I never meant to kiss him. It was a stupid mistake—a reckless moment fueled by too much adrenaline and the thrill of a party I should never have been at. But when my lips brushed against his, the world stopped. His hands gripped my waist, his breath tangled with mine, and for a fleeting second, I forgot who he was. Liam Blackwood. My stepbrother. The guy who had tormented me since the day our parents married. The brooding, tattooed bad boy with a reputation that made girls weak in the knees. I should have pulled away. I should have screamed. Instead, I let him deepen the kiss, let his touch set my skin on fire. Now, we’re trapped in a dangerous game of stolen glances, whispered threats, and undeniable chemistry. Every moment alone is a ticking bomb. Every brush of his fingers makes me crave something I can’t have. He’s forbidden. Off-limits. But the way he looks at me? The way he makes me feel? It’s only a matter of time before we cross the line again. And this time, there will be no turning back.
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”Mhmm arghh mmm yes ” I just have imagined it Aurora Calloway sighed as she stepped into the dimly lit mansion, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor. The air smelled of expensive wine and something else—something smoky and indulgent, like sin itself. She shifted the wedding decorations in her arms, exhaustion settling deep in her bones after hours of dealing with her mother’s over-the-top demands. The Blackwood estate was massive, cold, and eerily quiet. It felt more like a museum than a home. She had barely taken a few steps into the grand hallway when a sound made her pause. A moan. Aurora froze. Her breath hitched. It wasn’t a mistake. It came again, low and sultry, echoing down the corridor. Another moan. Then another. Her stomach turned. The sound of breathy sighs and muffled whispers filled the space, thickening the air with something filthy. She swallowed hard, heat creeping up her neck. She shouldn’t care. She shouldn’t be curious. But there was something about the rawness of the noises—so unapologetic, so brazen—that made it impossible to ignore. Slowly, she followed the sounds. As she neared the open doorway at the end of the hall, the moans became clearer, sharper. Soft feminine gasps. Low masculine groans. The unmistakable wet sound of kisses, of bodies pressing together. Aurora gritted her teeth. Disgusting. Who the hell had the audacity to treat this place like their personal s*x dungeon? Then she saw them. Three women, sprawled across the black leather couch, their bodies tangled in a mess of limbs, lips, and hands. Dresses hiked up, fingers tangled in hair, skin glowing under the dim lighting. The air was thick with heat, with s*x. And right in the middle of it, completely at ease, was him. Liam Blackwood. Her brand-new stepbrother. He sat there like he was the king of sin itself, long legs spread lazily, arms draped over the back of the couch. His shirt was undone, revealing a sculpted chest, tanned skin covered in tattoos, and that infuriatingly cocky smirk. Aurora’s fingers tightened around the decorations. She barely knew Liam. Had only seen glimpses of him before today. But this? This was the first real image of him seared into her brain? One girl was straddling his lap, her dress pushed dangerously high, moaning against his lips. Another ran her tongue down his throat, fingers tangled in his dark hair. The third was on her knees, mouth at his wrist, sucking gently at his skin like he was something delicious. Liam let out a deep chuckle, voice thick with amusement as if this was nothing more than a lazy Friday night. Aurora’s stomach churned. This was what her mother dragged her into? This was the man she was supposed to “get along with” because their parents were now married? Her jaw clenched, a sour taste coating her tongue. She should turn around. She should leave. But then, as if sensing her presence, Liam’s gaze lazily lifted. Their eyes met. The smirk on his lips spread. “Well, well,” he murmured, his voice dripping with amusement. “What do we have here?” Aurora’s blood boiled. He wasn’t embarrassed. He wasn’t even slightly ashamed. He just stared at her, completely at ease, like he had been expecting her to find him like this. One of the girls turned, following his gaze. “Who’s she?” Liam didn’t even blink. “The new stepsister.” The blonde in his lap giggled, trailing her fingers down his chest. “Cute. Does that mean you’re gonna behave now?” Aurora nearly snorted. As if this man had a single drop of self-control in his d*mn body. Liam exhaled a