A sheen of sweat covered my body while my breath came out in short pants. My hair was sticking to the front of my face but I was too spent to lift my arms and push them away.

Atlas kissed a trail up my spine, his hands following after as he gently massaged my back and shoulders. "You okay?" he asked as he swept my hair out of my face.

I smiled at him. "I'm amazing."

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, the vibrations skittering on my spine. He pressed a kiss to the crook of my neck. "That you are."

He continued kissing my neck, shoulders, and back, running his hands across my body in soothing motions. Letting out a content sigh, I shut my eyes and focused on his gentle caresses.

When Atlas had shown up at my doorstep, I hadn't expected him to kiss the living daylights out of me as soon as I opened the door. Nor had I expected us to land on my bedsheets naked a few minutes later. Or for him to flip me over and absolutely rail me from behind.

Not that I was complaining. If I had known Atlas fucked so thoroughly when he was riled up, I would have done something about it sooner. Pushed his buttons until he would snap and fuck me like he meant it.

But, as much as I'd liked it, something was off.

Atlas was quiet throughout. A little too quiet. Which was so unlike the Atlas who liked to talk and praise during sex. It was unsettling. As if he was—

"Your ass could have a separate fandom of its own."

I choked out a snort. This was more like the man I was used to having in my bed.

"What?" I tried to turn around to face him but Atlas pressed on my back, keeping me on my stomach.

"It's so round and soft. Absolutely smackable," he said and lightly smacked my ass to prove his point.

My skin stung and I bit my lip to not hiss in pain. It wasn't the first smack I'd received today and the previous ones weren't as light. I could have avoided those though. If only I hadn't been a brat. But it was just too much fun to toy with him instead of shutting my mouth.

"Smackable?" I snorted again, this time turning around to face him. "Is that even a word?"

He shrugged. "Could be. I didn't check the dictionary. But that's beside the point. I'm trying to profess my love for your ass here."

Atlas tried to flip me again, tickling me in the process and I burst into a fit of giggles.

"Are you high?" I asked in between laughs.

Atlas grinned and bumped my nose with his. "On you? Always," he said, blowing a raspberry on my cheek.

Squealing, I pushed his head away. "Ugh! Tame down your cheesiness, captain. You're going to make me barf."

True to his brand, Atlas ignored most of what I said and fixated only on what he wanted to hear. "I love it when you call me captain," he said.

"Of course you do," I said, giving him a coy smile while tracing circles on his chest. "Gets you all hot and bothered, doesn't it?"

Atlas hummed instead of giving me a response. He trailed his hand up my side until he was cupping my breast, his thumb caressing the skin. "But I have a feeling you would prefer to say the terms daddy or sir, wouldn't you?"

Heat pricked my skin and I felt my face flush. A slow smirk formed on his lips and he leaned down to kiss me. He brushed his lips with mine, kissing me hard enough to leave me panting for breath.

My fingers tangled in his hair as he moved lower to press open-mouthed kisses on my neck. I gasped when his teeth scraped the delicate skin, leaving a definite mark. He always enjoyed seeing me struggle to cover all the marks with the concealer.

Atlas smirked against my skin and I tugged at his hair as a warning. My eyes locked with his dark ones when he pulled back and I felt a flutter in my chest.

One thing that had always fascinated me about Atlas was how his eyes spoke when his lips didn't. Even when we weren't as close as we were now, I could still read him. Immediately tell when he was joking and when he wasn't.

Right now, as he stared at me with the same expressive eyes, I could tell something was bothering him and he was desperately trying to mask it with lust.

When I felt his hand start to slither down my abdomen, I grabbed it and intertwined our fingers. "Something is bothering you, isn't it?" I asked.

Atlas' eyes widened for a brief moment before he composed himself and plastered on a smile. "Why would you think that? Everything is fine."

"You were just so quiet today. Almost distracted," I mumbled, averting my eyes to our entwined hands. "As if you weren't here with me. Instead—"

"I'm sorry," Atlas said, squeezing my hand. "It's just that..." he trailed off with a sigh and placed his forehead on my chest. "I had a meeting with my agent today."

"What did he say?" I asked, running my fingers down his back.

He sighed again. "He isn't happy with the way things turned out at the Warriors game. Said that the pro teams are concerned about my conduct on ice. I'm afraid I have ruined my chances of going pro."

"But... but it was just one game. Judging you by one incident would be so unfair. Is there something we can do to fix this?" I knew close to nothing about how one got recruited to the pros but if there was something I could do to change those teams' opinion of Atlas, I would do it.

After all, he only got involved with Davidson because of me. I would never be able to forgive myself if he couldn't go pro because of me.

"There must be something. It's still too early to make a decision," I pressed on.

Atlas looked up and offered me a smile. "I don't know. Henry did say that if I worked on staying out of trouble, there was still a chance. But I'm not counting on it. Honestly, I don't know if it's going to work out."

