I exhaled a heavy sigh, relief overcoming me as cheers erupted at the tables surrounding us. At least until Atlas turned his intense gaze on me.
“You and I need to talk. Now.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ATLAS
Adrenaline pulsed through me,something I usually only felt this intensely on the field. But my body was buzzing, half of it coiled and ready for a fight, the other half desperate to pin Sutton to the nearest surface and fuck this out of my system.
Though I was faintly aware of other things around me—the buzz of conversation in the bar, the sounds of glasses clinking together, the feel of my brother’s eyes on me—the only thing I could seem to focus on was a single thought.
Protect her.
It was a thrum in my veins, overriding everything else and not allowing me even an inch to breathe.
I turned to Lincoln, who was watching me with raised brows. “Come get me if that piece of shit sets foot back in this bar.”
Then, without waiting for a response, I grabbed Sutton’s hand and tugged her toward the back office. Furious as hell she’d been in this position in the first place—that her ex hadputher in this position.
Her nervousness that night at the hotel suddenly made a lot more sense. And I had to physically restrain myself from going after that bastard and seeing just how much he liked being harassed.
After storming into the office, I slammed the door and turned to face Sutton. I ran my gaze over every inch of her, reassuring myself that she was here and safe and unharmed. He hadn’t done anything to her—physically, anyway. And now he was gone. If it took me scaring him to finally get him to back the fuck off, so be it.
I leaned back, bracing my ass against the desk, and wrapped my fingers around the edge until the wood creaked under the pressure.
Several long moments of silence stretched between us until she finally asked, “You okay?”
I shot her a scowl. “I’m supposed to ask you that. Jesus Christ, trouble, your ex-boyfriend just stalked you halfway across the country, and you’re asking me ifI’mokay?”
She huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. “He didn’tstalkme.”
“What he did is the literal definition of the word.”
She pursed her lips to the side, as if she wanted to argue but was holding back. Then she blew out a breath and flicked a gaze down to my hands. “I asked because you look like you’re about to rip that desk in half with your bare hands.”
I didn’t doubt that was true. I usually kept a better handle on my emotions than this, but it seemed all bets were off when it came to her. I wanted to fuck or fight, a desperate need for either clawing up my throat, and I had no idea which option would be worse.
“That’s because I’m holding myself back from either going after him and ending up in jail tonight, or doing something we might both regret.”
I knew she understood my meaning immediately because her gaze dropped to the front of my jeans, where I was still hard, thanks to that kiss and this adrenaline pulsing through my system. It didn’t help that I’d closed us off in this tiny room, andher goddamn shampoo or body wash or perfume or whatever the fuck permeated the space, causing me to drag in lungfuls with every inhale. It was soft and floral, far too sweet for this demon who’d clearly been sent to earth solely to torture me.
She took a step toward me and raised a brow. “I’m a nurse, Atlas. So I definitely can’t condone the first option.”
I tracked her slow advance, my gaze cataloging every inch of her. From her loose, wavy hair kissing the tops of her shoulders to those full, pouty lips to that deep V of her sweater showcasing just a shadow of her tits.
Meeting her eyes again, I asked, “And the second?”
She stepped between my legs, so close her hips brushed the insides of my thighs, and rested her hand against my chest. “With how I’m feeling right now, I’m not so sure I’d regret it.”
She might as well have waved a red cape in front of a bull, because nothing short of the world ending could have held me back after her admission. I didn’t stop to think, didn’t second-guess this compulsion beating like a living, breathing being inside me. I just pushed off from the desk and cupped a handful of her ass, lifting her up and guiding her legs around my waist. And then my mouth was on hers, my tongue sliding between her lips and reminding us both exactly how combustible we were together.
“Do you think this is a good idea?” she asked between kisses, my face gripped in her hands and the roll of her hips driving me damn near out of my mind.
I was so fucking desperate for it. Forher.
“No, it’s not a good fucking idea.” I nipped her jaw and trailed kisses down her neck, scraping my teeth against her collarbone. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.”
“Oh god,” she moaned, tipping her head to allow me more access, pressing her pussy against me even harder. “I meant because you told Lincoln to get you if my ex showed up.”
