Lahat ng Kabanata ng Dangerous Cravings: Sinfully Tangled With My Stepbrother : Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

I stared at the phone for half a second, then at Lucian, who was already watching me. My grip tightened slightly around the device before I brought it back to my ear.“Melinda?”Silence stretched for a moment.“…Ezran?” Her voice was too weak.My brows pulled together immediately. “Yeah. What’s wrong?”There was metallic noise and shouting in the background. “I…” her voice broke. “I think… there’s been an accident—”My heart dropped.“What?” I straightened fully, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. “Melinda, what do you mean accident? Where are you?”“I’m at…” her breath hitched. “I don’t even know, I… there was a car—”The line crackled and my heart skipped even more.“Melinda!”“I’m bleeding,” she whispered.Everything in me went cold.“Stay on the line,” I said quickly, already moving. “Don’t hang up. Can you hear me? Melinda, answer me.”“I’m here…”Her voice was fading very fast. Shit. “Where are you?” I demanded, grabbing my jacket without even realizing it. “Look arou

I stifled for a split second, stuttering almost immediately.“What… I don’t… fuck, Jeanne!”She burst into an endless spree of laughter, shaking her head in disbelief.“Come on, there’s nothing going on between Lucian and I. We just decided to call a truce.”“Truce? I don't buy that.” I shrugged. “Well, if you didn’t, what do you think?”“I think you’re both up to something. You can’t just be besties in eleven days.”“We aren’t besties, duh.”“Whatever!” she cut in. “Did anything outside Lucian happen?”I turned to Erik who was already munching on a bowl of chips.“What the hell, man! Where did you get those from?” “It was already on the table. Maybe the maids dropped it for someone and that particular someone forgot about it. I'm simply doing justice to it.”I shook my head slowly. Erik was one hell of a crazy person.“Back to my question, Ezran,” Jeanne said.“Nothing happened, I guess.”“Don’t guess. Think and recall something.”“Wait!” Erik said, dropping the bowl on the table.

I stared at him in shock. He has feelings for me? How?“I… don't understand, Rowan. I'm sorry.”“I understand your confusion, Ezran.” he said softly. “I understand your worries. I barely even pass as a friend, so this is surprising. But the truth is, I've always liked you from the first instance I met you. I’m intrigued by you, I’m amazed by your smartness and ingenuity. I love it when you smile or you’re shy. I—”“Stop it, Rowan.” I cut in.He stared at me in confusion. “Why? You don’t like me?”I exhaled, brushing my hand through my hair as I struggled to keep a straight face. “I like you, but not that way. I see you as a friend, a pal, a partner, not someone I can be in a relationship with. Besides, you’re not even gay, so how did you fall for me?”“I just like you very much.” he mumbled.“Exactly. It’s not love. By the time I give you a chance and we start dating, you’ll start finding faults and I’ll get bored. Eventually, we will have to call it off and ruin our friendship.”“E

I stared at my phone’s screen again and grimaced.Did he actually take my statement to heart? When I said I owed him, it was just for talking sake. But come to think of it, if I really owed him, what was I going to pay him back with?I quickly sent him a text.WHAT DO YOU WANT? A DATE? LUNCH OR WHAT?He replied almost immediately.LUCIAN: SOMETHING DIFFERENT, EZRAN. THINK.Something different? I couldn’t think of anything, so I stared at the typing icon floating on my screen.What was he typing again?LUCIAN: COME HOME EARLY. YOUR DAUGHTER HAS A VET SESSION IN THE EVENING.Oh, that. The reality of being a cat dad was already dawning on me. Raising Lu required time and energy. Well, I can provide both.I pushed my chair back and stood up, rubbing Lu’s fur softly.“Alright, my feline queen. I’m off to school.”She blinked once and turned away, frowning. I laughed softly, rubbing her fur again.“I’ll be back to take you to the vet.”I rushed off before her purrs could draw me back.….W

I blinked once, then scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.“Mn?”Oh, Ezran! You’re finished.“You don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable,” she added quickly.“No, no, that’s not it.” I laughed softly. “I’m just… not really looking for anything right now.”Her expression fell slightly, but she still smiled politely. “That’s okay.”“I’m sorry.”“It’s fine.” She laughed awkwardly and adjusted the straps of her bags. “At least I tried.”“That’s brave honestly.”“Thanks, I think.”She waved lightly before walking away quickly. The second she disappeared, Erik sprinted toward me dramatically.“OH MY GOD.”“Please lower your voice.”“You rejected a pretty and tall woman because your heart belongs to a cold billionaire.”I nearly choked. “Keep your voice down, you Judas!”He clutched his chest theatrically, not having enough of the joke.“Lucian Banks, the homewrecker you are.”I shot him a horrified look and covered his mouth with my palms, glancing around quickly.“Are you trying to get me