I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Emery’s POV

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Atlas looked up at the sound of the door opening. And when our eyes met, I swear my lungs forgot how to work.

He froze.

And then his gaze…god help me…dragged. Slowly. From my face down to my black crop top… lower, over the slit in my skirt that I knew showed way too much thigh… and lingered.

Like… lingered.

My skin burned under the weight of it. And I’m pretty sure the air in the room got thicker.

Okay, is it just me, or did someone turn up the thermostat in here?

I’m sweating. I’m literally sweating.

Do not fan yourself, Emery. Play it cool. Play. It. Cool.

Then he blinked, clearly realizing how long he’d been staring. His eyes darted away, and-oh my God-his ears turned red.

Red.

Oh

“Hi,” I said, suddenly shy, tucking a piece of straightened hair behind my ear and forcing a smile.

Atlas blinked once. Twice.

Then cleared his throat and leaned back a little, trying to look casual-trying being the key word.

“Hey… you look…”

His voice trailed off. His brows knit like he couldn’t decide what word to land on.

I raised a brow, crossing my arms. “Careful, Lawson.”

He smirked slightly. “You look nice.”

Nice.

Ouch.

“Gee, thanks.” I rolled my eyes, but my lips tugged upward anyway.

He stood up slowly, stretching a little. “Date night?”

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Chapter 66

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I nodded. “Yep. Howard’s picking me up in a bit.”

His jaw tensed, just for a second. Barely there, but I saw it.

“You good?” I asked, stepping further into the room. “You’ve been kind of… MIA today.”

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He scratched the back of his neck, eyes flicking to the floor. “Yeah. Just had some stuff on my mind. Nothing

serious.”

That was a lie.

I could tell by the way his shoulders didn’t relax. The way his fingers kept flexing at his sides. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know how.

“Okay,” I said softly, searching his face. “Well… if you ever feel like talking, I’m around.”

Atlas met my eyes again. And for a second…just a second, something flickered in them. Something unreadable. Something that made my stomach dip and twist and do that annoying flutter thing I’d been trying to ignore since I met him.

Then it was gone.

“Thanks,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Having nothing more to say I turned to leave. Howard would be here any minute. But then I saw it.

A soft little white feather clinging to the messy curl near Atlas’s temple.

What the…where did that come from?

“Were you… wrestling with a chicken?” I asked, narrowing my eyes like I was solving a murder mystery.

Atlas blinked, clearly confused. “What?”

I didn’t wait for an answer. I stepped toward him. One step. Then another. And suddenly, I was standing

between his knees.

His. Freaking. Knees.

“There.” I plucked the feather gently from his hair and held it up like a trophy. “Mystery solved.”

But I couldn’t move.

Like… couldn’t.

Because suddenly I was hyper-aware of everything.

His thighs on either side of me, the way his T-shirt stretched slightly across his chest, the heat radiating from

his skin. My eyes

Atlas was staring.

flicked up, and…yep.

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Chapter 66

Hard.

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His gaze drifted, slow and deliberate, from my eyes to my lips, lingering just a beat too long before trailing down my neck to the bare skin pecking through the slit in my skirt.

And then it came back up. Right back to my eyes. And holy hell, it burned.

My breath hitched. My legs wobbled slightly. My brain screamed, Back up, Emery. Move. But my body? Freaking betrayed me…I couldn’t breathe.

His mouth parted just slightly. Like he wanted to say something. Like he might. But he didn’t.

Instead, he just looked.

No words. No smirk. Just intensity.

And I knew that look…Knew what it meant. He didn’t have to say a single thing, because I could feel it radiating off of him. Want. Restraint.

That little war going on behind his eyes, the one that begged just one taste and cursed himself for thinking it.

Finally, with the very little strength I had left, I tried to move… Tried.

But everything happened so fast.

One second, I was stepping back, the next, Atlas’s hands caught mine, warm and firm, pulling me toward him. The back of my knees hit the edge of his bed, and I stumbled, then I was on it. Flat on my back. Atlas above me. His arms came down on either side of my head, caging me in.

“Atlas…” My voice came out breathless. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst straight out of my chest. I couldn’t…couldn’t…think straight. My thoughts were tripping over each other. What day was it again? Where was I even standing? None of it made sense anymore.

His gaze dropped to my lips. Slowly. Intentionally. His hand moves slowly to my lap. Not rushing. Just barely brushing. But that graze?

That simple, featherlight graze?

It has me gasping like a horny girl who’s never been touched. I bite my lip hard, trying to keep whatever sound just slipped out of me from getting louder.

Atlas smiled. Those stupid, perfect dimples showed up, like he knew exactly the effect he was having on me,

His hand inched higher. Slow. Teasing. My breath hitched. My fingers curled into the blanket.

And then-

Ohh, finally, his thumb circled gently on my clit…

“Fuck” I breathed, biting my lip to stop myself from saying more.

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Chapter 66

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“Shhh,” he whispered, leaning closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Your friends are in your room. Remember?”

Oh. Right.

Reality flickered faintly… and almost died again when his lips brushed my neck. He didn’t kiss me. He just lingered there. Hovering. Letting me feel his breath. Letting my skin burn in anticipation. It completely messed with my head.

My head tilted instinctively, giving him more space, my body already betraying me.

“Touch me.” I moaned

Shit…Shit….SHIT!!!

Did I say that out loud?

I was about to have a mental breakdown when I felt it…his thumb…his freaking thumb moved again. Slower. Bolder. Circling my clit…like I wasn’t freaking wet already. His lips drag to my ear, giving my earlobe a soft nibble, and I swear my soul levitates.

Then-

I heard it or maybe I imagined it—a whisper. So low, so broken, I almost missed it completely.

“Don’t go.”

But then…of course…my phone rings.

Brrrzzzz.

My phone rang.

Shit.

I freaked out, jolting upright like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on me. My hands scrambled against Atlas’s chest, solid, warm, way too tempting, as I shoved him off me. He let go, breathless but not resisting, and I sat up so fast my skirt nearly rode all the way up my thighs.

I fumbled for my phone, swiping to answer like my life depended on it. “Hey… Howard, hi,” I said, trying way too hard to sound normal, even though my voice came out high-pitched and totally breathy.

I winced. Too breathy, Emery. Too obvious.

His body heat still clung to me, like it had been stamped into my skin. My fingers trembled as I tried to smooth my top and pat down my hair…hair that definitely looked like I’d just rolled out of someone’s bed. Which… yeah. I kinda had.

“Yeah, I’ll be out now,” I said quickly, forcing a laugh that sounded about two cracked breaths away from full- on hysteria.

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I hung up and jumped to my feet, nearly tripping over my own legs in my rush to the door. I didn’t look back.

I couldn’t.

I felt him watching me, his eyes on my back like a brand, and my stomach flipped. My fingers found the doorknob, slick with sweat, and I yanked the door open, slipping out and shutting it behind me with a soft

click.

I leaned against the hallway wall, heart pounding like a damn circus drum. I closed my eyes, breathing fast… What the actual hell, Emery!

I was supposed to be going on a sweet, normal, zero-drama date with Howard. Not… whatever that just was.

I pressed my hands to my cheeks, trying to cool them down, even though they were already burning. Five shades of caught-in-the-act. And you wanna know the crazy part?… I didn’t want to leave.

God. What was wrong with me?

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15:14 Tue, Dec 30