Lola and the twins happily skipped their way home, but the moment they walked in, the three of them froze. It wasn’t the strangely low temperature, as if the penthouse had become a gigantic fridge, that stopped them. It was the sight of a living sin seated leisurely on the couch, arms spread over the backrest, one leg resting over the other, eyes on the television.
But what stood out the most was that unclothed top for everyone to see.
"Hihi~" The twins’ bubbly giggles snapped Lola out of her thoughts, their small hands tightening their grip on hers.
"Father Sir~!" Before she could even look at them, they dragged her toward him. "Today was fun with Mommy~!"
"Mommy was amazing!" Second added enthusiastically. "She steps on people~!"
Chacha then tugged her hand. "Mommy, do you want to step on Father Sir?"
Lola’s hand involuntarily covered the twins’ mouths as she gazed at the half-naked man looking back at her. "Hehe. It’s not like that."
She definitely wasn’t teaching the kids to step on people, and she certainly had no intention of stepping on their father!
Atlas cocked his head. "Is that so?"
"Ye—yes," she smiled, but her eyes slid down to his firm abs, and she quickly looked away. "Anyway, did you eat? I mean, I’ll just make something—"
"Mommy, don’t worry!" Chacha pulled Lola’s hand from her mouth. "Second and I will do that!"
"Mommy worked hard today, so just sit and don’t worry about anything!" Second added. They yanked Lola’s hand, forcing her to sit an arm’s length from Atlas. "Just stay there, okay, Mommy?"
"Second, Cha—" Lola started, but the twins didn’t wait for a response as they rushed to the kitchen.
The moment they disappeared, her jaw dropped. Don’t leave me, babies!
Lola mentally winced, clasping her hands in her lap. She had made a mental note not to be left alone with him.
It’s okay. He should be the uncomfortable one here.
Slowly, she turned her head, only to see him staring at the evening news.
"Things have been crazy nowadays, huh?" She cleared her throat, making him snap his eyes at her. Lola smiled, mentally censoring everything below his neck. "Uhm... are you not cold? It’s a bit freezing."
"Not enough to numb my pride, though."
"Huh?" A flicker of confusion crossed her face, but she decided she wasn’t interested in what that meant. Shaking her head, she forced a smile. "Anyway, I’ll just help the twins or maybe take a short rest..."
As she spoke, she tried to sneak away, but a hand tugged the back of her collar.
Lola froze, her neck twisting as if it had rusted. "Yes?"
Without a word, Atlas yanked her back until she was leaning against the couch, just a palm’s length away. She froze, wide-eyed.
"Dinner is already prepared. The twins will only need to reheat it," he said flatly, releasing her collar and resting his hand on the backrest. "You can rest here."
"Here?"
"Mhm."
"With you?" she asked in disbelief, her eyes falling from the side of his face to his neck, then to his chest, abdomen, and navel.
God...
She winced, looking away with her eyes shut and teeth clenched. "Don’t you want to put on a shirt first? I mean, I can actually feel my fingertips turning into ice. What more for you without a shirt?"
"Your fingers?" He raised a brow, his gaze falling on her clean and trimmed fingernails.
For a second, he stared at them, then reached out and held her pinky between his thumb and index finger. The contact made her flinch.
Lola held her breath, staring at him in pure horror and shock.
"It’s not that cold," he lifted his eyes, meeting hers. "Should I turn on the heater?"
Her cheeks slowly turned pink. Despite the freezing air, her body started to feel sweaty.
He’s seducing me, right? Or am I ovulating?
She blinked several times, retrieving her hand as if she had been scalded. Leaning back, she tried to recompose herself.
"Uh... there’s no need. I mean, if you prefer it like this, suit yourself." She cleared her throat, pushing herself away. "I’ll come down for dinner."
She rose to her feet and turned around. Meanwhile, Atlas watched her until he noticed her tangled bracelets had hooked a thread on the cushion.
"Wait." He reached for her wrist, accidentally tugging her back.
Her already distraught self twisted an ankle and fell back. She landed back on the couch, but this time, on something firm—hard.
"Huh?" She froze, eyes dilating as she stared at a man’s chest up close. His chest.
Her knuckles pressed against his shoulders, her rear on his lap, her entire body frozen. Lola heard her gulp echo loudly in her ear, lifting her eyes to meet his. He seemed a little surprised, but the look didn’t last.
Instead, his brows crinkled. He looked her in the eye and tilted his head, his hands resting on her hips, just enough for her to hold her breath.
"Again?" he asked, thinking she was into pouncing on romance.
"I’m so sor—" The rest of her words rolled back when she felt a pair of eyes on her side.
Horrified, Lola turned her head, only to see the twins staring blankly. Standing beside them was Slater, also topless, as if there had been a memo she didn’t receive.
All three of them stared at Lola on Atlas’s lap before they smiled.
"Oh, the food’s still cold~!" Chacha giggled. "We’ll be back."
"Be back~!"
Slater turned on his heel. "I’m just going to teach the kids how to use the microwave—don’t worry!" He looked back and nodded at Lola as if cheering her on. "The twins are a little slow sometimes, so it might take a while. Take your time~!"
Slow? In learning how to use a microwave?
At this point, Lola was confused whether to nitpick on Slater’s lame excuse, the twins’ teasing, or Atlas, who had just created this scene for everyone to misunderstand.
Slowly, she turned to the culprit. "Hah," she scoffed, about to pull herself away when she felt something poking her thigh.
What the hell is that?
Fear crept into her heart as she felt it poke her again, staring at him blankly.
Atlas nodded at her as if he knew her current concern. Yep, he’s hard — in this freezing cold, he would naturally be.