Chapter 3

Vera's POV

I stood still, the glass of water frozen in my hand.

What the heck?

"I should be the one asking you that." He said with his eyes carrying suspicion.

My eyes went wide as I stared at him across the kitchen counter. The same guy from last night. The same guy whose lips had pressed against mine. The same guy whose hands had touched me like he already knew every sensitive spot on my body.

And now he was standing in my new kitchen. Without a shirt.

God.

Sweat was shining on his forehead and running slowly down his neck to his chest, like he had just finished exercising. His gray sweatpants sat low on his waist, showing the sharp V-shape of his lower stomach disappearing under the fabric.

My throat suddenly felt dry.

"Good morning, kids."

I turned fast at the sound of Paul's voice as he walked into the kitchen like everything was completely normal.

Absolutely nothing wrong at all.

He looked between us, probably seeing the tension in the room that was thick enough to choke on, then casually opened the fridge.

"I can see you two have already met." He picked up an apple. "Vera, this is my son Liam. Liam, this is your stepsister Vera."

That word hit me like a punch.

Stepsister.

I slowly looked back at Liam. His face stayed calm, almost empty of expression, but his jaw tightened just a little.

"Stepsister?" Liam repeated, finally turning to look at his father.

"I asked you to come home early yesterday, but you came back late." Paul bit into the apple. "You missed the chance to meet her."

I swallowed hard.

This had to be some kind of cruel joke.

"You will take Vera to school today," Paul continued. "It is her first day, so be a good brother and show her around."

The tension in the room got worse. Paul looked between both of us again like he was waiting for one of us to say something, but neither of us spoke.

His eyes settled on Liam. It was not a request. It was an order.

I crouched down in shock to pick the pieces of broken glass when I heard Paul speak softly.

“Don't touch those Vera, I don't want any injury, it's your first day. “

He then looked at Liam and Instructed him. "Tell Ana to come clean the broken glass from the floor, Liam."

Then he walked out of the kitchen like he had not just broken my mind into pieces.

The moment he left, silence took over the room. Heavy silence. Dangerous silence.

I slowly set the broken glass I had picked down on the counter without taking my eyes off Liam.

"Should we just pretend yesterday never happened?" I asked quietly.

His eyes stayed on mine. "That is what we should do… sister."

My face twisted immediately.

"Don't call me that."

One corner of his mouth moved slightly, almost a smile.

"Call you what?" he asked calmly. "Sister? But that is what you are."

That word annoyed me more than it should have.

"You don't kiss your sister," I said, taking one step toward him. "You don't touch your sister the way you touched me."

Another step closer.

"You don't go down on your sister."

I stopped right in front of him. Close enough to feel the warmth coming off his body. Close enough to smell soap, sweat, and something masculine that made my stomach pull tight.

His eyes got a little darker, but his voice stayed steady.

"We will pretend it never happened."

The warning in his voice only made me want to push him further.

"But it did happen," I whispered.

I pressed my hand flat against his chest. Warm. Hard.

My fingers pressed lightly against his skin.

"And I liked it."

His breathing changed. Just a little, but I noticed. I slowly looked up at him through my lashes.

"Now we live under the same roof." My voice dropped lower. "I want more of you."

I grabbed his hand before he could pull away and guided it to my breast over my nightgown.

His jaw tightened immediately. For one second he did not move, fighting himself.

Then his fingers moved. A rough squeeze.

A soft sound escaped my lips before I could stop it.

God.

His eyes jumped to my mouth. I could see his control slowly breaking apart, piece by piece.

My breathing became uneven as he suddenly pulled me closer. My chest pressed lightly against his.

His free hand moved down to my backside, gripping it hard enough to make me gasp.

"Liam…"

His fingers slipped beneath my skirt. Cold air touched my thighs. I had no underwear on.

His eyes went dark immediately. A dangerous look. The kind that sent heat rushing low into my belly.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath.

His hand squeezed my bare skin slowly, like he was claiming it, and my knees nearly gave way. I bit my lip hard to stop another sound from coming out.

He leaned closer until his lips were just barely touching the side of my ear. His warm breath fell against my skin. I shivered.

