Lahat ng Kabanata ng Forbidden Affairs : Kabanata 171 - Kabanata 180

The flight had been long, and the late-summer heat hit me like a heavy blanket as soon as I stepped out of the taxi. My mother’s text earlier had been brisk: We’ll be home around eight. Luca will let you in. She didn’t mention that my stepbrother would be the one greeting me, and somehow, the thought made me uneasy. I had seen him in a handful of photos since she married his father, but pictures didn’t prepare me for seeing someone in the flesh.I dragged my suitcase up the wide steps of the two-story house. The place looked like it belonged in a luxury magazine—glass panels, perfectly trimmed hedges, and the faint scent of roses carried on the warm air. I pressed the doorbell, expecting some polite welcome.The door swung open in one smooth motion.Luca leaned against the frame, one hand braced above his head, the other casually in his pocket. He was barefoot, his hair slightly damp like he’d just stepped out of the shower. A loose, white T-shirt clung to the shape of his chest, and

We kissed again, messier now. My back met the bed. He followed, knee braced beside my hip, careful not to crush me, careful and heavy and sure. We stripped each other the rest of the way—no hurry, but no doubt. Skin to skin changed the weather of the room. The air felt charged, sweeter to breathe. I arched when he slid his palm down my stomach, and he grinned, pleased and wicked.“Better?” he asked.“More,” I said, shameless now.He laughed quietly and obliged, learning me with patience, adjusting when I tensed, returning when I softened, keeping eye contact like a tether. Every time I exhaled a shaky yes, he answered with a kiss or a praise I felt low in my stomach.“Perfect,” he said. “Just like that. You’re doing so well.”The words landed hotter than they should have. My hands found his shoulders, then his hair, then the sheet when I needed something to hold. He moved with control that made me feel safe enough to fall apart.“Protection?” he asked, voice steady even as his breath

Saturday afternoon sunlight poured through the blinds in lazy stripes, dust motes drifting in the warm air. I had just made a second cup of coffee when my phone buzzed on the counter. Caleb’s name lit up the screen. I heard your weekend trip got cancelled. Want some company? My first instinct was to say no. My second instinct was to ask him what exactly he meant by company. Before I could overthink it, my thumbs were already moving. Sure. Bring wine.It was less than two hours later when a firm knock sounded at the door. When I opened it, he was leaning one shoulder against the frame, a paper bag in one hand and that same easy smirk that seemed to live on his mouth. The bag held two bottles of wine. He stepped inside like he had been here a hundred times, taking in the space with a glance before looking back at me. His eyes caught on the sweater and soft leggings I had thrown on, and the way they lingered made me feel suddenly aware of every inch of fabric against my skin.“You look c

The summer heat clung to the air like a second skin, heavy and restless. I tossed and turned in my bed, every shift making the sheets stick to my bare thighs. Coming home from university was supposed to be relaxing, but with my brother’s loud music blasting through the walls, rest was impossible.I pushed the thin blanket off and padded to the window, peering down into the backyard. String lights glowed over the pool, casting golden ripples on the water. The patio was crowded with bodies, laughter carrying up to my room. I spotted Ryan immediately—beer in hand, his baseball cap turned backward, grinning like an idiot at something one of his friends said.His friends.I knew most of them. They’d been coming around since I was a kid. Back then, they barely looked at me, too focused on their games, their beer, and whatever girls they were bringing over. But now… now I wasn’t a kid.One of them—Tyler—leaned back in his chair, head tilted toward the sky, a slow smile playing at his lips. A

The game dissolved without anyone calling it over. There were no more dares, no more turns, only a thick current in the air that pushed us toward something inevitable. The circle broke when Mason shifted me off his lap, only to stand and pull me by the wrist toward the far end of the living room. My bare feet met the cool tile, but the rest of me was burning.The sliding door clicked shut behind us, muting the hum of the pool pump. The string lights outside still spilled a faint glow through the glass, but in here the shadows felt closer, thicker. Mason backed me up against the wall, his hands flat on either side of my head.“You wanted this,” he murmured, his voice low enough that it felt like it was meant for me alone.“I did not say—”“You did not have to.”Before I could form another word, his mouth was on mine. The kiss was deep from the start, his tongue sliding against mine like he owned the right to take what he wanted. My hands braced against his chest, not to push him away b