Atlas Griffin was going to kiss me, and I was going to let him.

I could see it in his eyes that he was barely holding himself together and I also knew that if I leaned in an inch, he would immediately cover the remaining distance. But did I want him to do that?

"Evelyn," Atlas murmured, his voice thick with lust and promises of all things bad. It was a miracle I hadn't folded into half by now.

"Atlas, I—"

"Eve, let's go dance!"

Just like that, Stacy's voice broke the bubble. Before I could say anything, she wrenched me out of his arms and pulled me to the dance floor. Immediately, I was swarmed by the crowd. I blinked a few times, the haze of lust clearing away and my mind finally starting to work normally.

I was about to let Atlas Griffin kiss me. As if that wasn't jarring enough, I was even a bit pissed at Stacy for pulling me away.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

After that incident in the locker room which I refused to analyze or acknowledge for that matter, I did my best to avoid Atlas. Avoiding the coffee shop, brisk walking past the rink and the gym, meeting with the coach and immediately running away from there. That's how I had spent the entirety of my Saturday morning only to run smack into him in the evening with no escape.

No matter how much I tried to ignore and forget about yesterday night, I just couldn't. As much as I wished that it didn't happen and was a figment of my imagination, it did happen. I have had those imaginations before and it always left me feeling ashamed and disgusted by myself once they were over.

How could I even think of a man like that after he had been nothing but an arrogant prick to me? I knew my worth and I would rather die than let Atlas make me another one of his conquests but damn had I wanted him to kiss me yesterday.

Tucked away into the corner of the locker room with him kneeling shirtless at my feet, my mind had run a million miles per minute with every scenario possible. Each one ending with us being naked and tangled together under the sheets. And that's how I knew I needed to stay away from him or else I would be damned.

Even now, when I was dancing with Stacy, my mind kept going back to him. I could feel his heated gaze on me, making shivers crawl down my spine. I shook my head, trying to get rid of all the thoughts related to him. I was here to have fun. I at least deserved one night for myself free from all the stress.

But it was impossible because there he was. Circling around in the room, looking hot as sin in that fitting dark tux of his. Damn him!

Maybe if I just got mixed up in the crowd, I could lose him. And hopefully, he would get bored of looking at me and go find something better to do. With that thought in mind, I shifted further into the crowd as conspicuously as possible. Stacy raised a brow at me but followed nonetheless and soon we were at the other end of the dance floor, a little away from where most of the crowd was.

"What's wrong?" Stacy asked over the loud music.

I shook my head and smiled. "Nothing. It was getting too crowded there."

She looked at me for a beat and I wondered if she had noticed something about the weirdness between Atlas and me but soon she shrugged and continued dancing, throwing her hands around me and moving her hips. I laughed, joining her. The DJ changed the pace and put up more upbeat songs. The crowd cheered with their hands in the air, enjoying to their hearts' content.

I saw a guy approach Stacy and I gestured toward him with my eyes. Stacy looked over her shoulder and smiled at him, clearly interested. But then she turned to me and stepped closer. Sensing the change in her, I shook my head and held her shoulder, leaning in closer so I could speak in her ear. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine!"

She pulled back, a concerned look on her face. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yes! Now go!"

Stacy grinned, turning around. I playfully gave her a pat on the butt, sending her on her way. At least one of us should get laid tonight. My chances had plummeted the moment I came face to face with Atlas. I couldn't be selfish and keep Stacy from having her night.

The loud bass thrummed through my body as I threw my hands up and swayed with the beat. I shut my eyes and let loose, letting the world fade around me and the music completely take over my body. It had been a long time since I actually had fun without worrying about the next assignment to submit, the test that I had to ace, or the next bill stacked on my desk, waiting to be paid. Or the next time my deadbeat dad would call asking for money.

For the first time in a long time, I felt free.

Someone's hand appeared on my hip and a warm body pressed against my back, breaking my trance. I opened my eyes to see a cute-looking blonde guy grin down at me. "Hey, beautiful," he said.

I let his words hang between us as I analyzed him. He wasn't drop-dead gorgeous like a certain someone I knew, but he seemed okay. Tall and well-built if the way his t-shirt was clinging to his form was anything to go by. He would do. "Hey," I grinned up at him and his smile widened.

