Page 108 of These Wicked Hearts

“Well, I mean there’s storyline, character, run⁠—”

“Atlas—” I turn to him. “Right now. Without thinking. Show me what your favorite is. Of these. Story-wise, art, I don’t know, just pick one.” I slide the comic I had back into its place.

“But . . .” He chews on his bottom lip. “That’s like asking me to pick a favorite body part.”

“It’s your penis, isn’t it?”

“It is my dick. Yes.”

A laugh explodes from my lips. “Show me your favorite.”

“Okay.” He scans the magazines then turns to the all-star wall. “This arc here, The Infinity Gauntlet. Yes, it’s one of the most famous Marvel storylines, but what means a lot to me is that these were the first comics I got to read. My um, my birth mom had this boyfriend, and I don’t know, he was trying to impress me and Penn⁠—”

“Penn?”

All the blood drains from Atlas’s face and I don’t know what to do to take that question back.

“Um . . .”

I smooth the hair from his chest and see the name scrawled there. “Penelope?”

“She was um, my sister.” Whatever just happened snuffed all the light out of him. I want to put it back.

“Your mom’s boyfriend?” I ask, trying to pull his attention back to me and not wherever his mind just went.

“Yeah um, he used to bring them for me to read so we would sit in my room and leave them alone. I’d read them to her.” He laughs sadly. “It’s like my favorite childhood memory.” He turns to the prized wall and grabs one down. “This is the issue I used to read.” He hands me the beat-up copy sealed behind hard plastic like the others worth thousands.

I have a feeling this one is priceless.

I want to ask more but I see him shutting down on me. “Uh . . .” It’s like I’m watching him lose himself in real time. I don’t know how to fix this. “Sorry uh . . .” I set the comic back on the wall. “I mean, I’ve got more boxes in the closet, I just⁠—”

I grip his wrist. Not tight, just enough to make his attention come back to me. Atlas goes still. “I think I get the idea.” I step closer, sliding my hands around his waist, and look up at him. “I’m very intrigued.”

“About the comics?”

“About you.”

I watch the way his eyes focus and narrow on me. I cup his face lightly, brushing my thumb along his cheek. Atlas leans in first, kissing me softly, like he’s testing the ground and seeing if it can handle his weight. Tension unravels when he pulls me against his large body, his free hand coming up to rest on my waist. He backs me up to one of the few bare walls.

“Are you okay?” I whisper against him.

Atlas exhales, pulling back and meeting my eyes. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

That’s all the reassurance I need.

I kiss him back hungrier. Atlas’s fingers curl into the fabric of my sleep pants before gripping under my thighs and lifting me up into his arms. I’m used to how pliant and obedient he is. This dominant feeling grips my throat as his hands hold me up, grabbing my ass in them. His hard body presses tight to mine, and a soft moan leaves his lips. My arm comes up to wrap around his shoulders.

Pain shoots through my elbow. “Ouch!” I glare at the shelf next to us. “Fuck.” Atlas’s forehead presses to my collarbone and he laughs. “Not funny!”

“Kind of funny.” He leans in, pressing a kiss to my lips then my elbow. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Fine.” I scowl.

Atlas sets me down, and I want to lean back into it, but the moment is gone. “I’m tired. We’ve got a drive tomorrow. About four hours,” he says finally. The shadows have disappeared.

I look at his shelves. “If I were to read one of these, which one would you have me read?”

Atlas thinks a moment, walking over to his bookshelf. “Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. I think you’ll like this one.”