44

~Atlas' POV~

I must've dozed off in Darlina's bed at some point, surrounded by the sweet scent of strawberries that came with her being so close. When I woke up I glanced at the clock on her nightstand, finding that it was only ten minutes past five AM, which was about the time I usually woke up courtesy of the morning roll calls we had to do while I was in prison. It was pretty rare that I'd wake up anytime after that even now that I was out.

Running a hand through my hair, I went to sit up but realized that there was a weight around me, causing me to pause and look down. Though Darlina and I had been slightly cuddling earlier, now she was completely draped over me as she slept soundly.

She had one leg slung over my hips and an arm wrapped around my waist, her cheek pressed against the bare skin of my tattooed chest. I glanced down at her pretty face, her full lips pouted in a way that I found perhaps a little too enduring, and debated on whether or not I should try to move. The rain could still be heard as it pattered on the cabin roof above us, but I assumed the storm had settled down because I heard no thunder and no longer saw any flashes of lighting through the windows.

Even asleep, Darlina looked perfect and as serene as she always did, her long blonde hair sprawled over my arm and across the pillowcases. I pulled her closer with the arm around her waist, lifting my free hand to brush my fingertips across her soft, clear skin.

My thumb grazed her bottom lip and she stirred slightly, rolling her body on top of me with a little incoherent, sleepy mumble. Her lips brushed over my bare skin and I sighed, deciding that I would stay put until I couldn't any longer. It was a good thing that Emmett woke up late or I'd have made sure I was already out of her room by now, but I knew it'd be fine if I stayed for at least a little while more.

It wasn't long after I woke up, though, that Darlina began to shift atop me, her leg slipping between mine so our bodies were molded to one another. She peeled her eyes open, lids fluttering sleepily as she placed her hand on the mattress to push herself up into a sitting position. I just watched her, very much able to tell that she was half awake at most. "You can sleep more, Lina." I told her in a mutter when she glanced at the clock and then ran a hand through her lengthy hair.

"You're still here." She said softly, laying back down in the position she'd been in before. I slid my arm around her waist again, more than happy to pull her back into my side. "Mhm." I hummed, curling my fingers into her soft hair that fell down her back. "I'll go back to my room in a little while, though." I added, causing her to pout.

Her brown eyes flicked up to me as she laid on my chest. "Did you sleep well? I didn't expect you to be awake so early." She asked me, keeping her voice to a whisper. I nodded, sliding a hand down her spine to rest at the bottom of her back, pulling her closer. "Yeah, surprisingly well, honestly." I muttered, glancing down at her lips. "I'm just used to waking up this early from my time in prison."

Darlina smiled, curling her leg around mine. "Even with how early I wake up, I don't think I could wake up this early." She said with a soft giggle, pressing her cheek against my chest. My lips twitched in amusement and I chuckled. "I wish I couldn't. My body just kinda got used to it." I responded, glancing down as her arm slid around my waist again, clinging to me like a koala bear. Having her clinging to me like this, pressing her body against mine made my thoughts take a far more dirty route, which I had been fighting off since practically the second I had her cuddled against me like this.

I lifted my free hand and gently grabbed the wrist of the hand on my waist, brushing my thumb over the pulse there. A brief silence had settled between us, but I could tell that Lina was thinking of something, her lips pulled down in a pouty frown. "Atlas?" She said softly after a moment, to which I hummed in response, waiting for her to speak.

However, she hesitated before she spoke again. "I know you aren't ready to tell me about what happened, with the attempted murder I mean, but do you ever feel guilty about it?" She asked, peering up at me curiously. I paused, not expecting the question, and cleared my throat. "No." I confessed, peering down at the place where my fingers traced her wrist. A part of me worried she'd think less of me for that, so I rushed to explain myself.

"It's not that I feel guilty for it, not at all, but I do sometimes regret it. Not necessarily because of what I did, but because of what my choice took from me." I murmured, half talking about my freedom but also beyond that. Emmett was the only person I had left from that time in my life.

Her big eyes peered up at me and she frowned. "Would you do it again?" She asked, curiosity in her gaze. I didn't hesitate. "Yes. I'd do it again, if I went back and had a choice." I answered, watching her lips part in surprise. Most likely, she'd expected me to say no, and though I would've understood if she looked at me judgingly, she didn't seem to. Instead, she just gave me a small smile.

My hand slid up the length of her arm, goosebumps being left in the wake of my touch. "Does that make you think differently of me, smalls?" I hummed, but she shook her head. "No." She said quietly. "I still don't know what happened, so I'm not going to form an opinion on it yet."

The fact that she was listening to me, that she wasn't treating me like everyone else had who knew even the smallest bit of information about what I'd done, made me tighten my fingers around her arm. I ducked my head, close enough to place a few gentle kisses along her jaw. "Thank you." I muttered into her ear, able to feel the tremble of her fingers against the skin of my waist. She was flustered just from this, and I found it amusing.

