until he finds me. I’m too shocked at his appearance to say anything because I’ve never seen him out of a suit before and yet there he is, sweatpants slung low on his hips, and holy good goddamn. Are they all stacked? Who would’ve thought he was hiding all of that under the Tom Fords?
“Oli? Oleander, what the hell is happening up there?” I jolt at the sound of Atlas’ voice in my ear and North’s eyes narrow at me.
“You called him here?”
Before I can say a word, Atlas snaps, “Put me on speaker, Oli.”
There’s no way out of this without my reputation, sanity, and will to live being absolutely shredded, but I do as he says.
“Open your fucking door, Draven, because I’m not leaving without my Bond. And while you’re at it, tell your scumbag, rapist brother that I will kill him the second I find him.”
Oh fuck.
Oh God. I open my mouth but there’s nothing there, no words to give either of them as North stares me down. He looks furious, freaking fuming, and I flinch away from him when he takes a step forward. I’m not actually scared of him but my ego is too bruised right now to have someone else take a verbal swing at me.
His jaw clenches and then releases, his voice pitched low and a little warmer than it usually is when he says, “Come downstairs, Oleander. I’ll let Atlas in while I speak to Nox.”
“Hurry the fuck up,” Atlas snaps and then I hang up because I need to figure out how the hell to explain to the both of them that it— it wasn’t— fuck, it was definitely something that happened, but it’s maybe not the scenario that they’re both thinking.
Isn’t it?
It wasn’t. It definitely wasn’t.
Fuck.
“Grab a sweater, the house is cool overnight.”
I could argue with him for the demand because he’s once again bossing me around, but I have nothing left in me. No fire or fight, just the hollow shell trying to figure out to say I made a decision tonight that I’m sure they’ll all shame me over even though I did the best I could.
Fuck.
I wish North would put a sweater on because the moment I follow him out the door, tucked up in the extra layers, my bond wakes up again. I’m furious at it for this ridiculous situation I’m now in so I shove it violently away.
Violently enough that North glances back at me with a frown, as though he’s questioning whether he actually felt the ripple of power that my frustration let out. I try again to say something to him, this time managing actual words.
“I can talk to Atlas and sort this out. I just need a minute, you don’t have to intervene.”
He presses the button on the elevator without looking at me. “No, I’ll be getting to the bottom of this mess before it gets out of hand. There’s too much going on for me to deal with, without adding a feud in my Bond to the list. I will deal with Nox if that’s what’s required.”
The elevator is too small to deal with all of my panic. Why am I so panicked? I didn’t do anything wrong… except that the Bond I hate more than anyone or anything kissed me, pushed me against a wall, encouraged me to grind all over his leg, and then added fingers to the mix until I came so hard it hurt me.
I also didn’t complete the bond.
They’re all facts, and I only had control over some of those things and certainly not the orgasm… so why can’t I just tell him that now before Atlas loses his mind over that stupid text I’d sent?
Of course he’d come here to get me.
Of fucking course, he’s always been protective and possessive, even from the other side of the goddamned country.
The elevator opens and North steps out, pausing to make sure I’m following him, and then he leads me out to the foyer. I try to make some notes about where we are but within a minute, I’m as lost as ever.
North’s driver is standing at the door with three other men, all of them staring out at the mess Atlas is making of the front lawn.
“I’ve called the authorities and the HOA, we’re on top of damage control, sir.”
North nods at his driver. “Thank you, Rafe. I’ll take it from here.”
I make a note of Rafe’s name, because I can’t just keep calling him the driver in