slow breath, dragging his fingers through the blonde’s hair before giving Aurora a look so slow, so deliberate, that she wanted to punch him. “Not a chance, baby,” he muttered. Aurora’s skin crawled. It was a warning. A taunt. He was doing this on purpose. The way he leaned back, the way he spread his legs wider, as if to dare her to keep looking. Her chest tightened with irritation. Filthy, arrogant *ssh*l*. Slowly, she forced herself to straighten, to look unimpressed. “Wow,” she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I didn’t know being a walking cliché was your full-time job.” Liam chuckled, low and infuriatingly amused. “And I didn’t know my little stepsister was such a voyeur.” Aurora’s jaw clenched. *ssh*l*. The blonde pouted, twisting to glare at Aurora. “Do you mind? You’re ruining the mood.” Aurora’s lips curled in disgust. “Oh, don’t mind me. Carry on. Maybe I’ll call Daddy dearest and let him know how his perfect son spends his nights.” That got Liam’s attention. His smirk vanished, replaced by something colder. His grip on the girl’s waist tightened slightly before he lifted her off his lap and stood. Aurora immediately stepped back. But he was already there. In seconds, he was in front of her. Too close. His presence suffocating. Up close, he was even worse. Sharp jaw, dark eyes, lips curved into something dangerous. He smelled like leather, whiskey, and trouble. Aurora refused to back down. “Here’s the thing, princess,” Liam murmured, his voice dangerously soft. “You don’t threaten me in my own house.” Her heart pounded, but she forced herself to scoff. “Your house?” she echoed. “Last I checked, my mother’s name is also on the papers. So I guess that makes this my house too.” His gaze darkened. “Cute,” he said, tilting his head. “You’ve got claws. I wonder if you’ll still have them once you realize what kind of place you’ve walked into.” Aurora narrowed her eyes. “I know exactly what kind of place this is. It’s just a bigger, more expensive version of hell.” Liam chuckled, but it wasn’t friendly. “Oh, baby,” he said, voice thick with amusement. “Hell is fun. You might even like it here.” Before she could snap back, his fingers brushed the side of her chin. A ghost of a touch. A tease. A test. Aurora’s stomach turned. Not because of him, but because he expected her to react. He was waiting for it, watching her closely, expecting her to shrink, to blush, to stutter. She refused to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she tilted her head, let her eyes flick down to the lipstick smeared on his skin, then back up with a slow smirk. “Should I grab a towel?” she murmured. “Or do you want me to let you marinate in your own filth?” Liam’s smirk twitched. And for the first time, she saw something flicker in his eyes. It wasn’t amusement. It was interest. And that terrified her more than anything. Aurora turned on her heel, storming out before he could say another word. As she reached the grand staircase, she heard Liam chuckle behind her. And then, just before she disappeared up the stairs, his voice followed her. Soft. Low. Too close. “You’re gonna be fun, stepsister.” Aurora’s stomach clenched. Because for some reason, she knew he meant it.Chapter 50Aurora sat in the boutique’s back office, her hands gripping the edge of the desk as she stared at the order forms she couldn’t focus on. Her chest still throbbed from the awkwardness of the night before. She could still feel the humiliation burning her cheeks every time she remembered how Marco had gently, yet firmly, pulled away from her.Why had she been so stupid?So impulsive?So desperate for someone to make her feel… something?Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her mother’s heels clacking sharply against the polished marble floor. Before Aurora could react, her mother burst through the door like a storm, her face painted with the kind of fury that always sent a chill down Aurora’s spine.“You—” her mother hissed, slamming the office door behind her. “—are the most ungrateful, foolish girl I’ve ever raised.”Aurora blinked, confused. “What now?”Her mother scoffed, pacing in front of the desk like a tiger in a gilded cage. “Do you have any idea what you’ve
