All Chapters of BAD REPUTATION : Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

Yeah, this woman was going to be the death of him, Stefan thought. No matter how many times he touched her, he couldn't seem to get his fill. He slid his right arm around her, his palm on the small of her back, pressing her closer. She shuddered at the contact, leaning against him more fully, and his body went hotter and harder. She was everything he liked and he dropped his head, and captured her mouth again with his. She tasted so good and he had to have more. He parted her lips, tongue stroking her soft mouth, and then inside of her mouth, showing her just what he wanted to do to her body. Love it. Taste it. Devour it.She whimpered and pressed closer. He stroked up her back, his hand sliding under her hair to her soft nape, his palm cupping the back of her head, fingers pressing against her scalp. The kiss was hot and hungry, full of weeks of pent-up desire. She looked like an angel but kissed like sin and he didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her.Alana stood on tiptoe and wr

Alana chuckled, and Stefan gave her a quick look. “Enjoying this, are you?”“Is that wrong?” she asked, still grinning.He scowled at her, then shook his head and wrinkled his nose. “Fine, fine. Big joke. But you have to admit, I’m not doing badly.”“I suppose,” she conceded with a nod. “But smells to me as if you’ve got a little problem facing you at the moment.”“And I’ll handle it,” he said firmly, as though he was trying to convince himself, as well as her.“Okay then, get to it.”He scrubbed one hand across his face, looked down into the crib and murmured, “How can someone so cute smell so bad?”“A universal mystery,” she told him.He looked at her for a long second or two until Alana said softly, “So are you going to take care of Juliana's little problem or do you need a rescue?”He didn’t look happy, but he also didn’t look like he was going to beg off. “No, I don’t need a rescue. I said I would take care of it and I can. I've been doing it for a while now and I don't think the

His lips were on her hair as he murmured another apology and eventually Stefan stopped trying to reason with words and just soothed with shushing sounds and gentle strokes down her back. Rocking her and listening and being supportive as best he could. Forcing his own lust down, just cradling her like the sad friend she was. She needed arms and ears more than passionate aerobics. She was in no state for it and he didn’t want to confuse things or annoy her more.He wanted to know all her secrets, her fears and sense of loss. And then he wanted to fix it somehow, but how could he, when he was the one who'd hurt her now? His heart filled to bursting as he felt the break in hers. He wanted her and Juliana to be his family. A real kind of family that was there through thick and thin—those people who made mistakes with each other but who forgave regardless.After a long while he moved. She’d cried herself to sleep and his arms were beyond aching and right on into numb, but he didn’t care. Di

The kitchen was quiet except for the low hum of the dishwasher and the occasional clink of dishes as Stefan rinsed the last plate. He leaned against the counter, sleeves rolled up, a dishtowel slung over his shoulder, and watched Alana finish stuffing the rest of the food into the refrigerator. The scent of soap and warm garlic still lingered in the air from dinner — roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and Juliana’s half-eaten food now abandoned in her chair.Juliana was asleep, and it was just the two of them now — the time of evening that used to feel comfortable, full of small talk and easy laughter. Lately, though, it felt fragile.“Leave the rest,” Stefan said finally, breaking the silence. “I’ll finish up.”Alana shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m almost done.”He watched her — the way she moved, precise and efficient, her soft hair falling forward when she leaned. She’d tied it loosely tonight, and a small damp strand clung to her neck. It took everything in him not to reach out an

That night Alana pulled on her nightie and made one last check on Juliana before going to bed herself, as was her habit. Only, this time when she stepped into the room lit only by a bunny nightlight, she found Stefan already there.He wasn’t wearing a shirt. Just a pair of jeans that lay low on his hips and clung to his legs like a lover’s hands. He turned when she stepped into the room, and she felt the power of his gaze slam into her. In the dim light, even his pale eyes were shadowed, dark, but she didn’t need to see those eyes to feel the power in them. Her skin started humming, her blood sizzling, but she made herself put one foot in front of the other, walking past Stefan to Juliana's crib, smoothing her hair, laying a gentle hand on her tummy as she slept.And through it all, she felt Stefan's gaze on her as surely as she would have a touch. Her breath came in shallow gasps and her stomach did a quick enough spin that she felt nearly dizzy. What was he doing in here? Why was h