All Chapters of The Rising Temperature between Me and My “Step-brother”: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

One last glance in the shared living room, then retreat—each to their separate rooms.Ten minutes later, someone knocked on his door."Happy birthday, Asher." She stood at the doorway, gift in hand, shy and slightly nervous. "I meant to give this to you this afternoon, but... anyway, I hope you like it. Happy birthday again."He didn’t know how to describe what he felt. The entire day—from her refusing to speak to him in the car, to deliberately fighting him for the room in the afternoon, to dinner when she’d made a point to warn him she didn’t care how much he disliked her—had been a whirlwind.Yet all along, her suitcase had held a birthday gift she’d picked out for him. She’d been planning to wish him happy birthday this whole time.Even Simone, distracted by their trip, had overlooked his birthday today.How damn ridiculous.In that moment, he wanted to kiss her—hard.Th

So annoying!Wendy tossed and turned in bed, for the first time finding the glowing bedside lamp unbearably bright. She threw off the thin blanket, sat up, and gave a pitiful look toward the door—she really wanted to go find Asher.Should she? Yes! But would he even see her?Wendy paced around the room in her pajamas, her mind in turmoil. She pulled open the curtains and cracked the window for fresh air. When she spotted the lush tree in the backyard, a sudden idea popped into her head—What if she copied the protagonists from American TV shows and pulled off a sneaking-in-through-the-window surprise?The problem was, Asher’s window didn’t have a tree nearby. Even if it did, could she actually climb one?Earlier in the garage, she had been desperate to explain why she hadn’t gone, but the fact remained—she hadn’t. What she should have said was how much she really, truly wanted to go—to watch his game live, cheer for him, and celebrate his amazing performance.But under his gaze, she ha

Friday, the final day of the Lightning team's training camp.Today marked the end of training. Over the next three days, players would participate in pre-season photoshoots in batches.With the break just around the corner and a decisive victory in the practice match, the team's mood was buoyant all day. Even players who typically clashed were getting along, laughing and chatting together."Harris, when did our mascot change from a bear to a penguin? Look at that waddling walk—hahaha!""What, did Ryan quit? They brought in some rookie replacement—how weird!"The target of their jokes was the team mascot, Lightning Bear, who had unexpectedly appeared on the sidelines that afternoon.During games, this lovable giant always entered first, pumping up the crowd to the band's upbeat music. But today, this Lightning Bear's unsteady gait was so precarious it looked like it might need two assistants flanking it during actual games just to

Asher snapped back to reality and abruptly ended his earlier reckless actions."Thirsty?" he asked."Mhm," Wendy nodded.The door opened, revealing Hayden holding a cup of juice—it was unclear how long he'd been waiting outside.Asher took it casually. "Thanks."Before Hayden could even say "you're welcome," the door had already closed again.So, Mr. Quarterback, you're really not thinking of going back to practice? Even though it's almost over, you're not even considering it?Inside, after handing the juice to Wendy, Asher sat at the long table and picked up another cookie.Sweet, crispy, delicious... She made these. Asher glanced at Wendy. Hmm, even sweeter now—because of her.Wendy followed him to the table, her words slightly muffled by the moist cookie crumbs in her mouth. "Have you forgiven me, Asher? Are we good now? Completely good?"As she spoke, her pretty face naturally showed

The magazine’s gala had not only reserved the city’s most exclusive hotel but also provided private cars for players—details Wendy hadn’t known.That afternoon, after Simone finished her hair and makeup, she’d left with Sam. Alone upstairs, Wendy was putting final touches on her appearance when Asher’s phone rang. Without thinking, she’d headed for the garage, only to be intercepted by Asher waiting in the living room.Wendy turned and saw him on the sofa.Black suit, white shirt—just a tie short of the classic gentleman’s look.But no tie adorned him—only an unfastened button at his chest, the shirt collar straining against the muscular contours beneath.His long legs were crossed, the trousers taut over powerful thighs, his calves lean where they rested. Polished dress shoes gleamed. His typically unruly blond hair was swept back tonight, and when he lifted his gaze—languid yet int