All Chapters of Forbidden: Claimed by My Ex's Father and Brother: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Lia’s POVRob was still smiling at her, his whole body language different than it had been thirty seconds ago. Open. Relaxed. Happy.Then he seemed to remember I existed.He glanced over at me briefly—so briefly it barely counted—and made a vague gesture in my direction."Celeste, this is Lia," he said. Not "my girlfriend." Not "the woman I'm with." Just Lia. The same way he'd introduced me to his father. Like I was nobody in particular. Just some girl who happened to be there.Then he turned back to Celeste, his attention already gone. "Lia, this is Celeste. She's a dear friend of the family."The words landed exactly the way they were meant to—making it very clear where everyone ranked.Celeste turned to look at me for the first time. Her eyes swept over me quickly, taking in my simple dress, my basic sandals, my complete lack of designer anything. Her expression stayed pleasant and polite, but something flickered behind it. Something that looked an awful lot like amusement."Nice t

Lia’s POVThe touch was brief—just our fingers brushing against each other for a fraction of a second as we both grabbed for the handle. But it hit me like an electric shock, that same impossible current I'd felt when we'd shaken hands earlier. Heat and awareness and something that made my breath catch in my throat.I jerked my hand back like I'd touched a hot stove."Sorry," I mumbled, not looking at him, my face suddenly burning."My fault," Dante said easily. He picked up the jug and poured juice into my glass first, then his own, like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't felt what I'd just felt. Like touching me was completely ordinary and unremarkable.Maybe it was. Maybe I was the only one feeling anything.That thought should have been comforting. It wasn't.I picked up my glass and took a sip, trying to calm the rapid beating of my heart.Then I felt it—a stare. That specific, uncomfortable sensation of being watched.I looked up.Rob's eyes were on me. Fixed on me with an int

Lia’s POVI woke up gasping.My eyes flew open and I stared up at the ceiling, my chest heaving, my whole body trembling. For a few disoriented seconds I didn't know where I was. The dream clung to me like a second skin, still so vivid and real that I could almost feel those hands on my body.Then reality came rushing back.I was in my room. In the villa. On the island. Alone in bed with the afternoon sun streaming through the windows.And I was so incredibly, impossibly turned on that it hurt.My body was on fire. My skin felt too tight, too hot, hypersensitive to even the brush of the sheets against me. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. And between my legs—Oh god.I was soaked. Completely drenched. I could feel it without even checking, the wetness seeping through my underwear, making my thighs stick together.I pressed my hands over my face and let out a shaky breath that was almost a whimper.What the hell was wrong with me?I'd just had a vivid, explicit,

Lia’s POVThose blue eyes held mine steadily, and I felt like I was being seen—really seen—in a way that was both comforting and terrifying. Like he could read every thought in my head, every shameful fantasy I'd just indulged in.But his expression remained kind. Concerned, even."Are you sure you're alright?" he asked quietly. "You seem... troubled.""I'm fine," I repeated, but my voice cracked slightly on the word.Victor tilted his head slightly, considering me. He didn't press, but something in his expression said he didn't believe me.Instead, he shifted the conversation."Tell me about yourself," he said, settling back in his chair with an air of genuine interest. "I realized at dinner last night that I know very little about you. And I'd like to change that."The request surprised me. Rob had never asked me to tell him about myself. Not really. Not in a way that suggested he actually cared about the answer."There's not much to tell," I said with a small, self-deprecating shru

Lia’s POVRob had never shown this kind of respect to anyone, let alone people he considered beneath him socially. Rob would have sent someone else to deal with this, or shown up and made grand pronouncements without actually listening to what anyone needed.But Dante was different. Everything about the way he carried himself, the way he spoke to these people, the way he genuinely seemed to care about their input—it was all different.I found myself studying him as he talked. The strong line of his jaw when he tilted his head to listen. The way his dark eyes focused completely on whoever was speaking, giving them his full attention. The occasional smile that softened his otherwise serious expression. The easy confidence in his posture, the way he took up space without demanding it.He was compelling in a way I hadn't expected. Magnetic.We spent over an hour at that cafe, and then Dante took me around to meet more villagers—the woman who ran the small grocery, the young couple who own