“Don’t worry.By the time you wake up, I’ll have a whole new wardrobe for you.”He’d snap his fingers, and it would be done.There were benefits to being rich as fuck.When he’d been a kid, he had to steal to get what he wanted.
Not any longer.
But she shook her head.“Unnecessary.I can pay for them myself.”
“Sure, you could.You could also have let me die yet you jumped in to save me, so…I’m buying you the damn clothes.”
She lingered near the door, clearly about to argue with him.Argue, when she should have been sleeping.She’d gotten hit by their attacker, too.He frowned at her.“How’s your head?”At the hospital, the doctors and nurses hadn’t seemed as concerned with Lily’s injuries.Something that had pissed Atlas off.Sure, he had more physical bruising on his body, but she’d been hurt, too.He’d even insisted that she be examined first.
“I’m fine.”A note of worry as her gaze scanned him.“What about you?”
“Never better.”Every part of him hurt.
“I thought we weren’t lying to each other.”She swayed a little on her feet.
Obviously, he was going to have to take care of her.He hadn’t taken care of anyone before.Without hesitation, he swept her into his arms.
“Atlas!Stop!You took a blow to the head from the creep—you should not be carrying me around!”
You took one, too.He ignored her words and carried her into the bedroom.“I wasn’t the only one who got knocked out.Hate to remind you, but you took a blow, too.”
“I’m not carrying you!”
No, she was not.“Probably want to kick off your shoes.”
Her right arm had flown behind his neck as she held on.“What are you doing?”Her left hand now held her precious diary.
Oh, but I need to peek inside those pages.Later.For now, though… “I’m getting you in bed.”Because they didn’t need to fight about clothing when she was about to collapse.
He heard her shoes hit the floor.
“Good girl,” Atlas praised.
She growled at him.
“Oh, sorry.”A laugh slid from him.“Bad girl.Very, very bad.”
“I’m a woman.”
Oh, yes, you sure as hell are.“And are you bad?”He lowered her onto the bed.
“I guess you’ll find out.”
He wanted to keep touching her.“Need me to help you strip?”He’d be happy to oblige.
“I have it, thanks.”
He stepped back, but didn’t leave, not yet.“I know you enjoy stripping in front of me, so, by all means, go ahead.”Atlas tried to sound magnanimous.“Don’t let me stop you.”
“Again, I’ve got it, thanks.”And she hauled part of the comforter over her still-dressed body.The fluffy comforter covered her—and her diary.“Where will you be?”
“Right next door, of course.”As if he’d go a greater distance than that.“Unless you want me to sleep with you, and, in that case, I can climb into bed with you right now.”He rather liked that idea.
“I’ll be fine here.”That slightly pointed chin of hers angled up.“Alone.”
“Sure about that?You could have nightmares.If you have them, all you have to do is call for me.”He’d come running.True story.
“I always have nightmares.They won’t be anything new, and they won’t be anything that I can’t handle.”
