AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 13
Atlas
Atlas tossed and turned in the soft sheets. He picked up his phone from the bedside table and glanced at the time. 1:03 a.m. Sleep was elusive. He stood, walking around the bed to the giant window overlooking the dark beach. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, casting the earth in shades of grey and black. He took a deep breath of the salty air. Maybe a walk down the coast would tire him enough to sleep.
He pulled a grey hoodie on over his naked chest, and a pair of black sweatpants. Atlas slipped his phone into his pocket before he headed down the stairs as quietly as he could. It was something new to get used to—being in a house with other people.
Light shone from beneath the door marked “Private.” Back to the scene of the crime. He peeked through the crack. Does this woman ever stop?
She lifted the paintbrush and swiped it over the blue tape around the edge of the window. A white baby monitor hung from her hip. He didn’t want to scare her again, so he backed up and made some more noise retracing his steps to the door before he knocked.
“Come in.” She turned around as he entered, her green eyes red and puffy. Has she been crying?
“Atlas? What can I do for you?” She set the paintbrush down, balancing it on the paint can.
He walked forward, and she took one step back. Fear flashed in her gaze. He stopped, holding his palms open at his sides, trying to show her he was no threat. Something isn’t right. There were shadows in that green-eyed gaze. Who hurt you? “I—” His gaze dropped to a stack of paperwork on a metal folding chair. Loan application. His attention flicked to Jasmine.
She stepped forward, chin rising before she picked up the paperwork and flipped it upside down. “Did you want something?”
You. Even though I shouldn’t.
She was a lot younger than he was, and a single mother. He should turn right around and leave her alone. “I wanted to apologize about the other day . . . about the kiss.”
She blinked. “It’s okay . . . but it can’t happen again.”
He nodded. Why did that hurt so much? He was here to do a job—not the innkeeper. But she wasn’t just an innkeeper. Not anymore. She was an enigma. No piece of the puzzle of Jasmine added up. The more he learned, the more he wanted to know.
“Was that what was keeping you awake?” she asked, tipping her head to the side?
“No. I mean. Maybe that was part of it.”
She nodded, turning around and bending over to put the lid on the paint. Her round ass was covered in partial handprints from where she must have wiped them. He balled his hands into fists and tried to look away, but his efforts were futile.
Jasmine stood, holding a brush in her hand. “Let me clean this and I might have something to help you sleep.”
Jasmine walked past him towards the kitchen. He followed her out. She washed the paintbrush and set it aside to dry in the dimly lit room.
She opened a cupboard. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached inside. The clink of glasses broke the silence before she pulled out two small cups and a bottle of something clear.
“Come on.” She nodded as she opened the back door, leading him outside. A few LED-powered lanterns surrounded the porch and led down the path to the beach.
She sat in one of the chairs, setting the glasses on the wooden table. He took the space beside her as she poured some of the contents of the bottle into the cups.
“To the ever-elusive sleep.” She raised her glass, the corner of her mouth turning up.
He lifted the other and tapped his cup against hers. “To sleep.” What monsters keep you awake at night?
He took a sip and coughed. The alcohol burned its way down his throat to his belly.
Light, honest laughter spilled out from her. It was music to his ears.
“I promise it gets better the more you drink.” Jasmine was smiling, her eyes glittering.
He winced, tearing his eyes from her to look at the glass. “What is it?”
“Moonshine. A couple shots of this and you’ll sleep like the dead.”
Or I might die from internal melting organs. “Did you make it yourself?”
