Lilliane sighed and sat up, tugging the throw around her shoulders. “I can’t ever be naked around you,” she sighed again, shaking her head.
Atlas reached over and ran his thumb along her lower lip. “You’d be hella more convincing without that grin on your face, trouble.” He chuckled when she narrowed her eyes at him. “I should point out you weren’t nude. Just wet.”
She arched a brow at him, definitely grinning now. “Are you trying to start something again?”
“Nope.” He laughed, tugging her back down to lay on top of him. She giggled and struggled against him. “You still haven’t told me what happened,” she whined. “You got a text message three hours ago.”
“Really? How is it possible that you remember that after six orgasms?”
“Seven,” she corrected. “And as amazing as those were, they didn’t erase the morning from my brain.”
He chuckled. “Damn. Here I thought I could make you turn into mush. Maybe I should give it another shot.” He bit her lower lip playfully. Impossibly, her heart fluttered, and her body pulsed with interest. Whether it was her mate connection to Atlas or the man himself that made her into some kind of horny version of herself, Lilliane didn’t know. It didn’t matter because it wasn’t just fucking.
Even against the pool wall, even quick and half clothed, Atlas touched her like he loved her. Even fast and rough, she trusted him. She slid her fingers through his still-damp hair and held him close to her. Wild to think that she hadn’t even known this man existed only a week ago, and now, Lilliane couldn’t imagine her life without him.
She never wanted to part from him.
In no time at all, he’d replaced the loneliness of her earlier life with love and warmth and the kind of bonds she longed for. Atlas didn’t just have the loyalty of his people, but he was lifelong friends with Reece and Nero. It was a good man who could be friends with two other alphas, supporting and helping each other out.
“You’re kind of a badass,” she whispered.
He chuckled. “Am I now?”
“Yup. There’s no mate bias there at all.”
“Why would there be?” He continued to laugh.
“Exactly. None whatsoever. But I know you’re the best man in the world. Not because you’re saving my ass, which, you know, thanks for that.”
“Your ass is too nice not to save it,” he teased.
“I am lucky to have met you. Lucky to be your mate.”
“You’ve got it backward. I’m the lucky one.”
“We’re both lucky,” she concluded. He wouldn’t like it if she brought up Victor at that moment, but it hung over them, regardless. What would it be like to live her life with Atlas without the threat of Victor in the back of her mind?
Her mate deserved so much more.
“You got really serious and quiet,” Atlas whispered. “Where did you go?”
“What happened, Atlas? In Rochester?”
He sighed and sat up, taking her with him so she straddled him on the couch. “I thought I got away with it.”
“Not even a little bit.”
“Victor might’ve been spotted in Longville.” His voice broke as he said the words. “But the timeline is weird. He couldn’t have been the killer in Rochester, but he’d definitely been in the burned-out car we found. There’s a speed camera with him behind the wheel.”
She frowned. “That’s weird.”
“Yeah.”
“No. I mean, yeah, okay, it’s weird that the timeline isn’t lining up, but it’s weird that Victor would be driving himself. He likes a power move.”
“What are you saying?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure, but I honestly have never seen Victor drive a car. Ever. Especially not if it was close to daytime.”