I flicked my tongue over the still bruised spot on her neck and she shuddered, now curling her fingers tightly around my side. She let out a breathy gasp and shifted her leg between mine, pressing her body into me more. Her thigh brushed across my hips and hooked around it, the warmth of her skin burning into mine. It was clear to me then that she was more than flustered, just from the shakiness of her breathing and the way she seemed to subconsciously seek more contact from me.

Darlina slid her hand to my chest, laying her palm flat against my pec as I sucked at the already bruised spot on her neck. I wanted it to stay there, for it to be fresh again so it wouldn't fade. This soft, shaky moan left her lips and the sound went straight to my dick, causing me to pause. With her making noises like this and rubbing herself against me, I knew I was playing a dangerous, very tempting game.

"Atlas..." She trailed her nails down my abs, tracing over the ridges of each muscle until she began to unintentionally tease me by trailing her nails over the V-line near the band of my boxers. I grabbed her hand, muttering a curse beneath my breath. "Don't do that, smalls." I warned her huskily, shifting my hips away from her a little.

Embarrassment flashed across her face as she peered up at me, a pout on her lips. Even so, I could see the needy look in her eyes still. "I'm sorry." She apologized quietly, chest heaving against me. "I don't know why I did that." She said.

My eyes lingered on her lips as she spoke, keeping my grip tight on her wrist. "It's alright." I muttered. "But I don't think you should do that until you know you're ready." I advised her, causing her to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "I am. I want to." She insisted, but I shook my head. "You don't. It can wait, Darlina." I assured.

She wore a deep frown on her lips but I didn't change my mind because I knew I was right. Darlina and I were still getting close and I didn't want to make her jump into this too fast or possibly make her feel like I was only interested in her because of her body, not when I was truly enveloping these feelings I had for her. Plus, I wasn't sure if I was even ready to do anything physical with her yet. I wanted her, I knew that, but I also wanted to wait until I was sure she was ready and willing.

However, she looked even more embarrassed now than before. "I'm telling you that I want you, Atlas." She said with an air of shyness. "Do you not want me, though?" She asked.

It was a genuine question, and that somehow made it worse. Did she doubt if I was attracted to her or something?

"Why the hell would you think that?" I scoffed, stupefied by the question. It seemed ridiculous to me that she was even asking, but I could see that she was truly unsure. She looked away, biting on the inside of her cheek. "Emmett might've said before that I'm not the usual type you're into. I thought maybe you didn't want it because of that." She explained quietly, looking rather embarrassed to be admitting this to me.

I gently rolled us over so that she was on her back as I hovered above her, able to feel her bare inner thighs against my hips. "I'm trying to be a gentleman for you for once, Darlina." I groaned, shaking my head.

Staring up at me with her hair sprawled all beneath her hair and a flush in her cheeks, she looked a little too fucking much like a temptation, a sin. "I don't want that from you." She said softly, her fingertips roaming up my bare back. I leaned down, slipping a hand behind her neck to tilt her head back, which offered her lips up towards me. "Then how do you want me to be, hm?" I wondered, keeping my voice to a low murmur.

Lina's chest heaved against me as she trailed her fingers over my back and up into the hair on the back of my head, tangling her slim digits within the strands. I clenched my jaw and nipped harshly at her bottom lip, wishing that this girl wasn't so insistent on driving me crazy with every little touch of her fingers.

"Wanting me like I want you right now. That's how I want you to be." She answered breathlessly, causing me to let out a teasing chuckle.

"If I touch you now, Darlina, there's no changing it or going back. I wanted to wait for you, for this, until we were more secure in one another." I told her, but she just pulled me into her, smoothing her hand down the front of my chest. "Who says I want to go back?" She asked softly. "All I want is..." She trailed off, looking shyly to the side so she didn't have to look me in the eye. "I-I want you to make this feeling go away."

It was incredibly clear to me that she was nervous but still sure of herself, despite her shyness. She truly seemed to want me to touch her and her mind wasn't changing.

"Fuck," I cursed under my breath, my resolve finally breaking. "I'll give you what you want, if you can keep it down, yeah? Just for a little while." I negotiated, causing her to nod her head eagerly, flushed pink in the cheeks. "Yes. Yes, I can." She whispered.

My eyes flicked down the length of her petite frame as she laid beneath me and I immediately came up with another rule. "And you're keeping your clothes on." I added, watching as she furrowed her brows in confusion. "I don't know if I could handle you without them just yet without being tempted to keep you naked and in this bed with me for the entire day." I admitted through a mutter.

She stared up at me, stunned by my words in a way that truly showed how innocent and inexperienced she was. I leaned forward and nibbled her bottom lip. "O-Okay." She whispered as I broke away, voice shaking. "I'll keep them on." She promised.

"Good." I murmured. "Now spread your legs for me."