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Pulling me tight against his chest, he teases me. “I love that I’m able to make you blush.”
“It’s just warm in here,” I argue, hating that he watches me close enough to pick up on any small nuance in my mood, including being turned on.
“Uh-ha…” he says, mocking me as one of his hands moves lower to cup my ass through the thin yoga pants Rowan bought for me so I didn’t have to stay naked. His hand squeezes my tender bottom bringing out X-rated memories of him using his belt on my bare ass the night before. I’d truly hated and loved it in equal measure.
Rallying the shred of anger I’d felt minutes before, I try to push away from him, arguing, “I mean it. I can’t work remotely. I need to be in New York, casing another job to replace both the casino job and the gala we didn’t get to finish. I can’t lose everything I’ve worked so hard for these last few years.”
I hesitate, feeling vulnerable admitting the truth in front of Atlas, but considering we can’t escape each other until Dex can get to the bottom of the assassin situation, I finish my thought. “I’m already behind on so many fronts, so no, I don’t get to take a damn vacation.”
A look I don’t know how to interpret crosses Atlas’s face—almost like he’s afraid to say something, which only increases my stress level since he’s never been shy about telling me exactly what he feels before, even when I don’t want to hear it.
“What if I told you that you don’t need to worry about any of your bills right now?”
“I’d say you lost your mind. You can’t possibly know what I have on my plate,” I argue in return. I’ll be damned if I’m going to outline all the ways my life is fucked up for him. It would only give him more ammunition to hurt me.
“Even if I told you that your rent is completely paid through the end of the year?”
“What!?” I shout in his ear. My first instinct is anger. I try unsuccessfully to wiggle out of his embrace before adding, “I don’t need charity, Atlas. I am perfectly capable of paying my own way.”
He calmly catches my wrist as I try to shove away from him, pulling my arm behind my back until I have no choice but to listen to him.
“Of course, you are. In fact, you’ve not only paid your own way, but also that of your entire family. Don’t you think it’s time someone takes care of you for a change?”
My heart rate spikes higher. Indecision will do that. I’m so torn between the old me who is furious at the thought of being treated like I can’t juggle everything I need to in order to stay afloat and this new side of myself that has been hidden until recently when Atlas had figured some way to coax her out. This new side of myself feels vulnerable…feminine…soft…
I know it’s the new, more sensitive, side of me that has to fight off the tears of relief knowing that my expensive Manhattan rent is already covered for the next few months. Steeling myself, I refuse to cry.
“You don’t need to help me…or my family,” I retort. “I’m not a charity case.”
“I know that. Maybe I want to help.” It’s Atlas’s turn to look like he just said something he hadn’t meant to.
“Are you doing this just because we’re sleeping together?” I ask, adding, “I’ll be damned if you’re going to treat me like your kept woman.”
His hearty laughter unnerves me. “Baby, we’re doing a hell of a lot more than sleeping together. And even if I wanted to, I’m not stupid enough to think of you like that.”
“Oh? And what do you think about me?” The words leave my mouth before I think them through. I immediately want to pull them back. “Never mind… I don’t want to know,” I add, again trying unsuccessfully to wrestle free from his embrace.
“You want to know what I think? I think you are an incredible woman who is beautiful and smart. I also think it’s time someone took care of you for a change.” When I start to complain, he lifts his finger to my lips to shush me. “Just for a little while, okay? Until we get all of this dangerous shit sorted out, let me take the load off you. I’ve paid your rent, all of your bills, including your father’s hospital bill, and I deposited ten grand into your family’s account. That should tide them over until you get back to New York and get back to work.”
I am speechless. Truly. I have to swallow several times to make the lump in my throat go away before I dare speak.
