All Chapters of Craving the Wrong Brother: Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

Elle’s Point of View The rooftop was our place. Mine and Liam’s. It wasn’t anything fancy—just cracked cement, an old blanket tossed over shingles, and soda cans we always forgot to throw away. But up here, it felt like time slowed. Like I could pretend he was mine for just a little while longer. Liam handed me a soda, his arm brushing mine like it always did. Casual. Familiar. Killing me slowly. “You’re quiet tonight,” he said, tilting his head to look at me. “That’s new.” I forced a smile, eyes on the horizon. “Just tired.” Not a total lie. Just not the real one. I was tired of almost. Tired of loving someone who never looked at me the way I looked at him. He leaned back on his hands, that easy, golden-boy grin on his face. “You’re not stressing about midterms, are you? I told you—you’ve got it in the bag.” “No. I’m just... thinking.” I swallowed hard. “Dangerous, right?” He laughed, and it hit me straight in the chest. I hated how easily

Elle’s Point of View Anywhere I don’t have to watch you lie to yourself. Aiden’s words echoed like thunder in a room that had gone too still. I stood frozen in the kitchen, Liam only a step away, but somehow I’d never felt more distant from him than I did now. My hands were still wet from rinsing the plate, but I didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Liam scratched the back of his neck. “He’s dramatic, huh?” I didn’t answer. Because deep down, I knew Aiden wasn’t being dramatic. He was being right. Liam glanced at me. “What was that about?” “I don’t know,” I lied. But I did know. And maybe that’s what scared me most—how much I was starting to understand Aiden without needing explanations. Liam stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Is something going on between you two?” That stopped me cold. I turned to face him, blinking like he’d slapped me. “You mean like how something wasn’t going on between us for years?” His face fell. “I didn’

The silence in Aiden’s apartment felt louder the longer I stayed. My head was still against his chest, his heartbeat steady beneath my cheek, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing. Not about him. About Liam. Every breath I took, I wondered if he’d ever held me like this. If I had ever meant this much to him. If he’d ever wanted me to stay. And that was the problem. Because I was here—with Aiden. I shifted, sitting up a little. His eyes followed me, dark and unguarded. “What?” he asked softly. I shook my head. “Nothing.” But it wasn’t nothing. My chest ached with too much need, too much hurt, too much wanting that didn’t have anywhere safe to go. Maybe that’s why I leaned closer. Maybe that’s why I let my lips brush his before I could stop myself. The kiss was soft at first. Just a test. But Aiden wasn’t soft. He went still, his breath catching, and when I pressed again—really pressed—he responded like he’d been holding this back for years. His hand slid to t