LOGINYULIAMy breath caught somewhere in my throat. The room suddenly felt too small. I should’ve told him to stop. I should’ve reminded him that this was wrong. That our parents were married. That we were living under the same roof now. That he was my stepbrother.Instead, I sat there staring at him while my heart betrayed me completely.Because the truth was… I didn’t want him to stop.Kendrick’s gaze dropped to my lips again, slower this time, like he was giving me one last chance to pull away. I didn’t. And somehow, that seemed to affect him too.He leaned closer. Close enough…My pulse pounded so loudly I was convinced he could hear it. “Kendrick…” I whispered weakly.His forehead rested lightly against mine. “Should I stop?”My breath completely fell apart. “No.”He leaned in and kissed my lips. The second his lips touched mine, every rational thought disappeared.I'd been craving this since the first time I arrived at his house. He kissed me harder, deeper, his hand sliding from my
YULIA“So you’re telling me that you’re living with the Kendrick Fernsby?” Adeline asked dramatically, raising both hands to make quotation marks in the air. I laughed, taking another sip of my pineapple smoothie. I had decided to meet her at The Good Life Eatery because their smoothies were ridiculously good, and honestly, I needed to get out of the house before my thoughts completely consumed me.“Yep!”“Girrrlll…” She whistled lowly. “You’re literally living every woman’s fantasy right now.”“It’s not like that.”“Mhmmm.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously over the rim of her mango smoothie. “And I’m the Queen of England.”I rolled my eyes immediately. “I don’t know why my dad thinks I can’t survive alone for three weeks.” I sighed, stirring my smoothie absentmindedly. “And now…”“Now what?” Adeline probed, glinting her eyes at me.“And now it’s just… complicated.”“Oh. My. God!!!” Adeline straightened instantly in her chair, cupping her mouth. “What?”“You like him.”“What? No!”
KENDRICKI shouldn’t have kissed her. It wasn’t even a kiss worth overthinking—just her cheek, a brief moment of contact that should’ve meant nothing.But it did, and that was the problem.I ruffled my hair, staring blankly at the surveillance analytics displayed across my MacBook’s screen while absolutely none of it registered in my head. I dragged a hand down my face slowly before muttering under my breath, “Get a hold of yourself.”One girl shouldn’t be affecting me this much, especially not her.I stood from the chair, loosening the sleeves of my black shirt before leaving the office upstairs. I barely made it halfway down the hallway before another door opened.There she was. Yulia froze when she saw me. Her blonde hair was messy, like she had just gotten out of bed, and she wore an oversized shirt that hung slightly off one shoulder. Completely casual, unaware of how dangerous she looked.I forced my expression to remain neutral. “What’s up with you?” I asked casually, my voice
YULIA“This is it?” I asked, glancing around the parking lot filled with cars. “Yes.” Kendrick parked his car and turned to me. “Ever been to a street race?”I shook my head wildly, speechless all of a sudden. His expression barely changed, but his eyes said otherwise . “Then prepare yourself. You’re in for a treat.”Kendrick climbed out of the car and then walked over to my side to open the door for me. I sat still, not attempting to move.“We’re gonna miss everything if you don’t hurry.” He leaned into the car and reached over to unbuckle my seatbelt. My breath caught instantly.“You smell good.” He declared as he pulled back and held out his hand to me.“Uh… Thank you.” I blushed and grabbed his hand, causing a tingle, like shock, to run through me. Kendrick led me through the cars to where everyone was. The sound of loud music and the chatter of the crowd blared ahead.“We’re really at a street race right now?” I asked, causing him to look over his shoulder at me with a crook
KENDRICK“What were they thinking, letting her live with you?” Victor asked, leaning back lazily in the chair across from my desk like he owned the space.“Safety.” I shrugged, flipping through the folder in front of me without bothering to look up. “Apparently, her father thinks London will collapse if she spends three weeks alone.”Victor snorted. “Or maybe he realized his daughter is living with one of the richest men in the country and thought she’d be safer inside your walls than outside them.”I signed the last page of the contract and tossed the folder aside. “You’re dramatic.”“No,” he corrected with a grin. “I’m observant.”Through the glass walls, London stretched beneath the fading light, clean, structured, predictable—unlike my thoughts.“You’re distracted,” Victor observed.“I’m working.”“That’s not an answer.”I leaned back slightly. “Then ask a better question.”He grinned like that was exactly what he wanted. “What’s she like?”My pen paused for half a second, not eno
YULIA“We’re almost there, baby girl.” My father watched me as I angled towards the side window, lost in my thoughts.“I still can’t believe you eloped and got married.” I glanced at him, and he was smiling.“Well… I can’t be single forever. I’m ready to settle down and spend the rest of my life with my woman.” He cut his eyes at me and winked.“Yeah, right.” I huffed, reclining my seat to feel comfortable. “Now I have to live with Miss Daphne’s son while you go on a honeymoon.”“A son I’ve never even met,” I muttered under my breath. “I really think this will be a good thing. You’ve been the only child since forever. And now, you’ll have company.”“Dad, I’m twenty-two, and I can take care of myself.” “I’m going away for three weeks, Yulia. I need you safe.”“Is he even my age?” I asked curiously. Miss Daphne looked like she was in her forties.“You’ll see,” he said, clearly enjoying the suspense.We approached Hampstead, where the wealthy people lived. My father is well-to-do as a







