68*

~Darlina's POV~

"You know, you never told me your mom's name." I mentioned to Atlas as he crawled into my bed that night, the darkness making it hard to see his face clearly. Still, I could vaguely see him pause in the dark before he lowered himself beside me, sweeping an arm around my waist to pull me into his chest. "It must've slipped my mind." He muttered.

"Gracelyn. Her name's Gracelyn." He told me after a moment, pressing a kiss against my jaw as he buried his face into the crook of my neck, like he always did.

"What made you suddenly want to know?" He asked in a murmur, causing me to shrug a shoulder. I began to absentmindedly trace my fingertips over one of his tattoos on his bare chest. "Well, we're supposed to go see her in a couple of days. I figured I should probably know her name when we do, shouldn't I?" I responded, drawing a hum from him that tumbled through his chest. I frowned, hesitating slightly before I spoke again.

"Are you not looking forward to it at all?" I inquired curiously, pulling away to look him in the face. Though it was dark, I could feel the intensity of his gaze boring into mine just the same as when the lights were on. "No." He muttered. "No, I'm not." He said, and I could hear the honesty within his voice.

My eyebrows furrowed and I sighed heavily. "I know you basically only agreed to go because I said I'd go with you, but if you really don't want to, then maybe we shouldn't." I suggested quietly, which I thought he would have liked the idea of but his fingers dug into my waist in disapproval. "I want to go." He told me, but then he sighed deeply. "But I'm dreading it. I know what her reaction will be even after four years apart. She won't want me there. She hates me."

It was the utmost certainty that he spoke with that really broke my heart about his words.

"The worst thing is sometimes I feel angry at her for hating me. I mean, I guess sometimes I feel sort of...abandoned, in a way. My mom is the only family I have, the only family I've ever had except Emmett, and I surrendered four years of my freedom, my life, for her and now that I've got it back, she doesn't even want to speak to me." He vented, and I hung off of every word, wanting him to know that I would listen. I wanted to listen. "She's my mom, you know? The only person I ever held as close to my heart as her, loved as much as her, was Emmett. And now there's you, too."

My attention lingered on the last words he had just spoken as I stared at him, almost positive that he had yet to realize what he'd just said.

I swallowed thickly, an incredibly hot blush creeping up my neck and into my cheeks as I curled one leg around his. He seemed to realize finally after a few moments of silence passed between us, clearing his throat while he shifted beside me, pulling me on top of his chest. Yet neither one of us seemed to know what to say.

Silence hung between us and I came to the understanding that we both seemed to be waiting for the other to say something, so I quietly broke the silence. "Do you mean that?" I asked in a whisper. "I mean, are you saying what I think you are?" I tried to clarify, but found myself incapable of asking him so outright if he loved me. I didn't want to ask that if he would end up saying no. The last time I had checked, he hadn't even wanted to make things official between us yet, so I worried this would essentially be a repeat of the same.

But to my surprise, Atlas gave a weak nod of his head. "Yes." He muttered. "I love you." He reiterated, sending me into stunned yet unbelievably happy silence as I processed his words.

"You love me." I echoed aloud, blushing harder as I buried my face into his bare chest. I wrapped my arms around him, my hands against his broad back. "I love you, too, Atlas." I whispered against his skin, feeling goosebumps rise on his flesh as I spoke.

"I've never heard you speak about the situation with your mom like this. I didn't know you felt abandoned, or that you sometimes resent her, but I think it's normal that you do." I told him, hoping to comfort him as much as I could. Straddling his lap, I sat up enough to peer down at him, my hands braced against his chest. "I'm sorry." I apologized softly, able to faintly see the slight furrow of his eyebrows at my apology.

He reached over and turned on the light beside my bed, casting a gentle light over the two of us. "Why are you sorry, Lina?" He frowned, peering up at me. I just pursed my lips and shrugged slightly, looking down at his tattooed skin. "Because I can't take away those feelings." I mumbled.

Atlas brushed his hand up my bare thigh and sat up, our chests brushing slightly. "I never expected you to, smalls." He told me, searching my gaze. "And you're not meant to. Besides, you may not take them away but you still are someone who listens to them. That's enough for me." He hummed, dropping his eyes to my parted lips. I flattened my palm against his pectoral, able to feel the pounding of his heart beneath my hand. "You deserve to have the people you love in your life." I whispered, trailing my nails down his skin. "And I hope one day you do."

