My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 563

Chapter 563

Gianna

The first thing I noticed was the sound.

Small waves rolled onto the sand. Somewhere farther down the shoreline, gulls called to one another as the sky slowly shifted from deep blue to pale gold.

I stayed exactly where I was, named, wrapped inside a thick blanket, wrapped around Raphael or maybe it was the other way around.

His arms were around my waist, holding me against his chest while we sat on a mountain of blankets and oversized cushions someone had arranged during the night. The fire pit nearby had burned down to glowing coals, leaving only a gentle warmth in the cool morning air.

The beach was empty. Nothing happened here unless Raphael wanted it to.

Dense trees surrounded the shoreline, hiding the property from every direction. Beyond them were security checkpoints, the marina, the guest houses, and the rest of his estate.

Out here… It felt like the entire world had disappeared.

I shifted slightly and a quiet groan escaped before I could stop it. A warm hand immediately settled against my waist, “You shouldn’t move that quickly,” Raphael said calmly.

His other hand stayed beneath the blanket, holding a cold pack carefully against my lower back, the cool pressure felt amazing.

When I had quietly admitted an hour earlier that my back was sore, he hadn’t simply nodded. He had disappeared for less than two minutes, and then he had returned with the cold pack, and pain medicine.

Raphael’s hand tightened around my waist, “Pain level?”

I thought about it seriously, “Mostly sore.”

“One to ten.”

I laughed, “You actually want a number?”

“It helps.”

I pretended to think harder, “…Four.”

He nodded once, “Acceptable.”

My eyes widened, “Acceptable?”

“I anticipated worse.”

I turned my head enough to look at him, “You anticipated it?”

“I planned for it.”

That sounded so normal coming from him that I couldn’t help smiling.

He had also insisted I drink two full bottles of water before leaving the bedroom. He had walked me to the bathroom despite me telling him I could manage perfectly well on my own.

He had quietly reminded me that emptying my bladder afterward would lower the chance of getting a urinary tract infection. Then, after checking the time on his watch, he had handed me emergency contraception and a glass of water.

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