Chapter 10: One Night. Two Stepbrothers. One Me.

Lila's POV

“I should go,” I murmured, tugging my hair into a quick ponytail as Ethan rose slowly from the edge of the bed.

His hand brushed my cheek with a gentleness that made my heart squeeze. “Damn,” he whispered, voice rough from laughter and what we had just done, “I thought you were some saint.”

I smacked his arm, laughing, hiding how hot my skin still burned. “Shut up.”

“No, for real,” he leaned in, his lips ghosting near my ear. “Please stay.”

“I can’t,” I whispered back, even though every part of me wanted to. “I need to freshen up before I crash.”

He sighed dramatically and plopped back down on the mattress, giving me those puppy-eyes that always made me weak. “Don’t you feel awkward at all? About us?”

I tilted my chin, smirking. “Awkward? Please. I wanted to fuck you too. You think you’re the only one with cravings?”

He laughed so loud it shook his shoulders, and that broke whatever tension lingered. His grin was wild, boyish, dangerous. “Then you’re all mine.”

I rolled my eyes, slapped his ass, and teased, “Come shake it for me, boyyy.”

And Lord, he actually did. He turned, gave me the most ridiculous hip shake, and I burst out laughing so hard my stomach hurt. I shut his door behind me, still chuckling, when I realized the mansion lights were off.

Weird.

I moved toward the switch, fingers brushing the wall. Just as I was about to flip it...

A hand clamped around my wrist.

“What the...” My voice cut into silence as someone yanked me forward, swift, purposeful, like they’d done it a hundred times before. My heart thundered. The grip was strong, not panicked. Controlled. Whoever it was knew this house too well.

I was dragged down a hall I barely recognized, shoved through a door. The lock clicked. Then a light flared..red, dim, glowing like sin itself.

The room looked like a wedding night staged in hell. Velvet sheets. Crimson walls. A chandelier dripping shadows instead of crystals. The air smelled faintly of wine and something darker, something male.

And then he turned.

Damien.

My chest tightened, heat rushing through me like poison. Of course. Who else could move like a predator stalking prey in his own mansion?

I hissed, marching toward him. “Do you enjoy dragging me around like some animal?”

He didn’t even flinch. He poured wine lazily into a glass, walked to sit on the bed like a king expecting tribute. His voice was silk over knives. “You should try behaving feminine and classy for once. Might suit you.”

I barked a laugh. “Classy? If you need classy, try Tinder.”

That earned me a chuckle, slow and mocking, like he wanted me to know I amused him but not nearly enough. He stood, his shadow swallowing the red light as he closed in.

I backed off, step after step, until my spine hit the wall. My throat tightened. No space left. No escape.

He leaned close, breath brushing my jaw. “Delete anything...pictures, videos, that show you kissing me at the pool.”

My palm landed on his chest, shoving him. “Do you actually think I faked drowning just to kiss you?”

His lips curved like a blade. “Wouldn’t be surprised. Even the classy girls pull stunts like that.”

I froze. His words sliced deep. “You’re unbelievable.”

“No, sweetheart.” He tilted his head, eyes burning into me. “You’re cheap.”

My blood boiled. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“You’re too pretty,” he drawled, “to keep throwing yourself at men like they’re vending machines. Where’s your self-respect?”

My jaw clenched, anger shaking my voice. “I didn’t take any damn video. Excuse me.”

I tried to push past, but his grip caught my wrist again, slamming me back against the wall. The thud vibrated through me. My chest heaved as his face lowered, close enough that I could see the storm swirling in his eyes.

My heart pounded. He looked like sin sculpted...jaw sharp, eyes furious, lips curved in that cruel almost-smile. A sexy devil, furious and hungry all at once.

“Listen to me,” I snapped, though my voice trembled. “No amount of your roaring or frowning is going to make me feel small. Not for you.”

“Give me your phone.” His tone was cold command.

“Surprise, surprise,” I bit out, “i got nothing here with me.”

His hand slid up, rough fingers gripping my jaw, forcing my face up. His breath scorched my lips. “I’m not Ethan. Don’t play your little comedy routine with me. I don’t find you funny. Or appealing.”

“Fine,” I hissed, jerking my chin. “Then let me go.”

I tried to dart past him again, but he caught me, harder this time. His hands pinned mine against the wall, his body crowding mine until I could feel every taut line of muscle against me.

“What is wrong with y...” My protest shattered when his mouth crashed onto mine.