"Eve?" Stacy called, drawing my attention to her. She and her new partner were close by. Stacy raised a brow at me in question and I smiled, confirming that everything was okay. She gave the guy behind me a not-so-subtle once over before turning around to dance with her man.

"That's your name?" The guy questioned. "Classic."

"Yes," I lied. My first rule while picking a random guy from the club. Never tell them your real name. "And what's your name stranger? Don't tell me it's Adam. That'll be too much."

He threw his head back and laughed. "No, sadly. It's James. Plain and simple. Although now I wish it was Adam."

I raised my brow at him. "Why?"

His hand trailed up my side, stopping just under my breast before sliding back down to rest on my hip. He spun me around and I braced my hands on his chest. "Then we could pretend we are meant to be."

Huh, a romantic. As much as I loved the sweet cheesiness, it wasn't what I was looking for tonight.

I spun around again as the song changed. "I'm not looking for a soulmate tonight," I said.

He grabbed my hips and pulled me flush against him. "Neither am I."

I felt him against my ass and a smirk formed on my red lips. "Glad that we are on the same page then."

As if taking my words as a go sign, his hands started moving on my body more freely. Dropping to my thighs, caressing my arms, my neck, everywhere. But not once did they stray to dangerous territories. He was still being respectful and I felt a tiny prick of guilt. Hopefully, he was thinking of using me as much as I was thinking of using him tonight and not expecting that this could lead to anything meaningful.

Katy Perry's Dark Horse started playing and we swayed with the music. I was getting lost again when my eyes collided with the familiar dark ones. My breath hitched at the amount of intensity they radiated despite the distance between us.

Atlas was leaning against the bar, a glass most probably filled with bourbon in his hand as he watched me with hooded eyes. I felt my body starting to heat as his eyes ran up and down my form. When he saw me staring, he brought the glass to his mouth and then ran his tongue over his lips.

I watched in a trance, completely forgetting about poor James. Atlas waved the bartender over and ordered a shot, his eyes never leaving mine. He gulped down the shot and then brought the lemon to his lips, sucking on it slowly while eyeing me like his lips were on me instead of the sour wedge.

A shudder ran through my body and I closed my eyes again, my breath getting shallower. I felt James sweep my hair back, exposing my neck. He pressed his warm lips in the crook of my neck but all I could think of was Atlas. For a brief second, my mind imagined Atlas pressed up against me from behind, kissing my neck instead of my possible hookup.

The realization hit me like a truck and my eyes snapped open. I stepped away from James, turning to face him. "What's wrong?" he asked, his brows furrowed with concern.

"Uh... I..." Dammit.

"Are you okay? You look flushed. Do you want to step out for a bit?"

"No," I said a little too quickly, cursing myself on the inside.

Fucking Griffin. Always ruining things for me.

I cleared my throat and met his gaze again. "I'm sorry. I...I need to go," I said. Without waiting for his response, I turned around and dashed in the general direction of the bathroom. Maybe I do need some time to cool off.

Or I just needed to go home. I didn't even understand how Atlas had managed to get under my skin in the first place but now after two years, I was sure he had a fixed place in my brain and knew just the right ways to push my buttons and trigger me.

Huffing, I pushed the bathroom door open and went straight to the sink, checking myself out in the wide mirror. I was sweating profusely and my cheeks were flushed. I turned the tap on, wetting my hands and dabbing some water on my neck.

"You're not going to let him ruin this," I said, clapping my wet hands on my cheeks. I pulled out some paper napkins from the dispenser and dabbed the water and sweat away. Giving myself one last look in the mirror, I stepped out into the dark corridor again, stopping short when I saw a figure leaning against the wall.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," he said nonchalantly and pushed himself off the wall.

"And to what do I owe this displeasure?" I raised a brow at him and folded my arms across my chest.

He smirked. "To see if you would want a crying shoulder since your boy out there is currently dancing with some other girl. If you can call that dancing at all."

"That's all?" I cocked my hip, placing my hand on my waist and tilting my face to look up at him. "You don't need to concern yourself with me. I can easily find a replacement."

