Heartbreak You - T.L. Smith Page 0,39

wrong way...” I slide on my shoes, and when I straighten, he is directly in front of me. “Give me a chance, Theadora. You know I’m not a man to ask, I take what I want, but in your case, I am asking.”

“You can’t just take someone when you want them, Atlas. This is not the way the world works.”

“It does for me,” he replies smugly. When he notices I am not impressed, he shakes his head. “Let me try? I will try not to kidnap you again. How about that?”

“Oh, how sweet… what romantic words you whisper to me,” I say with an overexaggerated eye roll.

He stares at me, locking eyes. “Theadora.”

“Yes, Atlas.”

“I can always spank you for insubordination.”

“You could try, and you would probably succeed. But do you think winning me back will go well with you going against my will, yet again?”

“It worked out great for me last time,” he says, and his eyes darken. I can tell he’s thinking about all the times his hands were on my body.

“It won’t this time. I can see through you now, Atlas. You wanted me because I was something you couldn’t have. Then when you had me, you were quick to ditch me. And now I don’t want you again, you want me. It’s a comical roundabout you are traveling. Maybe I should tell Lucy to act like she doesn’t want you. Maybe then you will want her, and then you two can be happy together.”

“I will never be happy with anyone but you. I know this for a fact now,” he says, then walks past me, opening the door. “We have a plane to catch, Theadora.” Atlas walks out, and I follow him.

When we step outside the apartment the island is empty, not like the last time I came here. He’s brought me out here, just me and a few of his staff.

Atlas walks straight up the stairs onto his private plane, and I follow behind him. Taking a seat in the same place I was last time I was on here, I cross my legs and turn to look out the window.

I feel his stare penetrating me.

Piercing the very fabric of my being.

But I choose not to look.

What he’s doing isn’t healthy, and I don’t want an unhealthy relationship, no matter how much my body wants him.

And my heart? Well, that bitch is as confused as ever, so there’s no way I’m listening to that.

I’ve learned the hard way about bad relationships. My mother and father had one. Lucy is a magnet for them. And, well, I want nothing to do with them or him.

Turning around to face Atlas, he doesn’t look away, keeping his sharp stare firmly and decisively on me. Those amber eyes penetrate more than my outer surface. They penetrate my fucking soul, and I can’t evict them no matter how much I try.

I know, without a shadow of a doubt, I can’t fall down his rabbit hole. Nothing good can come from it.

I will be left a shattered wreck if I give in and will be left with nothing but a shell of my former self.

Chapter Eighteen

Theadora

As soon as we are off the plane a car is waiting. Atlas holds the door open for me, and I slide in. When I’m in the car, it takes off, leaving Atlas behind.

The drive back to my home is long, and when I finally arrive, Tina is waiting on my doorstep.

“He told me you were on your way,” she says, standing and brushing off her jeans. “Do I need to kick his ass?”

I step out. “No, it’s fine.”

Another car pulls into the curb, and I recognize him as one of Atlas’s security team. He walks over and nods to both Tina and me. “Miss, I’m here to stand guard. If there is anything you need, please press this button.” He holds out a remote and passes it to me.

“Who the fuck are you?” Tina yells.

“Security, miss.” He turns and stands at the front of the house like a damn statue.

Tina reaches for my arm and pulls me inside of the house then slams the door shut behind us. “Gosh, hasn’t your life gotten exciting since you met Mr. Atlas Hyde,” she says.

I take a deep breath and shake my head.

Everything bubbles up inside of me.

Every-damn-thing.

From how my life was pre-Atlas to how it is now.

A fucked-up mess.

I can’t blame him solely, it’s also my sister’s fault. Most of it is her fault. But if it weren’t