Lahat ng Kabanata ng My Stepbrother, My Ruin: Kabanata 101 - Kabanata 110

My stomach twisted. “What?”“Yeah. House arrest. Same with Riley. And Cohen. Bail conditions until they’re officially convicted.”“You’re joking. After everything they got that?”“I wish I was.” He looked at me seriously. “You need to be careful, Evie.”“I know.” I looked away, a frown marrying my forehead. “No, I mean it.” He stepped closer. “They’re desperate now. Sienna’s pissed, Riley’s worse. And Cohen… he’s dangerous. You can’t afford to walk around like you’re untouchable.”“I don’t think I’ve ever walked around like that.”“You’re walking around like you’ve got something left to lose.” His voice softened. “That’s just as dangerous.”I didn’t reply. My fingers curled into my sleeves. He studied me for a second, then asked, “What is it?”I hesitated. “Elara came to the house.”His shoulders tensed. “When?”“Last night. She—” I looked down. “She said they gave her something and that they threatened her. She was supposed to kill me.”His jaw dropped slightly. “You’re serious.”“

I kissed him like I wanted to consume him—because I did. His mouth opened under mine, his tongue feeling mine, my pussy clenched from the feeling of the hiss. My hands slid under his shirt, fingers dragging over the muscle and heat of his skin. He sucked in a breath through his teeth as my nails raked down his back.“Fuck,” he muttered into my mouth, hands gripping the edge of the counter on either side of me, like he needed to hold something or he’d lose control.I leaned forward, lips trailing to his jaw, then his throat, tasting the salt there. He tilted his head back, just slightly, and I bit—lightly—at the tendon that flexed under his skin. His breath hitched. My hand dropped, slipping beneath the waistband of his jeans, fingers brushing over the ridge of his dick through his boxers. God, he was hard. Painfully so.“Evie…Jesus—”“Less talking,” I whispered against his throat.He let out a strangled sound, almost a laugh, almost a moan. Then his hands were back on me, pushing

Ryder’s POV I pulled on my jeans and grabbed my keys from the counter, still feeling the warmth of Evie's lips on mine. The way she'd looked at me, half panicked, half trusting, it made my chest tight in the best way possible."Be right back," I called over my shoulder, but she was already curled up in my bed, wearing my shirt like armor.The drive to the 24-hour pharmacy took longer than I expected. Traffic was light, but my mind kept circling back to her face when she realized what we'd done. The panic. The way she'd paced around my bedroom like a caged animal.I couldn't blame her. Hell, I was an idiot for not thinking about it either. But when she was underneath me, when she was looking at me like I was the only thing that mattered, logic had a way of disappearing.The pharmacy was one of those bright, sterile places that made everything feel clinical and weird. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting everything in harsh white. I found the aisle I needed and grabbed the box,

The police had barely finished taking my statement when I heard the familiar click of designer heels echoing through the hallway. My stomach dropped."Evelyn! Oh my God, Evelyn!"Mom burst through the apartment door like a force of nature, her perfectly styled blonde hair slightly mussed, her Chanel suit wrinkled from what must have been a frantic rush across the city. Alexander was right behind her, his face grim and tired.Ryder's arms immediately dropped from around me. The shift was so sudden, so jarring, that I felt cold air rush in where his warmth had been."What in God's name were you doing here?" Mom demanded, her eyes darting between Ryder and me with the kind of suspicion that made my blood freeze. "At Ryder's apartment? Alone?""I was…" I started, but she cut me off."Do you have any idea what this looks like? What will people think?" Her voice pitched higher with each word. "My daughter, unchaperoned, in her stepbrother's apartment in the middle of the night?""Mom, I was

The silence after Riley's departure felt heavy, like the air before a storm. I could hear the distant hum of traffic from afar and the soft rustle of leaves in the garden, but all I could focus on was the tension radiating from Ryder's rigid shoulders."Are you worried she'll talk?" he asked finally, his voice barely above a whisper.I considered the question, thinking about the venom in Riley's voice, the desperation in her eyes when she'd mentioned jail time. "Elara didn't talk," I said quietly. "Even after everything fell apart between us, even when she was wanted to kill me, she kept our secret.""But Riley isn't Elara.""No, she's not." I shifted my weight, wincing as my ankle protested. "Elara had principles, even when she hated me. Riley... I wouldn't put it past her to use whatever ammunition she has."Ryder's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "So what do we do?"I looked out at the city lights twinkling below us, thinking about everything we'd been through, everything w