Semua Bab Forbidden Desires : the step brother who ruined me .: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Chapter one I knew I was screwed the second I heard his flight landed, not the cute kind of screwed that kind where you realize you've spent eights months lying to yourself, and now the bill is due . Eight full months of calling Rubben Carter my stepbrother, eight months of correcting myself every time my brain slipped, Eight months of 1am thoughts I buried under my pillow so Mom wouldn’t hear me being pathetic. The house was chaos that morning, but it was the kind of chaos that had a purpose. My mom Mrs. Margaret was everywhere at once, She’d been cooking since dawn. Roasted chicken. Garlic potatoes. Bread from scratch because “store-bought isn’t good enough for Rubben.” She kept yelling for the good plates, the ones we only used for Christmas and when Mr. Carter’s boss came over. Mr. Carter was worse. He’d checked his watch twelve times in the last hour. Phone in one hand, keys already in the other. “Traffic from the airport should be light. He should be here any minute.” He’d

Chapter 3 I almost died because I couldn’t stop thinking about him. That’s the part that would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic. I was so lost in my head, replaying the way Rubben had called Mara baby at breakfast that morning, that I stepped off the curb without looking. I didn’t even hear the car until the horn blasted through the air and the headlights washed the whole street in white. “Watch out!” Someone grabbed me from behind and yanked me backward with enough force that my shoulder nearly gave out. I stumbled into a solid chest, gasping, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might break my ribs. When I finally managed to look up, I was staring into a face I hadn’t seen in years. Alex. Alex Robbins from high school. The same Alex who used to steal my fries at lunch and call me Lia-bear until I threatened to punch him if he ever said it again. He was holding me by the arms, his face pale and his eyes wide with shock. “Lia, Jesus Christ. You just—you almost got hi

Chapter 5 I told myself I was only going for one drink. That was a lie. I wore the dress to make myself mad, Black, Tight. Shorter than anything I owned. If Rubben saw me in it, he’d lose his mind. That was the point. Kate kept saying it all night. “You look hot, Lia. Like, stop-traffic hot. That guy Rubben won’t know what hit him.” But Rubben wasn’t here. I was. At a club that smelled like sweat and cheap perfume. Music so loud I could feel it in my teeth. Lights flashing red, blue, red, blue. And I was drunk. Not falling-down drunk. Just enough that the world felt soft at the edges. Just enough that I didn’t care when a guy with kind eyes asked me to dance. He wasn’t Rubben. That was why I said yes. His name was Mark. Or Matt. I didn’t catch it. He was nice. He didn’t call me tiny. He didn’t look at me like I was a problem he had to solve. He bought me water when I asked for it. He kept his hands polite. But when he leaned in and asked if I wanted to get some

Chapter Seven I woke up feeling like someone took a hammer to my skull. My mouth was dry, skin hot. My eyes didn’t want to open, because light was a personal attack. I groaned and tried to roll over, and that’s when I felt it. Not my sheets. Not my clothes. Something bigger and Soft smelled like cedar and clean soap. I cracked one eye open. Rubben. He was in the chair beside the bed, No shirt. Head bent, elbows on his knees, fingers laced together like he was holding onto the last of his patience. My stomach did a stupid, swoopy thing. Because God, he was… Rubben. Shoulders wide enough to block out the sun. That line down his stomach I wasn’t supposed to notice. A scar by his ribs I’d never seen before. His hair was a mess, like he’d been dragging his hands through it all night. I should’ve looked away but I’m no saint. I didn’t. And then my brain caught up with my body. Last night. It didn’t come back slow. It hit hard all at once. The alley, cold and wet and

Chapter 9 Lia pov Daniel’s car pulled away from the curb at 10:42 PM. I stood on the porch until his tail lights were gone. Until I was sure Rubben wasn’t watching from the window. The key felt cold in my hand. The house was calm when I opened the door, mom usually leaves the Tv on, some home shopping thing she swore she wasn't watching. Tonight, nothing just the fridge humming. I dropped my bag by the stairs. “Mom?” No response. I saw a note on the fridge, mom's handwriting. Vegas , last minute thing with your father, we will be off for three days be good. Three days? Just me and ......... him The thought hit before I could stop it, heat low in my stomach, shame right after. I went to the kitchen for water a glass to my lips. Hand still shaking. Daniel’s thumb on my knuckles: You stopped shaking.. I heard water running upstairs, his bathroom. I shouldn't I know I shouldn't but my feet moved anyway. His door was open crack, steam spilling into the hall, the