54

~Darlina's POV~

After Atlas and I got home that night, I closed the door behind us and locked it, glancing at him over my shoulder. "Is Em not home?" He asked, kicking off his shoes.

"No, he said he's working late tonight. Apparently they were really short staffed today." I answered, setting my keys on the table by the front door. He hummed in acknowledgment and brushed a hand through his hair, the strands falling back into his face afterwards. "You want to order dinner after I take a shower?" He suggested, searching my features as he awaited a response.

"Yeah, I need to shower too, anyways." I agreed with a nod of my head, following after him when he began down the hallway. I hurried into my bathroom and started up the shower, letting the water heat as I took off my makeup and pulled off my clothes. Atlas was usually pretty quick in the shower, at least in comparison to how long I could take, so I tried to be quick just for the sake of being done first. I didn't want him to have to wait on me.

I stepped out of the shower after I was done and pulled on a pair of underwear in my bedroom, beginning to search through my dresser for a set of pajamas to wear. When I stumbled upon a certain set, I paused and stared down at it, considering whether or not I should wear it. To me, it was really pretty and a large part of me wanted Atlas to think I looked pretty, and I wanted him to want me.

So I pulled it on, brushing out the mauve pink set of pajamas. The shorts and the tube top had frill along the bottom edges, little peach colored bows on both the band of the shorts and between the sweetheart neckline on the shirt, which was strapless. It was a set that I didn't wear often, if ever, and when I glanced at myself in the mirror I realized why. Though it was incredibly cute, it was a little bit snug on me.

As I was debating between whether I should change, my bedroom door swung open, causing me to squeal in surprise and spin around. I could do nothing but stand there, crossing my arms over my torso in attempt to cover myself as Atlas entered my bedroom in a pair of navy blue sweatpants. "H-Hey!" I exclaimed, a flush creeping up my neck. "You didn't even knock!" I huffed, causing his lips to twitch in amusement.

"Never seemed to bother you before." He retorted, his dark eyes flicking from my face to my figure.

Silence fell between us as I shifted shyly while he stared, taking in every inch of my exposed skin. "What are you wearing, smalls?" He asked after a moment, leaving my bedroom door open as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants and lazily ambled his way towards me.

Flustered by the way his gaze still wandered over my curves as he approached me, I backed up with each step closer that he got, until I bumped my foot against the frame of my bed. "I...I was trying it on." I said softly, tilting my head back to peer up at him while I kept my arms over my torso. "I thought it was pretty." I added weakly, and gasped as he slid an arm around my waist and tugged me into his chest. "Sexy is a better word for it." He corrected me, only making my face burn even more.

"You...You like it?" I asked, turning my cheek with the incapability of keeping our gazes interlocked when he was looking at me like that. He slid a hand down and hummed, ducking his head to speak into my ear as his lips grazed my jawline. "I love it. You look so fuckin' pretty, Darlina." He muttered, a surprised noise slipping from me when his hands suddenly grasped the back of my thighs and he lifted me, wrapping my legs around his hips.

"Really?" I whispered, finally looking up at him. "You don't think it's too...tight or revealing?" I wondered, a little worried of what he thought.

But Atlas just chuckled. "Oh, no, it definitely is." He said honestly, carrying me around the end of my bed. "That's part of why I love it so much."

I went to speak, but yelped in surprise as he suddenly lowered me into bed, pinning me into the mattress with his large frame hovering above my smaller one. Stunned, I grasped at his bicep and peered up at him, flushed in the cheeks. The necklace around his neck dangled down as he held himself over me, causing my attention to flick down to it, focusing on the little star pendant that swung through the air on the end of the chain. I'd seen this pendant only a handful of times but I knew he wore the necklace every day.

"Your necklace is pretty." I told him softly, flicking my eyes up to his again. He hummed, slotting his hips between my thighs in a position that made my thoughts take a dirty turn. "My mom gave me it when I was fourteen." He informed me, ducking his head into the crook of my neck. I felt the warmth of his breath fan my skin before he kissed softly down my throat, causing a soft breath to slip out as I craned my neck, giving him more access.