My fingertips traced between the ridges of his defined muscles, the length of my nails grazing gently down them. Beneath me, I felt him stirring within his shorts and bit my lip. I squeezed my thighs against his hips, effectively rocking against him in a way that made him grunt lowly at the feeling.

"What are you doing, Darlina?" He asked huskily, peering at me with a darkened gaze that made my belly stir with want. I just wiggled my hips against him in response, a flush creeping up my neck. "Y-You're getting hard." I stated shakily, causing him to chuckle softly before he groaned, placing a large hand at the base of my spine. "Can you blame me when I've got you rubbing your pussy on me like this?" He muttered.

The filthiness of his words made me squeeze my thighs together as a heat formed between them, a quiet whimper slipping from my lips when he rolled my hips forward once more using the hand above my butt. He growled softly as he heard my little noises of pleasure, staring at me deeply. "You want me to fuck you, Lina?" Atlas asked, his other hand already slipping beneath my top.

I shuddered as his fingers slid up my side and brushed across my bare breasts, cupping one in the palm of his large hand. He kneaded it in his hand before tweaking my nipple, causing me to arch into his touch needily. "Y-Yes." I gasped in response, my hands shaking slightly as I lifted one to play with the hair on the nape of his neck.

He rolled my hips against him again, and I could feel his cock hardening more beneath me, pressing up against my core. I tangled my fingers into his hair and pressed closer to him, my other hand flat against his defined abs. "Please." I whispered, feeling his other hand grab my hair and pull to force my head back, baring my neck to him. Not a moment later, I felt his lips press into a spot beneath my jaw, his teeth gently biting as he began to suck at the sensitive area. My hips rocked harder into his and I whined softly, a pulsing starting between my thighs.

Ignoring my plead, he sucked harder at my neck as I writhed on his lap, rubbing against him in need of friction. The throbbing between my thighs was strong and I could feel the wetness in my panties as I wiggled my hips down on him, which only grew more when he groaned lowly into my neck. "Fuck." He cursed softly, suddenly grabbing the bottom of my shirt and tugging it up over my head.

It was thrown to the floor and I felt my nipples harden at the cool air, or perhaps from his touch on my skin. His hands smoothed to the base of my spine, suavely slipping them beneath the fabric of my shorts as he did so.

Atlas then squeezed a handful of my butt, lowly urging me to lift my hips, which I eagerly obliged. I gasped as he pulled down his shorts enough to allow his cock to bounce free, the thickness of him between my thighs felt prominently. He reached over to my bedside table and grabbed a condom from inside, easily tearing it open before he slid it over himself with little effort.

I waited patiently before I felt his fingertips push my panties to the side, giving me no warning before the wide head of his cock pressed to my entrance and he thrusted upwards, simultaneously pulling my hips down onto his again. A surprised cry slipped from me as he suddenly filled me, tightening my fingers in his soft hair. "Oh, my god." I whimpered. Meanwhile, he groaned deeply, holding me to his chest as he urged me to roll my hips forward. It was an action that caused my clit to rub against his shaft, forcing a shudder through my body as I spread my thighs a little more.

His cock pressed deep inside me, making my walls flutter around him with how full of him I felt, and I moaned as I rose my hips until only the tip of him remained inside. I could feel my core throbbing and I sank down onto him again, drawing a soft grunt from him. My eyes flicked up to his and I leaned forward, sealing my lips over his. He eagerly kissed me back, his tongue sliding across my bottom lip while I grinded my hips against his, feeling his cock stirring inside of me. I moaned at the feeling of him stroking against every inch of my walls and his tongue slipped into my mouth, the little metal ball in his tongue drawing my attention.

Wanting to hear him moan, I began to move faster, hoping that I was doing it right. I flexed my thighs around his hips and heard him hum with approval as I rocked myself on his lap, the action causing my breasts to bounce slightly. A soft moan slid from my mouth and into his as I repeated the action, harder this time.

He squeezed my backside harshly and used his grip to force my hips to fuck him faster, causing my wetness to begin dripping down his shaft, wetting my inner thighs. The creaking of my bed began to grow a little louder and I tried to slow my movements to be quieter, as Emmett was home and the last thing I wanted was for him to hear us. It was clear that he didn't share my sentiments because Atlas thrusted up into me and groaned into my mouth hotly, digging his long fingers into my ass as he roughly rocked me against him at his own pace.

