Gasping at his words, I try to pull my hand free. On the second pull, he finally lets me go.
“You are an evil man, Atlas Hyde,” I say, stepping back.
“Wasn’t evil enough not to have my cock in your pussy, now was I?” he snaps back.
“That was a grave mistake on my part,” I tell him. “And it will never happen again.”
Tina steps over. Her eyes scan mine and then drop to the floor. “Thea, you’re bleeding.” I look down and see the skin on my hand is cut. I was clutching the shard of glass so hard I didn’t even realize it had punctured. Tina goes to grab my hand, but I snatch it back.
“Am I free to go?” I ask.
She nods, her brows crinkle as she bites her lip.
“Theadora, always a pleasure,” Atlas says as I step away.
I look back and narrow my eyes at him. Now would be a great time to have magical powers, like those in the fantasy books I read, so I could make his head explode. But unlucky for me, I don’t, or Atlas would be very dead on the floor right now.
Walking to the back hallway where the bathroom is located, I enter and shut the door. While I’m running my hand under the flowing water, the door opens, and before I can tell whoever it is to get out, Derek pops in and offers me a smile, holding a bandage in his hand. He walks over and takes my hand from under the water and starts cleaning it ever so gently. I take in his profile, his long eyelashes fanning his face, and his lips start to twitch as if he’s fighting a smile.
“No, you can’t have my babies,” he says, making me freeze. When he looks up at me, I see a gleam in his eyes. Is that playfulness? “Maybe marriage first?” he adds with a wink.
“I’m not the marriage type,” I tell him.
Derek finishes bandaging up the cut and smiles. “I highly doubt that.” His hand drops back to his side, and I really take a close look at him now. His hair has a tinge of red to it and is cut short, his black T-shirt is tight, showing off his toned body as well as great arms.
I mean, they aren’t as big as his…
No. There’s no comparing someone to a psycho. That shit’s not healthy.
Derek smiles with no shame. It’s something I like about him.
“What are your plans after?” he asks, his hip now leaning against the sink, his legs crossed at the ankle as he stares at me, waiting for my answer. “I mean, the night is still young. You up for some fun?” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“Sure,” I say, letting the word fall from my lips so easily and before I can really think about it.
“I actually thought you would say no. So I guess I have to think of something fun now.” A laugh finds its way up my throat.
“I’m sure you can think of something,” I say.
He nods. “I can, and I already have.” Derek opens the door, ushering me through. “Do you need anything or you good to bounce?”
“Nope, I’m good.” Derek waits to walk out and catches up to me. As we take the stairs, I don’t look back, because I don’t care if he’s watching my ass. As we get outside and the cold air hits us, Derek walks over to his car and opens the door so I can slide in. He shuts it, and when I turn to look out the window, I see him.
Atlas is standing by the side of the building, leaning on it, watches me. I turn away quickly and don’t look back when Derek gets in and drives off while I fight the urge to vomit.
“Where are we?” I ask. I can hear people but can’t see a thing. He turns his cell’s flashlight on, then pushes back a fence that’s been cut for people to sneak in.
“Are we allowed in there?” I ask. It reads ‘Private Property,’ but Derek just smiles and gestures to the hole in the fence.
“Yes. Come. Hurry.”
I duck and slip through to the other side. Derek follows me and shines the light on the ground as we walk. As we get farther in, I hear the laughter of others coming closer and the hum of soft music.
It’s pitch black out here. For a second on the way, I thought perhaps he was planning on killing me when he turned down a dark, dirt road, but of course, my mind was getting ahead of me. I do feel easy around Derek, it’s as if his presence calms me.
“Wow.” I stop as I see other people chilling on rocks at the edge of a water hole. This place is literally a water hole with rocks around it, and below is the water. A few people are sitting together, snuggled up, swaying to the music while others are shaking their hips and putting drinks to their lips.