14. CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 14

Chyler

Stretching out my arms, I reached across the bed to pull Atlas closer to me—but he wasn’t there. When I noticed he wasn’t within reaching distance, I opened my eyes and saw that the spot next to me was completely empty.

The blankets were ruffled, and the pillow had an imprint to show that someone had slept there, but he wasn’t there. I rubbed my hand along his side of the bed, and when there was no lingering warmth to be found, I knew he had left a while ago.

I frowned, a little disappointed that he left my apartment without so much as waking me. Even after I told him that I wanted him last night—that I wanted everything.

Doubt started to settle into my bones, and my heart squeezed in my chest. Did I make a mistake already? Was I that stupid to trust him? Men were always good at saying just the right words to get you to fall for them, taking them all back once they got what they wanted from you. Another reason why I didn’t care to ever let one in. Why I was more than happy to stay single for the rest of my life.

I groaned, dragging myself out of bed and pulling on a white oversized t-shirt. I fixed my hair into a messy bun, securing it with a black satin scrunchie at the top of my head, and quickly went to brush my teeth.

As I padded out of the bathroom, I picked up my phone, popped in my earbuds, and turned up my favorite playlist. I would call or message Atlas later when I had a clear head. At the moment, I knew that anything I said to him would be clouded by my emotions, given that he had left me abruptly without any explanation. I really didn't want to lash out at him like some psycho. Maybe I was overreacting and overthinking it, though. He could have just been called into work and had to leave in a hurry. Sure, that could be it.

Pulling out a frying pan, I started the stove and began melting some butter over low heat. I opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a couple of eggs. Simple scrambled eggs over toast sounded like a good idea for breakfast. I popped two pieces of bread into the toaster across the counter and moved back to the stove with the eggs.

One of my favorite songs from my playlist started playing, and I couldn’t help but close my eyes and surrender to the music, swaying in front of the stove and holding the pan over the burner.

Without warning, a strong arm wrapped around my chest. My eyes flared open, and I dropped the pan, grabbed a knife from the butcher block, and twisted around, holding the blade right up against the intruder’s throat. One slight movement and they would be bleeding out on my kitchen floor. I let out a low snarl, red bleeding across my vision, and my jaw clenched.

At the same time as my movements, a hand tightly gripped the wrist of my hand that was holding the knife, pushing just enough pressure to keep the knife from slicing into their skin. Their reflexes were just as fast as mine. Looking up at their face, I saw blue, green, and brown eyes flare wide at me. Atlas. I blinked back into myself, the red fading from my vision, and I took a deep breath.

“Hey, easy, it’s just me… are you okay?” He looked me over with concern, searching my eyes, the knife still at his throat, but pulled back slightly from where it was. He was more concerned with me than the knife I held against him.

“I—Yes.” I cleared my throat, breaking my eyes away from him. I loosened my grip, and he pulled the knife from my hand gently. “I thought you left already this morning. The bed was cold.” I didn’t want to admit that I checked his spot for warmth when I woke up.

He set the knife on the counter behind me.

“I went to grab us some breakfast; I was hoping to be back before you woke up. You looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to wake you.” He took my chin between his fingers, and my gaze met his once more.

“Hey, look at me. Where did you learn something like that?” His tone was full of curiosity and wonder, but I could never tell him the truth. I tried to think of excuses for what I had just done. A way to skate around the truth and not cause him to become suspicious of me. If only my skills would impress him more than scare him .

Simple, quick reflexes, self-defense classes—assassin training…

I could never reveal what I truly did for work to him because if he knew exactly who or what I was, he might think I was too much for him to handle and walk right back out that door, never giving me a second chance.

I needed to say something, the silence becoming deafening between us.

“Self-defense classes. I took them a long time ago when I moved out of Madison’s townhouse. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to be able to protect myself if I ever needed to.” I breathed out, keeping my tone as even as possible. I almost killed him. Maybe Madison was right about my switch…

If he hadn’t been as quick as he was to grab my wrist, he would have been dead, and I his murderer instead of his lover. Where did he learn to move and block an attack that fast?

Atlas wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him, his scent washing over me and wrapping me in a soothing blanket of cedar and spice. He pressed his lips to the top of my head, kissing lightly into my hair.

“You don’t need to protect yourself anymore. You have me, and I’m not going anywhere… Changing the subject, though, I brought you breakfast.” He murmured into my hair, and I turned my head to the bag he had set on the counter.

He released me from his hold and walked over to the counter, opening the bag and pulling out a couple of strawberry and cream croissants, and a pain au chocolate .