Then he licked my earlobe slowly. My eyes closed on their own.

"Don't ask for something this dangerous," he whispered in that deep, rough voice that twisted my stomach into knots.

I could hardly breathe.

"Meet me outside in forty-five minutes." His grip on my waist tightened a little. "Don't be late."

Then he stepped away from me. Just like that. Leaving me standing there, breathless and burning all over.

I watched him walk out of the kitchen and head upstairs without looking back even once. I stood frozen beside the counter, trying to slow down my racing heart.

What was wrong with me?

No.

What was wrong with him?

I quickly grabbed a glass and filled it with cold water from the tap, drinking fast and desperately.

But the water only cooled my throat. Not the deep hunger sitting heavy in my stomach.

I let out a shaky breath.

"Is he playing hard to get," I muttered quietly to myself as I walked out of the kitchen, "or is he back with his girlfriend?"

As I walked toward the stairs, I saw a woman coming into the kitchen with cleaning supplies in her hands.

That must be Ana.

I went up the stairs quickly. "I need to get ready."

***

"7:25?" I gasped.

Jeez. I was going to be late on my very first day.

I quickly shoved my books into my bag and grabbed my favorite pen, the one Anita gave me years ago.

I paused for a moment in front of the mirror.

The new school uniform actually looked really good on me. My mum truly understood my taste.

I straightened the skirt a little, running my hand over the fabric to smooth it out. Perfect length. Not too short. Not too long.

My eyes moved to the top buttons of my shirt. I smiled slightly before opening two of them.

"I don't have to look boring."

I picked up my phone and bag from the bed and rushed out of the room.

The smell of breakfast reached me the moment I came downstairs. My mum was already sitting at the dining table. The dining room was very large. The light fixture above it sparkled beautifully in the morning sunlight coming through the windows.

"Good morning, hun," Mum said with a warm smile. "Come and eat breakfast."

"Good morning, Mum."

I walked over quickly and took a sandwich from the plate.

"I'll take this with me. See you later."

"Have a good day," she called after me.

"You too!"

I hurried outside. And stopped.

Liam was already sitting inside the black car parked in front of the house. The engine was running.

My eyes went wide. He was about to leave.

"Oh, absolutely not."

I ran and stood directly in front of the car. The tires made a short, sharp sound as he hit the brakes hard.

My heart jumped to my throat.

The driver's door flew open and Liam stepped out looking very angry.

"What is wrong with you?" he snapped. "Do you want to die?"

"You were about to leave me behind!" I fired back, just as angry.

"So?"

I blinked.

"So?"

"I gave you forty-five minutes," he said coldly, walking toward me. "Forty-five minutes means forty-five minutes. One minute late and you get left behind."

I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out.

Because as much as I hated it… He was right.

My chest moved up and down heavily as hot irritation burned inside me. Without saying another word, I walked past him, pulled open the passenger door, and got into the car.

I folded my arms tightly across my chest.

The driver's door stayed open for a few seconds. I looked toward him through the front glass of the car..Liam stood there beside the car with his eyes briefly closed, taking a slow deep breath.

Then he dragged his hand through his hair with frustration. That movement made the muscles in his arm tighten and flex.

“Damn him.”

He finally got back into the car and shut the door harder than needed.

The drive out of the compound was painfully quiet. I kept stealing looks at him from the side of my eyes.His jaw stayed tight.

His hands held the steering wheel firmly, the veins on them slightly visible under his skin. I bit my lip without thinking. He looked very attractive when he was angry. Which honestly told me a lot about how far gone I already was.

Outside the window, the city was moving normally. Cars. People. Morning traffic. But inside the car, the tension sat between us like smoke that would not clear.

Neither of us said a word. But I could still feel what had happened in the kitchen hanging in the air between us.

His hand on my body. His mouth close to my ear.

That voice.

I shifted slightly in my seat. Bad move. The shift made my thighs press together. A sudden wave of heat rushed through me.

I quickly looked away and cleared my throat.

Then, finally, because I could not hold it in any longer, I asked,

"Why did your ex-girlfriend come looking for you yesterday?”