Page 20 of Rulebreaker (Gamebreakers #4)

TWENTY

Lily

It’s not like a pie to be sliced, sweetheart, each piece getting smaller and smaller with more people joining in. It’s…

My heart stutters against my ribcage, unfamiliar emotions swirling through my core.

How is this guy still single and how was I the lucky girl to swoop in and win him over?

He’s beautiful–inside and out–and stupidly wealthy. The money isn’t a draw for me but the rest is absolutely breathtaking.

He is breathtaking.

And he’s been taking my breath away almost from the moment we met. Certainly from the first time he touched me.

When my second meeting today was canceled due to a family emergency, I opted to come back here, see if there was any news and spend another hour or two with Atlas before I have to head to the airport.

I didn’t anticipate finding Frankie sobbing because the new baby might not like her. Or Atlas coming to the rescue like the loving uncle he is. Except he’s more father than uncle–at least from where I’m sitting–and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be a wonderful father someday.

It also occurs to me that it’s past time for me to come clean.

I need to explain before he finds out some other way.

I’ve kept the details of my private life as tight-lipped as possible, but there are records of marriages.

Early pictures of Stan and me together. Every so often someone asks me about him, and I avoid the personal by talking about his failing health.

No one has asked me about our relationship in years but it could happen, and I don’t want it to be in front of Atlas.

“Hey, guys. I’m back.” I walk out to the patio and smile at the picture Atlas and Frankie make.

“Hey.” Atlas gently puts Frankie down before reaching for me. His lips are soft against mine. “What are you doing back here?”

“My second meeting was canceled, and I figured I’d check in here before getting my stuff from your place.”

“I’m glad you did.” He looks down as his phone buzzes and a grin spreads over his handsome face. “It’s a girl. Eight pounds ten ounces and twenty inches long. Mom and baby are doing great.”

“Oh, I’m so glad.” I glance down at Frankie and she seems deep in thought.

“How much is eight pounds?” she asks finally.

“It’s about how much one of your mom’s roasts weigh,” Atlas says.

Frankie scrunches her nose. “Those are heavy!”

“Well, the new baby is a whole person,” I say gently.

“Are we going to visit?” she asks.

“Auntie Aspen probably is sleeping,” Atlas says. “But we’ll go later this afternoon, okay? ”

She nods. “Okay. Can I go play now?”

“Of course,” he says. “I’ll make you a new sandwich and bring it out when it’s done.”

“Thanks Uncle Atlas!” She runs off and he watches her go with a fond smile before turning to face me.

“She’s going to be jealous,” I murmur.

He nods. “Oh, yeah.”

“What do we do to mitigate that?”

“Some of us have to spend more time with her than the baby.”

“The baby won’t notice if we’re not very hands-on at this stage,” I muse thoughtfully. “So there definitely needs to be a group of us who focus on her and not–do we know the baby’s name?”

He shakes his head. “They had some ideas but said they wouldn’t know for sure until they met her.”

“I’d love to see them but I only have a couple of hours and then I have to get my stuff from your place and head to the airport.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go.” He slides his hands around my waist, drawing me close.

“Me too.” I tilt up my face for another kiss and his warm lips part mine.

Kissing him is as natural as breathing now, and far more satisfying.

I move against him, leaning in for more as our tongues swirl together.

Heat pulses through me and I’m momentarily resentful that we’re babysitting and not back at his place…

naked. Bodies sweaty and thrumming with need. His cock–

“We’re home!” Briar’s voice makes us jump apart and I smile as I note the erection tenting Atlas’s pants.

“Hey!” I position myself in front of Atlas, my back to his front. “You must be exhausted. ”

“I dozed for a few hours at the hospital,” she says, yawning. “But I’ll be fine as long as my boss doesn’t drag my ass to work.”

Atlas chuckles. “Your boss is tired too. Babysitting is hard!”

She turns, eyes slightly narrowed. “Was everything okay?”

Atlas hesitates, glancing around before lowering his voice. “Someone’s a little…jealous. Dealing with feelings that are new to her.”

Briar nods. “I’ve been waiting for this. Thank you for letting me know, though.”