My mouth was watering as I eyed the strawberry and cream croissants. He handed one to me, and I took a huge bite, licking the excess cream from the corner of my lips as I moaned in bliss at how delicious it was.

“And I thought I was the only one who could make you moan like that. Should I be worried?” He laughed and took a bite of his own.

I couldn’t help but giggle. Croissants were my weakness. Chocolate, strawberries and cream, plain—I loved them all. They were one of my favorite pastries. If I could bake, I would make them all the time, just for me. It reminded me of my Mom and how she used to bake for me on the weekends. I smiled at the memory of her and looked back up to Atlas.

I popped the last bit of the croissant into my mouth and moved to wrap my arms around his neck, rising up on my toes so my nose touched his. I was on cloud nine, and there was no coming down. I was ready to give in to whatever this was and to just live for it. He broke down all the walls I built up over the years, and I couldn’t care less to rebuild them. He felt like home. It’s a strange thing to admit so soon, but something about him just made me feel whole.

“Only if you don’t bring me these again.” I kissed him lightly on the lips, tasting the sweet cream on them. He was delicious before, but now…

“Deal.” He kissed me back, picking me up by my thighs and setting me on the counter, caging me in with his body and his arms resting on either side of me. I could definitely get used to this. I tangled my fingers in his hair and deepened the kiss, losing myself in him with thoughts of last night. Atlas was everything I had ever dreamed of once upon a time. All of this felt too good to be true.

Never in all my recent years did I think that I would ever want something like this, and here I am now, soaking up every second of it—of him. He pulled back, looked up at me, and smiled. My heart squeezed as I looked back at him. When he smiled, his dimples showed, and they drove me mad. I would give anything to see him smiling like that at me. The adoration it radiated made me feel more whole than I had ever felt before. I can’t believe I spent half my life avoiding this. It was an absolute high; I never wanted to come down from it. If he was a drug, consider me addicted.

“Do you want the good or bad news this morning?” He spoke in a playful tone, tilting his head slightly. I couldn’t help the sigh, knowing any kind of bad news was coming from him.

“I guess start with the good news?” I shrugged, thinking that since I would hate the bad news no matter what, I might as well start off with a positive.

“The good news is, I don’t have work today.” He leaned forward and grazed his lips along my shoulder. If that was the good news, then what’s the bad?

“Okay… and the bad news is…?” I couldn’t help but raise a brow in curiosity.

“The bad news is you are going to be stuck with me all day.” He brought his mouth up to my nose and nipped playfully as I tried to suppress a giggle.

“I don’t understand; what part of that is bad? ”

“It’s bad because I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep my hands off of you or let you leave this apartment today—at all.” He leaned back into me, head moving to the crook of my neck, and started kissing a trail down to my shoulder and back up again.

I gasped and speared my fingers into his hair, tugging lightly on the strands; his hair was like silk between my fingers; I could run them through it just by habit at this point. I will never get over this, all of this.

I couldn’t help the impulse to pull his head back roughly by his hair and devour his mouth with mine. He tasted so good, especially after breakfast, with the lingering flavor of strawberries and sweet cream in his mouth. My tongue played with his, digging as deep as he would let me. I moaned into his mouth and leaned forward, pressing into him. He groaned and bit down on my lip.

“I hope you’ve had enough to eat because I’m ready for my next meal.” He growled and, without warning, threw me over his shoulder, taking me back into the bedroom. I squealed over his shoulder as a hand came up to smack my ass.

He dropped me on top of the bed, the oversized t-shirt I was wearing already pushed up to just under my breasts, exposing my stomach and black lace thong. I could already feel the heat pooling between my legs at the thought of him devouring me like a meal. I still remember the way his mouth felt against me when he feasted on me at the nightclub.

Atlas leaned over me and pulled at my shirt.

“This needs to come off. I want to see all of you.” He tugged at the hem, and I arched my upper back off the bed so he could pull it off completely, my nipples hardening from the cool air that touched them. Reaching down, he ripped the lace of my thong off.

“Hey!” I can’t believe he just did that.

“I’ll buy you all the lace thongs you want; I need this one for your wrists.” He winked and grabbed my wrists, placing them above my head. Using what was left of my lace thong, he tied my wrists together.

Atlas began kissing trails down my body, taking his time to taste every bit of skin in his path. His warm breath caressed me where his lips didn’t, and I melted beneath him.

