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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ATLAS

Adrenaline pulsed through me, something I usually only felt this intensely on the field.

But my body was buzzing, half of it coiled and ready for a fight, the other half desperate to pin Sutton to the nearest surface and fuck this out of my system.

Though I was faintly aware of other things around me—the buzz of conversation in the bar, the sounds of glasses clinking together, the feel of my brother’s eyes on me—the only thing I could seem to focus on was a single thought.

Protect her.

It was a thrum in my veins, overriding everything else and not allowing me even an inch to breathe.

I turned to Lincoln, who was watching me with raised brows.

“Come get me if that piece of shit sets foot back in this bar.”

Then, without waiting for a response, I grabbed Sutton’s hand and tugged her toward the back office.

Furious as hell she’d been in this position in the first place—that her ex had put her in this position.

Her nervousness that night at the hotel suddenly made a lot more sense.

And I had to physically restrain myself from going after that bastard and seeing just how much he liked being harassed.

After storming into the office, I slammed the door and turned to face Sutton.

I ran my gaze over every inch of her, reassuring myself that she was here and safe and unharmed.

He hadn’t done anything to her—physically, anyway.

And now he was gone.

If it took me scaring him to finally get him to back the fuck off, so be it.

I leaned back, bracing my ass against the desk, and wrapped my fingers around the edge until the wood creaked under the pressure.

Several long moments of silence stretched between us until she finally asked, “You okay?”

I shot her a scowl.

“I’m supposed to ask you that. Jesus Christ, trouble, your ex-boyfriend just stalked you halfway across the country, and you’re asking me if I’m okay?”

She huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes.

“He didn’t stalk me.”

“What he did is the literal definition of the word.”

She pursed her lips to the side, as if she wanted to argue but was holding back.

Then she blew out a breath and flicked a gaze down to my hands.

“I asked because you look like you’re about to rip that desk in half with your bare hands.”

I didn’t doubt that was true.

I usually kept a better handle on my emotions than this, but it seemed all bets were off when it came to her.

I wanted to fuck or fight, a desperate need for either clawing up my throat, and I had no idea which option would be worse.

“That’s because I’m holding myself back from either going after him and ending up in jail tonight, or doing something we might both regret.”

I knew she understood my meaning immediately because her gaze dropped to the front of my jeans, where I was still hard, thanks to that kiss and this adrenaline pulsing through my system.

It didn’t help that I’d closed us off in this tiny room, and her goddamn shampoo or body wash or perfume or whatever the fuck permeated the space, causing me to drag in lungfuls with every inhale.

It was soft and floral, far too sweet for this demon who’d clearly been sent to earth solely to torture me.

She took a step toward me and raised a brow.

“I’m a nurse, Atlas. So I definitely can’t condone the first option.”

I tracked her slow advance, my gaze cataloging every inch of her.

From her loose, wavy hair kissing the tops of her shoulders to those full, pouty lips to that deep V of her sweater showcasing just a shadow of her tits.

Meeting her eyes again, I asked, “And the second?”

She stepped between my legs, so close her hips brushed the insides of my thighs, and rested her hand against my chest. “With how I’m feeling right now, I’m not so sure I’d regret it.”

She might as well have waved a red cape in front of a bull, because nothing short of the world ending could have held me back after her admission.

I didn’t stop to think, didn’t second-guess this compulsion beating like a living, breathing being inside me.

I just pushed off from the desk and cupped a handful of her ass, lifting her up and guiding her legs around my waist. And then my mouth was on hers, my tongue sliding between her lips and reminding us both exactly how combustible we were together.

“Do you think this is a good idea?” she asked between kisses, my face gripped in her hands and the roll of her hips driving me damn near out of my mind.

I was so fucking desperate for it.

For her .

“No, it’s not a good fucking idea.” I nipped her jaw and trailed kisses down her neck, scraping my teeth against her collarbone.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.”

“Oh god,” she moaned, tipping her head to allow me more access, pressing her pussy against me even harder.

“I meant because you told Lincoln to get you if my ex showed up.”

“Then you better hope that piece of shit has more than two brain cells to rub together and does what I told him.” I laid her down on the paper-strewn desk, her legs still wrapped tight around my hips as if she couldn’t bear to lose the pressure against her clit.

“Now, let’s see how fast I can make you come.”