It wasn’t a kiss. It was a war.

My mind screamed, no. My body? It betrayed me instantly. My lips parted under the sheer force of him, heat flooding me so fast I nearly moaned.

This kiss wasn’t soft like Ethan’s. It wasn’t gentle. Damien kissed like he hated himself for wanting me...hungry, furious, desperate. His teeth nipped, his tongue invaded, and my knees threatened to give out.

I whimpered against his mouth. He growled, low in his chest, pressing me harder into the wall as if fusing me there.

“Damien,” I gasped, but it came out more like a plea than a protest.

“Shut up,” he muttered, lips crashing back onto mine.

My head spun. His hand left my wrist and slid to my throat, not choking, just holding, claiming. The weight of it sent a dangerous thrill through me, like I was balanced on a razor’s edge between fear and desire.

I should hate this. I should push him away.

But my fingers curled into his shirt instead, pulling him closer.

“You think you can play games with me?” he muttered against my lips, each word searing.

I gasped as his thigh slid between mine, pressing just enough to make me clench. My back arched, betraying me further. “I’m not...” My voice cracked when he pressed harder. “I’m not playing.”

His laugh was dark, bitter. “Then why are you shaking?”

Because of you, I wanted to scream. Because your kiss feels like drowning and breathing at the same time.

“I hate you,” I whispered instead, breathless.

His lips curved against mine. “Lie better.”

And then he kissed me again, deeper this time, his tongue tangling with mine in a rhythm that made my whole body ache. I could taste the wine he’d just poured, bitter and intoxicating, mixed with something that was all Damien..raw, male, forbidden.

My nails dragged down his chest, and he groaned, shoving my wrists higher against the wall. The red light turned everything into sin, his shadow devouring me, my body arching shamelessly into his.

“You don’t get it,” I panted when he pulled back just enough to stare at me, his pupils blown wide.

“Make me get it.” His voice was a growl, demanding, daring.

I swallowed, chest heaving. “I don’t fake. I don’t play games. And I sure as hell don’t throw myself at you.”

He smirked, leaning closer until his lips brushed mine again. “Then why are you letting me kiss you like this?”

Because I can’t stop. Because I don’t want to.

My silence was the only answer, and it burned between us.

His mouth claimed mine again, rougher, and this time I kissed him back like I hated him too...biting his lip, tugging his hair, forcing him to groan into my mouth.

He broke away, chest heaving, forehead pressed to mine. “You drive me insane.”

“Good,” I shot back, breathless. “Now you know how it feels.”

And then we kissed again, no words left, just raw heat and the sound of our ragged breaths filling the crimson room.

His lips crashed against mine, and everything inside me short-circuited. One second I was ready to curse him out, the next I was melting into a storm of heat I couldn’t pull away from.

This was the best shut-up I’d ever received.

Damien kissed like he wanted to punish me. His mouth was rough, demanding, prying mine open without asking for permission. My back was still pressed against the wall, and his body caged me in ... hard, unyielding, like he’d been waiting for this moment and hating himself for it.

I should’ve shoved him away. I should’ve slapped him for calling me cheap, for dragging me into this room, for thinking he had power over me. But the second his tongue slid against mine, my hands betrayed me. They clawed into his shirt, pulling him closer instead of pushing him off.

He growled into my mouth..that deep, guttural sound that made my thighs clench, and pressed harder. His hands roamed, not gentle, not considerate, but hungry. Fingers gripping my waist, sliding lower until he hooked a palm under my thigh and hiked it up against his hip.

I gasped against his lips. “Damien…”

He pulled back just enough to smirk, his breath hot against my cheek. “Still think I’m unbelievable?”

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Unbelievably arrogant.”

His eyes burned. “And yet you’re still letting me kiss you.”

He didn’t wait for my comeback. His mouth was back on mine, and this time I kissed him back with the same heat, letting the fire consume me. It was messy..teeth clashing, lips bruising...but God, it felt alive. Every nerve in my body was on fire, screaming for more.

His hand slid up my ponytail, fisting my hair, yanking my head back so he could drag his lips down my throat. I moaned before I could stop it. My nails dug into his shoulders, anchoring myself as his mouth explored the sensitive skin just below my jaw.

“You taste like trouble,” he murmured against my neck, nipping hard enough to make me flinch.

I gasped, pushing at his chest half-heartedly. “And you taste like a mistake.”

