“Okay.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “I’ll see you then.”
“I—” It almost slipped out. It was right there on the tip of my tongue, and it would have been so easy to say it because that’s how I felt. But I forced it down and said, “I’ll see you then.”
Thirty
Tegan
“Am I going to learnall of your deepest, darkest secrets tonight?” I asked Atlas.
He grimaced, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. “Knowing Fallon, probably.”
We were on our way to the highly anticipated game night with his friends. I’d already met Fallon, and I grew up with Kael, but Cyrus was who I was really looking forward to meeting.
Atlas pulled the truck into the parking lot of the Foundry. It was another product of the mayor’s revitalization initiative, an old manufacturing facility that was converted into a swanky apartment building last year.
“I didn’t know anyone actually lives here,” I said, remembering the decrepit building of my childhood.
“I think it’s Cyrus and Fallon and a few other big-city transplants.” He paused for a second, obviously thinking before he asked, “Does it ever bother you that more people are moving to Briar Glenn?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. It’s been good for business, andI love seeing new faces around town. In fact, there’s one face I particularly enjoy.”
He leaned over the center console, his lips twitching with a smile. “Oh, yeah?”
“Mhm,” I said, reaching out to him.
I ran my fingers through the soft fur on his face, giving it a gentle tug to pull him closer to me. The cool tip of his nose touched mine and we angled our faces, pressing our lips together in a series of slow kisses that made my heart pound in my ears.
“Tegan.” He said my name in a growl that rattled right through me.
I pulled away to stare into his full-moon eyes, placing a soft kiss on his nose before letting him go.
“Ready?” I asked, flipping down the visor to check my makeup.
“Well, I was,” he grumbled, shifting in his seat. “But we have to wait a few seconds now.”
That got my attention.
I flipped the visor back up, my gaze traveling down his body to the tented area of his gym shorts. “You’re going to have to wait until later for that.”
“Is that a promise?” he asked, ears perking up.
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
Which was a code word fordefinitely.
While we were waiting for Atlas’s not-so-little problem to resolve itself, I peered out the window.
“It looks fancy,” I said, taking in the sleek black balconies enclosed with frosted glass and the sprawling sea of ivy creeping up the brick wall.
“Wait until you see the inside. It’s really nice.” Atlas shifted in his seat again. “All right, I think I’m good now.”
Before I even had my seat belt unbuckled, he was out of the truck and opening the passenger door, holding a massive hand out to me.
“You don’t need to keep doing this,” I said, grabbing hold of his hand, hopping out of the truck. “I’m perfectly capable of getting out myself.”
“I know you are, but Iwantto do this for you.” Still holding my hand, he tugged me to him, making my breath hitch. “So let me do it,” he whispered.
“Okay.” It came out soft and compliant, because that’s what I wanted, wasn’t it? Someone to take control. To do things for me without having to ask.