Proving she was just as lost as I was, she reached down without hesitation and tugged off her sweater, presenting me with an unencumbered view of her perfect little tits.

I growled low in my throat and captured one tight peak between my teeth, tugging hard enough to draw a gasp from her.

“Stop walking around with your tits bare under your shirt.”

“Stop telling me what to do,” she shot back.

“I’ll walk down Main Street naked if I want to.”

Obstinate little shit.

Her antagonism, while pissing me off, only made me hotter.

Harder. I never thought I’d say this, but I liked the fight.

And I especially liked it with her.

I sucked one of her nipples into my mouth before pulling back to blow a gust of air over it, grinding my cock against her clothed pussy.

“I’m not so sure you don’t do it just to piss me off.”

“Seriously,” she said on panting breaths, arching her back toward me, “your ego is out of control. Not all of my decisions revolve around you.”

“You’re going to prove exactly how well-founded my ego is by how fast I can make you come.”

“You can’t just—” Her objection was cut off when I undid the fly of her jeans and tugged them off before dropping to my knees.

I didn’t wait before diving in.

Didn’t tease or torment her.

I was on a mission to make her come again as soon as possible.

So, I tossed her legs over my shoulders and got to work.

The first taste of her against my tongue tore a rough groan from my throat.

Jesus fucking Christ .

I thought I’d inflated my memory of her.

Thought there was no way I accurately remembered just how sweet she tasted.

But as I laved her pussy with my tongue, circling her clit in a relentless rhythm, her arousal that flooded my mouth proved otherwise.

I wanted to tell her how much I loved her sounds.

Loved the feel of her beneath my hands.

Wanted to tell her how fucking good she tasted.

How she could serve me her pussy daily, and I’d gladly sit down to dine for every single meal.

But I couldn’t drag myself away from her cunt for even a second.

Not when her legs were already shaking, her thighs clamped around my head like earmuffs, her fingers in my hair, tugging me closer.

And then there was the never-ending stream of o h my god, oh my fucking god, yes, please, yes that did me in.

“You better cover that mouth, trouble,” I said against her pussy.

“I don’t want anyone to hear my girl come but me.”

Without hesitation, she did as I told her to, her eyes bright and wild as she stared down at me.

Pressing my forearm across her hips, I held her in place because she couldn’t seem to decide whether she wanted to get closer or farther away.

I sucked her clit between my lips, flicking it with my tongue before lightly scraping my teeth over it.

That was all it took.

She choked out my name on a moan, trapping the sound behind her palm, but that didn’t dilute its effect on me.

Especially not when her hips rolled restlessly beneath my forearm as she came and every bit of her pleasure dripped from my lips, soaking into my beard.

While her body still quaked with aftershocks, I stood, undid my fly, and wrapped my hand around my cock.

So fucking hard for her.

I stroked once down my length and groaned.

Precome already leaked from the tip, my dick just as desperate as I was to be inside the heaven that was her pussy.

“Condom,” Sutton managed between panting breaths.

Right. Protection. That was normally my line, but the thought hadn’t even been a flicker in my mind.

And if I weren’t already so far gone, that would’ve worried me.

But right now, all I could focus on was sheathing myself in her tight cunt.

I didn’t carry condoms. There wasn’t a need.

I’d never once fucked someone in Starlight Cove, but I couldn’t bring myself to care that I was going to break that rule tonight.

Thankfully, my brothers didn’t hold any such reservations, keeping this place stocked.

I reached over and yanked open the desk drawer, fumbling around inside but only coming up with an empty box.

“Fuck,” I growled, tossing the useless package aside.

The one goddamn time I needed a condom, and suddenly there were none to be found.

“I don’t have one. You?”

She gave a slight shake of her head, her chest still heaving, thanks to how hard she’d just come on my face.

“I left my purse in the booth.” She bit her lip and eyed me for a moment before saying, “I just got tested, and I have an IUD.”

Fucking Christ .

My cock jerked at her words, more precome spilling over the crown.

I was immediately reminded of just how much I’d wanted to be bare the first time we’d fucked.

How I’d thought about filling her with my come.

Thought about watching it leak out of her before shoving it right back in and fucking her all over again.

I had no idea why that got me so hard.

Not when I’d spent my entire adult life avoiding exactly that.