“I let her get it all out, and I think I talked her off the ledge, but I’m sure some Mommy time will go a long way.”

“Absolutely. And you two should have some alone time before Lily has to leave. I appreciate you guys staying with Frankie, though. We really wanted to support Aspen as much as we could.”

“No problem at all,” I say. I think it’s probably safe to move away from Atlas, and I reach for my purse. “I was supposed to be in meetings all day but I got out of one early so I came back to check in with everyone.”

“Everyone else has gone home to get some sleep,” Briar says. “I’m going to spend some time with my daughter and hopefully sneak in a nap.”

“She also has a grilled cheese on order,” Atlas says lightly.

Briar nods. “Grilled cheese. Quality time. Sleep.”

I grin. “Sounds like a perfect day,” I tell her, giving her a hug. “I’ll see you soon,”

Atlas grabs my hand as we walk out to his Range Rover. “How much time do we have?”

I glance at my watch. “I have to be at the airport in a little over two hours.”

“Plenty of time for a quickie.”

I sigh happily.

Two orgasms and a lot of kissing later, we’re racing across town toward the airport. I’m beyond sated, my mind and body completely relaxed. I know I have to talk to him about Stan but there’s no time since we’re running late and it’s not the kind of conversation I can just throw at him.

“When will I see you again?” I ask.

“Whenever you want.”

“I’m being serious, Atlas. As much as I appreciate the hoops you’ve jumped through to spend time with me, I’m heading east and it’s going to get complicated.”

“I know.” Our fingers are twined between us and he squeezes my hand more tightly.

“I have to look at my calendar. There are things Briar can handle for me, and things I can postpone, but there are also a few board meetings I can’t miss.

And I want to make sure Banks and Aspen have everything they need as they adjust to the new baby. ”

Sometimes I wish he didn’t have such an obligation to his family. I know that’s selfish, and I love spending time with them too–just not at the expense of us having quality time together.

“I wish…” I let my voice trail because it’s hard to explain what I’m feeling.

“You wish?” He pauses, glancing over at me. “You can tell me anything, Lily.”

I sigh softly, chewing the inside of my cheek. “I wish we’d met a year from now.”

“Bite your tongue,” he responds, shaking his head. “That would be another whole year without you.”

“But you wouldn’t know you were without me,” I protest with a soft laugh.

“Doesn’t matter. ”

“I’m contractually obligated to be in a hundred different cities over the next year,” I say. “I can’t just cancel the tour.”

“I’ve never asked you to.”

“I know. It just makes everything complicated. And we’re so new.”

“Are you having second thoughts?”

“What? No! It just feels like whenever we’re together there’s no time to talk…

relax, figure out who we are together. Does that make sense?

We’re both so desperate to get physical, and by the time we get our fill, we have personal and professional obligations yanking us in different directions.

I am absolutely on board for all the touching we can fit in, but if this is going to be more than sex, then there have to be extended periods of non-sexual time too. Time for us to be a couple.”

He’s quiet for a beat too long, and right when I begin to wonder if I’ve made things awkward, he responds.

“I’m going to meet with Briar and find a week where we can clear my schedule.

And then I’m coming to you, wherever you are.

Even if we have to travel each day, we’ll spend an entire week together.

And I promise to keep the sexy times to a minimum. How does that sound?”

Like I’m falling in love.

And like that will be the perfect time to tell him about Stan.

“I love it,” I gush, shoving down the guilt. I only have a few minutes left with Atlas–this isn’t the right time for confessions or deep conversations. “But not the part about minimal sexy times–I want all the sexy times, buddy. I just want other times too.”

“And I will make that happen.” He slows to a stop and puts the car in park.

“I have to go,” I whisper sadly.

“It’s okay. I’ll come to you soon. I promise.” One hand snakes out and he wraps it around the back of my neck, pulling me to him. Our lips move together easily, sweetly, until we reluctantly pull apart.

“I’ll call you from St. Louis,” I say breathlessly.

He kisses me once more before I force myself to get out of the car.

We’ll be together again soon, I’ll tell him about Stan, and then maybe we’ll find some semblance of normal.

Because I’m falling hard and I can’t picture my future without Atlas in it.