My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 214

Chapter 214

She didn’t just stop, she recoiled. She looked over her shoulder, “What are you doing here, Raphael?”

I didn’t answer right away. I let my gaze sweep over her, taking in the way her blouse was still slightly wrinkled from my hands, the way she looked ready to bolt. I jerked my chin toward the black sedan idling at the curb.

“Get in. We’re going home.”

“No, thank you,” she snapped. She turned her back on me and kept walking, her pace quickening.

I felt the heat rise in my neck, a flash of that dark temper that usually ended in broken bones. I caught up to her in three long strides, my shadow swallowing hers.

“It’s a car tonight, Gianna, not a bike. You aren’t walking miles in those shoes.”

She spun around, her chest heaving, “I don’t care if it’s a private jet, Raphael. I need space. I need you to not be

within ten feet of me.”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep the beast behind my ribs from snapping, “Don’t be stubborn,” I said, “You look exhausted, you’re hurting, and you’re making this harder than it needs to be. Just tell me what the problem is. We can fix it in the car. It makes this easy for both of us.”

She let out a sharp, breathless laugh, her eyes searching mine for a punchline that wasn’t there, “There is not problem.”

I stepped closer, my shadow pinning her against the brick of the building behind her. I looked down at her, though my blood was screaming to just pick her up and force her into the seat.

“Don’t lie to me,” I rasped. “There is clearly a problem, and I’m not moving until you admit it.”

“Stop lying!” I snapped, “I’m a coder. I find patterns for a living. It’s what I do. What is it, Gianna, please, talk to me. At first, I didn’t care enough to actually look at you. That’s on me. But don’t you dare stand there and tell me everything is fine. You’re working twice as hard as anyone on my floor just to stay level.”

“It was a glare!” she shouted, her voice bouncing off the brick alley. “The screen was too bright, Raphael! I was rushed. I’ll go back. I’ll stay up all night and fix every single line if that’s what it takes to shut you up!”

“You could stay up for a year and it wouldn’t change a thing,” I stepped closer to her, “I don’t want your extra hours! I want the truth! Why do you do this?!”

“I’m fine!” she screamed, shoving my chest, “I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine!”

“I never said you weren’t!” I grabbed her wrists, not to hurt her. I held them tight against my chest, right over my heart, “I saw the notes, Gianna! I saw the way you rewrite the same word ten times until the paper tears. Stop lying to me. Stop pretending this is just a bad day.”

“Let go of me!” She jerked her arms, “Why do you care? You already told everyone I’m useless! You told the whole floor I’m too slow to keep up! So just let me be slow! Let me be the failure everyone already knows I am! I’ll leave after six months anyway.”