"Why? You can't lose hope like that," I said, cupping his face with both hands. "I'm still new to the whole hockey scene but I can tell when someone has worked hard. You have! For the past three years. People admire you. Your teammates look up to you."

"I haven't set the best example so far," he mumbled in self-deprecation.

I groaned in frustration and slapped his cheeks hard enough for him to snap out of it. "Stop! That's like accepting defeat even before getting on the ice!"

"Someone's got their sports lingo prep talk right," he joked, patting my hip.

I rolled my eyes. "Will you please focus? You cannot give up okay? You at least owe it to yourself to try your best till the very end."

He stared at me for a beat before shaking his head with a smile. "Since you are ready to be my cheerleader, I'll try my best," he said and rested his head on my chest again.

"I never said that," I objected even though I couldn't help the smile on my face.

"Sure sounded like it."

This time I didn't retort. We stayed like that with me on my back and Atlas lying on top of me. It was strangely peaceful to be with him. It made me realize how accustomed I had become to his presence. Maybe even a little dependent too.

Suddenly, Atlas lifted his head, distracting me before my thoughts could go in a downward spiral. "I always wanted to ask you but never got the chance. What are those Hello Kitty figurines about?" he asked.

My gaze drifted to the said figurines and I smiled at the memories attached to them. "When I was fourteen, a set of seven Hello Kitty figurines had hit the toy store; each figurine in a different costume."

Atlas hummed and reached out to pick one from the shelf, examining it as if it were alien matter. "This is an astronaut?"

"Yes," I said and then pointed to the others. "That one is a nurse, a chef, and a rockstar."

"But these are only four. Where are the rest of the three?" he asked, looking up at me from the figurine.

"Never got a chance to buy them," I said. "They were limited edition collectibles and pretty popular. I had to save up to go buy them and before I could save up enough to get them all, the store had stopped selling them."

Atlas' gaze softened. "Did you try searching for them again?"

I shook my head before shrugging. "What's the point? They have probably stopped manufacturing the same models and those who have them will sell them at high prices anyway." I took the figure from him, running my thumb over it. "I guess I just grew up and moved on from it."

Atlas opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the incessant beeping of my phone, announcing a series of incoming texts. I stretched my hand and grabbed it from the nightstand. It was my friend Allison.

Allison: Can you come to the restaurant right now? My manager wants you to shadow me today and tomorrow so you can get a hang of it.

Allison: I would have given you a prior notice but my manager just told me about it. Really sorry.

On seeing the text, I kicked into action immediately, jolting up and shoving Atlas off me in the process. I needed this job, even if it was for a short period. Not only would it help me replenish my savings cushion but also help fund my car repair costs.

"What? What's going on?" Atlas asked, his eyes wide.

"Sorry. I have to go," I told him as I typed my reply to Allison saying I would be there. Her answering texts were immediate.

Allison: You are a lifesaver! Thank you. Wear a black dress. If you don't have one, a black T-shirt and black jeans would do on such short notice.

Allison: Text me when you get here. I'll meet you at the back. See ya <3

Shooting her a thumbs up, I rushed to my closet to scavenge for the only black dress I owned. It was a plain skater dress that I only used at formal events.

"Go where?" Atlas asked, still lying naked on my bed.

"My friend has to go to her hometown urgently and I agreed to take her spot at the restaurant for the time being. The manager has called me to shadow her tonight." I pulled out the black dress from underneath a heap of loosely stacked clothes and held it up like a trophy.

He scowled. "She just wants you to run over there? On such short notice?"

Closing the cupboard with my hip, I turned to face him with my clothes gathered in my hands. "Beggars can't be choosers. It's a high-end restaurant with amazing pay. Even three weeks over there would be a great help."

Atlas pursed his lips. "That doesn't mean they can make people jump through hoops like that."

"Welcome to minimum wage worker land rich boy. If you consider this as jumping through hoops then you're in for a surprise."

"But—"

"Ugh! I smell like sex and I don't have time to shower," I said, cutting him off with a groan. "You'll have to buy me a new perfume if I run out of mine to cover this smell."

As I rushed to the bathroom, I heard Atlas chuckle and a faint "You don't smell that bad" from the other side of the door.

Ten minutes later, I stepped out with my black dress on, my hair tied up in a neat bun, and smelling of flowers and berries instead of sex. Atlas was still lounging on the bed but wasn't naked anymore. "How do I look?" I asked, doing a twirl.

"Like you are going to a funeral," he remarked.

I couldn't help the indignant snort that left me. "Thank you for your continuous encouragement."

Atlas grinned back. "You are most welcome."

Shaking my head at him, I walked over to my desk to grab my purse. Just as I was checking if I had everything in it, my phone started going off again. "Can you please check who that is?" I called over my shoulder.

"It's an unknown caller," Atlas replied.

My brows furrowed and I went to look at the screen. "I'm not sure who that is but they have been calling me since yesterday."