"Fuck," Atlas groaned as he broke the kiss to throw his head back, adams apple bobbing when he swallowed thickly. I whimpered and peered up at him with a heat in my core, tightening around his shaft. His heavy pants filled my ears and I bit my lip, flexing my thighs around his hips to grind deeply on his dick, pushing him deeper inside me. "Yeah, smalls, like that. Squeeze your pussy on me just like that." He grunted, eyes fluttering shut.

The amount of heat between my legs and the stirring in my lower belly made me whine as I leaned backwards, spreading my thighs. His eyes shot open and he looked down at me, a flush in my cheeks as his gaze trailed over my face and then down. He eyed my breasts and I gasped as he gently smacked them, my hands curling into the fabric of my sheets with the unexpected feelings it brought me.

And then his gaze dipped lower, down the curve of my waist and over my stomach before landing between my thighs.

I watched his face as I rolled my hips, harshly biting on my bottom lip to stifle my whimper. His tongue flicked out briefly over his bottom lip and he clenched his jaw, sliding his hands from my butt to the curve of my waist. One hand tugged my panties and shorts to the side more, exposing my wet core to his hungry eyes as I sank him inside of me again.

"So goddamn beautiful, Darlina." He praised huskily, and I flushed, clamping tighter around his shaft. He groaned softly and grasped tighter at my waist, digging his tattooed fingers into my flesh as he grinded my pussy onto him, up and down until I moaned loudly at the feeling of his dick stirring against my walls. "W-Wait," I gasped, leaning onto my elbow to grasp at his wrist. Instead, he groaned and surprised me by lifting my hips up more, his biceps flexing as he rose to his knees and began bouncing me onto him harshly.

My shoulders and lower back pressed into the sheets as I moaned, legs hooked over his forearms. "No." He refused in a harsh growl, the squeaking of my bedframe now louder than before. I felt my legs trembling and attempted to squeeze my thighs together to stop him, the pleasure overwhelming, but it did nothing. His hips smacked against my thighs as he pounded me onto him, groaning at the feeling. My eyes rolled back into my skull and I clamped my walls tighter around him, only causing him to grow rougher, barely drawing me off of his cock before forcing me back down.

A loud moan left me as I grasped his wrists for dear life, trying to refrain from coming yet, and dug my nails into his skin. I failed to hold it back and arched my back as I came around him, bucking in his hold while I helplessly moaned out my pleasure.

"There you fuckin' go, cum for me." He urged through a husky groan, holding me against him while he was buried in up to the hilt. I felt him circle my hips at a rapid pace, causing his cock to stir against my already too sensitive walls. A series of whimpers left me as I writhed in his hold, my orgasm seemingly never ending. "Such a good girl. Keep cummin' all over my dick, Lina." He encouraged softly.

I whined quietly and tightened my hold around his wrist, my body going slack as I finally finished coming. My chest heaved and my eyelids fluttered while I tried to come down, but Atlas began to bounce me on his cock again, clearly not yet finished with me.

His hips smacked harder against my thighs and I could feel my breasts bouncing from his rough handling of my body, a quiet whimper slipping out from how sensitive I was. "Please cum." I pleaded, wanting him to finish as well. I wanted to please him, to know that I could draw that out of him. He groaned and I felt his dick jerk within me at my plead. "Fuck." He hissed, looking down at me as he pounded me onto his length repeatedly. His gaze searched my face, deep blue eyes even darker with lust. "You're perfect." He complimented through another groan, suddenly slowing his movements.

Atlas lowered my body to the bed and leaned over me, kissing at my jawline as his necklace dangled above me. I felt the mattress dip when he placed his hands beside my head for support and I peered up at him, wrapping my legs tightly around his hips. "Perfect and all fuckin' mine." He muttered, burying his head into my neck as he thrust inside deep.

Allowing my arms to wrap around him, one hand clutched at his soft hair while the other splayed across his strong, tattooed back as I moaned. His gentleness surprised me but the passion hadn't changed at all. He grinded into me and moaned into my neck, over and over until I was whimpering beneath him as my thighs trembled. Those moans of his...oh, my god, did they do me in.

It was sudden when I came again, and Atlas cursed breathlessly into my skin as he did as well, the warmth of his release flooding the condom. It was then I realized that I could feel him coming inside of it, and I flushed at the horribly dirty thought that crossed my mind right then, a thought that had me whimpering as I clamped around his shaft. "I love you." He told me in a husky whisper after he slowly pulled out, kissing along my neck. I combed my fingers through his hair and felt him lean into the action, a tiny smile pulling at my lips.

"I-I love you, too." I whispered back, my heart fluttering.