Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“She’s not lying,” Atlas adds, his face giving away nothing, but his voice is warm with love. “She even asked if we could come home around midnight. I convinced her everything was fine.”
They exchange one of those loaded looks only couples deeply in love are capable of.
“And by convinced me, he means he showed me the camera feed approximately a hundred times.”
“Ca-camera?” I choke, my eyes flying around the room in search of it. Sure enough, there’s a little blue light flashing on the bookshelf. Can this morning get any worse?
“Yup,” Atlas says popping the p, his lips curling up into what can only be described as a shit-eating-grin. “I’ll admit, I always thought Nora was exaggerating when it comes to the two of you, but y’all sure looked cozy last night. Intimate, even.”
Deny, deny, deny. “I don’t have the faintest idea of what you’re talking about.” I suck in a deep breath and tap my index fingers against my thighs five times before slowly exhaling.
“Other than the two of you”—he lifts his brows—“you know, was everything okay? No… trouble?”
Now it’s Ellis and me exchanging looks—not the same kind as Atlas and Nora, thank you very much. “Um…”
“Don’t like the sound of that,” Atlas growls, low and lethal. “Someone better explain and in a hurry.”
“It’s just…” I interlace my fingers behind my back as I rock on my heels, enough nervous energy running through me to power a lighthouse. “I—”
“She freaked herself out thinking she heard something outside,” Ellis lies smoothly. “I checked, there was no one. It was probably just a racoon or branch scraping the house.”
“Yup.” I force a laugh, wondering why on earth he’s not telling Atlas about the note. My brain is spinning like a top as I struggle to make heads or tails of all of this. “You know me, such an overactive imagination.”
“I think you just thrive on drama,” Ellis unhelpfully adds, winking at me over Atlas’s shoulder.
Atlas snorts, and I decide it’s time to go—if only to keep myself from spilling the beans. “I hope y’all had the best time,” I say to Nora, who’s now holding James on her hip while she wipes his hands and face. “I have a lot to do today, so I’m gonna head out.”
“Lunch this week?” she asks.
“Sounds good.” I cross to her and give James some love before grabbing my bag and hoofing it out the front door without so much as a goodbye.
I want nothing more than to hightail it home, but when I crank my car, I’m quickly reminded I need gas—and caffeine since I ran out of Nora’s house without a drop of coffee.
Luckily, there’s a gas station right before the highway, where I make a quick stop, filling up before running inside for an energy drink and a muffin. Weird as it is, they get them day-old from a local bakery, and I am obsessed with the banana nut.
“That it?” the clerk asks.
“Breakfast of champions,” I murmur, tapping my card before heading back out.
I set my drink on the hood of my car so I can open the door, but someone calls my name before I can open the door.
My heart thunders in my chest as I crane my neck, scanning the parking lot for whoever yelled for me
“What the actual fuck?” My head spins on a damn near swivel as I scan the parking lot for anything amiss. But there’s… nothing. Just average, everyday people doing average, everyday things Even so, my spine tingles with awareness. It’s almost as if I can feel someone’s eyes on me, cataloging my every movement.
“Over here, Princess.”
I look up and lock eyes with Ellis as he pulls up next to me.
“Ellis.” My entire body deflates as he throws his truck into park. “Why are you yelling at me in a parking lot?”
“Didn’t want you to leave before I pulled up.”
“Ever hear of a phone?”
He shrugs. “This is more of a face-to-face kind of talk.”
“Oh,” is all I manage to get out.
“My place work?”
“You…” Every synapse in my brain simultaneously misfires. “You want me to come back to your place?”
“To talk, Scarlet. It’s not like I’m inviting you into my bed.”
I choke on air while Ellis watches from his truck, a smirk curling his lips. “Right.” I pound my fist against my chest before cracking open my drink and chugging half. “To talk.”
I planned on doing my typical Sunday reset—groceries, laundry, cleaning, and meal prep—but anything sounds better than being home alone right now—even following Ellis home to talk.
“I’ll follow you,” I murmur, sliding behind the wheel.
Ellis nods and pulls out of the parking lot, and, against my better judgment, I follow behind him.
ELEVEN
ELLIS
I regret asking her back to my place the second I pull into traffic. Something about seeing her so scared, so vulnerable has me softening toward her in a way I’m not quite sure I like.