by Alison Ryan
When I felt his orgasm begin, however, my own followed immediately. Spurred on by his frantic mouth mashed on mine, we swallowed each other’s screams as my legs wrapped around the backs of his thighs.
If the danger we were in was as real as it seemed, and our lives indeed hung in the balance, I could die knowing I’d received the most unimaginable, indescribable pleasure a man can give a woman. And if I had to face death, I’d do it hand in hand with the one man I’d ever met who might just look the grim reaper in the eye and scare that old bag of bones right back into the pit of Hell.
Thirty-Seven
ATLAS
As I had guessed, they came for us hours later.
It was hard to predict how long we’d been asleep without having a clock, but my body surmised it was about three hours. Not long enough to get any sort of real rest.
Malcolm and his goons entered loudly, all laughing as we sat up. Fortunately I had made Piper get dressed, knowing they could spring in on us at any moment.
“Have a good night’s sleep?” Malcolm smirked. “You know, we really don’t have cameras in here. But we do have audio. And I was disappointed not to hear a damn thing from here last night. I was so hoping you’d give me something to entertain myself with. But I’m guessing after your discussion, Piper here wasn’t in the mood.”
I didn’t bother replying. It was a pathetic attempt to bait me.
“You’re such a creep,” Piper suddenly said. “I mean, seriously. It’s probably time you got laid if you’re getting your sad kicks by listening to two people sleep.”
Malcolm hadn’t expected her to speak. Neither had I.
I was proud of my girl.
“You need to learn when to speak and when to shut it, Piper Kipton,” Malcolm said, ominously. “Atlas only skimmed the surface of the things people like he and I are capable of. So watch it.”
I stood up, towering over him. He looked up at me but there was no panic in his eyes. Only amusement. He knew he held all the cards.
“So I guess you’re ready to finally find out why Headquarters brought you here,” Malcolm said, still giving an icy stare at Piper. “I’ve been waiting for this all night! It’s like Christmas morning.”
“Yeah, in Psychopathland,” Piper muttered under her breath.
Fortunately, Malcolm didn’t seem to hear her. He really did seem almost giddy about the news he was about to break.
“But before we get to the good part,” he said. “We’re going to need to move you again. You understand. Gotta keep this location as under wraps as possible. Hold still, it will only hurt for a second.”
Suddenly, before we knew it, the men with guns moved towards us, holding long hypodermic needles, the length of a forearm. Piper screamed.
“Anything but that!”
But it was too late and I knew it. They injected her in her neck and within seconds she was out.
I was next. I glared at Malcolm as I received mine.
My last thoughts were of how much I couldn’t wait until I could kill him.
I’m not a dreamer. It’s just not me. But while in my unconscious state my subconscious went to its safest place.
Piper. Always Piper.
We were walking past the fountains in Rome. There was no telling how we’d gotten there, but like in all dreams, it just made sense.
As we passed one of the fountains, a tourist pushed by us and somehow knocked Piper into the water that was next to us.
When I turned to pummel them, they were inexplicably gone. So instead I pulled Piper out. She was soaking wet and her little white shirt was completely see through now. She laughed it off, but I could see fear in her eyes. She was shaken and so I led us back to our hotel which apparently was just a short walk away.
By the time we reached our room she was very upset. We entered the room and I held her tight to my chest.
She was trembling in my arms. My want for her was not as great as my need to comfort her, so I continued to hold her, the pace of her heartbeat slowing from rapid back to normal against my skin.
“Atlas,” she cried. “I’m so scared.”
“You don’t need to be. I’m not letting you out of my sight,” I assured her. “No more meetings. Not without you next to me. I’m so sorry I allowed this to happen.
She shook her head, “You can’t blame yourself. You didn’t know.”
She ran her hand up my chest and to my face. Our eyes met, hers filled with tears and mine with concern.
“I love you,” she said. “Don’t leave me again.”
