Sinful Affairs With My Stepbrother 5

Sinful Affairs With My Stepbrother 

Chapter Five: The Long Drive Home

Diana’s POV

The library was still dark. The power was not coming back on. I could hear Elijah’s heavy breathing in the shadows. He was still holding my shoulders, pinning me against the cold bookshelf.

Suddenly, his pocket buzzed. The bright light of a cell phone screen cut through the dark.

Elijah stepped back, swearing under his breath. He pulled out his phone. I saw the name on the screen: Dad.

He cleared his throat. In a second, the real  Elijah disappeared. He put on his perfect son voice.

"Yes, sir?" Elijah said into the phone.

I watched him. He stood up straight. He smoothed his hair, even though no one could see him. His reputation was so important that he even acted perfect for a phone call.

"Florida? Right now?" Elijah asked. He listened for a moment. "I understand. The merger is the priority. Don't worry about the house. I'll handle everything."

He hung up. The light from his phone stayed on, lighting up his sharp jaw and his frustrated eyes.

"What happened?" I asked.

"A business emergency," Elijah said. His voice was cold again. "My father and your mother are flying to Florida tonight. They’re already at the airport. They’ll be gone for three days."

My heart jumped. Three days. Just the two of us in that giant, empty house.

"My dad sent a text," Elijah continued, looking at his screen. "He said the storm is getting worse. He wants me to drive you home immediately. He doesn't want 'the Steels name' in the news because his step-daughter got stranded in a library basement."

Even when his father wasn't there, it was all about the reputation.

"I can take the bus," I said, trying to walk past him.

Elijah grabbed my wrist. His grip was firm. "The buses stopped running an hour ago because of the flooding. Get in the truck, Diana. Now."

The walk to the parking lot was brutal. The rain was coming down in sheets. By the time we reached his black truck, we were both soaked.

Inside the truck, the air was thick. The smell of rain and his sandalwood scent filled the small space. He started the engine, but he didn't put it in gear. He just sat there, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

"You're shaking," he said, staring straight ahead.

"I'm just cold," I lied.

"You're scared of the lightning," he corrected. He turned to look at me. The glow from the dashboard made his eyes look like silver. "You've always been scared of storms."

"I grew up, Elijah."

"Did you?" He leaned across the center console. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off his skin. 

My face burned. "Stop it. That was a long time ago."

"It feels like yesterday to me," he whispered.

He put the truck in gear and pulled out of the lot. He drove fast, his eyes locked on the road. Every time lightning flashed, I flinched, and I could feel him watching me. He was fighting himself—the percent son version he wanted to get me home safe, but the real obsessed one wanted to pull over and never let me go.

We pulled into the long driveway of the Steels mansion. The house power was still on . Theres lights in the windows. But no parents in the driveway. Just us.

Elijah turned off the engine. The silence was heavy, broken only by the loud drumming of rain on the roof.

"Go inside," he said, his voice sounding strained. "Go to your room. Stay on your side of the house, Diana. I mean it."

I didn't wait. I opened the door and ran through the rain to the front door. But as I fumbled with my keys, I heard his heavy footsteps behind me.