Page 19 of Returning to Pine Ridge
“I know that too.”
He lets out a long breath. “Okay. But Atlas? When this is over with HelixGen Corp, we’re having a real conversation. You and me and your mother. No more hiding.”
“No more hiding.”
He walks back toward Mom, who’s talking to some friends by the door. I watch him go, feeling the weight of what I’ve just done settle on my shoulders. I’ve opened Pandora’s box.
Kai comes back over to me, and I can see the concern in his eyes.
“You okay?” he asks.
“No,” I say honestly.
“What can I do?”
I look into his eyes and smile. “Take me home with you.”
He takes a step forward, puts his hand on the back of my neck, and kisses me. “I thought you’d never ask.”
6
KAI
I openthe door to my apartment, and Atlas doesn’t even let me close it behind us before he’s kissing me.
The kiss is desperate and urgent, like he’s been waiting to do this all day. He pushes me backward, his hands already reaching for the hem of my shirt. I stumble slightly, but then my hands are on him too—gripping his waist, pulling him closer.
“Fuck, Atlas. I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday.”
“Me too,” he breathes against my mouth without letting go. We’re all teeth and tongue and desperation.
He breaks the kiss just long enough to yank my shirt over my head. His eyes are dark and focused entirely on me. He runs his hands down my sides, the sensation electric, and my muscles tense under his palms. I groan and reach for his Henley, then pull it off with slightly less finesse than he managed.
“Bedroom,” I say, my voice rough with want. “Now.”
He doesn’t argue. His hands grip my waist as I guide him through the hallway, our bodies pressed together as we move. We kiss as we walk, stumbling slightly when I misjudge the doorframe. He laughs against my mouth, and I have to kick the door open wider before pulling him inside.
He breaks the kiss just long enough to glance around the room, then back at me with a grin. “No bookshelves in here. Guess we’ll have to improvise.”
“I think we’ll manage,” I say, already reaching for him again. He’s warm and solid, and I need him more than I’ve needed anything in a long time.
I push him gently toward the bed until he falls backward, pulling me down with him.
“Let me,” I say, my voice low and reverent. “Let me take care of you.”
“Okay.”
I start at his neck, kissing the sensitive skin there while my hands work at his jeans. He lifts his hips to help me pull them off, and then his underwear follows. In seconds, he’s completely naked beneath me, exposed and vulnerable and so beautiful I can barely breathe.
I pull back slightly to look at him. He’s watching me with an intensity that matches my own. His chest rises and falls with each breath, his skin flushed with arousal. I want to memorize every detail—the way his collarbone catches the light, the slight curve of his ribs, the soft hair on his chest.
“You’re so beautiful,” I say, and mean it with every fiber of my being. Not just his body, though that’s stunning. But him. The way he’s looking at me. The way he’s trusting me to look after him.
I lower my head and kiss his collarbone, then move lower. My lips find his chest, and I take my time there, kissing and licking and worshipping every inch of skin. His hands roam across my back, gripping me like he’s afraid I might disappear. I won’t. I’m not going anywhere.
“Kai,” he breathes, his fingers threading through my hair.
I hum against his skin, the vibration sending shivers through his body. I move lower, kissing down his stomach, my tonguetracing the line of muscle there. His breath catches as I get closer to where he needs me most.
