Page 31 of Legacy

“I don’t want to fuck my teammate,” Dagger replies.

“I don’t want to fuck her,” Luke counters.

“You guys really need to stop talking about me while I’m standing in front of you.”

They both look at me in the doorway, like they’re shocked I’m there. Hart meets my eyes. “No one saw me come up here.” I believe him. It’s why he was acting so squirrelly when he stepped out of the elevator. “I just want to talk.” He swallows hard. I feel bad for him. The way Dagger is looking at him like he’s the judge, jury, and executioner, and Luke is guilty as sin.

“Fine,” I slur at Luke. To Dagger, I say, “Choose the pretty one. She is the better option.”

Dagger laughs and winks at me. He gets close to Luke’s face with that shark smile. “You, my dear friend, are fucked. Your secret is safe with me.”

Luke tries to refute his friend, but Dagger is already gone. Jogging down the hallway, he disappears into the elevator.

“Something about skydiving, then?” I ask, pushing duck lips to one side of my face. I back into my room and Luke blows in quickly, slamming the door behind him.

“What the fuck, Aara?”

“What is the fuck, Hart?”He called me Aara.

He glowers, nostrils flaring. I’m suddenly hot so I pull my sweatshirt over my head and toss it on the made bed. I have a workout tank on under it. When he doesn’t speak, I glance at him. He’s staring at me with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. “You have a man coming over?”

I shrug once and retrieve a water bottle from my fridge. “I don’t know?”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” he fires back, composure faltering. The chill in his words steals my breath.

I take a sip and turn to face him. He’s close now—standing toe to toe. I can smell his skin, and the heat from his large body envelops me. “It means he hasn’t replied yet and I don’t know,” I whisper, tone taut with anger.

He takes another step closer to me. “Why?”

“Why not?” I sling back.

A flash of loneliness skips across his face. “Because,” he says, swallowing hard. “You know why.”

I’m instantly wide awake and his non-admission makes me a touch more sober. He can’t dance around the chemistry any longer. His gaze flickers across my bare shoulders and body, but blue eyes greet mine moments later.

“Say it, Hart.”

His lips pull into a grim line. Like even the thought of speaking the truth is too much for him to bear. I poke my finger into his chest, like Dagger did. “If you’re going to pussyfoot around, I’ll be the bigger man and say it. There’ssomethingbetween us.”

He looks away, to the side, unable to hold eye contact while I speak the truth. “Dagger was right.” I give an agitated cough. “But is he right about you needing to fuck me out of your system?”