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“You demand things from me I’m not ready to give, but you’re so good at making me want them too—so much sometimes that nothing else matters. But then…then you make me feel like a fool for feeling that way, and I’m lost all over again. I know what I said before, but I lied, Owen. I don’t think I can give you my body without giving you my heart too.” Rowdy was still as if bracing himself for what I would say next. “But you said it yourself. You’re not interested in that part of me, and I couldn’t trust you with it even if you were.”
Ignoring the pain of what I had to do, I walked away and left him kneeling alone on the pavement, injured and at the mercy of the other monsters lurking in Hooker’s Cove.
My eyes were still sore when I opened them the next morning.
After calling Golden to come and get me from the motel last night, I ended up downing Benadryl to knock myself out since no amount of washing my eyes would stop them from burning.
I gripped the edges of my bathroom sink and stared at my reflection in the mirror, but I didn’t see the mild swelling, redness, or the leftover capsaicin crystalized around my lids.
I saw the man Atlas had seen last night.
The man she’d taken a deeper look at and found lacking. The man she’d rightly decided wasn’t good enough for her.
Turning away, I rushed through my morning routine since I was running a little late, and on my way out, I texted Tony to see if he’d taken care of that errand I’d requested moments before passing out last night.
Tony: All good, boss. New tires are on.
Tony: Also changed oil, checked brakes, and topped fluids.
Tony: Dropped off the car an hour ago.
I smirked my approval as I texted back.Thanks, T.
Hudson may not have agreed with my methods of leadership, but not even he could deny that Tony’s sudden competence wasn’t a mere coincidence after I’d whooped his ass.
Hopping in my car, I sped to the shop. Today was my Saturday to oversee our small kingdom, and I didn’t accept tardiness—not even from myself. When I arrived, I found Atlas already waiting. Her gaze flicked up to me as I walked passed, and then she pushed away from the door she was leaning against so I could unlock it. Tuesday had her own set of keys, but since we didn’t trust Atlas yet, she was stuck waiting until further notice.
“Good morning,” she greeted, surprising me. Her tone was pleasant enough, but I could hear the wariness sheltered underneath. I guess this was her armor—pretending nothing had happened and it was business as usual.
All right. I could play along.
I paused from turning the lock and glanced over my shoulder to see her chewing on her lip. “Sup?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “How are your eyes?”
It was then I remembered I was still wearing shades, so she couldn’t gauge for herself the damage she’d done. Returning her gesture, I shrugged. “I’ll live.”
Out of pure curiosity, I waited to see if she felt any guilt, but she only nodded and jutted her chin in the air before looking away. Something akin to pride bloomed in my chest, but I pretended I didn’t feel it as I debated asking how she was. I knew it wouldn’t change a thing, but it fucked me up to think I might have broken her when a week ago, it was all I wanted.
Since my concern wouldn’t be appreciated anyway, I pushed the urge aside and finished unlocking the door.
I entered the building and scanned the darkness for any threats lurking before flipping on all the lights and letting Atlas inside. For now, it was just the two of us since the shop didn’t open for another hour.
Atlas’s training was officially over, so today would be her first time flying solo. The shop would only be open until noon, which meant it would be a pretty chill day.
I was headed for the stairs so I could have a few moments alone in my office to get my shit together when I heard her quiet voice at my back.
“Owen.”
“What?” I replied without slowing my stride or looking back. I couldn’t let her see how much I liked hearing her same my name. Only my mom called me Owen, but Atlas took the cake for sure.
“How did you find me last night?”
“This is my city, Atlas. I knew only one bus was still running that late that would take you back to the motel.”
“But how did you know I was staying at the motel?”
I paused and then mouthed, “Fuck.” Against my will, I turned around to face her. This was not the time to reveal I’d been stalking her pretty ass every chance I got. Some nights I even slept in the room next to hers just to make sure no one fucked with her. “Allow me to repeat myself. This is my city,” I stated arrogantly instead. “There’s not much I don’t know.”