I kissed her then, long and hard, her pouty lips soft against mine, making me hard inside my pants.
She must have sensed it. She stepped back and against the wet material of her t-shirt her nipples were hard, begging for my mouth to be on them.
“I need you inside me,” she whispered. “I need to feel good, Atlas. I need release. The kind only you can give me.”
I pulled her to me and ran the back of my right hand knuckles across her breasts making her gasp. She threw her head back and closed her eyes and my mouth was on her neck, tracing my tongue down to her clavicle. I yanked her shorts down as she pulled her wet t-shirt over her head.
Fuck, the sight of her body was torturing me yet again. It was wet from the fountain and her skin was slippery under my hands. I lifted her up and she wrapped her delicious thighs around my waist, her arms around my neck as she gave me soft kisses against my cheeks.
“Tell me you love me again,” I said into her ear. “It makes me hard when you tell me that.”
“I love you, Atlas,” she said. “More than I’ve ever loved anything in this world.”
We fell back onto the bed, kissing with fervor and passion. She tasted so damn good, smelled amazing, the sound of her saying my name made me more aroused than I even thought possible. I stood, to quickly pull off my shirt, and unbuckled my belt so I could get rid of my pants just as fast. My cock needed to be buried inside of her as soon as possible.
Her body was my home.
I fucked her slowly for the next hour, whispering her name and telling her everything I felt about her body, her beauty, her soul. For the first time in my entire life I held nothing back. She came for me loudly, screaming out my name as I thrusted, her pussy tight and wet, allowing me to slide in and out of her easily.
“I love your pussy,” I told her. “It’s fucking heaven.”
“I was built just for you,” she replied, arching her back as she climaxed. “Built for you to fuck. Built for you to do whatever you want to me.”
I picked up the pace, pounding her harder as she cried out. I braced myself against the head board with one arm, her writhing body beneath me, taking all I was giving her, unmercifully. I wanted to fuck her hard enough that she’d feel it tomorrow. That when she sat down to eat breakfast she’d wince and remember that Atlas Titan fucked her so well and that she’d never want anyone else to take her ever again.
“I’m coming!” she yelled to me. “I’ve never come this hard, baby. God!”
“I’m not done,” I growled. “Not even close to done with you.”
I flipped her over and took her from behind, fast and hard, my body dripping in sweat from exertion and pleasure. I could have come at any time, she felt so damn good, but I wanted to hold out and give her what she needed.
“I love to come for you,” she cooed as I ran one hand down the curve of her ass and up her back. “I’m yours, Atlas. Forever. I will never want anyone else but you until I die. Fuck! You’re going to make me so sore.”
“Good,” I bellowed. “I want you to remember who you belong to.”
She came again, her cries muffled by the pillow she had buried her beautiful face in. I was close to coming inside her but I wanted to look in her eyes when I did.
What was wrong with me? Piper had turned me into another man.
“I need to look at you when I come,” I commanded. “Turn over. I need more of you first.”
Her body was slick
with sweat but I could see her nipples were still hard, even after having multiple orgasms. She still wanted me, was clearly desperate for it. I don’t know how, but she was insatiable.
“Have me as much as you want,” she said. “You know I can’t say no to you. Even if I should.”
I slowed down my thrusting for a moment, kissing her lips as she sighed and whimpered under me.
“I love you,” I said. “I’ve never told another woman that.”
We stared at one another for a long beat, my confession sitting between us. No one had ever had me this opened up. Not even close. No one but her.
“Good,” she said. “I want to be the only woman you ever say it to.”
Thirty-Eight
PIPER
We woke up on the couch in a mahogany office that overlooked the ocean. We were in a room with floor to ceiling windows all along one wall, and the office was part of a building that towered above the rest of Dubai.
Atlas had stirred before me, his hand meeting mine.
“Baby,” he whispered. “Are you okay?”