Sucking the nipple of my right breast into his mouth, he brought his hand up to play with the one on the left. His tongue drew slow circles around my nipple as he teased it with his teeth, rolling it between them and tugging lightly. He mimicked the motions of his mouth with his fingers on my other nipple. I couldn’t help but squirm under him with the two different sensations, one hot from his mouth and the other cool from the temperature of the room.

He chuckled lightly and then released both of my nipples, making his way down my stomach, taking my thighs in his hands from behind and spreading me wide, dropping down to his knees. I bit my lip and braced myself for him, gripping both the lace and the sheets above my head.

“I love that you are always ready for me. Soaking wet.” He dipped a finger inside me and pulled it out with a groan, moving his finger to his mouth and sucking it clean. “The strawberries make you taste even sweeter.” His words made my core throb, and if he thought I was already wet, I was now dripping for him.

Without waiting a second longer, he dragged his tongue through my slit and sucked deeply on my clit. I couldn’t stop the whimper of a moan that passed my lips. His mouth was magnificent. He devoured me in the most perfect way, knowing exactly where to move his tongue, which drove me crazy.

Releasing my clit, he dipped the tip of his tongue inside me, then pulled it back and plunged it as far in as he could go, twisting it and then pulling back again. He continued pumping his tongue in and out of me with the same twisting motion, and I gripped the sheets tighter, my knuckles turning white from the strain. He was fucking me with his tongue, and I was losing every ounce of control over my climax.

I began tensing under his tongue, and he moved up to give my clit more attention, sliding two fingers inside of me to continue what his tongue had stopped. He sucked on my clit and lightly tugged on it with his teeth. I hissed when he put a little extra pressure on my bundle of nerves with his teeth, but it was the perfect sensation of pain and pleasure. His fingers curled into my sweet spot, and I could feel my walls tightening around them.

“Come for me, Chyler; I want to taste all of you.” He sucked harder on my clit, and I felt my climax burst through me, coming into his mouth and over his hand as he continued to tease me and fuck me with his fingers. “That’s my girl. So fucking responsive. ”

I gripped the back of his head, pulling him up to me and kissing him deeply, tasting my sweet release on his lips. Fuck he was so hot; I could never get enough of him.

“My turn.” I moaned into his mouth, reaching for the waistband of his pants. I needed to taste him just as he tasted me. But he pulled away just as my fingers grazed the top of his pants and stood to his full height before me.

“Oh no, I’m not done with you, sweet thing. I want you screaming for me, just like last night.” He then flipped me over to my stomach and pulled my hips back until my feet touched the floor, pressing my legs into the side of the bed.

I could hear him unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants from behind me. He dropped the belt on the bed next to me so it was close by, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I was so ready for him to fuck me into oblivion, and I hope that belt was going to be part of it.

He dropped his pants to his ankles, kicking them off and behind him. He then used his knees to spread my legs wider while pressing down on my lower back until my body was flush on the mattress. He cursed as he ran his hand up and down my back and then trailed it over the curve of my ass, squeezing it in his palm.

“You look fucking incredible like this. But I think you are missing something.”

Picking up the belt, he stretched it out in front of my face and pressed the flat side to my lips.

“Bite down.” I obeyed, opening my mouth as wide as possible; he slipped the leather belt behind my teeth. I could taste the leather on my tongue and smell it as I inhaled a deep breath. Leaning into my back, he untied the panties around my wrists and moved them behind my back, retying them. He pulled back on the two ends of the belt and forced my head to tilt back so I was almost looking at the ceiling. When my head was in the position he wanted, he threaded the belt through my wrists and secured it in place.

Brushing his lips against the shell of my ear, he whispered, “Good girl. I’m going to fuck you just how you like it now.” His words set my blood on fire; I could feel myself turn flush with his words, my heart hammering against my chest. I whimpered through the belt strap and tried to press my thighs together, but they were still held in place by his knees. I could feel my wetness dripping out of me.

Pulling back, he ran his cock up through my dripping wet core, coating himself in my last release before thrusting himself into me, gripping my hips, and digging his fingers into them for leverage.

He set a hard and fast pace, exactly as he said he would, just how I liked it. The sound of our bodies slapping against each other was music to my ears. I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my mouth around the leather of the belt. He reached a hand forward and gently pushed my wrists down, causing my head to tilt further back; he then reached his hand around my throat, applying a light pressure—not cutting off my oxygen—but enough to make it harder to breathe.

Reaching his free hand between my thighs, he began rolling and teasing my clit with his fingers. I couldn’t help but arch my back further with the pleasure he was delivering to me. My walls began tightening, and I fisted my hands, my moans becoming louder and my breathing ragged.

