Page 69 of Atone

Alex pulls back, not removing his hands, and I’m frozen in place.

That’s the most Alex has ever said to me at one time, and I can’t begin to process it.

I’ve received compliments before. Ones meant to lure me into bed or charm me. But this is nothing like that. It strips me to my core.

“I’m just some girl from Oregon.”

Alex shakes his head. “And I’m just some guy better off ina psychiatric ward.”

“You’re more than that.”

“So are you.”

He dips down to claim me in a kiss, and it’s enough to hand the most important parts of him.

He’s broken, but so am I.

He’s sharp, but I’ve always found comfort in blades and knives.

Alex’s hands drift to my hips and under my thighs until he’s lifting me in his arms. I lock my legs and arms around him, and we kiss to the click of the spinning carousel.

Our lips clash, and my body burns from the inside out.

Cool mint and promises.

I trail my hands from his neck, kneading them over his thick shoulders, slicing my nails softly down the front of his chest. For a moment, he lets me, and I bask in every fractured plane of him.

But when I try dipping my hands lower, Alex breaks the kiss.

There’s always a line or limit. Which is why I find myself holding my breath as I stare into his eyes. A thousand questions swirl at the tip of my tongue.

What will it take for him to let me in?

How can he trust me with his words but not accept my touch?

I’m not brave enough to ask either of those, so I settle on, “What’s wrong?”

He tips his forehead to mine, and I pray to the God Alex doesn’t believe in that he won’t break my heart.

Insecurity breezes through me. “Have you already had enough?”

“For all your strengths, Mila, you really don’t listen.” Alex sets me on my feet.

In a swift move, he spins me around so fast I catch myself with flat palms on the one-way mirror, facing the spinning carousel. The pressure of his cock grinds against my ass as he holds me to it.

“Is there ever getting enough of you?” He kisses the soft flesh beneath my ear, slowly dragging his teeth down the side of my neck.

Through the mirrors, I spot Marco at a different attraction now, with a blonde hanging at his side. “According to some people, yes.”

Alex breathes out a laugh. “I’m referring to anyone with more than one brain cell.”

Glancing at him over my shoulder, I see I’m not the only one who spotted Marco at a distance because Alex is watching him too. There’s something akin to jealousy burning in his gaze.

“Seeing as you have far more than one brain cell, Iguess you’ll have to tell me if there is ever any getting enough.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

It’s pathetic for me to let his honesty hurt my feelings, but I hoped he would at least hand me some reassurance at that second.