“Only for you, honey.”
His hold loosens while he pulls my hair to one side, burying his face in the slope of my neck.
“So you like horror movies?” he rasps in a deep husky voice, taking my mind off the question at hand.
It’s a heartbeat or two before I get a grip on myself, deciding I can give him a little piece of honesty. The desire to talk about Milo with someone is greater than any self-preservation instinct I possess.
“My brother did.”
“What was he like?” he asks with a kiss to the column of my neck.
Past tense. Like there’s no other scenario for the ‘used to’ my revelation holds. He knows my family is dead. One more piece of information he has about me that is true. The truth that drives me,forcing me to claw my way into his life.
“You’ve done your homework researching me?”
“I have. I want to know you.”
Both of his hands guide mine to entwine my fingers with his, securing his embrace.
I don’t know if it’s the echoes of my past that overwhelm me, but I do feel like talking about Milo just for the sake of bringing up those memories.
“He was a huge troublemaker, a pyro everyone loved. When he would walk into a room, he owned everyone’s attention. Every girl wanted to be with him. Every boy wanted to be him.”
His caress is so gentle that I close my eyes, forgetting for a second the type of warfare we’re leading. But when I open them, my old frenemy Reality reminds me not to let my guard down.
“He would’ve liked you.” Atlas’s lips touch my neck once more, allowing me to feel his smile. “But then again, he always had a crappy taste when it came to his friends.”
A high-pitched jump scare that doesn’t affect me pulls my attention back to the screen. Milo used to dread those cheap tricks of the genre. He would’ve hated this movie, and the fact I don’t get to hear it from him makes me close my eyes, forcing the tears to stay behind my eyelids. Not a single one will be allowed with Atlas around. Ever.
“My brother looked a lot like me, which is not surprising given he was my twin, but sometimes it’s hard to take in my image in the mirror, being reminded of him.” I pause, giving myself the time to swallow the pain stuck in my throat. “He was everything to me!”
This is my truth, laid bare, and I don’t mind if the whole world hears it. But the man who so tentatively holds me in his arms would understand the pain of my loss, and that makes sharing it get tenfold the relief.
“I had a little brother who died. Noah. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him.”
In return for my truths, he gives me his. One I already knew, but I didn’t expect him to willingly divulge at this point.
I turn to face him, and what I do next is on instinct. I free my right hand from his, landing a featherlight caress on his cheek. My gaze, my gentle touch, and my whole attention belong to him. His eyes hold mine, and the walls are down. A single moment of vulnerability I both dread and love at the same time, and I’m sure he feels it too. We are not people who let our guards down, but sometimes the fake smile can be too much.
When Atlas looks to the side, his walls are back up, but so are mine.
“Don’t assume our sweet talk means you’re off the hook for last night.” His tone has lost the sentiment it held seconds ago, but there’s still not a shred of malice in it.
As my palm leaves his cheek, my attention drifts back to the screen, but I don’t pull away. Instead, I lean in further, my back on his chest, while my fingertips trace the heat at his nape.
“I take it you didn’t like Cindy and Mindy that much?” I let out a silent chuckle, and the vibrations of his own resonate in my chest.
“After the night I had with you, I was forced to use their services.”
I slant my head up so I can observe his face, and in turn allow him to see the smile mine holds. The image of him, holding his dick in his hand, with me in mind, is making me drown in lust, like a dam breaking, and the flood of that desire settling between my legs. His arm encircles my waist, while the other envelopes my breasts, clutching hard like I’m his most prized possession.
“Do I hear any complaints about how you spent the night with me?” I taunt.
“Never! Hands down the most unforgettable night of my life...so far. But I’ll make sure to return the favor.”
His grasp turns a notch too tight, but I don’t mind that. It’s oddly comforting to be held like this. My free arm finds a restingplace over the one holding my waist, and seemingly, there isn’t a thing in the world that would make me want to leave the fortress of serenity his arms provide.
That’s the problem. I shouldn’t lower my guard around him.
