Chapter Thirteen
Thirteen
Atlas
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
My eyes fluttered open and a smile spread across my muzzle.
Four a.m. really wasn’t that bad when I knew a strawberry blonde beauty would be waiting for me.
Well, hopefully. She didn’t seem too thrilled about the prospect of an early-morning workout, but I was thrilled at the thought of having her and the gym all to myself.
I threw off my comforter and stretched before raking my claws along my bare thighs.
Yeah, I slept in the nude. Fur was hot.
My claws tapped against the hardwood as I made my way over to my walk-in closet. Carpet was a no-go when you had claws. Too many snags.
I really didn’t understand why Jade insisted I had to have such a large closet.
Everything I owned was essentially athletic clothing. Tank tops, compression shorts, basketball shorts, hoodies, gray sweatpants.
The necessities.
In fact, my house was pretty excessive in general.
I would have been content with a smaller place, but a certain someone pressured me into this ostentatious monstrosity.
She had to have the best of everything. New countertops.
A fancy walk-in shower. An outdoor kitchen.
I was renovating the gym and renovating the house, feeling totally overwhelmed and displaced, and she just kept pushing me.
Asking for more and more, taking everything I had to give without offering anything in return.
And now that things were over between us, I was stuck with this giant empty house that I despised because it served as a reminder of her and the person she wanted me to be.
But that was in the past. I had something new to look forward to in the form of a curvaceous baker who seemed to like me exactly how I was.
I pulled on a pair of briefs, then basketball shorts that hit right above my knees, checking to see what it looked like with my cock tucked into the waistband like I did the other day when Tegan made me pop a boner.
I was pretty certain that more of the same would be happening during our training sessions together.
Maybe I could wear a cup? There were some bodybuilders who put a piece of bread in their underwear to hide the outline of their cock during competitions—maybe I could do that.
I’d probably need two slices, or maybe even a burrito-size tortilla.
I snorted and shook my head. Gods, what the fuck was I doing?
Per usual, I put on a Leviathan Fitness tank and topped things off with a neon-green Leviathan Fitness hoodie.
The morning walk to the gym was chilly and I didn’t like people looking at my nipples.
Ironic for someone who used to pose practically naked on a stage.
After getting dressed, I walked down to the kitchen and mixed my preworkout shake, checking my reflection in the microwave. My fur was an absolute mess but it was nothing a hat couldn’t fix.
The current preworkout in my rotation tasted like those supersweet fish candies and made my skin feel like it was covered in spiders. Really got my blood flowing, but in a good way. But maybe not when I’d be around Tegan?
Speaking of Tegan. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked my messages. We were definitely flirting yesterday. I was glad we could pick up where we left off at the wedding. There was definitely something there between us and it made me excited.
I typed out a message to Tegan.
Atlas: Just making sure you’re awake!
I took a few swigs of my preworkout and gazed down at my phone expectedly. The moment it vibrated, a wide smile turned up the corners of my muzzle.
Tegan.
Tegan: I’m awake. Barely.
A photo popped up on the screen next.
It was a picture of her dressed in black leggings with her new Leviathan Fitness tank top knotted into a crop top.
The material stretched tight across her breasts and that same delicious band of skin showed above the waistband of her leggings.
The strands of her strawberry blonde hair were tossed into another messy bun, her tiny pink tongue stuck out of her mouth, and with her free hand she was flipping the camera off—flipping me off!
She was so adorable. And she was flirting with me.
Shit.
Was I supposed to send her a picture back? I looked like hot garbage.
I hauled ass upstairs to my bathroom, the only room in my house with a full-length mirror long enough to capture my entire six-foot-seven frame.
Oh shit, a hat.
I ran to my bedroom and scanned my shelves for something that went with neon green. Purple would work.
I flipped the snapback on and carefully worked my ears through the holes before stroking my claws through the hair of my face and muzzle, doing whatever I could to make it look like I didn’t just roll out of bed.
At this rate, I’d have to jog to the gym or I’d be late, but I wanted to show off a little bit.
She brought out the confident side of me, one I’d thought I’d never find again.
Standing in front of my mirror, I puffed out my chest and flexed my quads, the lines of my muscles showing through my fur. I cocked my head to the side and smirked before snapping the pic.
Perfect.
My finger hovered over the send button.
What if she thought I was being douchey or showing off? I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable during our session together.
But she had obviously initiated this by sending me a picture of herself.
I was so out of practice with this shit, but I decided to say fuck it and hit send.
It felt like I waited forever for her to respond when in reality it was probably pretty instantaneous.
Tegan: Holy moon goddess, Atlas.
Thank gods I lived alone because I howled like a teenage wolven.
Tegan had sent me a heart eyes emoji.
There was sexual tension between us and I was about to spend the next two hours pretty much alone with her, my body against hers while I helped her train.
I groaned and adjusted my cock from where it was already starting to swell in my shorts.
A run was desperately needed. Maybe if I expended some energy, I’d be able to keep my cool around her.
I sent her a quick text, just to let her know I was on my way, throwing my stuff in my gym bag and slinging it over my shoulder before heading out the door.
Usually I ran to music, but this morning I wanted to be alone with my thoughts.
I focused on my breathing as the rough pads of my feet pounded on the pavement.
The city was quiet and dark. As an apex predator, I felt at home and in my element.
My nose stung from the cold morning air, but it drew my focus away from Tegan, at least temporarily.
I wondered if I’d be able to get her to come for a morning run with me at some point.
Seeing those full tits bob up and down with each of her footfalls.
I’d probably end up dragging her off the path and fucking her in the forest. Claiming every inch of her body while leaves and twigs got stuck in her hair and my fur.
Covering her with my scent. Oh, I’d get her to come on a run, all right.
I laughed at my joke and picked up the pace, my stride turning into a full-on sprint as the gym appeared in the distance. I was so excited to get there. I needed to see her.
Even though my pace would have been excruciating for a human, it took me only a moment to catch my breath before opening the doors to the gym. I’d barely broken a sweat.
I glanced over at the front counter and that’s when I saw her. She was propped over the desk playing on her phone, her plump ass popped out on full display, wiggling back and forth slightly.
I wanted to bite it.
Sitting next to her on the counter was a white box, and I smirked, knowing she’d upheld her end of the bargain.
“You beat me here!” I said a little too loudly, the boom of my voice causing her to jump.
“Shit, Atlas. You scared me!” she said as she turned around to face me.
My heart thumped loudly in my chest at the sight of her, and my annoying tail joined in, wagging back and forth at lightning speed.
“Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to.” I rubbed my shoulder awkwardly and bit my lip, my canine digging into my skin.
She grabbed the box of cupcakes and smiled up at me. “It’s okay. I’m just not used to someone being so chipper at four a.m., is all.” She held the box out toward me. “Your payment, good sir.”
So. Fucking. Cute.
She called me sir again. Was that a turn-on for me?
Shit.
It was definitely a turn-on.
I reached out and took the box from her, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. “Thank you. I can’t wait to dig into these later. Lemme just put them in my office and we can get started.”