The Hookup Pact

10| Atlas

Kissing Evelyn Hayes turned out to be better than I could have ever imagined. And trust me when I say, I had imagined it a lot.

The way her hands tangled in my hair, her fingernails scraping my scalp as she pulled me closer almost did it for me. The carnal part of me wanted to lift her up, press her against the wall of the dark lobby and make her scream my name until her voice drowned the music playing in the club.

But I stopped before things could get further. Evelyn deserved more than a quick fuck in the bathroom of a club. No matter how high-end the club was.

She deserved the best.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I reeled back. Since when did I start thinking so much about the woman that had done nothing but drive me crazy for the last two years? Sure, I had found her attractive since the minute I had seen her in my sophomore year when she was the new, googly eyed freshmen. But in the next minute we had gotten in a verbal volley of insults which had put a damper on my impression of her.

However, that didn't change the fact that she was still hot. And now, half the guys agreed with me, much to my annoyance.

Maybe because I had known her for so long that somehow the thought of hooking up with her in the bathroom made me cringe. No matter how the night ended today, I would still have to face her come Monday. And that made this whole thing a big mistake and yet I was too far gone to think rationally.

"Where did you go?" Evelyn asked, snapping her fingers in front of my face.

I shook my head. "Nowhere. Let's go."

Grabbing her hand, I entwined our fingers together and started leading her toward the exit. I had never taken a woman to the penthouse before and if someone had told me a few days ago that Evelyn would be the first, I would have laughed my ass off. It would have been a bizarre idea back then, but now, it was very enticing.

Maybe because I wanted to take my time with her. It had taken two years for us to reach this point and I would be a moron if I let it end so soon. Nope. I wanted to savor every touch, every tiny sound that she made, every little whisper of my name falling from those sinful lips as I took her to the heights of pleasure.

I wanted to enjoy this night like it was my last with her. Which it very well might be because once the spell was broken, both of us would go back to snapping at each other.

But not now. That was a worry for tomorrow. Now, I was the man walking out of the club with the hottest woman of the night on my side.

I wrapped my arm around her waist, keeping her close to my side as I made the way for us through the crowd. A few eyes turned in our direction, the same men I had seen ogling her throughout the evening, and a smug smile formed on my lips. I relished in their envy, proud to have swooped her away before any of them had their chance to shoot their shot.

The door of the club opened, and we were immediately hit by the smell of exhaust, the sound of the traffic drowning whatever little music filtered out through the open door. Letting go of her waist, I grasped her hand again and started walking. She followed me without a word, a rare event considering our history, as I led her to the crosswalk and toward the grand hotel on the other side.

I felt her tug at my arm when the doorman opened the doors for us, revealing a lavish lobby with floor-to-ceiling pillars, carpeted flooring, and diamond-studded chandeliers. I looked down at her, her big hazel eyes wide.

"Are you sure we are at the right place? This looks expensive," she whispered.

A deep chuckle bubbled up my throat and I snaked my arm around her waist again, holding her close. "Don't worry, Rosy. We are at the right place."

She seemed unconvinced but followed me, nonetheless. I walked down the lobby, waving my hand to the woman at the reception to forgo her usual greetings. Evelyn was on edge as it was, and I didn't want to alarm her even more. I led her inside the elevator and scanned my card before pressing the button for the penthouse.

Evelyn immediately whirled around to face me. "Is this a joke?"

I leaned against the elevator wall, an amused smile on my face on seeing her so worked up. "What?"

She huffed and waved around, gesturing at the elevator. "This."

"I'm not in the mood to joke," I declared and placed my hands on her hips, pulling her flush against me. Her breath visibly hitched, color rising up her cheeks. "Not after what we left unfinished at the club."

Leaning down, I nuzzled her cheek before pressing my lips against her soft skin. She sighed when I moved down further, pressing kisses to her neck and shoulder. The thin strap of her top was tempting me to slide it down with my teeth, but I settled for kissing around it instead. For now.

"Atlas," she sighed when I nipped at her earlobe. "We are in an elevator."

I hummed. "And alone."

"There will be cameras," she whispered in a breathy voice. I sucked at the skin where her neck met her jaw and she gasped, her fingers digging into my shoulders.

My family owned the damn building. I could deal with one pesky surveillance camera.

"I can take care of that," I mumbled.

Before she could protest further, the elevator doors dinged open, revealing the enormous penthouse owned by my family. I came here occasionally, when I was too tired to drive all the way back to the campus or was too drunk to drive. But I preferred living at the hockey house with the team. Here, I was reminded of the enormous shadow hanging over me of my family's expectations. There, I got to just be one of the guys.

I ushered her inside as she looked around, starstruck. The huge floor-to-ceiling glass window showed the view of the cityscape and the clear sky where hundreds of stars were twinkling down on us. Another rare occurrence when you lived in the city. With the amount of pollution, you usually wouldn't be able to see stars even from the penthouse of one of the tallest buildings.

Maybe it truly was my lucky day.

Evelyn walked up to the glass as if in a trance. The moonlight cascaded on her form, making her glow like an angel as she pressed her hands against the glass, peering at the view. My gaze however was stuck on her.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

A beautiful sight indeed.

I walked up to her, coming to stand right behind her and placing my hands on her hips again. Was I acting desperate? Absolutely. Did I care? Fuck no.

There was this need within me to keep touching her one way or another. It was as if after being barred from going near her for years I couldn't help myself now that I was finally allowed to touch her. It didn't even have to be sexual. I just wanted her close. Which was another thing I pushed aside, filing it away on things I needed to unpack later.

"It is," I said, my voice coming out huskier than I had expected.

Evelyn shuddered a little before turning around, her back against the window as she looked up at me. Her eyes practically glowed under the moonlight. My hand moved to her face, caressing away the few strands of hair and rubbing her cheek in tiny circles. She closed her eyes and sighed, her plump lips slightly ajar.

I gulped when she leaned into my touch. This was it. We were standing at a very thin fissure in the ice, and if we went even an inch further, there wouldn't be any turning back. I pressed my forehead against her, breathing in her scent while my other hand fisted against the glass window.

"Evelyn, are you sure about this? You can still say no," I said.

I felt her arms go to my waist before trailing up until she was cupping my face. As soon as her soft fingers touched my skin, my eyes snapped open to see her staring at me with the kind of desire that sent my heart racing a mile per minute.

No one had ever looked at me like that.

"It's just for one night, okay?" she whispered, so soft it was barely audible. Her breath ghosted across my lips, and in that moment, whatever she wanted was what I wanted.

I nodded, leaning closer still. "Just for one night."