Page 80 of Bittersweet Legacy

He had taken off his suit jacket and his tie, both discarded carelessly on the floor, so unlike him.

He glanced at me, before looking down again. “Not now, Esmeralda.” he let out with a weary sigh.

“I just want to make sure you’re OK,” I replied, resting my back against the door.

He shook his head, staring at his hands linked together on his lap. “Do you even care?”

I frowned, taking a couple of steps toward him. “Of course I do! You just lost your brother, Caleb.”

“He was defective,” he shrugged.

“Don’t!” I walked closer to him, “Don’t pretend. I know you loved him and he loved you too. There’s no shame in that.”

“I am not really a jealous man, I have never been envious of my brothers and yet today – today I would have wanted your tears to be for me.”

“Do not envy Theo for my tears, Caleb – I have cried because of you much more than anybody else.”

“This is not –” he sighed, looking up at me. “Would you?”

“Would I what?” I asked, confused, taking a step to stand between his legs.

“Cry if you lost me?”

“Caleb…” I whispered at the vulnerability in his voice, resting my hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged my hand off. “No, never mind this was stupid, I-”

I rested my fingers on his lips to stop the strand of coldness from coming out.

He looked up at me with surprise and it was true that it was probably the first time I was touching him willingly, not because of the audience we had or because I felt compelled to.

I looked down at him, letting my hand trail from his lips to his jaw, resting on the side of his neck.

I leaned down and kissed him tentatively, half-expecting him to push me away, but instead he pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me.

I broke the kiss, but he kept me in his arms and this gentleness was so unexpected.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” I admitted truthfully.

He closed his eyes, resting his head against my stomach, and I buried my hand in his hair. I sighed, it was just as thick and soft as I expected his blond locks to be.

He moved slightly and kissed my stomach through the dress. “You made today so much more bearable,” he whispered a little wistfully, kissing my stomach again.

“Why don’t you take it off?” I asked, surprising myself. I was going off-script here. I had planned to run away with my virginity intact, but maybe giving it away was best. There was no denying I wanted Caleb, and if my brother was correct about his character, he would use this as a way to free himself from me.

He jerked back, keeping his hands on my hips. “What did you say?”

I brought my hand to his jaw and cupped it. “I said why don’t you take it off.?”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Don’t tease me, Esmeralda,” His voice was thick with lust, containing a hidden warning.

I shook my head. “I’m not, I’m giving you what you want.”Your freedom back.

“How do you know what I want?”

“If you don’t-” I tried to step away but his grip on my hips tightened, preventing any movement.

“If we do this, there’ll be consequences.”

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