My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 402

Chapter 402

“When I came here the first time…” she started, “there were people everywhere.”

I stayed quiet.

“There were girls running through the woods with me. There were men everywhere too.” She pushed herself up slightly onto one elbow, looking around at the dark trees again, “Tonight it’s just us.”

I looked out into the woods instead of at her. Motion sensors blinked across the security map on my watch face Guards along the outer perimeter. Cameras online. Patrol route clear.

“I cleared the grounds,” I said simply.

Her forehead wrinkled, “You what?”

“I shut the hunt down tonight.”

She blinked at me, “You cancelled the entire thing?”

“Moved it,” I corrected, “The others are on the south property.”

Her mouth opened slightly before she looked around again, finally understanding why the woods had felt so empty all night.

“You did all that because of me?”

I frowned slightly at the question itself, “What did you think I was gonna do?” I asked, “Let random people wander around these woods while you were out here?”

Her eyes held mine carefully now.

I shook my head once, leaning back against the tree again, “Absolutely fucking not.”

The thought alone made something ugly shift low in my chest. The idea of one of those drunk idiots seeing Gianna hanging upside down from my tree like that, flushed, laughing, dress around her waist, looking at me with those huge green eyes…

Yeah.

No.

I wasn’t insane.

“Those men pay stupid amounts of money to come here,” I said flatly, “Some of them are decent. Some aren’t. I’m not risking one of them seeing you.”

Her gaze stayed fixed on my face.

“And the women?”

I shrugged one shoulder, “Same answer.”

She looked at me for another long second like she was trying to pull something out of my head that even I couldn’t explain properly.

I exhaled slowly through my nose.

“You’re family,” I said finally, “That means people around you get screened differently. Situations around you get handled differently.”

Her lashes lowered slightly, “And me hanging upside down sucking your soul out through your dick falls under family protection?””

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