My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 82

Raphael

━━ ⛓ ━━

I snapped.

My hands flew out, my fingers digging into the soft skin of her hips to stop the motion. I meant to push her away. I meant to end the torture. But the second my palms hit her curves, my brain went up in flames.

It was a slow, dragging friction that made my vision go dark. My body was screaming at me to lean in, to just take what was being offered.

"No," I rasped.

"Help me," she whispered.

"I am helping you," I rasped, my jaw aching from how hard I was clenching my teeth. "I’m the only thing standing between you and a total disaster."

I reached up and grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her back just enough so I could look into those glassy, green eyes. She looked back at me, her lips parted, her breath coming in short, hot puffs. She looked like she wanted to melt into the floor with me.

"You don't want this, Gianna," I said, my jaw so tight it hurt, "You think you do right now, but you don't. It’s the pill talking. And you’re making things very fucking difficult for me."

She let out a soft, frustrated whine and tried to lean back in, her hands reaching for my neck again. She didn't care about the rules. She didn't care that I was someone she usually hated. Right now, I was just the heat she needed.

"Stay. Still," I ordered.

I swung my leg over the back of the bike, moving fast before my body could betray me again. I stood up, the cool air of the garage hitting the sweat on my skin. I didn't give her a second to think. I reached down, grabbed her around the waist, and hauled her off the fuel tank.

She was dead weight, her limbs loose and soft. I hoisted her up and threw her over my shoulder like a sack of grain.

"Wow!" she gasped, her hands thumping against my back, "Look, the world is spinning!"

I reached the top of the stairs, my lungs burning. My bedroom was to the left, and hers was in my father's wing.

Part of me just wanted to get to her bedroom, toss her onto the rug, and bolt but then I stopped.

I thought about what happened. I thought about the red lights, the masks, and the way those girls had laughed while she choked. She had seen the hunt. She had seen the ugly side of our world that she was never supposed to touch. If she woke up alone, her mind would go to dark places. She would remember my hands on her.

And if I wasn't the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes? She would be a wildcard. She might scream. She might run to my sisters-in-law. She could make things very, very difficult for me before I had a chance to explain.

"Change of plans, you stupid witch," I muttered.

I turned on my heel and walked toward my own door. I nudged it open with my boot and stepped into my room.

It was my space, where no one ever came without an invitation.

I walked over to the massive bed in the center of the room. I leaned down and let her slide off my shoulder. She hit the silk sheets, her hair fanning out like a cloud against the gray fabric.