"Do you want me to pick it up for you?" he offered and I shook my head.

"No. It's okay. I'll see who that is." Saying so, I took the device from his hands and accepted the call. "Hello?"

"Hi! Am I speaking to Miss Evelyn Hayes?" A woman's high-pitched voice answered from the other end.

By the look on Atlas' face, he had heard her as well but he was still standing on guard. His stance was wide, arms crossed and brows furrowed as if he was ready to jump into action if needed. "Yes. What is this about?" I questioned back.

"I'm speaking from the J&P Finance from Stoneridge. It's about the loan your father Arthur Hayes had applied for..."

My brain stopped processing as soon as I heard my father's name. I was never going to get a break from him, was I? He would always be there, lurking on the sidelines, ready to jump in and ruin everything.

Atlas gently touched my hand, bringing me back to reality. I blinked and focused on the call again. "Sorry. Could you please repeat the last part?" I said.

The woman started speaking again without missing a beat. "I'm calling in regards to the loan your father had taken from our bank against your house in Stoneridge. The dues haven't been paid for the past few months and we are unable to contact him. Can you inform him—"

"I'm so sorry but I won't be of any help to you. Me and my father aren't on speaking terms and I have no idea what loan you are speaking of," I said and realization dawned on Atlas' face. His jaw ticked and eyes blazed in annoyance.

"Oh. But you have been named as the legal heir in all the paperwork," she informed.

I rubbed my temple, stifling a groan. "Look, I'm sorry but I'm in no position to repay any loans. I don't even know where he is. His number keeps changing every few months so I have no way to contact him either."

The woman on the phone heaved a sigh. "If he calls you, please tell him to contact us. And since you are the legal heir, I must inform you that if the dues are not paid, the bank will have to confiscate the property. And even then, there is accumulated interest that you'll have to pay."

"Wait? What?" I asked, not believing my ears.

"The principal amount will be recovered by selling the property at market price. That still leaves out an additional 100k as interest that has accumulated over the last couple of months."

"100k?"

I needed to sit down.

"Yes," the woman replied smoothly as if she hadn't just flipped my world upside down with her words.

Slumping down on my desk chair, I held my head in my hands as the reality of the situation settled in my stomach like a boulder. "How much... What was the loan amount?"

"Close to 500k. I can send you the documents for you to verify." She said a few more things after that. Most of it was finance jargon as she tried to tell me the procedure for the loan and its various clauses but I couldn't focus on anything.

They gave my drunkard dad a loan of half a million. Who in their right mind would do that? How did he even convince them to lend him so much money? And for what?

Atlas appeared in my line of sight as he kneeled in front of me and took my hand in his, looking worried.

"On what basis did you grant him the loan? He doesn't even have a job!" I said, cutting off the woman who was still droning about legal terms and interest percentages.

She cleared her throat, her voice taking on a chilly edge. "He approached our firm with a business plan of opening a high-end bar."

I almost laughed out loud. Of course, my father would want to open a bar. I wondered if the thought crossed his inebriated mind that even if he owned a bar he would still have to pay.

"But that is beside the point," the woman continued. "Let us know how you want to proceed with this by the end of this week and our legal team will be in touch with you."

She hung up and my hand holding the phone fell limply in my lap. I was going to lose my childhood home.

My chest constricted at the thought as memories flashed before my eyes. Admittedly, I had a lot of bad memories of that place but there were plenty of good ones too. Like the endless days I had spent with my grandma while she taught me to bake.

I was going to lose my home and I was in debt which I hadn't even applied for. And my dad was missing.

"Rosy?" Atlas called, his voice laced with worry.

My eyes moved from that one spot on the wall to meet his gaze. "I'm going to lose my home," I whispered as if not speaking loudly about it would make all of it a dream.

"What? How?"

Tears sprung in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks before I could control them. "My dad mortgaged our house and now he's missing. He named me his heir so they want me to pay off the debt. I have the end of the week to decide what to do."

A menacing scowl formed on his face, rage contorting his handsome features. "The fuck? They cannot do that!" he yelled, getting to his feet and taking out his phone. "I'll contact my lawyers. They will know what to do."

"No!" I said, springing to my feet and grabbing his arm. He looked at me as if I had lost my mind by saying no. I might as well have but I didn't want to drag Atlas into this. It was my burden to bear. Not his.

"I... I need some time to think about it."

Atlas groaned and whirled to face me. "Evelyn you cannot possibly think that—"

"Please," I said. "Just... just stay out of it for now. I need time to process."

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair but thankfully gave up. I could deal with his displeasure later. Right now I needed to figure out what the fuck I was going to do about this shitty situation?

Saving the house was out of the question. Even if I dropped out and took a full-time job, I would never be able to save up to 500k. The 100k of interest was manageable if I used up all my savings, sold my car, and maybe found a remote job.

The question was could I manage to do all of that in such a short time?