ATLASI woke up deeply satiated, and feeling the warmth of the sun against my face, and I slowly peeled my eyes open, reaching forward to pull the blinds close. I rolled to the side with a small yawn, reaching an arm forward to grab the woman that had slept next to me the previous night.The same one I’d been deeply buried in. The same one that had screened my name.But she wasn’t there. My side was empty. I quickly bolted up, glancing around the room. Where was she?“Elena?” I called, shoving the sheets off and sliding off the bed to my feet. Getting no response, I crossed the room to the bathroom. “Elena?” I called again, pushing the door and peering in. But she was nowhere to be found. It took me only a short while to realize she was must have sneaked away again, just like she’d done the first time we’d hooked up at the club. I sighed, leaning against the wall and running a hand through my hair. Why did she have such an annoying habit?Every single time, I’d woken up wantin
ELENAI woke up trapped. Not like, in a cage. Or a dungeon. Or a forest. But in a pair of ripped arms, and snuggled up against a wall that smelt like aftershave. It was a heady sensation, this trap and this smell. Oh, no, no. This didn’t happen again.Fuck.I didn’t just sleep with fucking Atlas Grant again.What was I even thinking? What was my problem?True, he had a way of touching me so deliciously that made me lose my damn mind. He had a way of looking at me that made my insides turn to mush…But it didn’t mean I had to succumb like a fool.I’d promised myself I wouldn’t let myself sleep with Atlas Grant again, ever, no matter how tempted I got, but I’d gone and broken that promise without even so much as a fight. The pain of regret and humiliation ripped my soul to shreds, sending a searing sensation shooting straight up my throat.I slowly and carefully lifted my head off the pillow, glancing down at his sleeping face. The way his lashes rested beautifully against his fac
ELENAI eventually caved in, pulling the door open and standing there in the doorway, glaring at him.“What do you want?”Running a lazy gaze over my body, he pushed past me into the room, and with a sigh, I slammed the door shut behind him.“This is exactly what I don’t like about you,” I bit out as I trotted behind him. “Acting like you own me. Walking into my room like you own the place.”He turned to me then, lifting a corner of his lips in a slight scoff. “What does this have to any of us? This room belongs to the hotel, Elena,” he murmured in response, his eyes straying to my lips every now and then, and darkening heavily, “it’s not yours.”“And who says I don’t know that?” I retorted fiercely. “I’m currently occupying it, so I’m free to refer to it as mine for as long as I’m here!”He stared at me for a few, seemingly long heartbeats, then his chest heaved with a deep sigh. “I’m obviously teasing,” he mumbled, furrowing his brows slightly. “What is your problem, Elena?“I scoff
ELENAI sat in the backseat of the Volkswagen, fuming quietly, trying to get my breath under control.How did he manage to rile me up so much every time? Why did he affect me so much?..in good ways..in bad ways.I didn’t like how possessive Atlas Grant was. Not one bit.I hated being bossed around.But sometimes…I found myself enjoying that possessiveness a little too much. Wanting it. Wishing for it. Craving it.What the hell was wrong with me?Why was I so hell-bent on self-destructing, stringing along three brothers in different time zones?A family with more to it than met the eye.I let out a deep, frustrated sigh, leaning my head back against the headrest.What had he meant, though?When he’d said he could ruin me in ways I couldn’t imagine…I couldn’t stop thinking about that too.For some reason, I got intensely turned on whenever those words popped back into my head, and a lot of ideas flashed across my mind.Ideas of what he could possibly mean.And my thoughts leaned more t
ELENAI swallowed a lump in my throat, my breath suddenly shorter. And harsher.Wow. Drug dealers?As we walked out of the room then, Atlas’s cold fingers on the small of my back, I recoiled inwardly. But I couldn’t decide if it was in repulsion, or fear.Or if it was simply the electric sparks that danced across my skin each time he touched me. Which I still refused to accept as anything.He led me down to the ground floor, and to the garage, where his car was parked.And as we got en route to the venue of the meeting—which I didn’t know about, I wondered why Atlas had decided to be this…open to me. Telling me about the meeting beforehand, bringing me along, and all.Was it because he saw me as a means to an end of making the Grants pay and getting the money he wants?We arrived at the venue fifteen boring minutes later, and to my slight surprise, he pulled me close as we stepped out of the car, slipping my arm through his.I passed him a puzzled look, and he shrugged. “You have to a
ELENAMy eyes were not prepared for the sight they met as I walked into the hangar I’d been instructed to come to.Where I was supposed to meet up with Atlas.They widened in wonder and amazement, as they took in the Hawker 700 that stood regal in the center of the hangar, slowly sliding over to Atlas, whose hair ruffled in the wind, as he stood a few inches away from the whirring blades.He owns a private jet? Wow.I mean, there was no way to know if this was really his, because the jet was painted black and had no name inscribed on its beautiful body.But then, if we were using it, it surely belonged to him…right?“You’re late,” he murmured behind me as we stepped on the last stair, walking into the cabin.I scoffed, throwing him a glare behind me. “Well it’s not my fault, is it? I would’ve prepared earlier if you had mentioned this impromptu trip earlier. Whose fault is it that I’m late, really?”Ignoring my question, he slid into one of the plush cabin seats and threw his head bac