9. CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 9

Chyler

I woke up before my alarm this morning; I was at war with myself over Atlas, so much so that it was consuming me, even in sleep—I slept like absolute shit last night because of it. What the hell is wrong with me?

Before meeting Atlas at The Landing, I was content being alone. There was no one else to worry about or depend on—aside from Madison and Alexis, of course. But something about him just drew me in and wouldn't let me go.

He knew exactly what to say to send shivers down my spine and put me on edge. I would never let him claim me, though. If it came down to it, I would be the one to do the claiming. I wasn’t his prize to be won; he was mine.

Last night, I went back to Madison’s townhouse for dinner. We talked about how I bumped into Atlas, and how we had lunch together. She couldn't help but show amusement at how romantic the entire interaction was between us and how I was living the 'typical storybook romance.' She didn't hesitate to chide me, stating that buffalo wings are not an approved date food. I beg to differ.

She was always the romantic of the three of us; her last relationship was over a year ago. Adrian broke her heart over nothing.

A choice between him and our friendship.

You could imagine who won that battle in the end.

Regret of that loss for her was a knife twist to my heart. She spent over six months grieving the loss of Adrian, and I tried my hardest to make things right between us. Sure, she chose our friendship over him, and she never let me forget it.

Another reason why I don’t want to give myself to Atlas; I don’t believe I deserve him after what I did to her. She’s over it now and hasn’t thought of or mentioned him once, but that doesn’t mean the guilt and resentment aren’t still lingering in the back of her mind.

“So you are still going to meet him for coffee tomorrow morning?”

“You know, I was considering canceling the more I thought about it, but after lunch with him… I think I want to see where this goes. You know… do that whole ‘dating’ thing you constantly shove into my face.” I gave her an amused grin. I couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol talking or what. We were already two bottles into our night.

“Okay, now you are scaring me; where did my ‘I don’t need a man to own me’ girl go? What did he do to you in that restroom?” She chuckled and gave me a light, playful shove to the shoulder.

“He doesn’t own me, and honestly, I don’t know.” I shrugged nonchalantly. “There’s just something about him. He’s different, and I can’t stop thinking about him. ”

“Just… promise me you won’t go too fast, okay? You’ve never let anyone in before. I don’t need something to go wrong, and you get all dark and twisty on me.” I almost wanted to mention when she went “dark and twisty” on me after Adrian. But I held my tongue, not trying to bring up the past and ruin this moment between us.

“Don’t worry about me, worry about him. Could you imagine if he hurt someone like me?” I lightly chuckled.

“That’s exactly what I am afraid of. Not him—you.” She gave me a concerned look. I shrugged her off, polished off my glass of wine, and picked up my takeout box.

Not wanting to cook, since it was late by the time I had arrived at her place, we ordered Chinese takeout instead. We snuggled onto her soft grey sofa, wrapped in blankets, and ate out of our plastic takeaway containers.

Deciding on a movie night, we argued for the first few minutes about what to watch. We ended up settling on a popular TV series about a hot stalker turned serial killer. We both called it quits for the night a few episodes into the season. Madison headed off to her bed, and I left her townhouse for my apartment. She offered for me to stay the night again, but I decided that I wanted to be in my own bed with my own thoughts—thoughts of Atlas.

I stretched out in my queen-sized bed. The black cotton sheets were recently washed, so they were crisp and felt like utter bliss against my skin. I didn’t want to leave this bed—until my alarm had to go off and suggest otherwise.

With an unsatisfied groan, I threw the white duvet off my body and dragged myself to the bathroom so I could shower and get ready for my coffee date with Atlas.

Staring into my closet was becoming a common occurrence for me. Normally, I’d just throw on some gym clothes and a denim jacket, calling it a day. But a date? The fuck do I wear for a date? I know it’s just coffee, but I needed to look somewhat put together today.

Again, why did I suddenly care how I looked for him?

I frowned and pulled out a cute high-low dress. It featured a gradient from orange to hot pink and had a fit-and-flare style. The upper bodice was slightly snug, hugging my body tightly, while the skirt flared out and fell gracefully against my hips and thighs. I wasn't usually a fan of dresses, but I adored wearing this particular style. It was flattering, and the vibrant colors made it stand out from the crowd.

I decided to wear my hair down with lightly tossed waves falling over my shoulders. I pulled on my favorite denim jacket to complete the look and made my way to the door, tossing my phone and keys into my handbag and sliding into a pair of dark brown wedged heels. By the time I made it to the coffee shop, it was just minutes before nine, and as I approached the corner, my eyes caught sight of a very attractive man leaning against the building, waiting for me.

Atlas .

He wore light blue denim jeans and a bright white T-shirt that perfectly hugged his toned body and broad shoulders. He didn’t notice me right away, so I took that time to let my eyes enjoy the view that was all him .

When he finally looked over and caught my gaze, he pushed off the wall and made his way towards me. I couldn’t help the subtle grin that tugged its way out at the corner of my mouth.

“Well, good morning, sweet thing.” His nickname for me always ignited a fire whenever he said it. It was different and made this thing—whatever it was—between us all the more real. His voice dripped honey, and his cheek dimpled when he gave me that perfect smile of his. Fuck me, he’s magnificent.

He held his hand out to me, and I took it without hesitation. The moment our hands touched, my breath left my body.

“Morning, Atlas.” My composure was slowly slipping away. Why did he have such an effect on me?

“Shall we?” He gestured to the door, and I nodded, allowing him to lead me in to order our drinks, my hand firmly held by his.

Once inside, we both ordered the same drink: a nitro cold brew with salted, sweet cream foam. With our drinks in hand, we strolled through the sculpture garden instead of sitting outside on the makeshift patio.

