Page 12 of Rulebreaker (Gamebreakers #4)

TWELVE

Lily

The crowd tonight is on fire. They want more and I want to give it to them.

I have a routine that’s timed down to the second.

Thirteen songs.

Two breaks to chat and bond.

Four minutes in the wings while I let the crowd go wild, begging for the encore.

Three encore songs.

Done.

But I just did song number three and no one is leaving. No one is ready to go home. And they want more.

“What’re you doing, boss?” Flo knows me well enough to know I’m contemplating going back out there.

I never heard back from Atlas so I guess he either didn’t want to see me or had an obligation he couldn’t get out of. Either way, he could have let me know. But turnabout is fair play–it’s not like I’ve been super communicative .

“I’m going back for one more,” I say, grabbing my acoustic guitar.

“Tell everyone we’re doing ‘Never Thought It Would Be You.’” That’s a song I rarely play live, but it seems fitting tonight.

An edgy song to take the edge off my recent bout of loneliness and the disappointment I’ve been fighting all day.

I thought he would come.

I had no expectations beyond seeing him once more, but I truly believed he wanted to see me again. Instead, he’s playing games, which annoys me because if he had meetings or something, he could have reached out.

Flo talks into her ear piece, I wait five seconds, and then walk back onto the stage, hands in the air as my acoustic hangs by the strap around my neck.

“Did you want one more?” I yell.

The crowd is even rowdier than before and I grin. Turning to my band, I catch my drummer’s eye and he nods–counting off as my guitarist plays the opening chords. The music engulfs me and my fingers know exactly what to do. My body sways as I sing the opening lines.

I don’t want your heart

I don’t want your touch

I don’t want you to kiss me

I might like it too much…

The fans seem pleased with my choice, and I see the majority singing along, which makes me feel good because my roots are in country. That’s how I started and my first love, no matter how much fun it’s been switching to contemporary .

I turn, taking off my guitar and looking for my guitar tech, who should be waiting in the wings to take it from me.

And that’s when I see Atlas.

My heart stutters with excitement and my lips curl upward of their own volition. Our eyes lock for a moment but I turn back to the crowd, ready for the chorus.

He’s here.

He came.

It’s a miracle I get through “Never Thought It Would Be You,” but the moment it’s done I breeze past Flo and my guitar tech and throw myself into Atlas’s arms. There’s the briefest flicker of surprise on his face and then his arms close around me, one hand landing possessively on my ass.

“Hi.” There’s something mystical in his eyes that’s hard to read.

“You came,” is all I can think to say.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“I didn’t hear from you and…”

Ugh. I sound needy and insecure.

“I figured you had other commitments,” I add quickly.

“I did.” His voice is steady, eyes never leaving mine. “But I made the time.”

And time is something we don’t have a lot of.

“Lily, you have a—” Flo begins, approaching us.

“How long?” I interrupt, aware that she’s reminding me precisely how limited my time is.

“Twenty-eight minutes.”

“Come on.” I tug Atlas by the hand and speed walk to my dressing room.

He closes the door behind us and I can’t help but smile.

“I’m really glad you came,” I whisper. “But I wish you’d gotten here earlier. ”

There’s a hint of…disappointment in his eyes? It’s hard to tell because whatever it was is gone before I can study it.

“I tried,” he says. “I got a slightly later start than I anticipated and then we circled the airport for over an hour because of weather.”

“Well, you’re here now.” My voice sounds a little breathless as I gaze up at him and this time when our eyes lock, he pounces on me like a predator claiming his prey. His touch is firm but his lips soft as they graze mine.

“Twenty-eight minutes?” he murmurs.

“I’m sorry. The jet is ready to go and I have an early morning radio interview in Seattle.”

“Then I guess we shouldn’t waste a single minute.” He backs me against the nearest wall and pillages my mouth with his. His tongue finds mine greedily, taking deep pulls that make me a little weak in the knees.

Sex is great, and orgasms can be otherworldly, but I really love a man who can kiss.

Atlas is so uptight and bottled up, I briefly wondered if he’d be good at any of it, and he’s surprised me yet again.

Despite how little time we have or the intensity of his movements, his kisses are surprisingly…

tender. There’s no doubt how much he wants me, but he doesn’t rush.

Instead, he teases my tongue, nibbles on my lower lip, and threads the fingers of one hand through the hair at the nape of my neck

And continues to kiss me.

Like we have all the time in the world.

