My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 83

"Soft," she whispered, and reached out and grabbed a handful of the sheet, pulling it to her chest, "It smells like you."

I stood over her, my hands on my hips, watching her. She looked so small in the middle of my bed. She was curled up on her side, her knees tucked toward her chest. The bandages on her feet were white against the dark bedding.

I wanted to leave. I wanted to lock the door and sleep on the floor of the garage.

But I couldn't.

I walked over to the window and pulled the heavy curtains shut, blocking out the moonlight.

"Go to sleep, Gianna," I said.

"Stay," she breathed. She didn't open her eyes, but she reached out one hand, her fingers searching the empty air for me, "Stay here with me."

I sat in the armchair in the corner of my room. My body was still humming from the ride, my skin still felt like it was on fire where she had touched me. I reached for my laptop, flipping it open. The glow of the screen hit my face, making me squint in the dark.

"Raphael?" her voice floated from the bed.

"I said, go to sleep, Gianna," I snapped.

I didn't look at her. I started typing, my fingers flying over the keys. If any of the family tech guys looked at the logs tomorrow, they couldn't find a trace of her on my bike.

"Do you think fish get thirsty?" she asked.

I paused, my finger hovering over the 'delete' key. I closed my eyes for a second, letting out a long, tired breath. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I mean, they live in water," she murmured. I heard the sheets rustle as she rolled onto her side, "But do they drink it? Or is it like... breathing? If I were a fish, I think I’d want juice. Orange juice."

"You're high as a kite. Shut the hell up and close your eyes," I ordered.

I clicked through the files for the front gate. There. A ten-second clip of my Ducati rolling through. I highlighted the file and hit 'Wipe.' I did the same for the driveway, the private garage, and the back hallway. I scrubbed every frame that showed a hint of her brown hair or her pale legs.

"The stars are loud tonight," she whispered.

"Stars don't make noise, Gianna. They’re giant balls of gas millions of miles away. Go to sleep."

"Fucking hell," I whispered to the empty room. I wiped a hand over my face.

The silence of the room was broken by the buzz of my phone in my pocket. I snatched it out before the sound could wake her, my heart skipping a beat.

The caller ID screen glowed bright white. DANTE.

I cursed under my breath and swiped to answer. I kept my voice low, "What?"

"Where the hell are you, Raph?" Dante’s voice was loud, filled with the noise of the party behind him. I could hear music and the distant sound of someone screaming, "The hunt just started, and your bike is cleared out of the lot. You don't just walk away from a night like this."

I leaned back in the chair, my eyes staying on the shadow of Gianna on the bed. My hand tightened on the phone.

"I got bored," I said, my voice flat. I made it sound like I was talking about a dull movie, "The party was trash. The hunt was slow. I came home to get some actual sleep."

There was a long pause on the other end. I could hear Dante breathing, his suspicion coming through the line like heat. Dante wasn't a fool. He knew I didn't just get bored when there was blood to be tracked.