The sculpture garden was beautiful, with lush green grass, bright flowers, and the blue sky reflecting off the small ponds. The park wasn’t very busy this morning, giving us much more privacy and freedom to roam the paths. On a busier day, it was harder to walk through the park and enjoy its beauty when it was crowded and people were taking photos in front of the various sculptures. I understood the novelty of it, but it was also annoying trying to navigate around so many people. If I wanted to do that by choice, I would go to the state fair.

“So… tell me more about yourself.” He hit the ground running with that question. Although, I knew what he was really asking.

“Like what?” I took a sip of my coffee and looked up at the sky. There were only a few clouds, otherwise, it was a beautiful sunny day.

“How about starting with your friends and family?” He gazed at me as we strolled alongside each other, our shoulders occasionally touching. I hummed as I considered what I was going to say. I had never really talked about my family to anyone; I never really needed to.

“Well, let’s see… There is Madison, who gave you my number at the nightclub. She’s my best friend; we’re practically sisters at this point. And then there is Alexis, who is also one of my best friends, but we aren’t as close as Madison and I. We fought tooth and nail when we first met.” The memory of Alexis and I pulling a chunk of hair out of each other’s scalp, fighting over the last shot of Malibu rum, caused me to laugh.

“What about your parents?” He asked.

“What about them?” I shrugged coolly, not really wanting to talk about them—to open up to him just yet.

“Do you see them often?” He pressed.

“I don’t want to talk about my parents right now. What about you? Friends?” I blew out a sigh, desperate to change the subject .

I hoped he would get the hint and not press me any further. The story of my parents was for me and me alone. Madison has never even heard the story from me.

“I’ve got a few back home, but here it’s Derek. He and I go way back, back as far as our college years. He was transferred here six months ago, and I decided to follow him when the opportunity came.” He took a long sip of his coffee.

“You followed him? Are you two?…” I raised a brow in question.

I hope I am wrong because I don’t share… with anyone. I wanted Atlas for myself.

“No, no, no. It’s not like that.” He chuckled and almost spat out his mouthful. “I followed him because he’s my best friend, and I needed the change in scenery. He’s like a brother to me.” I couldn’t help but smile, knowing he was mine for the taking.

The more we talked and spent time together, the more I wanted him all to myself. Even though he told me he was single at the nightclub, that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t interested in someone else.

Again, my mind was at war with itself over him. Do I let whatever this is continue, or do I stop everything and run for the hills right now? It is not like he knows where I live. I could disappear to the other side of the city, and he would never see me again. I mean, he does know my name—my real name—but that isn’t a huge issue.

What would Madison do? I’ll tell you what she would do. She would tell me to quit being a complete pussy and enjoy him— all of him .

Realizing that I had been quiet for way too long, I stopped us under the shade of a large willow tree, holding my hands up to him. I need to be clear with him right now before this goes beyond the point of no return for either of us.

“Look… Atlas. I don’t know what it is you are loo—”

He cut me off, stepping into me and backing me up against the trunk of the willow, the cascading branches covering us from the view of anyone else in the park—not like there were many eyes to hide from, regardless.

My back pressed into the trunk as he caged me in against the tree, his strong and toned arms resting on the bark on either side of my head. My breath caught as my eyes locked on to his, and I began drowning in his searing gaze. Those fucking eyes.

Atlas had me in a chokehold; I was weak for him. The alluring scent of cedar and spice washed over me, his scent. I could bury my face in his shirt and breathe him in for days.

He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear and his warm breath causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.

“What I’m looking for is you, and now that I’ve found you, I’m not going to let you go—“ His voice was silky smooth, sending a shiver down my spine. I could feel my core begin to pulse at his words— and when did I start holding my breath? “And if you make me chase you, I hope you wear good running shoes.” Lord help me…

I opened my mouth to speak but then closed it. Yet again, Atlas had left me absolutely speechless with his actions and words. He was all in for the chase, and I wasn’t sure if I was willing to give him one anymore. I wanted him just as badly as he wanted me.

Damn him .

I was in a losing battle and needed to find a way to turn this around. I was going to claim him, not the other way around—but would it be so bad if he beat me to it? Atlas came into my life out of nowhere two days ago, and suddenly, I don’t know who I am anymore.

Shifting my gaze from his, I noticed that I had dropped my coffee cup and was suddenly fisting his shirt with both hands. I guess I had my answer as to where my traitorous body wanted me to go with him.

I looked back up at him, biting my bottom lip, my core searing me from the inside out. It took every ounce of resolve left in me not to press my damn thighs together. His gaze dropped to my mouth, and all I could think about was his lips on mine. Devouring me whole.

“Let’s take this your place,” I spoke breathily.

Damn it all to hell , I had made my decision. I was going to let him in and see where this would take me, but I wasn’t going to lead him to my apartment, not just yet, because if I needed to run, I wouldn’t make it easy for him to catch me. I needed an escape route.

He removed his hands from the tree, grabbed my wrists firmly, and gave me a smirk that told me he was about to make this difficult for me .

“I’m sure you are in the habit of always getting what you want when you want it—or need it, like at The Landing.” He spoke softly, staring deeply into my eyes. “But this time, I want you on your pretty little hands and knees, crawling and begging for me.”

Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss to the crook of my neck, biting gently, and then pulled away completely, releasing my wrists. I was trembling—shaking with desire.

“I’m a patient man, sweet thing. I can wait .” He winked, stepped back, and left me leaning against the willow tree for support, wanting him—needing him.

Then he strolled out of the park like he owned it—owned me. Not once did he look back over his shoulder to see if I was going to follow him. He was that fucking confident in himself and what he just did.

My insides caught fire and began screaming.

Fuck!