A quiet whimper left me as he sucked at a spot above my collarbone, causing my breath to come out in shaky pants. My thoughts drifted back and forth as his tongue dragged across my skin, and he paused as if he noticed. "What are you thinking of, smalls?" He asked, arms flexing as he pushed himself up again to look me in the eye.

"Well, I just...You seem like you love your mom a lot." I stated, and he nodded his head. "I do. She wasn't perfect but she's the most important woman to me." He said lowly, a look in his eyes that made me feel a little sad, for some reason. It looked as though he missed her, and it sounded that way too. "Why didn't you live with her after you got out of prison?" I couldn't help but to ask, blinking up at him. "Just out of curiosity." I added, not wanting him to think that I was asking because I didn't want him here or something.

Atlas stared at me and, for a second, I thought he wasn't going to answer. "She turned me away when I asked." He said eventually.

Taken aback, I gazed up at him with my lips parted in shock. I couldn't help the frown that formed on my face. "What?" I huffed. "Why would she do that? She's your mom. Doesn't she want to help you?" I furrowed my eyebrows and Atlas shook his head, letting out a sigh.

"It's complicated, Lina. I don't blame her for turning me away. We don't have such a good relationship anymore." He muttered, but I just frowned at him. "It sounds a little one sided, though. Or am I wrong in assuming that?" I wondered, to which he again shook his head. He searched my features, his gaze falling on my lips. "No." He answered in a mumble. "No, you're right."

I was curious and I wanted to know more, but with the way he pushed himself off of me and sat on the edge of my bed, I knew he didn't want to speak about her anymore. So I let it go, figuring he'd open up more when he was ready.

"Do you want to order Chinese for dinner?" I asked him, changing the subject completely. I scooted closer to him, slinging my arms around his waist as I pressed into his back. "Chinese sounds good, yeah." He muttered after a moment, wrapping his long, tattooed fingers around my wrist. My head rested on his shoulder and I softly kissed his neck, brushing my nails over his well-defined abs before I reluctantly pulled away to order dinner for the two of us.

After I had placed the order, I returned to bed with him, somewhat surprised to find that he had now laid down atop the blankets and was watching something on my laptop. I crawled into bed and his attention flicked to me, his eyes dropping to my figure. "Come here, smalls." He reached out a hand and tugged me onto his chest, causing me to squeal in surprise.

A giggle left me as his arm slid around my waist and his lips brushed the top of my head, my heart thundering in my chest. "What are you watching?" I asked, glancing at the screen. He absentmindedly played with the ends of my hair, twirling them around his fingers. "I don't fuckin' know. I just picked something random. I'm not sure what shows are good that they've got on Netflix." He admitted, drawing another giggle from me.

"This one is pretty good, actually. Em made me watch it a little while after I moved in with him." I recalled, vaguely recognizing Ozark as it played on the laptop. He just hummed, seemingly disinterested as his hand grazed down my spine. "I am fuckin' starving." He mumbled, causing a smile to tug at my lips. "The food will be here in about twenty minutes. Surely you can wait that long." I said playfully, tracing circles over his bare chest.

My eyes fell to his chest and I kissed his ink-covered skin. "Why'd you get so many tattoos? I don't think I ever asked." I wondered, beginning to trace the dark lines of his tattoos absentmindedly.

"Mm, 'cause I like 'em." He said simply, shrugging one shoulder. "I always had a thing for tattoos since I was a kid, so I knew for a long time that I wanted them." He told me, the weight of his gaze boring into the side of my head. I smiled slightly. "I really like them." I admitted in a whisper, placing a kiss on another tattoo of his.

I glanced up at him and found he was watching me through hooded eyes, clenching his jaw when my lips brushed the ridge between his abs. "As much as I like this,  Lina, you shouldn't." He muttered, the hand at the base of my spine tangling into my hair to pull my face up to his. Surprised, I gasped, placing my palm flat on his chest. "What if I want to?" I whispered, searching his eyes.

He smirked. "Then you won't mind waiting very much until I say you can."