All Chapters of STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Roman’s POVHer body was soft under mine, trembling, warm despite the cold rain still clinging to my skin.She wasn’t pushing me away.She wasn’t saying no.She was looking at me like I still mattered like I wasn’t too late.Her hands slipped beneath my soaked shirt, fingers brushing over my ribs like she was memorizing what heartbreak felt like.“You’re wet,” she whispered against my mouth, her voice barely there. As she touched my clothes My skin.“You make me that way,” I smirked, trying to lighten it but my voice cracked halfway through.Because this wasn’t just lust anymore.It never fucking was.“I thought I lost you,” I admitted, pressing my forehead to hers.“You almost did,” she whispered.Her confession punched the air out of my lungs.I slid my hands up her thighs, parting them slowly, like I needed to feel her again just to believe she was still mine. Her back arched. Her breath hitched.“You were touching yourself when I came,” I murmured, dragging my mouth along her nec

Ariana’s POVThe smell of vanilla-scented fabric softener clung to Lana’s pillow. Light filtered through her curtains, too soft, too peaceful for how raw I felt inside.My phone was still under my blanket, clutched against my chest like a secret.1 New Message Roman“I didn’t sleep.”“Kept thinking about you.”“I don’t care what anyone says. I’m not giving up on us.”My throat closed.I closed my eyes and let the pain crash again.Lana stirred beside me, hair a wild mess across her cheek. She didn’t say anything just reached over and gently squeezed my hand.Roman was in the kitchen when I walked in later that day. White t-shirt. Grey sweatpants. Eyes that looked like they hadn’t slept in days.He looked up like the sight of me physically hurt.Our parents were nowhere to be found. Thank God.“You okay?” he asked, voice rough.I paused by the counter, nodding slowly. “Yeah. Just tired.”He reached for a mug, handed it to me. Fingers brushed. My breath hitched.“I meant what I said,”

Ariana's POVI woke to the soft sound of rain still tapping the windows. Fainter now. Like the sky had finally tired itself out. My cheek was pressed to warm skin, the slow, steady thump of Roman's heartbeat under my ear. His arms were still around me, his chest rising and falling against my body.For a moment, I didn’t move. I just listened to him breathe. Tried to burn this into memory—his scent, his warmth, the way his hand was still tangled in my hair like he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.But morning meant consequences.Eventually, I untangled myself and slipped out of bed. My legs were sore in that sweet, aching way. I found my nightshirt where it had fallen near the door and pulled it over my head. Roman stirred slightly but didn’t wake.I crept back to my room, heart pounding, praying no one was up yet. I made it into bed just as the hallway creaked—a door opening somewhere down the hall. Probably Mom.Perfect timing.By the time I walked into the kitchen later, hair d

Roman’s POVThe bonfire crackled like a warning.Orange flames licked the night sky, and the scent of burnt wood mixed with coconut sunscreen and saltwater. Laughter rang through the circle of students sitting on towels and logs, all tipsy off cheap seltzers and the thrill of doing things they probably shouldn’t.Ariana sat across the fire from me.Hair messy from the wind. Eyes too bright. Her bare legs tucked beneath her and that tiny bikini top peeking out beneath her open button-down shirt. Red. The color I told her not to wear in public.She wore it anyway.And she knew exactly what it was doing to me.Lana sat beside her, sipping something pink out of a Solo cup and whispering in her ear. Ariana laughed too loud, too carefree. She hadn’t looked at me since we got back.She was punishing me.For what? Telling her to keep her emotions in check?I said it to protect her. Us.But now… I wasn’t sure I could sit through another second of her pretending we were nothing.Not when I coul

Roman’s POVThe air was thick with salt, sunscreen, and tension.I’d barely stepped out of the game circle when my phone buzzed.Faculty.My stomach clenched. A name I didn’t expect: Dean Halbridge."Roman Sinclair. Office. Now."No explanation. No patience. Just those words. Like a fucking guillotine.I walked fast, jaw tight, heat pulsing under my skin. Something was off. Way off. They wouldn’t call me in the middle of a school trip unless they knew. Unless someone said something.When I got to the office tucked near the camp lodge, the door was already open.Inside, three people sat behind a long table.Dean Halbridge. Professor Evans. And the school director.Next to them on speakerphone were voices I knew too well.My father. Mark. Ariana’s mother.My blood ran cold.Dean Halbridge cleared his throat. "Roman. Sit."I did.He glanced down at a printed file. "We’ve been reviewing something… sensitive. Something that was reported anonymously."My jaw flexed."You and Ariana Blake""