.
“You telling me you weren’t impressed earlier?” he asks, pushing again. This time I can feel him growing beneath me.
“I mean, in that department… you do okay.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Just okay?” Atlas’s hands move from my back and slide down, pulling up my shirt so he can slip his fingers into my underwear. “I mean, your screams didn’t indicate it was just okay.” As I lay on top of him, he pulls my underwear down, and I let him. When they reach my knees, his hand slips between us and he touches my pussy before he smirks at me. “You are so wet. I’m sure just okay was meant to be fucking amazing.”
Atlas slips in a finger, and when he does, my legs part even farther, giving him just what he wants. I can’t part them too much, as my panties are at my knees preventing it, but it gives him exactly what he wants, as he’s able to slide his fingers out, lift my hips, and push his cock straight into me.
Our eyes meet and lock on each other. He is the first to break away, looking down as he grins and pushes up, sending his cock farther inside me and making my hips start to move.
“Atlas, this can’t be anything more than sex,” I inform him, reaching behind me to pull my panties off and sit up. He does nothing but give me a smoldering look as my hands grip his tattooed chest, and my eyes shut as I feel every inch of him in me. My hips start rocking, and soon they are bobbing fast. Extremely fast as he helps me, pushing me back and forth in time with my own hips, so my rhythm never slows.
“If you say so, Theadora,” I hear him mumble, but I am way too lost in ecstasy to even reply. My hands lift, running through my hair, gripping on while rocking until I feel that perfect build-up. One of his hands leaves my hips while the other keeps me moving, and he reaches up and pinches my sensitive nipple. I crave it and lean forward. He does the same, and his mouth encloses around my nipple, pulling it with his teeth.
I come. I come so fucking hard that I’m pretty sure I see stars.
“There she is,” he affirms, throwing me to the bed, turning me over so I’m on my stomach, and he stands, pulling my hips back. He smacks my ass hard, then does it again. I am too sated to move as he lifts me by my hips and slams back into me.
Fuck me.
Literally.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Atlas
Theadora’s ass was made by the gods, her body was sent from hell to tempt and please wicked men like me. And men like me cannot say no to just once. No, we will continue to take and take until there is nothing more to give.
She moans as my cock slides in and out of her already soaking wet pussy. Those moans do mad things to me, and I almost forget to be gentle with her as my hand comes down on her ass again in a loud smack. I expect she likes it because every time I do it, I hear a small moan escape her lips, and her hips rise, telling me she likes it as much as I like doing it to her.
Now, if I could just get my hands around her neck, that would be the icing on the damn cake for me.
The first time I met her, on her knees with a beanie over her head, I had to test it. I had to put my hands around her sweet neck to see how she would react. And she didn’t disappoint me. Luckily for me, she never noticed my cock was hard, because if she did, I’m sure all of this would have gone very differently than it has.
She moans loudly as I grip her hair, pulling her head back as I come hard and long. She comes again, and a scream rips from her lips, making my nuts clench at the sound.
I’m low-key obsessed with her.
And she doesn’t even realize it.
Pulling out of her, she doesn’t move. Theadora’s head drops back to the bed, and her heavy breathing takes over while she catches her breath. Standing, I look down on her. Her ass cheeks are red with marks from my hands as she lays there with her legs spread, showing me everything with not a care in the world.
“I won’t carry you,” I tell her.
She opens her eyes and smirks at me. “I never expected you to, but now that you mention it, most men in my romance novels carry their women to the bathroom and wash them after they fuck them. You should totally do that.” Her body doesn’t even move as she speaks, but her lips turn up in a wide smile.
“I won’t carry you,” I reiterate, this time with more determination.
“You will because I can’t walk. So, Atlas, pick me the fuck up, and carry me to the bathroom like a good man should.” She turns over, her tits and pussy on perfect show. My cock bounces, ready for another round, and her eyes drop straight to it. “Carry me.” She puts her arms out and grins.
“I’m not a good man, that’s your first mistake.”