“Ready to come?” He groaned, thrusting just a little deeper and pressing harder into my clit with his fingers. I nodded and whimpered, biting down harder on the leather and squeezing my eyes shut. Fuck yes, I was ready to come for him.

“Come for me; milk my cock with your tight cunt.” His words undid me, my eyes flared open, and my climax shattered me, a scream ripping from my throat but muffled by the belt in my mouth. I bit down so hard on that leather that my teeth started to ache. He followed me, and I collapsed onto the bed, my limbs completely limp from the release. My skin buzzed, and my vision turned slightly hazy from the high of it all.

Atlas unlatched the buckle of the belt, releasing it slowly from my mouth and dropping it to the floor, my jaw aching with relief. He untied the lace around my wrists and rolled me over, scooping me up and moving me to rest my head on the pillows.

He climbed into the bed behind me and pulled me against his chest.

“I don’t know where you came from, but you are beyond perfect. You were made for me.” He mumbled into my hair, breathing in deeply.

I was so completely spent that all I could get out was a hum of acknowledgment before my eyes closed, and everything went dark.

I could feel Atlas’s hand stroking my hair as I lay there, wrapped around him with my head on his chest, listening to his gentle heartbeat. His other hand ran up and down my arm lightly, causing a shiver down my spine. Opening my eyes, I couldn’t help but just lay there in silence and study his beautiful body. Everything was toned to perfection; his muscles were defined from his chest to the jaw-dropping deep V that led you right to his huge, thick cock. It was as if his body had been sculpted from clay.

I tilted my head to look up at him and couldn’t help the smile that his handsome face elicited from me. I wanted to wake up to him in my bed from now on— our bed had a nice ring to it. He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“You know… I just noticed you don't have any photos in your apartment.” It’s an odd thing to notice, but I’ll bite.

“What would I have photos of?” I never saw the point of buying random art pieces for the walls. Madison had accumulated a lot of artwork over the years, but I never really saw the point in it. Not to mention, this was just an apartment. I had no intention of living here long term. Once the market got better, I planned on looking for a home outside of the city—somewhere in the suburbs, maybe even further…

“Family? Friends? I’m sure you have plenty of photos you’ve taken over the years.” I did have photos on my phone of trips and vacations that Madison, Alexis, and I had taken in the past, but I never really thought of getting any of them printed for decorating.

And as for family…

“The only photos I have of my parents are from when I was fifteen.” I let out a sigh and could feel Atlas tense from my words. I’m sure he knew what I was insinuating. He pulled me closer to him and gave me a little reassuring squeeze.

“Care to talk about it?” He asked softly.

I knew he was hoping that I would open up to him; I shut him out the last time he brought up my parents. I never talked about what happened to them to anyone. Madison and her family were the only ones who ever knew, and that was because the social worker who dropped me off at their home was obligated to inform them of everything that had happened to me. I never personally spoke about it to them. I locked that memory away and refused to relive it.

I inhaled and blew out a deep breath, preparing myself for the bandage I was about to rip off for him. A bandage that I had worn for almost half of my life.

“They died when I was fifteen in a tragic car accident.” I braced myself for the emotional barrier I was about to take down for him. I don’t know why I decided to tell him about my parent’s death, but something inside of me couldn’t help but want to. The need for him to know me on a deeper level than just sex.

I never had the strength to tell their story. Maybe it was because I no longer felt so alone in the world with them gone. Or perhaps it was because he came into my life, and suddenly, I was becoming whole again—the missing pieces of my heart slowly being replaced by his. He was filling the void that they had left behind .

All this time, I refused to talk about my parents with anyone, including Madison, building up walls and shutting everyone who wanted to get close to me out. My heart shattered into a million pieces the day they died.

“It was my birthday, and we all went out for dinner to celebrate. On the way home, we happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. A suicidal driver hit us head-on, and our car flipped into the ditch. My parents were killed on impact; I somehow survived with only a few cuts, scrapes, and broken bones in the back seat, and the driver of the other vehicle died a day later in the hospital from multiple organ failure.”

I zoned out, staring at the ceiling and remembering the night as if it were yesterday. It was like rubbing salt on an old wound. The memory burned, and I couldn’t help the tears spilling down my face. I could still see their smiling faces when they came home from work that day.

Atlas caressed my cheek, turning my face back to his, and kissed me softly. He stroked my hair and ran his fingers up and down my arm as I told him the story.