1. Maya #2
“No,” I warned Bella, but it was far too late, because Atlas’s fingers started to move faster as she surged forward suddenly, jumping on top of his hand.
I sighed, shaking my head as my mate paused, his phone tucked between his large shoulder and his ear while he flashed me a smile at her antics.
I couldn’t help but smile back, because not only was she adorable, but it was hard to not smile at Atlas.
From the moment I had first met him I had been completely enamored with him and how beautiful he was.
I wasn’t joking when I said he looked like an angel, and his smile was even more gorgeous.
It was extremely distracting.
“You should be glad your dad is so sweet,” I cooed while picking Bella up and off Atlas’s hand before pulling her back against my chest, kissing the top of her head.
My eyes flicked back up towards Atlas’s as a dark, low rumble escaped his chest, his eyes darkening on me with more heat than I knew what to do with.
An electric shock of lust ran over my skin as I flushed, my lips popping open to say something but unable to do so.
His gaze burned into mine for a moment longer before he seemed to control it and responded back to whoever was on the other end, his voice a bit rougher and lower than normal.
How did he do that? I had never been able to, nor did I plan on trying to control my reactions to my mates, but I couldn’t lie—it was impressive.
Although I swear I could feel his dragon right underneath the surface.
I wanted to know what that look had been about, because call me crazy, but it felt different than the normal heated looks he gave me.
Almost more possessive and hotter? It was both hypnotizing and magnetic, the energy that seemed to radiate off him moments before he managed to seal it off and return back to his phone call.
But that didn’t stop the effect it had on me.
Despite his eyes not being on me, a flush took over my entire body as I buried my nose in Bella’s fur, attempting to hide how pink my cheeks were turning.
This wasn’t anything new, though. I usually felt this flushed when I looked at Atlas—it was nearly unavoidable.
I didn’t think I would ever get used to his effect on me.
He was absolutely gorgeous. Not only was he massive, like ‘how did he fit into the clothes he wore’ massive, but his entire frame spoke to how dangerous I was realizing he could be.
I had only seen flashes of it, mostly when dealing with threats or someone being mean to me, but I knew it existed.
To me, though, he was an absolute sweetheart, and I loved that.
Well, sometimes he wasn’t sweet, exactly, but I always trusted him to take care of me.
My mating mark pulsed and my center tightened as a reminder of that other side.
Almost as if knowing, his golden eyes, streaked currently with black, flashed towards me.
I squirmed slightly as he flashed me a dangerous, bright white smile, his hand brushing over my thigh in a torturing movement.
Even sitting next to him, or on his lap, the man’s shadow seemed to wrap around me completely.
Not that it surprised me. As a shadow dragon, I was finding that there were elements to his magic that always existed, whether or not he was shifted.
The shadows made me feel safe, the way they brushed against my skin reminding me that they were constantly there.
The more attention I paid them, the more solid they seemed to become.
Only this morning had I woken to a shadowy-like magic trailing up my arm from where the man laid behind me, his arm wrapped securely around my center.
Although, I’m honestly not sure how much sleep he’d gotten or when I had gotten in there since I knew I’d slept on the couch on Marco’s lap for most of the night.
I would have questioned why he was currently up, but it was clear he had something important to handle, and I would never say no to spending time with him.
This morning, the muscular man was wearing a navy t-shirt and jeans, his posture relaxed as I leaned in closer to him, absolutely loving the scent of sea salt that I could smell coming off his skin.
My fingers twitched to run across his structured jaw and his trimmed beard that matched the dark, long hair that he currently sported, pulled back.
His rich skin tone and the gold rings that looped through his ear and lip had him looking like some avenging angel that I’d seen in so many of the books I’d been forced to read growing up.
Except I was his angel, something that he constantly informed me of.
That sentiment had me setting Bella down and crawling towards him on the couch.
Atlas let out a low rumble and put his laptop to the side as I straddled his lap.
I scowled at the phone as he smirked and answered back.
The magic inside of me, something that I was now easily identifying as my phoenix, was jealous that we didn’t have his full attention.
“We need to increase the amount of security around the property. I know you may have to pull a team or two off of their current assignments.” His voice was relaxed, deep and smooth, causing me to shiver as his words finally fell over my ears.
Atlas’s grip on me was anything but relaxed, though, as my lips experimentally pressed against his jaw.
My eyes widened slightly as he grew harder underneath me almost immediately, my hips rocking against his just slightly.
A whimper left my lips as he stilled my hips in a firm movement, his fingers moving from my hip to brush up my back, then to the back of my neck and across my shoulder where he brushed a thumb over the mark he had left on me.
I wouldn’t lie, frustration rolled over me at how he was holding me, not allowing me to push further against him but still turning my body into a molten wave of desire.
I wanted to know just how much I could affect the man.
Before I could move my lips up his jaw to his own, one of the doors to the bedroom suite opened and my eyes flashed up.
I immediately locked eyes with Marco, whose smile grew as he made his way across the large living room, his amusement clear.
I wasn’t positive at what, but it clearly had something to do with Atlas.
I didn’t move from the man underneath me, and if anything his grip tightened, my skin breaking out into shivers as I watched Marco’s fingers brush across the smooth, cold marble surface of the tables and counters he passed.
I couldn’t help but consider what it would feel like to have both sets of their hands on me at the same time.
I didn’t have to imagine for long, because all too soon, Marco was standing in front of Atlas, looking down at me.
His large hands tilted my chin back before brushing a kiss across my lips, not seeming to pay any mind to Atlas’s ongoing conversation or the frustrated sound that emitted from his dragon’s chest. I couldn’t lie, the idea of teasing Atlas just a bit appealed to me, and while deepening the kiss with Marco, my fingers tightened on Atlas’s shirt, wanting him to be part of this moment.
I may not always have understood the context of things, but I knew how my mates made me feel, and I had no doubt the two of them together would be an experience. My cheeks flamed slightly, thinking about the twins and the last time we were in California.
“You look edible, baby girl,” Marco determined, pulling back as I felt a near pout slip onto my lips at his distance.
I was finding that the more my mates touched me, the more I wanted their touch.
Craved it. I really wasn’t positive how I was supposed to focus on much else.
It was like what had happened with Marco had slowly begun to unravel a part of me I hadn’t been fully aware of.
Even my dream last night had been more… creative than usual.
A shiver of anticipation rolled over my skin as Marco sat next to us, his eyes holding a dangerous glint as he stretched an arm over the back of the couch and examined my body.
My nipples tightened under his gaze, and his hand twitched before he surged forward and tugged me from Atlas’s lap, making me smile.
Atlas offered me a partly amused expression, seeming far less focused on his conversation than before as his frustration disappeared.
Marco narrowed his gaze at his smile as I happily slid onto Marco’s lap, my hands finding their way into his dark, wavy hair.
It was hard to not touch Marco when I was around him.
The man was not only extremely handsome but seemed to hold an endless amount of confidence in his large, muscular frame.
Even in a suit, I could feel all the hard parts of his frame pressed against mine, and there was an excitement at knowing exactly what was under the suit, feeling as though I could see it whenever I wanted.
My fingers brushed over his collar as his eyes flared with a darkness that I was becoming more accustomed to, despite not recognizing it at first.