“I listen.” He shrugged like it wasn’t the best thing in the world.
“You do,” she sighed happily. “Very sweet, wolf man. You’re not grumpy at all.”
He chuckled. “Well, not around you.”
“Can I ask you a question, Atlas?”
He wrapped his arms around her and tucked her under his chin. “Always. What’s on your mind?”
“My sisters have these roles in their packs. They help the townspeople with some stuff. Do you think … when all this Victor stuff is over, and I can leave the house safely, do you think I could maybe, possibly have a role in your pack?”
“Of course, trouble. As soon as all this is over. And, just so we’re clear on something, it’syourpack too.”
“That will take some getting used to.”
“It’ll be okay when it’s all over.”
Lilliane appreciated that he saidwhen. Notif. She hadn’t liked the pain in his eyes when he spoke about what would happen to her if he were to … She stopped herself before finishing the thought. He held her tighter, sensing her tenseness.
“If you want company, your sisters can come by. Whatever you want to feel safe.”
There he went again. Making sure she knew she wasn’t here against her will. She couldn’t leave, but she wasn’t his prisoner. She knew, and he knew. But he kept reminding her, and Lilliane didn’t know if it was for her sake or his. Was he still comparing himself to Victor? She didn’t know.
She kissed him and ran her hands through his hair. “I’d like to paint out here if you actually don’t mind working out here. It kinda sounds like the perfect day.”
He laughed, the smile crinkling his eyes with pure joy. “It does, trouble. It does.” He pressed his lips to her ear again. “Maybe at lunch, I’ll make love to you in the pool.” He winked at her before returning to the kitchen. She watched him go, marveling at her own luck. If there wasn’t Victor’s shadow over them, it really would be perfect.
TWENTY-FIVE
ATLAS
Atlas stared down at his phone, breathing hard and shoulders tense. If there was a way to change the words on his screen, he would do it.
This wasn’t good.
Across the deck, Lilliane’s smile slipped as she noticed his tension. “What’s up?” she called out.
“Nothing, trouble. Just needing a break, I think. You wanna take a swim?”
She frowned and looked at her painting. “It’s not lunch yet,” she teased.
He laughed because he didn’t want her to know what he knew. It was cute, though. She would hold him up to his promise of making love at lunch. He could already see the determination glowing in her eyes.
It would be hard to stop her without telling her the news. He tossed his phone on the table and walked over to her. He picked her up off the ground, much like he had that first day they met. She giggled and tapped his ass. “No way you just did that,” she said through peals of laughter. “Oh, my god, Atlas! Put me down.”
“Nope. We’re going for a swim. You don’t have your phone on you, do ya?”
“What? No. Why?” he headed toward the pool, and she must’ve noticed because she started to laugh harder, begging him to put her down with no real conviction. “I’m gonna get wet! Put me down,” she laughed.
“Oh, we’re going into the pool, all right.” He took a step into the pool. “Hold your breath, trouble.”
And they plunged into the water. She held tighter to him, and he kicked off the pool floor until they broke through the water again, still holding each other. She wiped her face, smiling at him. “You’re so dead. I can’t believe you did that.”
He chuckled and kissed her cheek. “You looked a little hot. Needed to cool down.”
“I did, did I?”
He nodded. “Yup. All that painting was causing a serious heat problem. I had to do my duty as your mate.”
