Lahat ng Kabanata ng Falling For The Bad Boy Captain: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

ASHERIt had been two grueling days since I’d last seen Leah, and the distance was utterly gutting me. Every hour that bled past felt like an eternity. The house was suffocate-quiet, suffocated by the freaking oppressive air of guards and tension. But the second Leah’s mother stepped out the front door, and my father’s attention shifted to pacing the study while barking loud, sharp orders at his men over the phone, I seized the opening. Here’s my chance.I moved silently down the hallway, keeping my steps light against the floorboards, and slipped into Leah’s room.She was laying down on the bed, propped slightly against the dark pillows. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, her eyes shifted toward the movement, finding mine immediately. Lord!I crossed the soft carpet, pulled a wooden chair up to the edge of the mattress, and sat beside her. "How are you doing?" I asked, my voice dropping into a low, quiet rasp that barely carried across the bedsheets. I’ve been stressed and

LEAH"You should be more careful, sweetie," my mother said, sitting near the edge of my bed and reaching over to brush a stray strand of hair behind my ear. Her eyes hovered over the white bandage wrapped around my upper arm, her brow furrowing with lingering worry.I shifted slightly against the headboard, pulling my forearm back to hide the fresh scar under my sleeve. "I'm fine and completely healed now, Mom. I'd really like to resume back to school."My mother let out a soft, breathy sigh, resting her palms against her knees. "I'm definitely glad you're fine... and I want you and your stepbrother to get along, but I don't want you getting into trouble."I kept my chin steady, holding her gaze without flinching. "I promise you, I won't get into trouble anymore."A faint, tired smile touched her lips as she looked down at me, shaking her head slowly. "What am I ever going to do with you?" She paused, smoothing her hands over her lap before her expression turned slightly more serious.

LEAHAsher walked back to my bedroom door and shut it firmly, the lock turning with a soft click. He turned around, resting his back against the frame, his dark eyes searching my face with sudden gravity."Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, his voice dropping into a quiet rasp.I sat up on the edge of the mattress, setting the bag of Cheetos on the nightstand. "I'm bored... and I would very much like to do this."Asher nodded slowly, accepting my answer. He turned to the window, threw the frame open, and leaned out, peering down at the drop below. "It's not really far." He looked back over his shoulder at me, gesturing toward the sill. "I’ll go first, then you can jump and I’ll catch you."A breathless laugh escaped my lips as I shook my head. "I wouldn't dare jump." I pulled my legs around, planting my feet on the carpet as I smoothed down my shirt. "I know how to climb. My father used to take me mountain climbing."Asher’s eyes glinted with a subtle spark of approval. "The

LEAH"Zach?" I mumbled, the single syllable barely scraping past the dry, tight knot in my throat.My brother’s glare locked onto Asher, his jaw working violently as he began to close the distance between us with slow steps across the damp grass. "I got a call from Mom saying you got into a little accident," he said, his voice dripping with raw, concentrated venom. "And now that I'm finally here, I find out my sister is with no other than Asher, the guy I don’t fuck with."He came to a dead halt directly in front of us, his shoulders broad and rigid, his chest heaving under his jacket as if he had just run a marathon. "What the fuck is going on here? And why are you two together?"I took a small step forward, raising my hands in a quiet, cautious gesture to keep him back, trying desperately to create some space between them before everything exploded. "Zach... just calm down."Zach ignored my plea entirely, his eyes fixed on Asher with pure, unadulterated hostility that had been fest

LEAH"Enough, Zach," I said, my voice dropping into an exhausted tone as I stared up at him from the edge of the mattress. My throat was dry, my palms damp against my jeans as I tried to keep my breathing even. "There’s nothing going on between us."Before Zach could bark a response back, the brass handle turned and the bedroom door swung open. Mom barged straight into the room, her eyes flicking sharply back and forth between the two of us as she registered the rigid atmosphere.Zach didn't even let her take another step. He spun around on his heel, pointing a rigid, trembling finger straight in her direction. "Mom, I’m going to get back to you in a minute, because right now I’m interrogating Leah."Mom took a step further into the space, crossing her arms tightly over the front of her silk blouse, her expression turning stern. "There’s nothing to interrogate, Zach. Leave your sister alone."Zach let out an incredulous scoff, throwing his hand out toward the hallway to gesture wildly