Page 47

Atlas

Dinner ended up being longer than planned. By the time we got back to the suite, it was clear we weren’t going back. Too many drinks, too much good food. We weren’t fit to drive.

I helped the girls to their room, and Kairi followed me back to mine. Just walking side by side, our arms touching. I was thinking about Ashlen.

We slipped into the room quietly, almost on autopilot, our steps in sync. Without even thinking about it, we headed straight for the bathroom. Clothes dropped here and there, and soon we were in the shower, moving around each other like we’d done it a hundred times before. There was no rush, no words. I wondered if Kairi realized how living together had already put us in this groove where it felt natural.

By the time the shower was over, I’d sobered up a bit, and I knew I needed to tell Kairi about the divorce—about Ashlen dragging it out and the ugly parts.

After drying off and climbing into bed, we both got in without bothering to search for clothes. Kairi lay next to me, her eyes already half-closed, calm and relaxed.

“There’s something I need to tell you,”

Her eyes opened slowly, meeting mine, tired but steady.

“It’s about Ashlen,” I admitted.

“Not tonight, Atlas. We had a good few days; leave me to live in blissful ignorance for a few more hours.” She curled into me, laying her head on my chest, the ocean’s steady rhythm filling the space between us.

Then came her question—the one I didn’t expect.

“Where do you see us in five years?” she asked, her voice low and laced with a hint of fear. “With everything we’ve been through... do you think we even stand a chance at lasting that long?”

I ran a hand through her hair, taking my time. “In five years, I see us somewhere warm, maybe on vacation. Dion is eight, our daughter is four. We’re on the beach, in a house that’s ours. Dion’s running around in the yard, you’re writing your next bestseller, and I’m making breakfast. We’ll have what we’ve never had before—peace.”

Kairi tilted her head up, her eyes searching mine, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You really think we can get there? Be that happy?”

I held her face in my hands, brushing my thumb across her lips, feeling the softness I’d come to crave. “Kairi, we’ve already been through the worst of it. This is our chance to finally get it right. I believe it—because I believe in us.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, she shifted, sliding onto my lap, her thighs pressing into my hips. “You think we’ll be madly in love by then?” she asked. Her hips rolled slow, a tease, as she adjusted herself to me.

“Aren’t we already?” I rasped, my hands gripping her waist, pulling her tighter.

“Not quite yet,” she said, positioning herself over me. She slid her hand between us, trailing her own pussy before she gripped my shaft with her soaking hand. She gave me a few strokes that caused my eyes to roll back into my head. She grinned. “But give me a few months.”

She sank down on my dick, taking me in slowly. My grip tightened on her hips as she set a deliberate pace—slow, steady, unhurried. I felt every upward and downward motion she made, had my entire body feeling like putty.

“Kairi...” I breathed, my voice rough and barely controlled.

Her gaze never wavered, her eyes holding mine. As her hand slid up my abs, she gripped my throat, shaking her head.

“Shhh, and just feel,” she whispered, her movements gaining rhythm.