Page 81 of Legacy

“I’m not going to lie to you.”

A small smile played on her face. “Good. Although⁠—”

“I know. I know. I was just thinking about Rune.”

“Maybe stop thinking about my brother when we’re both nearly naked,” she added dryly.

I snorted but continued to dress. I wore jeans and a T-shirt, and my feet were bare since my shoes were at her front door. She’d left a little space for me next to her pile of shoes, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Then again, I had her favorite soda and wine at my place, so I guess it wasn’t too big of a deal.

Or maybe it was everything.

I folded my arms over my chest as I studied Felicity, wondering what the hell we were doing.

“I don’t feel like we’re hiding, and yet I know we are.”

“It won’t be that bad, right? I mean, my parents love you. My brothers love you.”

“Until I touch their precious baby sister.”

“That never made any sense to me.”

“What?” I asked, my gaze on her tits as she slid her bra back on.

She snapped her fingers. “Eyes up here, Callum.” Her lips twitched.

“My apologies. Your breasts always distract me.”

“Your dick does the same.”

“You’re welcome.”

She just shook her head. “Seriously, though, if you’re friends with my brother, that means you respect each other. Meaning you should respect how they treat the women in their lives. So why would your brother have a problem with me? Why would my brother have a problem with you?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Because there are just rules. It’s not that he thinks I’m a terrible person who’s going to throw you away the minute that I get an itch. Because I’m not,” I reiterated. “It’s just the code.”

“The code is stupid.”

“Maybe. But there are reasons for that. What if I do hurt you? What if you get tired of this and walk away? Does that mean I can’t ever be in a room with you again? That means I’m surely not fucking going to family dinners again. Which I’ve been avoiding for two weeks. It means that I might not go to the grill, and your brother might not come to the brewery. It means I don’t go out to see Atlas play. It means everything. So, you’re friends with Teagan and Finnian and Sterling. You hold Briar’s kid when she visits. We’re all connected like this. So yeah, there was a reason I didn’t fucking touch you for two years. And not just because you’re younger than me.”

Her eyes filled, and I cursed under my breath. I took a step forward and pulled her to me. I rubbed my chin over her head and let out a breath as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

“I’m sorry. I should have thought more before I touched you.”

“I’m glad you touched me. But I guess maybe we should have the talk.”

I froze.

“What’s the talk for you, Felicity?”

“It’s been two weeks, and I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“It’s mutual.”

“Okay, it’s been two weeks. Do I ignore you when we’re together out in public? What are we?”