His jaw ticked and I had to fight the urge to smile. He narrowed his gaze at me, eyes ablaze with heat while his jaw tightened in a way that made me want to run my fingers across it. But I was never going to admit it or show any signs of attraction. Not in front of him.

"Like hell, you will," he spat through gritted teeth and suddenly I found myself pressed against the wall in the dim corner of the lobby. The sound of music and people faded as Atlas towered over me, caging me with his arms on either side of my frame. "I'm done playing."

My heart rate spiked and I felt my core throb as the scent of his woodsy cologne hit my senses. I had to physically restrain myself from leaning in and taking a whiff. Despite my inner turmoil, I managed to keep a straight face. "Are you now?"

He brought his hand to my face, brushing his thumb over my lower lip. His touch was more tender than I had expected. It made me shiver despite the heat radiating off of his body. "Don't act like you haven't been eyeing me the whole night. Teasing me with those lustful eyes."

I took a shaky breath. "I don't know what you are talking about." My voice came out breathy and small, sounding strange even to my own ears.

He raised a brow at me, the smirk reappearing on his stupidly handsome face. "You don't huh?" he asked. "So if I ran my hand up your thighs and under your skirt, I won't find you wet for me?"

A fresh wave of heat rushed through me as he grazed my thigh with the back of his fingers before quickly pulling away. Goosebumps rose across my skin wherever he touched and my breathing became more erratic.

"That you don't want me like I want you?" This time his fingers ran up my arms before caressing my collarbone and moving up my neck. He cupped my jaw, his thumb rubbing my cheek while his other fingers splayed across my neck. Flames licked my insides, filling me with a need I had never felt before. "That you haven't fantasized about me even once?"

My eyes locked with his and I almost forgot how to breathe. "Why don't you find out?" I croaked.

That's all it took for him to snap. He let out a low curse before crashing his lips on mine. Immediately my arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer as I kissed him back. He kissed me with an urgency like he had been waiting for this for years.

His lips were bruising and demanding and for once I had no qualms about letting him take the lead. He ran his tongue on the seams of my lips at the same time his hand ran down my back, grabbing my ass. I gasped and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. The world outside vanished as sparks erupted throughout my body.

I clung to him desperately, my legs going out of commission the moment his lips had touched mine. He pushed me further against the wall, pressing his hips against mine and making me moan as his hardness pressed into me. He squeezed my ass as if teasing me and I nipped at his bottom lip, eliciting a deep groan from him.

Suddenly, he pulled away but kept his arm around my waist, pressing me flush against him. A whine left my mouth at the loss of contact and I tried to pull him in again but he stopped my attempts.

"Hold on, Rosy," he said, holding my face in his big hand. "As much as I'm loving kissing you, I need to tell you that if you don't want this to go further than just kissing, we should stop now. Because I..." He trailed off, his eyes roaming my face. "Fuck. I won't be able to hold back if we continue. And it can't be more than that."

"Are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend? I asked.

"What? No. I don't date," he replied swiftly. "If you want—"

"I thought so," I said, cutting him off. "I'm not looking for a boyfriend either. It's just for one night. So shut up and kiss me."

I pulled him to me again and this time he obliged, kissing me with such force that knocked the breath out of me. His left hand tangled itself in my hair, tugging my head back to get better access to my neck. I shut my eyes as he left a trail of open mouth kisses on my neck and collarbone.

"Fuck Rosy," he groaned. "I could eat you up."

I huffed impatiently. "Then do it!"

He let out a dry chuckle. "You're going to kill me," he said, pecking my lips before pulling back completely. He straightened my dress and ran a hand over my hair to tame them from the post-make-out frenzy.

I was about to complain when he pulled me away from the wall and started ushering me out of the dim lobby. "Let's get out of here. I have a room in the hotel in front of the club."

I snorted. "Someone came prepared."

He shook his head. "It's something else but I guess I got lucky." He winked at me as we made our way through the crowd. I shot a quick text to Stacy that I was leaving and immediately received a thumbs-up from her. She then texted that she was probably going to go with the guy too.

I didn't tell her that I was leaving with Atlas though. Not after all the times I had bitched about him in front of her. Her doubtful gaze would break the spell.

And right now, I didn't want the spell to break.