Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 597(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 597(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Atlas and I both freeze, our faces pressed together as we just breathe one another in.
“Sorry,” I whisper, my lips ghosting over his. But I don’t mean it, not really.
He rakes his teeth over his bottom lip as he runs his knuckles under my chin, drawing me minutely closer. “Don’t be.”
“Atlas.” His name is a prayer…an invitation. One he readily accepts.
“Need you to say it, Pip.” His voice is thick and syrupy, and I swear I can feel it low in my belly. “Need to hear you say you want this.”
“I want this.” My heart pounds like a drum in my chest, the rhythm building and building as my anticipation grows. I want so badly to reach out and pull him closer that my fingers tingle.
I’m not sure why he has this effect on me, but I like it; I like him, and I most definitely want to feel his lips on mine. And this time not in a dark closet.
He tips my head back ever so slightly and then seals his mouth to mine, drawing my lower lip between his, sucking slightly.
It’s like he has a direct line to my libido, and I gasp as prickles of pleasure fizz to life inside of me. Opportunist that he is, Atlas wastes no time deepening our kiss.
Time stops as our tongues swirl together, soft and teasing. Until this moment, I thought kissing was kind of weird, but now, with Atlas, I totally get it.
Feeling bold, I scrape my teeth over his lower lip. His answering groan has me clenching my thighs together in a way I’m not entirely sure I understand.
I mean, clearly I’m aroused. I’m not a complete idiot. I’ve even touched myself a few times, but here and now, I’m so turned on that I want to climb over the center console and straddle his lap just so I can feel more of him.
The sound of someone tapping on the window brings our kiss to an abrupt halt. We break apart, eyes wild, lips swollen and chests heaving.
“Shit,” Atlas hisses, tipping his head toward my window.
I glance over my shoulder to find Scarlet standing outside the truck with an indecipherable expression on her face.
She gives us a sharp look before pointing at her wrist and then the door, silently telling us to hurry up.
Atlas sighs and cuts the engine.
Meanwhile, I’m over here wishing I could disappear entirely. I mean, come on, I might not know the details of their relationship, but I know there was one. And that’s enough for me to want to hide forever.
“You good, Pip?”
I choke out a laugh. “If by good you mean mortified and praying for the earth to open up and swallow me, yeah sure, I’m great.”
He lowers his brows, giving me a curious look. “You embarrassed to be seen kissing me?” His voice holds a sliver of hurt, and I hate it.
“No!” I press my hands to my chest. “No, not at all. It’s just weird because she’s your—”
“She’s not my anything,” he interrupts with a growl. “But you… I’m starting to worry that you could be my everything.” He says the last part so low I almost wonder if I misheard him.
I must have, right?
But before I can ask him to clarify, he’s out of the truck and bounding around to open my door and help me down.
Scarlet gives us both a silent once-over before rolling her eyes and gesturing for us to follow her. She pauses at the door and whirls around to face us. “The next time y’all want to make out like teenagers, maybe do it on your own time, yeah?”
My entire body heats with shame. Not over kissing him, or even over being caught. It’s the fact that Scarlet and her doctor are doing us—doing me—a huge favor, and the least we could do is respect their time.
I’m about to apologize, when Atlas grabs my hand and pulls me into him, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders. “I get that we should’ve been more conscientious of the time, but don’t you make her feel bad, Scar.” He puffs out his chest. “I won’t allow it.”
“Right.” Her lips twitch. “Got it.”
She turns back to the door, which is wedged open with a wooden block, and pulls it open. “Right this way.”
The inside of the building is no different than any other doctor’s office I’ve ever been to, aside from the absence of other people. The hallway is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even our footsteps echo.
It sort of reminds me of the start of a zombie movie. I don’t like it.
Noticing my discomfort, Atlas slows his steps and slides his hand into mine. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
His gentle reassurance prods at the worry wrapping itself around my heart, but it’s not enough to vanquish it completely. “What if it’s not?” I ask in a small voice.