All Chapters of Claimed by my Biker Stepbrother: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Pearl The ride there felt longer than it actually was, not because of the distance, but because of the way my stomach stayed tight the entire time, like it remembered something my mind kept trying to push away.The last time I had been here, everything had spiraled so fast I barely had time to breathe before it turned into chaos.A small part of me had thought that with everything that had gone down in the last couple of days, I wouldn't remember shit, but my memory picked the worst time to betray me. So when the building finally came into view, dark against the evening sky, my chest tightened.I shifted slightly behind him on the bike. If Zander noticed my uneasy behind him, he didn't show it. Or maybe he just didn't want to speak on it. Whatever the reason was, I wasn't sure I liked it. “Zander,” I said over the low rumble of the engine, my voice careful. “Why are we here again?”He didn’t answer immediately. Instead , he slowed, pulling into the lot, then cut the engine. The su

Pearl I stopped dead the moment I saw him. Hell, I didn't want to believe it, not one bit, but at this point, the harder I tried to convince myself that the man in front of me wasn't real, the more my brain doubled down in enforcing the truth. For a second, my brain refused to process what my eyes were telling me. It felt unreal, like one of those moments where reality lagged behind your senses, where everything moved in slow, disjointed pieces and you just couldn't make up a reason as to why something was happening. Ryan was sitting on the couch, not relaxed, not casual and not with a smile on his face either. Instead, he looked wrecked, and even though I knew I shouldn't, I almost felt pity for him. Almost. His shoulders were hunched forward like he’d been sitting there for a long time, his elbows resting on his knees, and his hands clasped so tightly the knuckles had gone white. His hair was slightly disheveled, like he’d run his hands through it too many times, and there we

Pearl The moment we stepped back inside, the air felt wrong. It wasn't loud nor wrong, but chaotic, and I hated every bit of it. I tried to shake it off, but it just wouldn't budge, like something invisible had settled into the room while we were outside, something thick and suffocating that pressed against my chest and made every breath feel harder than it should.Zander shut the door behind us with a quiet click that sounded far too loud in the silence.I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t, not when he'd seen me cry over something I swore I had complete gotten over. I didn't expect him to comfort me, and I hadn't expected me to lean in the way I did. Luckily he didn't ask too many questions. The only thing he'd says was for us to go back inside because it was getting colder out here. I moved slowly toward the couch and sank down onto it like my body had suddenly forgotten how to hold itself upright. My hands rested limply in my lap, fingers curled into the fabric of my clothes with

Pearl His last words still hung in the air between us, sharp and final. I wanted to tell myself that maybe if I pretended that I hadn't heard it, or that the situation didn't exist, the tension between us would magically disappear. Newsflash, it didn't work. In fact, the more I hoped that he would give up and turn around, the more he was silently putting more effort into getting an answer out of me.Fuck. “You’ve been walking around like I’m a stranger in my own house.” He'd said. “And I want to know why.It echoed in my chest like a door slamming shut.For a moment, neither of us moved. The kitchen felt suddenly too small, too quiet, with the soft hum of the refrigerator the only sound filling the heavy silence.I gripped the edge of the counter, my fingers curling against the cool surface as I tried to steady my breathing.“I don’t know what you want me to say,” I murmured, my voice quieter than I intended. “I want you to stop lying,” His jaw flexed as he said evenly. “Now that

Pearl The cold marble of the kitchen island sent a shiver racing up my spine, but it was nothing compared to the heat of Zander’s gaze as he knelt between my spread thighs. I tried to get a grip on myself, but the look in Zander's eyes as his gazw pressed down on me made me feel otherwise. Right now, he was staring at me like a man possessed, like hHe looked like a man about hadn't had anything to eat in a century and I just happened to be his favorite meal. Fuck. My stomach churned in pleasure at the thought of what was about to happen. He looked absolutely ready to partake in a sacred ritual, his hands sliding up to grip my knees, anchoring me to the spot. “Zander,” I breathed, my fingers digging into the edge of the counter behind me. It didn't help as my fingers seemed to slide against the counter, but I didn't care “Yes, princess?” Zander's voice was a low growl as his fingers trailed the inside of my thigh. His touches were featherlight, but that didn't mean that the i