He motioned to the screen. “That isn’t reality. It’s scripted. You know that, right?”
She nudged him. “Don’t ruin the magic, Atlas. That’s just mean.”
“Wouldn’t want to be mean. I need something sweet. You in?”
“Yes, please.” She hugged her knees to her chest. “Do you need any help?”
“Umm, no. I’ve seen what you can do to a kitchen. You’re trouble in all kinds of ways. You stay right there and watch your show. I’ll bring you something.”
Lilliane watched him go. His back was so muscular that even as he walked away, she could track the rolling ripple on his shoulders. He was sohot. Now that she was his actual guest … and also the woman who had begged for his help … she could see all his qualities.
And there were a lot.
Lilliane didn’t know who this woman was who had declined his offer to be his mate, but the girl was absolutely insane. Who saidnoto Atlas Silvers? If he askedher,she might consider it. Especially now that she could see how happy her sisters were.
And how protective Atlas could be of some random lady.
Just imagining how protective he would be of the woman he loved made her stomach roll with jealousy. It wasn’t pretty. Actually, it was probably as petty as some of the people she liked to watch on her reality TV shows.
But this was real life.
In real life, adults didn’t hold out forever for the woman who had denied them.
Maybe, just maybe, if she kissed Atlas again, they could really lose control. Go all the way. It had been a long time since she’d had sex. She wasn’t the kind of woman to crave it, but being so close to Atlas for days on end, she could see how some women did.
If she got between the sheets with Atlas, she would probably crave him for the rest of her life. The jury was still out on how long that would be.
If Victor found her, he would probably kill her. He wouldn’t keep her around much longer, only to have her run away again.
She shook her head and sighed. There was no way Atlas would let anything happen to her. She didn’t know for sure, but she had a feeling he would die for her. Why? Probably a shifter thing she didn’t understand as a Half-Blood.
Maybe she could call her sisters and ask them if it was a good idea to sleep with Atlas, even if he was going to help her with her stalker problem. Celestine and Valentine would probably warn her against it. They would chide her for taking Atlas away from his mate.
A mate who didn’t want him. Fuck that girl. She didn’t deserve a man like Atlas if she couldn’t see how great he was.
“I think I might’ve gone a tad overboard,” Atlas said, coming back into the living room. In each hand, he held a bowl. He handed her one, and she burst out laughing. There were three kinds of ice cream … chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry … with slices of banana, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, chopped nuts, and cherries.
“Holy shit, Atlas. This is a meal. You don’t just have a sweet tooth. I think this is an actual sugar addiction.”
He took a huge mouthful, rolled his head back, and moaned. Her core zinged with interest. He looked so good with his head thrown back like that in sugary bliss. Jealousy squeezed her heart again.
Yeah. She was jealous of ice cream and obviously going right out of her mind for Atlas, the wolf man.
“You’ve got your reality TV. I’ve got my sugar.”’
Lilliane took a bite of her massive dessert and considered his words. “I guess that’s true. I think I like your addiction more than mine, however.”
He beamed at her. “I’ll keep you in sugar so long as you’re under my roof.”
“I may never leave,” she teased.
His eyes darkened, but before she could decipher why he would go still and quiet, he looked away. His jaw ticked, but he hid it with another bite of his snack.
“Hey, Atlas,” she said after a long silence. “Thanks for taking care of me. It’s not what you anticipated, I know. But I do appreciate it. If you want me to talk some sense into your mate, I will.”
Atlas shook his head. “Her mind is made up. Maybe I just need to move on.”
“Yeah,” she munched on ice cream. “Maybe you do.”