Theadora’s hands drop, and the smile that was on her face instantly leaves, and, in its place, an intense fevered stare takes over as her face reddens.
I smirk, and, within seconds, I reach for her and throw her over my shoulder, smacking her ass a few times for good measure.
All anger now gone, she laughs as we head to her small shower, and I place her in the cubicle, turning the water on. When I do, she screams as the cold water hits her full blast. Her eyes grow wide as she tries to shift away and cover herself from the ice-cold blast pouring all over her. When she looks up and sees me smiling, she reaches for me and pulls me under, then slams her body against mine for my warmth.
“You are a real asshole, you know that?” she says into my chest.
I turn the faucet, and the water warms because it is fucking freezing.
“And you should probably leave so I can have good dreams. Because if you stay, you are bound to fuck up my happy thoughts of you right now.”
I chuckle at her words. “I’m staying,” I tell her.
Theadora pulls back and reaches for the soap, then starts washing herself. She looks at me as I stand under the water, and she begins lathering me up. Her hands move in circles over my belly before they dip lower and touch my dick. She smiles up at me and continues to slowly stroke me.
“You should leave. We probably won’t get any sleep otherwise,” she states, soap now gone and her hand wrapped around my cock as she pulls. She has the perfect touch, and I lean in to kiss her, but she pulls back. “No. You should go, don’t you think?”
I bite my lip but stare her down as she maintains her hold on me. “You don’t want me to go,” I say with a devilish look. “You want to wake up with my cock in your pussy.”
She doesn’t argue, so I know it’s what she wants. “I want that too. So unless you want me to fuck you up against this bathroom wall with my hand against your throat, I would stop stroking my cock, right now.”
Theadora squeezes one last time, then lets me go and reaches for the soap again before she resumes washing herself. I watch, waiting until she’s done and gets out before I do the same.
After washing myself, I step out to find her in her bed with the covers pulled up as she lays there watching me.
“Is my debt gone?” she asks.
“Do you want it to be gone?” I ask, drying my hair with the towel while walking over to her bed. She sleeps on an old wooden bed, but her mattress is fucking heaven.
“Yes. I never wanted it in the first place.”
“What about me? Do you want me gone too?” I ask while climbing into the bed. I turn on my side, looking at her so I can read her expressions. Her sky-blue eyes close for the briefest of seconds before they reopen.
“I don’t know what I want with you. But, Atlas?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t like you,” she says with a straight face. “I don’t
like you,” she repeats again.
“That’s okay, most people don’t, and I am happy with that.”
“Are you, though?” she asks, scrunching her eyebrows. “Happy, I mean. You are a man who I hardly see smile. Are you happy?”
“In moments of time… yes,” I answer her truthfully.
Theadora nods as if that’s enough.
‘“I don’t want to owe you anything. I never did.”
“You won’t,” I reply.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not killing me for her mistakes.” Theadora yawns and shuts her eyes. If she only knew that I would kill everyone around me before I would ever kill her.
My cell starts beeping, and Theadora doesn’t move, so I ignore it and roll her over. She goes easily, and I come up behind her, tucking her into my front. It’s not long before she starts to breathe ever so lightly, and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.
Maybe today she won’t hate me.
But soon, very soon, she just may.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Theadora
Atlas stands at the end of my bed when I wake, with a coffee in his hand as he watches me sleep.
“That’s creepy,” I tell him, sitting up and reaching for it. I take a drink, and he doesn’t say a word. “Hey, you… you alive in there?” I snap my fingers in front of his face.
“I don’t do this,” he says while shaking his head.
“Do what?”
Atlas looks at me as if I should know the answer as his amber eyes bore into me. “I have to go.” It’s all he says before he turns and walks out.
I listen for the front door to shut before I get up. Searching for my cell, I find it on my bedroom floor, and it’s almost dead. Picking it up, I see I have a message from Nicholas. I smile as I read it.
Coffee today? Cannot wait to see you.
My smile drops as I think of the man who just brought me coffee.
But I told him, didn’t I?