His laugh was low, dark, vibrating against my skin. “The kind you’ll keep making.”

Before I could answer, his hands were everywhere...rough, impatient, tugging at my top, slipping under the fabric like he owned my body. Heat exploded through me when his palm cupped my breast over my bra, squeezing, testing, making me arch into his touch.

“Damien…” I whispered again, but this time it wasn’t protest. It was need.

He caught the sound and smirked. “Say my name like that again and I won’t stop.”

His thumb flicked over my nipple, and my knees nearly buckled. He felt it...of course he did, and chuckled like the devil himself. “Weak already? I thought you were tougher than this.”

I shoved him, not to push him away but to remind myself I still had some control. “Don’t flatter yourself. I just haven’t eaten.”

He growled, crowding me harder into the wall. “Then feed on me.”

And then his mouth was back on mine, even more reckless this time. His kiss was punishment and reward all at once, making me dizzy. His hands yanked my shirt up and over my head, leaving me in my bra, my skin tingling under his gaze.

His eyes roamed like he was drinking me in, hungry and furious at the same time. “Damn it, Lila…” His voice was ragged.

“Good,” I whispered, arching my back. “At least I’m consistent.”

He didn’t give me time to laugh at my own sarcasm. His mouth claimed my breast through the lace, hot tongue circling my nipple until the thin fabric was damp. I moaned, clutching his head, shoving him closer. His teeth grazed me and I nearly lost it, hips bucking against him without shame.

He groaned against my chest. “You’re playing with fire.”

“Then burn me,” I shot back, breathless.

That snapped something in him. His hands flew to my shorts, unbuttoning, tugging them down with zero patience. I gasped as the cool air hit my thighs, but the heat between us was unbearable, drowning everything else out.

His lips returned to mine, but now his hips pressed against me, hard and insistent. I could feel him through his jeans, thick and throbbing, and my body ached in response. My fingers fumbled at his waistband, desperate, pulling, tugging, wanting to feel him without barriers.

“Fuck,” he muttered, breaking the kiss long enough to shove his jeans down. His cock sprang free, and I sucked in a sharp breath at the sight, at the sheer wrongness of how badly I wanted him inside me.

“This is insane,” I whispered, trembling.

And before I could think, he lifted me, my legs wrapping around his waist, and pressed me against the wall. I gasped, my nails clawing at his back as his tip slid against my slick heat, teasing, threatening.

“Damien…” My voice broke.

He kissed me hard, swallowing the sound, then thrust inside me in one sharp, brutal stroke.

I cried out against his lips, my body jolting from the shock of him filling me so deep, so raw, no protection, no pause. He groaned like he’d just stepped into heaven, his hips grinding forward, burying himself to the hilt.

“God, you’re tight,” he rasped, teeth grazing my ear. “Tell me you want this.”

“I...” My words were cut off by another thrust, hard and merciless, dragging a moan from my throat. “Yes. Damn you, yes.”

His laugh was dark, breathless. “Then hold on.”

And he fucked me.

Hard, fast, relentless. His hips slammed into mine, the wall shaking with every thrust. My head fell back, eyes rolling, the pleasure so sharp it was almost pain. He kissed me between thrusts, messy and wild, like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to devour me or destroy me.

I clung to him, nails raking down his back, moaning his name like a confession. Every movement stole my breath, every push and pull making me forget my own name, my own morals, everything but the way he felt inside me.

“Damien,” I gasped, over and over.

“Say it louder,” he growled, pounding harder, faster.

And I did. I screamed it, moaned it, cried it, as if the sound alone kept me from falling apart.

His hand gripped my throat lightly, tilting my head back so he could kiss me rougher, deeper, while his other hand anchored me by my thigh, forcing me to take every inch of him.

“You’re mine right now,” he whispered against my lips. “Say it.”

My body shuddered, pleasure ripping through me, and I choked out the words. “I’m yours.”

That broke him. With a guttural groan, he drove into me harder, chasing his release as my walls clenched around him. Heat exploded in my veins, my orgasm crashing into me so hard I screamed, my body convulsing around his.

He followed with a roar, spilling inside me with sharp, brutal thrusts, holding me against the wall like I was the only thing tethering him to earth.

We stayed there, panting, bodies shaking, lips barely brushing as the fire slowly faded into ragged breaths.

I knew I should’ve felt guilty. Ashamed. Furious at him, at myself. But all I could think was… I wanted more.