Atlas (The Atlas Series) Read Free

she cared to admit. But Jack. Jack was different. He was kind and protective and a bad ass to top it off.
    And did she mention he was gorgeous?
    Kala walked to the kitchen and grabbed Jack by his shirt, pulling him in for a passionate kiss. Jack was easily persuaded away from the alcohol as Kala led him up the stairs and into his bedroom. Being with Jack sexually was the most intense experience Kala had ever felt. As closed off as she was, sex never meant anything to her before, it was just a means to an end. There was never a guy Kala felt was worth her time. But Jack was different. He was attentive — and cared more about her experience than his own. The hardest part for Kala was not letting Jack see how intense her feelings were for him.
    Jack lowered her to the bed and the two of them ripped off each other’s clothes like they had acid on them. Kala flipped Jack over so she was on top, which Jack didn’t mind in the least. She leaned down and they kissed with some force, as if they couldn’t get enough of each other. Kala loved the way Jack kissed her. His kisses were the perfect combination of light and forceful that made Kala’s whole body tingle.
    Jack reached over and turned out the lights as the two of them proceeded to have a good time.
     
    Kala listened to Jack’s heavy breathing as he slept beside her. Normally, this was her cue to sneak out, but for some reason she didn’t want to leave just yet. He looked so peaceful lying there with the down comforter keeping him warm on this cold winter’s night. Jack never asked her to leave. He never asked her to pretend they weren’t seeing each other. He completely gave Kala her space and time. Never pressuring. Always respectful. Who was this guy? Jack was flawless.
    That’s what scared Kala the most.
    There must be something wrong with him. No one was that perfect.
    Kala tried to resist the urge to snoop, but since it was in her nature, she carefully crawled out of bed and walked to Jack’s dresser. She had probably been in Jack’s room over a hundred times and over a hundred times Kala had done exactly the same thing she was doing now: looking for anything that would confirm that there was no way on the planet someone like Jack could exist.
    After a few minutes of searching, she came up with what she always came up with:
    Nothing.
    Kala didn’t know why it was so hard for her to trust men she was in relationships with. Sure she had a crappy childhood, but once she met Owen and Linda, her life had turned around ten-fold. When it came to combat, Kala never had a single trust problem. She knew her fellow soldiers would die for her and that she would do the same for them. But for some reason when it came to relationships, Kala never really cared about the guy, not like Jack, who she figured had to be some sort of robot or clone.
    She took a deep breath, then went to the window to feel the cold against the glass. Sometimes just holding her hand against the pane and feeling the cold air hovering on its surface calmed Kala down. Pulling the sheer curtain aside, she looked outside. Kala’s heart jumped in her throat.
    The woman from before was standing across the street, staring straight at Kala.
    Kala threw the curtain aside and instinctively grabbed Jack’s gun out of his side table.
    Jack was up instantly.
    “What is it?” He jumped out of bed, poised for action like a trained soldier.
    “That creepy woman is out there, staring at your apartment,” Kala said while cocking the gun.
    Jack carefully took the gun from her hands. “What are you going to do? Kill her for staring?”
    Kala shook her head. What had she been thinking? It wasn’t like her to grab a weapon just because someone creeped her out.
    Then again, Kala never got creeped out.
    So what was it about this woman that made Kala’s skin crawl? The person down there was a businesswoman for God’s sake. Carrying a briefcase.
    Or a bomb.
    Maybe that’s what set Kala’s teeth on edge. Her