I tug my wrist free. He lets me. Then I turn away, staring out the window.
The car slows. We are almost at our building.
Silas’s hand rests on his thigh, fingers spread. I want to reach for it and cover it with mine. And then make him admit that the line he’s drawing is bullshit.
I don’t act on that impulse, though. He won’t admit to anything.
But pretending gets harder every day. And he knows it.
CHAPTER 10
Evan
Tania is eating pancakes at the kitchen counter when Sandra walks in with clean kitchen towels.
I’m standing close to her. My hand on the small of her back.
Sandra smiles at us as if the affection I’m giving Tania is normal. “I’ll be upstairs if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Sandra.”
The second she’s gone, I spin Tania around and kiss her. Her hands fist in my shirt, and she moans into my mouth, making my dick go rock hard. We’ve been doing this for about a week now, since the morning after she went to that museum gala with Silas. Stealing moments and kissing when nobody else is around.
Footsteps. We break apart. Just barely.
Callum rounds the corner. He stops and takes in the scene in front of him. She’s flushed, and I’m breathing hard.
Tania takes another bite of her pancakes, acting like nothing just happened. But by the way her eyes dart to Callum and back to me, the truth is obvious. I smile and let her believe she’s hiding it well.
He grins and crosses to where Tania’s plate sits. She’s got syrup on her bottom lip.
I was about to lick it off.
Callum gets there first. His thumb catches the corner of her mouth. He brings his thumb to his own mouth and licks it clean.
“Maple syrup.” His eyes lock on hers, and then he meets my eyes. “She tastes sweet.”
Tania goes completely still.
“Asshole.” But I’m grinning when I say it. He knows exactly what he walked in on.
Tania throws a wadded napkin at him. He catches it one-handed, laughing, and heads toward the gym with his coffee.
Tania’s leaning against the counter, face red, breath uneven.
I watch my brother go. Callum’s been doing this all week, flirting with her right in front of me.
And I don’t hate it. I thought I would. I thought I’d want to keep her to myself now that I’m not hiding that I’m attracted to her.
But watching her get flustered? Watching Callum flirt with her while I’m three feet away? It doesn’t bother me at all.
She’s been different since the museum gala. That night, she came home and went straight to her room without saying goodnight. The next morning, she was in the kitchen early, and when I kissed her cheek—casual, the way I always do when Sandra’s around—she turned her head.
And she kissed me. Just as intensely as she did the night that I took her to the karaoke bar.
Since then, she’s been the one initiating. Finding me in hallways. Pulling me into empty rooms and kissing me like she’s trying to prove something.
I haven’t asked why. But something must have happened at the gala.
