My New Stepbrother

d ate dinner in my room claiming homework overload. Mom was too blissfully happy in her new marriage to question my sudden hermit tendencies. But Friday night, my luck ran out. I was in the ki

how every time you look at me, I forget how to breathe?" The last part slipped out before I could stop it. The silence that followed was deafening. Adrian stared at me, something raw and unguarded flickering in his blue eyes. "Maya..." "Forget I said that." I tried to move past him, but he caught my wrist. "Don't." His grip was gentle but firm. "Don't run away again." "I'm not running away. I'm being smart." "Smart would be staying away from me entirely." "I tried that. It's harder than it looks when we live in the same house." "Yeah." His thumb traced across my pulse point, and I knew he could feel how fast my heart was beating. "It is." We stood there for a moment, the kitchen filled with tension so thick I could barely breathe. His eyes dropped to my lips, then back to my eyes, and I saw the exact moment he made his decision. "This is a terrible idea," he murmured, but he was already leaning closer. "The worst," I agreed, tilting my face up toward his. Our lips were inches apart when the front door slammed open. "Adrian! Where the hell did you go?" Sophia's voice echoed through the house, sharp with anger and probably alcohol. We sprang apart like we'd been burned. Adrian stepped back so quickly he hit the counter, and I pressed myself against the opposite wall, my heart hammering so hard I was sure Sophia would hear it from the foyer. "Shit," Adrian breathed. "She followed me home." "Adrian!" Sophia's heels clicked against the marble floors, getting closer. "I know you're here. Your car's in the driveway." "Go," Adrian whispered urgently. "Back stairs to your room." "What about-" "Go. Now." I slipped out the back entrance to the kitchen just as Sophia's voice got closer. I made it halfway up the back staircase before I heard her enter the kitchen. "There you are!" Her voice was too bright, too loud. "Why did you leave the party? Everyone was asking where you went." "I wasn't feeling well." Adrian's voice was carefully controlled. "Headache." "Poor baby. Here, let me make you feel better." I should have kept walking. Should have gone to my room and pretended this never happened. Instead, I found myself frozen on the stairs, listening to the sound of rustling clothes and Sophia's