“My head hurts,” I said. “But I’m okay. I feel like we were only out a second but now we’re…Well, I don’t know.”
“Headquarters,” Atlas sighed. “Dubai is headquarters. And he’s my old boss.”
Atlas was pointing across the room to a man I hadn’t noticed. He was smiling behind an expansive desk, a wide and charismatic smile. He had a thick mane of white hair and a thick, but trimmed, white beard. He reminded me of Santa Claus, or at least someone who could have been related to him.
“That’s right,” the man said, his voice curiously friendly and lacking the sinister quality of Malcolm’s. Now that I had my bearings I could see that Malcolm was in the room too, sitting on a chaise in the corner, a malicious smirk on his face.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m not sure what else to say.”
“There’s nothing to say, sweet girl,” the man said. “It’s what I have to say that matters, by the way. And then how Atlas responds is what will really be the most telling. But anyway, I’m being incredibly rude. My name is QB. Because that’s what I am here. The QB. The one who calls the shots.” QB looked at Atlas. “And Atlas Titan is one of my most prized receivers. And he’s come home again. Something that delights me more than he’ll ever know.”
“Wish I could say the same, Boss,” Atlas muttered, holding his head in his hands. “Was the tranquilizing really necessary? It’s a fucking hell of hangover.”
“You can thank Malcolm for that,” QB said, standing up and walking from behind his massive executive desk. He was a short man, stout, but sturdy. He stared at me a moment, smiling.
“Piper Kipton,” QB said. “You’re very beautiful. I can see why Atlas fell so hard for you. We knew it as soon as our people saw him lay eyes on you for the first time at Old Ebbitt. Spencer had his doubts that you’d be able to seduce Atlas but look at you! You sure did. He hasn’t been able to keep his hands off you since that very day.”
My jaw had to be on the floor. How did he know all of this? And Spencer? He was involved.
Atlas was just as surprised. “What the fuck? Spencer? He’s with you? You hate him. You called him a sniveling swine that wouldn’t be able to pour piss out of a boot. When the fuck did you recruit him?”
“After you left,” QB said coldly. “He was more than happy to take your place. And he’s done well for us. And will continue to do well for us as he rises through Congress and then the Senate. In ten years that boy will be on the ticket for the big show. He’s ended up being much more useful than I ever imagined.”
I didn’t know what to say. Spencer Cameron was part of SOG. I thought back to the months before, when we’d met. How he’d always seemed to know where I was, even when I didn’t tell him. How he came out of nowhere to ask me out in the first place.
Spencer had never wanted me.
He’d wanted Atlas.
I was a pawn in a bigger game. I’d fallen right into the trap.
But how could they have predicted Atlas would fall for me? How could they have known? I myself still didn’t understand how I was worthy of the great Atlas Titan.
Two days ago I would have wept. Broken down right in front of everyone. But I wouldn’t. Not now. I had to be strong and I had to be like Atlas.
I too had to hold the heavens on my shoulders. To keep us from sliding straight into hell.
Thirty-Nine
ATLAS
“Enough of the games, Boss,” I said. I was done. I just needed to know what the fuck they needed from me so I could move on. If they needed me to kill someone in order to keep them from killing Piper? Well, so be it. What was one more soul on my tally?
I had no chance of going anywhere good after this life anyway. But I could still save her. I could still at least do that.
“You’re right,” QB said. “No more games. It’s time to get down to brass tacks.”
QB moved toward Piper and I was immediately on alert. He took her by the shoulders and patted them. She stiffened beneath his wrinkled touch.
I wanted to slice him open right then.
“Piper here,” he said. “She represents your choice. We have a job for you. The most difficult job of your life, but the man we’ve assigned you to is a very difficult man to get to. He’s beyond rich, surrounded by security, and he’s fucking harder to get to than the president.”
