Chapter Eight
Wren
Atlasstoppedatthe police station first. Thankfully, he left me in the cruiser while he clocked out for the night. I needed to get my thoughts in order and come up with a way out of this situation. I stared at all the technical equipment surrounding me, my mind mostly blank even though I tried to make it work. It felt like revving an engine that was out of gas.
Atlas was gone for less than ten minutes before he exited the station and sauntered back toward the car. My heart clenched, not only because I hadn’t thought of a good story, but because...Atlas looked good in that uniform. I’d never thought police uniforms looked attractive before, but it did on him.
Atlas opened the door and entered the car. He didn’t say anything as he buckled his seat belt and placed his hands on the wheel. He glanced at me expectantly.
“Where to?” He arched a brow.
My stomach sank. I could have him drop me off at the motel. I eyed the clock on the dash. It wasn’t even five in the morning, and I didn’t know whether the office would be open. It wasn’t a twenty-four-hour place and it’s not like I had a room key anyways. I doubt he’d leave me there without knowing I had a room.
My cheeks heated as we sat in silence. I stared out the windshield, my brain spinning but going nowhere. Atlas waited. Watched. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him and see the expression on his face. He already thought I was insane. This night wasn’t making that impression any better.
Ages passed, and I wrung my hands in my lap. There was only one option left at this moment: the truth.
I opened my mouth, my chest tight. Whatever he’d think of me now, I would deal with it.
“I don’t have anywhere to go,” I said slowly. Then, I let the words spill from me like boiling-over water. “I was staying at the motel on Main Street because I couldn’t find an apartment I could afford and didn’t need a credit check. It was expensive, but I had a place to stay, and I’ve been making enough money to pay for my room. But tonight, after work I put my money in my backpack, and I left it in the office and when I went back to get it…I couldn’t find it.” Tears burned behind my eyes, to my chagrin. “And all my belongings were in that bag and all my money so I couldn’t pay for my room tonight. So, I’m sorry for wasting your time because there’s no place to bring me.”
I hastily wiped away a few tears from my lashes.
A beat of silence followed before Atlas said, “Okay then.” And he pulled the gear shift and started driving out of the parking lot.
I blinked away the tears, my head snapping toward him. “Where are we going?”
Atlas didn’t look bothered except for the slight hardening of his jaw. His eyes cut to mine briefly before he pulled onto the road. “Look, I will bring you wherever you request, as long as it’s safe.” His hands tightened around the steering wheel. “But…Ty and I own a house. There’s plenty of room, and we also have a small guest house we never use.” His eyes shot to me. “If you’re comfortable with it, you are welcome to stay there. It has a lock with a dead bolt, but I can install a more secure system if it will make you more comfortable.”
My mouth literally fell open. I couldn’t have heard him correctly. Did Atlas Ranes invite me to stay at his house? A flush crept up my body. No, I could not have heard that right. And even if I had, there was no way I could accept the invitation.
Atlas tapped one long finger against the steering wheel. His tongue slid over his bottom lip quickly and his chest expanded with a deep breath. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was nervous.
I stared at my hands clutched in my lap. “I couldn’t. I mean, that’s a generous offer but I…” I trailed off, stunned.
“Do you have another place in mind?”
He asked nicely, but the words were like a punch to the gut.
Where else would I go? What other options did I have?
I glanced out the window. The night was fading gradually into dawn. We were nearing the bridge.
“You don’t live in Cypress Falls?” I asked out of curiosity. If we were headed over the bridge, that meant we were leaving the town behind.
“Technically, no.”
I frowned. “You and Ty seem very well known for two people who don’t even live in town.” I was distracting myself from the crisis at hand but was genuinely interested.
Atlas’s eyebrows narrowed. “We grew up in town. We only moved a few years ago when our parents became ill and they sold our family home.”
Guilt crashed over me. “Oh,” I said, feeling like an insensitive jerk. “I’m sorry.”
We started over the bridge. The morning glow brightened the river beneath us. I met those deep, brown eyes, realizing for the first time the flecks of amber in them. My insides clenched. I did not need to be feeling anything when I looked into Atlas’s eyes. He was everything I didn’t need: a cop and a man. He wasn’t someone I needed in my life right now. Not after everything. Not while I was lost.
I bit my lip, wincing at the pain from the gash.
His eyes flashed.