All Chapters of Love Affairs with my Stepbrothers : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Ivy’s POVIf I had known how the night would end, I would’ve stayed home in my pajamas, binge-watching bad reality TV and eating Nutella from the jar.But no. Instead, I let myself get dragged to some high school reunion house party hosted by my best friend Maddie—complete with too much alcohol, too many hormones, and, apparently, no boundaries.“Come on, Ivy, lighten up. It’s just a party,” Maddie sang as she handed me a red solo cup filled with something that tasted like soda spiked with regret. I took a cautious sip and scanned the living room, already full of bodies grinding against each other and the loud thump of music rattling the floorboards.And then I saw him.Leaning against the kitchen doorway like he owned the d*mn place. A beer bottle in hand. Black shirt stretched across his broad chest. Dark eyes flicking across the crowd until they locked on mine.Ethan.My stepbrother.Correction—my ridiculously hot, smug-as-hell, six-foot-two stepbrother. The same guy who had moved

The music was too loud. The air reeked of alcohol, weed, and sweat. Someone spilled something sticky on my leg, and I didn’t even flinch. I was too numb. Too dizzy.I should never have come to this party.I leaned against the wall, clutching my red Solo cup like it would anchor me. My vision was already blurring at the edges, but I could still make out the bodies grinding around me. The room spun, colors bleeding together, laughter and moans echoing like a bad dream.A guy I didn’t know slid beside me. “You alright, sweetheart?”“No,” I whispered.He smiled, like he hadn’t heard me at all. “You look lonely. Wanna go somewhere quiet?”His hand touched my waist.I shook my head and tried to move away, but my legs didn’t want to work. He took that as an invitation.“C’mon, I’ll take care of you.”Panic clawed at my throat. My voice wouldn’t come. My limbs felt heavy. I shouldn’t have had that second drink. Or maybe it was the third.Then—A door slammed. Someone shouted.And suddenly, th

I clutched my portfolio tighter as the elevator climbed to the 25th floor. My heart beat a little too fast—not from nerves, but from something electric humming in my veins. This job was my shot. A dream role in one of the city’s most prestigious marketing firms. And after months of rejections, I finally got a yes.The elevator dinged, and I stepped out into a sleek corridor bathed in warm gold tones and minimalist luxury. Everything screamed power and class.I didn’t realize then that the man behind it all—the CEO himself—would be someone I thought I’d never see again.“Miss Evans?” A sharply dressed assistant smiled, rising from her desk. “You’re early. Mr. Carter will be with you shortly. Would you like some coffee?”I nodded, trying to keep my hands from shaking. “Yes, please. Black.”I wandered to the tall windows that overlooked downtown Manhattan. The city looked different from up here—smaller, like it could be held in someone’s palm. The office was quiet, almost too quiet.That

The tires crunched over gravel as the sleek black SUV pulled into the crescent driveway of Ridgewood Manor. Layla stared out the tinted window, heart pounding beneath her ribcage. The mansion looked like something out of a gothic dream—stone arches, silver-gilded doors, ivy clinging to the old walls like secrets.This was her new home.Correction: his home. She was just the new girl crashing into his territory.She swallowed hard and adjusted her hoodie, trying to keep the chill in her blood from rising. The last thing she wanted was to seem nervous—especially not in front of him.Jaxon Ridgewood.Her new stepbrother.Alpha-blooded. Short-tempered. Arrogant as hell. And unfortunately, devastatingly gorgeous.She’d only seen his picture once—accidentally, on her mother’s phone—but it was enough to spark something stupid and forbidden. Chiseled jaw. Icy gray eyes. Hair dark as sin. A body built for violence and sin.Not that it mattered. Because starting today, he was her family.A knoc

I hadn’t planned to spend the summer with them.The lake house was supposed to be mine this year—three glorious months of peace, solitude, and no reminders of the chaos back home. But as soon as I opened the creaky front door and heard the faint sound of rock music and smelled grilled steak, my heart dropped.They were already here.I froze at the threshold, suitcase still in hand, my heart racing for reasons I didn’t want to name. And then I heard his voice.“Well, well. Look who finally showed up.”Liam.Tall, golden-skinned, and arrogantly grinning from the kitchen island, he leaned one elbow on the counter, sipping a beer like this wasn’t my worst nightmare come true. His black tank top clung to his lean muscle, and that tattoo on his bicep—a Celtic band—looked a little darker since last summer.Behind him, the sliding door opened.And out stepped Drew.Shirtless.My mouth went dry.Drew was taller now—broader, his once-boyish curls cut short into something more masculine, rougher