“But I didn’t want to. And I was leaving—”
Atlas comes in for another scorching kiss, but after a while I break free. I have more I have to say.
“I have never once thought that you weren’t good enough for me. I don’t think I’m better than you, or anyone. The whole white-collar thing was something I got in my head. It was a way to have my own identity beyond the MC. If anything, I was interested when I first met you until you started being a jerk to me.”
And I was, even if I didn’t admit that to myself.
He laughs and takes my hand. We continue walking to my car. “I’m sorry for being rude to you. You drive me crazy, you know that? I’ve never felt like this before.” He pauses, and then adds, “And I’m not sure if I like it.”
“Why, because you can’t control this?” I ask, knowing exactly how he feels. I watched Cara and Clover, my sister’s best friend, fall in love. It always confused me how these two strong, independent people could go gaga over someone else. But I think I’m starting to get it. Wait, is this what falling in love feels like? It’s been like three days! I don’t believe in insta-love or love at first sight. I’m the practical one. What has this man done to me?
He chuckles. “Yeah, I guess. I’m the calm one. The guy who is chill and mellow. The one who doesn’t do drama. It’s why I don’t do relationships.”
“It takes a lot of trust to give someone else the power to hurt you.”
“All of that,” he admits quietly. “I don’t know how this is going to play out. I know you wanted to just be friends—”
“None of that matters anymore. Like you said, whatever happens needs to happen naturally. And it has.”
We need to be honest with ourselves, and each other. We aren’t just friends and those kisses weren’t ones friends would share. His jealously isn’t, either.
And the fact that I don’t even want to leave him right now?
The farce is over. I tried to convince myself that last night was a fluke, but it’s time to admit I’m wrong.
When we get to my car, he opens the door for me. Before I get in, he kisses me again, slowly and gently this time, then pulls back and kisses me on the forehead, both of our eyes closing, the moment intimate.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asks, blue eyes hooded. “Can I take you out for dinner after work?”
“Okay,” I agree. “I’d like that.”
He smiles widely then, and my heart skips a beat. “Okay, I’ll see you then. Text me when you get home safely.”
“I will.”
“And you call me if that asshole says or does anything to you, you hear me?”
I nod. I get into my car and he watches me drive away.
Fucking hell.
I’m going on a date tomorrow.
With a biker.
And I’m excited about it.
I drop by Cara’s on the way home, using my own key, which she gave me, to let myself in. “Cara?”
“In the kitchen!” she calls out, and I find her chopping up some vegetables and making a salad. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”
“Sure,” I reply, pulling a barstool out and taking a seat. I take a deep breath and then blurt out what I want to tell her. “I made out with Atlas last night. And then he asked me out tomorrow night and I said yes.”
She stops stirring the salad and lets the spoon fall into the bowl. “You did what now? I thought you didn’t like him.”
I put my hand up. “I never said I didn’t like him, just that he wasn’t my type, and that I wasn’t looking for a relationship of any kind because I’m focusing on my career.”
She arches her brow, then starts laughing. “I knew this would happen. You two kept looking at each other at the bar! And when you were playing pool we could all tell there was tension there. What I’m surprised about, though, is how little time it took you to give in! I thought you’d fight it a lot longer—”