Page 153 of Heartless Stepbrother

Crueler.

More intoxicating.

“Tell me something, Luna,” he murmured. “If I kissed you right now… would you let me?”

The world tightened.

The air froze.

The tide pulled back as if waiting.

My heart collapsed into a frantic hammering.

I managed a whisper. “You’re impossible.”

“No.” His smile deepened. “Just inevitable.”

He took one more step, closing the last safe inch of space.

His voice brushed the air between our mouths like a secret meant to ruin.

“And the worst part? You’re not afraid of me. You’re afraid of how badly you want this.”

The air between us tightened, stretched thin enough to tear.

The tide rolled up the sand, brushing our feet, then retreated again, dragging foam with it like it understood exactly how my composure was slipping away.

Riley watched me with that unreadable expression that always made me feel two steps behind him. The moon carved silver down his cheekbone, his jaw a sharp line of patience or punishment. I couldn’t tell which.

His voice was soft when he spoke again. Almost gentle.

“Still tempted,” he repeated, like he was testing the shape of the truth on his tongue.

My stomach twisted.

“I’m not,” I lied.

He made a sound, almost a laugh, but there was no humor in it. Just disbelief wrapped in silk.

And then, without warning, he shattered the moment.

He reached into his back pocket.

Pulled out his phone.

Unlocked it with a lazy swipe of his thumb.

The cold glow illuminated his features, turning him into something carved and merciless.

Then he tilted the screen toward me.

A video.

A familiar fire behind us.

A familiar curve of my body leaning into his.

A familiar moment when my hand slid to his jaw.