A rolodex of names went through my head of who it could be. Senators, Governors, dignitaries, cabinet members, hedge funders, corporate big wigs. There were many possibilities but this was clearly personal. An assignment only for me. To remind me I was still under the thumb of Headquarters. That at the end of the day I was a killer.
Before anything else.
“Okay fine,” I said. “You’ve got me. Who’s the poor schmuck that I have to murder so you’ll leave me the fuck alone.”
QB’s wide smile brought caused a chill to go up my spine. He smoothed Piper’s hair down making her flinch.
“You know him very well, Atlas.” QB walked around Piper’s chair and stood in front of me.
“Your assignment is your father, Atlas. You are to kill Emerson Titan or Piper dies. And if you don’t do it, they both die anyway.”
Piper’s scream echoed across the room. It sounded far away.
I could barely hear it over the destruction of what was left of my already broken spirit.
Forty
PIPER
Present-Day…
I clung to the thick right biceps of Atlas Titan with my left hand and with my right I had a death grip on the cold steel of a tiny, yellow buoy bobbing in the water. We were somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, I knew that much, but otherwise I was completely lost, out of breath, soaked to the bone, and shivering.
Atlas scanned the horizon and his eyes locked on a plume of black smoke off to the right of us, the distance impossible to gauge with nothing but water in every direction.
I didn’t even realize I was doing it, but the events of the past few hours finally caught up to me and I was sobbing. Atlas turned his attention to me and wrapped himself around me in a comforting, protective hug.
“Shhhh. Piper, I’m going to get us out of this. You have to trust me. You’ve done great so far. I have a plan.”
He punctuated his words with tender kisses on my forehead and the bridge of my nose, his stubbly face tickling mine.
It was then that I noticed he’d lost his shirt somewhere and that he was bleeding. He had a gash across his left shoulder and another had ripped through his pants and his left thigh.
“Oh my God, Atlas, are you okay?” I tried to mask the fear in my voice, but I knew I was doing a poor job of it. I was completely terrified.
“I’ll be fine. A few more scars to add to my collection, that’s all. But we got lucky. Those guys probably expected quite a meal. A few more minutes and we’d have been dinner.” Atlas pointed just a few feet out into the sparkling blue where a pair of sinister dorsal fins k
nifed through the water.
I gasped and felt faint, my weight collapsing against Atlas.
“Hey, easy, everything out here isn’t so scary, Piper. Look over there.” Atlas motioned out in the opposite direction of where the plume of smoke was softly dissipating and I gasped again, but this time a gasp of joyous surprise. “Those are right whales, if I’m not mistaken. A mother and calf.”
I watched as the immense shapes glided through the water, oblivious to us and to the sharks who menaced us, circling closer, trying to decide if we were worth the trouble.
“Sit right here in the center, Piper. You’ll be safest there.”
I climbed into the middle of a yellow metallic disk, maybe ten feet across, and pulled my knees to my chest. I marveled at the shirtless Atlas Titan as he went to work on a small control panel on one of the three columns that went from the perimeter of the disk to an antenna array in the center. He’d produced a small knife he was using to pry open the box and then he began exploring the wires inside. His muscles rippled with each motion, seawater dripping down his delicious abs.
“North Carolina should be…hmm…” He looked up at the sky and then pointed into the distance. “That way. This is a weather buoy. I should be able to send a message if I can get these wires to do what I want them to do. Not exactly the proper tools, but if there’s one thing SEAL training stresses, it’s improvisation.”
“Atlas, Spencer, is he…” My voice cracked. Not out of concern for Spencer so much as my mind’s inability to cope with the events since waking up in that office back in Dubai.
“He’ll never hurt you or anyone else ever again. I promise you that. But this isn’t over. The Coast Guard are on their way here right now. Hell, once they realize a Senator was on board, the Navy will be heading this way, too. Air Force, whatever’s in the area. Which means it’s imperative that I get this message out and we disappear. You’re a great swimmer, but I don’t think either of us can go one hundred and fifty miles right now, do you?”