“Sweet,” he whispers, nuzzling my nose with his. “But I don’t think I have enough time to fuck you.”

I whimper, a soft sound of frustration that leaves my chest before I can stop it.

“You need me to make you come?” he asks in a gruff voice.

I stare into fathomless dark eyes almost helplessly–I want him more than I’m able to admit, and I don’t know why.

“Panties,” he says, holding out his hand.

“Wh-what?” I’m momentarily confused.

“Take them off and give them to me. Every second you waste talking is one less second I can use to get you off.”

I’m wearing a denim mini skirt so shimmying out of my panties only takes a few of those precious seconds. I start to toss them aside but he snatches them out of midair.

“I told you to give them to me,” he says pointedly. “Next time, there’ll be repercussions for not doing what you’re told.”

And just like that my vagina floods with arousal.

Atlas sticks my panties into the pocket of his jacket–because of course he wears a suit to see the pop star he’s sleeping with–and then sinks onto the little settee in the room. He crooks his finger at me, eyes gleaming. “Come sit on my lap.”

I don’t hesitate, moving immediately and resting my bottom on his very long, hard erection.

“Spread your legs, baby.” The timbre of his voice when he tells me what to do brings every inch of me to life, a full-body arousal that’s hard to describe. Coming from anyone else, it would annoy me, but it’s magic when Atlas does it.

“Good girl.” He runs a hand along my thigh, fingers inching toward the promised land. “How much pleasure can you get in less than twenty minutes?”

“I feel pleasure every time you touch me,” I breathe.

“Let’s see if we can up the ante.” Warm strong fingers slide up and gently cup my mound. “You’re wet for me,” he murmurs.

“Yes.”

He slips the tip of one finger inside me. “ Very wet.”

I pull in a shaky breath, anxious for more and completely mesmerized by the expression on his face when Atlas Delarosa presses that finger all the way in.

Gratification, almost like I’m pleasuring him instead of the other way around.

A touch of smugness, because he knows how badly I want more than his finger.

He shifts slightly and presses the heel of his palm against my pubic bone, rubbing just enough to bring my hips up off his lap.

“Easy.” He angles his head and bites the side of my neck.

I want to tell him to stop, that hickeys would be ridiculous at our age, but I can’t. Because I don’t care. If he wants to leave a trail up one side and down the other, I won’t say no. I’m under some kind of spell, the kind that makes a girl do stupid things, and there’s no way to tell him to stop.

“Atlasss…” The last part of his name comes out like a hiss as he slides a second finger inside me. “Oh, God.”

His teeth scrape the sensitive skin behind my ear, his fingers working in and out expertly. The pressure on my clit adds friction that makes me squirm and my hips undulate against his hand.

“Please please please!” I beg, fingers digging into his forearm.

A third finger joins the other two and when he lightly scissors them, my vision blurs and a kaleidoscope of pleasure ricochets through me. I buck and wriggle, moaning his name, arching up to take as much of him as possible.

“Oh, fuck, Atlas…”

He’s quiet, and then ever so slowly pulls his fingers from my vagina and brings them to his mouth. Watching him lick every drop of my juices nearly sends me over the edge again, but I have no time to enjoy it because there’s a brisk knock on the door.

“Lily, you need to leave for the airport in four minutes!” Desi’s voice is tentative, which isn’t like her, but there’s no doubt in my mind she knows what’s been going on in here the last few minutes.

“Give me three,” I yell back.

“Next time I see you alone,” Atlas says in that sexy alpha-bossy way I’m starting to love, “I expect you on your knees wearing nothing but that red lipstick you wore that last time we were together–understood?”

The next time?

I nod and somehow say, “Yes.”

He presses a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m glad we got to see each other.”

“I’m sorry it wasn’t longer,” I whisper, adjusting my skirt and hoping my hair isn’t a rat’s nest. “Um, can I have my underwear back?”

His brows rise slightly. “Those are mine now.”

I open my mouth but snap it shut.

I have to go.

But mostly, I don’t want to think about what we just did or why we did it.

Slam-bam-thank-you-sir.

Keep it simple. Then move on.

“Atlas, I’m sorry…” I reach for my shoulder bag after quickly smoothing my hair. I’m still tingling, I don’t have any underwear on, and I’m more than a little flustered. “I have to go.”

“I know.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets, his expression inscrutable.

“I’ll… call you,” I whisper so softly it comes out more like a plea, willing him to understand what I’m feeling, even though I’m not sure myself.. “Promise.”

Then I rush out the door without looking back.