to wake up with me, just once, but I also know how dangerous that is because he’s chipping away at my resolve to keep them all at arm’s length. I can’t afford to let that happen, no matter how desperately I want him.
The shared bathroom is full of girls and I have to grit my teeth to ignore all of the looks and whispers. You’d think they could all find something better to do than gossiping about me and my asshole Bonds, but nope, they love nothing more than talking about how great they all are in bed while I scrub my body like I’m trying to scour the devil from my skin. Just once I'd like to get clean without hearing about how amazing Nox is with his tongue or how big Gryphon's dick is. Just freaking once!
The Gryphon comments burn a little more these days.
By the time I get back to my room, I’m so angry about how freaking rude every girl in this damn building is that I don't even bother looking at my phone for my usual good morning text from Atlas. I just shove my legs into a pair of yoga pants and throw a hoodie over my head, nothing but a bra underneath. The hoodie is one of Gryphon’s, the one he wore here last night, and I tell myself I’m only wearing it because it’s cold out and not because I’ve become addicted to the smell of him. If Gabe spills something on me at lunch and forces me to wash it, I'll freaking... stab him, or something. Hell, I'll ask Sage to set his ass on fire.
I won't tell her why I'm pissed though.
As I'm giggling to myself about setting one of my Bonds on fire, there's a knock at my door and I roll my eyes, expecting it to be Gryphon coming back to steal back his hoodie or bitch me out over something, but when I fling the door open with a frown on my face and fire in my soul, I’m ready to unleash my shitty mood on him. I find my breath knocked out of my chest instead.
The photo Atlas sent me of himself did not do him justice at all.
I am stunned as I stand there and take him in. Tall, dark, and handsome. I check to make sure I'm not drooling at the freaking sight of him towering over me. He fills the entire door frame, his shoulders wide and defined in the tight tee he's wearing. Hot-freaking-damn! His arms are covered in tattoos that creep up his neck to tuck under his chin and my eyes follow them up obediently. It's only when I get to his face that I see the cheeky grin plastered across there at my swooning and I blush.
"Well, damn! You look even better in person and I can tell you, I was fucking impressed with your photo," he drawls, and I scoff at him, recovering from my embarrassment now that his smart mouth is starting up.
"You could have called ahead and let me know you were coming! I'm wearing yoga pants, for fuck's sake! I could have at least attempted to look cute."
He chuckles at me and grabs my hips in his big hands, walking me backwards into my room and kicking the door shut. I swear to God, my heart skips a beat or five.
"If this isn't your cute, I don't think I'm prepared for it."
I blush and grab my bag, the blush deepening when Atlas takes it from me and swings over his own shoulder like a lovesick teenager.
"I can carry that, you know," I say, hoping the words sound flirty and not snappy. My mind is still whirling with the shock of him being here and the unspent rage of dealing with the other girls.
He grins and shrugs. "Yeah, but you'll let me do it today. I was kind of hoping we could stay here for the day, let you get to know me a little better, but if you insist on going out, then you'll let me take care of you a bit instead."
The sweet grins he's giving me make it even harder to look at him. "I'm not allowed to skip classes. The GPS tracker means North will know and he will personally come here to punish me."
All of the teasing and playful joy melts off of Atlas. He goes from looking flirty and sweet to having the stone-cold glare of a beast who has