When her eyes find mine, I pray to every God that has ignored my existence, that this is my reward for all the years I suffered. “Are you sure you want this, Cora? Once we go there, and you surrender completely, there is no going back. I need you to be absolutely certainyou want this, wantus. It’s going to change everything. I’ll have you and I’m never letting you go.”
Folding into my arms, she stands on her tiptoes and kisses my neck, then moves to my lips. I lean down, needing more. “I’m sure.”
Not wasting another second, I grab her around her waist and toss her over my shoulder. “Let’s go, Firefly. Time to light up our world.”
Heading up the stairs with my girl, I hear her giggle. “Shhh. Don’t wake Noah. I don’t want him to witness what I’m about to do to you, baby.”
When we reach her bedroom, I sit her on the bed and turn around to shut the door. Not wanting to leave it to chance, I lock it too.
Looking back toward Cora, I see her sitting where I dropped her, waiting, and I’m not one to leave my girl hanging.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cora
I’m done fighting this thing between Atlas and me. I’ve seen a different side of him recently, and I’m dying to find out what it could be like between us. I’m so nervous. It’s been so long since I’ve had sex, I’m worried I won’t be good at it. He’s turned the main light off, leaving the one on my bedside table on.
The way he looks at me takes my breath away. Like I’m the only thing he sees, and if what he said downstairs holds even a fraction of truth, IknowI am. The way he described it—that he felt he was living in darkness— makes my heart ache. I don’t know much about his history, but I can’t let him feel like he’s alone in this anymore.
“Are you sure about this, Cora? If you say the word, we’ll stop,” he promises, standing in front of where I sit on the bed.
“I’m positive. I want you, Atlas.” Rising onto my knees, I pull his head to mine and kiss him. I pour all the things I’m too afraid to voice out loud into it.
“Fuck,” he groans, sinking into me. I slide my tongue into his mouth and savor the way he growls. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that me, plain Cora, does this to him. The girl whose parents didn’t even want her is wanted by this beautiful man.
Atlas leans over my body as he pushes me back. Wrapping my arms around his trim waist, I let my hands travel up his body. His skin is hot to the touch, and I frown as he rips his lips from mine.
“Are you mine, Cora?” he asks, arms on either side of my head, holding his weight. His dark brown eyes are searching mine, no doubt looking for the certainty I feel.
Smiling at him, I pull his face closer to mine. “Yours, just yours,” I whisper.
“Good.” He sits back and pulls his shirt over his head. The hat he wore earlier is long gone, allowing me to appreciate the mess his dark hair has become. I almost swallow my tongue when I finally get a look at his torso. I’ve always wondered what his tattoos looked like from the peeks I’ve gotten, and they don’t disappoint.
His body is lean and strong. The way his stomach contracts as he moves tells me he’s taken care of himself. Atlas’ chest is defined with edges and sharp lines. I follow the vines of his tattoos down his arms and try not to drool when I notice the V shape that dips at his hips.
Fuck me.
I’m captivated by the way his body moves. Atlas is truly a work of art.
Dark tattoos litter his arms and chest. A few small pieces are scattered around his sides, but the biggest piece is on his chest.
There are branches that wrap around the entirety of his arm, starting at his wrist and going up to his neck. Along the branches, it looks like roots are coming out of them, as if they’re seeking somewhere to find solace.
They move up his body, the branches intertwining around his collar, and up his neck in a swirl, as if they’re trying to strangle him. I run my hand along his collarbone and follow the path down his other arm to his side. My heart aches when I see the broken hourglass. “Atlas,” I sigh.
Underneath the tattoo on his side, I find the skin is raised, as if it’s covering an old scar. Seeing his gaze on mine, I pull my hand back. “What happened to you?”
“Darkness,” he replies sadly, leaning down to steal my mouth in a brutal kiss.
Surrendering myself to the sensation, I move beneath him, seeking friction of some kind. If I thought the kitchen counter session made my insides heat, it has nothing on the way he’s making me feel now.
Arching my hips into his, I feel his hard length press into me, sending another jolt of arousal through my body.
“Fuck, Cora,” he groans. “You’re everything. Your touch, your smile, your heart.” His hand ghosts across my chest. “You’re my undoing.”
Pushing him back, I sit up and toss my shirt over my head, leaving me in my bra. It’s not fancy, but by the look on his face, I won’t be wearing it long. I reach for the clasp, and his hands stop me. With a shake of his head, he lowers his head, pulling down the front of my bra, bearing my breasts.
When his mouth presses open kisses onto my chest, I give in to his touch. Why did I fight this for so long? I don’t hold back the sound that escapes me. “Please,” I beg. “I need more, Atlas. Let me feel you.”