Chapter 46Aurora didn’t know when it happened.But slowly, Marco became her anchor.They spent breaks together.He helped her with her Italian.She helped him sneak pastries into the library.They laughed. They talked. They survived the long, grueling nursing classes side by side.For the first time in what felt like forever, Aurora felt like herself again.Not Blackwood’s daughter.Not the girl from America with a past she couldn’t erase.Just Aurora.Marco made her feel normal. Safe.But, of course, peace never lasted long in her world.It happened on a quiet Saturday afternoon when Marco walked her to the boutique. They were laughing about something silly when her mother appeared at the entrance, looking her usual dramatic, overdressed self.“Aurora,” her mother drawled, eyeing Marco from head to toe. “And who is this handsome young man?”her mother as she sat with Marco by the old riverbank just outside town. The soft glow of the Italian sunset painted the water in gold, but all
Chapter 45Aurora adjusted her plain white nursing uniform in the mirror, pulling her hair back into a simple bun. It was her first day of classes, and though she had barely slept the night before, there was a strange, unfamiliar flutter in her chest.Nervousness.Hope.Something she hadn’t felt in a long time.Her mother had been unusually supportive, much to Aurora’s surprise.“Nursing? Well, darling, I suppose it’s… cute,” her mother had said with a wrinkle of her nose, sipping her imported martini at breakfast. “But if it makes you feel better about yourself, who am I to judge?”Aurora had rolled her eyes, expecting her mother’s usual snobbery. But then the unexpected happened.Her mother had smiled. Genuinely.“And if you need help? I’ll support you. After all, you’re my only daughter. Maybe it’s time we found you some new friends. Maybe even a nice Italian boyfriend, hmm? I’ve heard nurses attract all kinds of charming doctors.”Aurora had groaned, but secretly, her heart had so
Chapter 44Aurora sat by the café window the next morning, the bitter taste of espresso lingering on her tongue, but even the caffeine couldn’t lift the dull ache in her chest. The streets of Florence bustled outside—tourists snapping photos, lovers holding hands, life moving forward while she remained stuck, frozen in memories she couldn’t erase.The night before clung to her like smoke.Alessandro’s words haunted her more than she wanted to admit.You’re running from yourself.You want an escape?I can give it to you.But Aurora didn’t want another rich man offering her an escape. She had enough of those in America. Enough lies. Enough pain.She tucked her hair behind her ear and tried to focus on the boutique’s inventory sheet on her laptop, but the numbers blurred together. She sighed, closing the file.Her phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at it.Unknown number.Her heart skipped.For a foolish second, she thought… Liam.But no. She had blocked him. She couldn’t afford to op
Chapter Forty ThreeAurora sat by the tall glass window of the fashion house, her chin resting on her hand as she stared blankly at the cobblestone streets of Florence. The sun outside was golden, soft, and perfect—Italy looked like something out of a fairy tale. Picturesque. Romantic. Alive.But Aurora felt none of it.She sat at the reception desk of her mother’s newly opened boutique, a glamorous two-story fashion house filled with silk gowns, glittering shoes, and glossy handbags. Her mother walked the store like a queen, smiling brightly, clinking glasses with rich Italian clients, playing the perfect businesswoman.Aurora?She was invisible.Her job was simple: greet clients, file paperwork, arrange dresses. Smile. Be polite. Play the role of the perfect daughter of a successful woman.But inside, she was hollow.Empty.Exhausted.Her mother never mentioned America anymore. Never brought up Liam or the tragedy they ran from. She acted like they had never existed at all. And Auro
Chapter 42Liam Blackwood sat at the dimly lit bar inside the military base, his glass half empty, the taste of cheap whiskey burning his throat. Around him, soldiers laughed, joked, and drowned themselves in alcohol and women.It was Friday night.Celebration night.But for Liam, it was just another night in his endless spiral of numbness.He watched them the men he trained with, bled with laughing loudly with women on their laps, losing themselves in the warmth of soft bodies and cheap perfume.“Come on, Blackwood,” one of the soldiers slapped his back playfully. “Loosen up. You fly like a demon in the sky, but down here, you sit like someone killed your puppy.”Liam forced a smirk, lifting his glass. “Maybe they did.”The others laughed, but Liam’s eyes remained cold. He didn’t laugh. He didn’t feel like laughing.Across the room, a blonde woman in a red dress caught his eye. She winked, sauntering toward him, hips swaying like she owned the place. She perched on his lap without as
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