But, as with everything else that involved Sutton, it didn’t make sense.

“You want me inside you bare, trouble?”

“I just want you inside me.” She hooked her leg around my waist, pressing her foot against my ass and tugging me closer.

“As long as you’re clear, I’m not particular about the details.”

She was laid out in front of me, completely naked, her dark hair fanned across the paperwork scattered on the desk.

And I hadn’t even taken off my shirt.

Had done little else but shove down the front of my boxer briefs just enough to free my cock.

I couldn’t even wait the thirty seconds it would take to rid me of my clothes.

Couldn’t wait to feel her surrounding me again.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been tested, but there hasn’t been anyone. Until you.” I gripped my shaft, sliding it through her slit, coating my length with her arousal.

She shuddered out a moan when I focused my attention on her clit, flicking the head of my cock against it.

God damn , she was so fucking tempting, the heat of her pussy beckoning me inside.

I knew as soon as I sank deep, I’d want to spend all fucking night there.

Would want to see how many times I could make her come.

How many times I could fill her up.

But once again, time wasn’t on our side.

Sounds from the bar filtered into the office continuously, reminding me anyone could walk in at a moment’s notice.

And I had no intention of allowing them to see Sutton spread out, completely naked, taking every inch of my cock.

That was for my eyes and my eyes only.

“Let’s see if I remember what you like.”

The statement was a joke.

Of course I remembered.

I couldn’t fucking forget.

Our single hour together played on a loop in my mind every night when I closed my eyes, no matter how desperately I’d tried to stop it.

I notched myself against her entrance and locked my eyes with hers as I pushed inside, groaning over the tight fist of her cunt.

“I think your pussy was sent here to destroy me.”

She wrapped her fingers around my forearm, her nails digging crescents into my skin.

“You say the sweetest things.”

“And you shouldn’t be saying anything at all.” I pressed my thumb against her clit, rubbing it in fast, tight circles.

“We both know I remember exactly what you like. Now, hurry up and come on my cock before someone walks in.”

“Don’t tell me what to—” She broke off on a moan when I tilted my hips and drove into her in fast, shallow thrusts.

The head of my cock brushed her G-spot with every stroke, and I didn’t relent.

I pressed down on her stomach with one hand, rubbing her clit with the other.

All the while squeezing my ass cheeks in an effort not to blow before she came.

She felt fucking incredible, all wet and tight and warm, her pussy pulsing around me as I pushed her exactly where she needed to go.

“C’mon, trouble. Show me how much you’ve missed my cock so I can slide so fucking deep and fill you up.”

Her eyes heated at my words, and when I flicked my finger against her clit faster, she let out a long, low moan.

As soon as I felt that first rhythmic pulse on my cock, I stopped holding myself back.

“There’s my good girl. Such a good fucking girl for me, making me come so hard.” I settled myself deep, my hips pressed against the soft flesh of her thighs, and spilled inside her as she came around me.

For long moments, all I could do was brace myself over her, my forehead pressed between her tits, my heartbeat pounding loudly in my ears.

By degrees, everything came back to me—the fact that I was in the office of my family’s bar, that I’d fucked Sutton on the desk, and that I’d done so without a fucking condom.

Then the reason we were back here in the first place slammed into me like a ton of bricks.

While an orgasm courtesy of Sutton’s demon pussy helped to calm the raging beast inside, the need for retribution still overwhelmed me.

I forced myself to pull out of her, only allowing myself the briefest glimpse of my come spilling out of her before I grabbed a tissue and cleaned her up.

“Where’s Laurel?” I asked, sharper than I’d intended, but I was pissed at myself that I hadn’t thought of her until now.

Sutton shot me a look as she tugged on her sweater.

“You just had your dick inside me, and you’re asking about my daughter?”

“I don’t know where your ex went, and I want to make sure she’s safe, trouble. Is she at the cottage?”

At my words, the crease between her brows melted away, and she shook her head.

“She’s staying over at a friend’s house tonight.”

I nodded once, relief I wasn’t ready to examine swamping me.

“Good.”

“What do you mean, good?”

Without answering her, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone.

“Add your numbers so I have them.” At her cocked brow, I added a gruff, “Please.”

She exhaled a heavy sigh but did as I asked before handing my phone back.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Take you home. And then I’m going to make sure your ex got the message.”