Page 79 of Heartless Stepbrother

The sound slid down my spine like warm oil.

My thumb barely moved before his hand settled lightly on my hip.

Possessive.

Casual.

Unhideable.

His body pressed closer behind mine, tall enough to look over my shoulder and read the screen without effort.

Every exhale of his brushed the back of my neck.

“Read it out loud.”

My throat tightened. “Why?”

“Because I want to hear the truth in your voice.”

Heat burned across my cheeks. I felt exposed in a way that had nothing to do with skin.

My voice dropped to a whisper.

Sienna:It means a lot when you think he’s hot

Chiara:I FOUND HIS INSTA AND OMG OMG OMG

Sienna:On a scale of 1 to destroy-my-life how bad is your new situation???

Riley’s fingers flexed on my hip.

His breath darkened with a low, pleased note.

“They’re perceptive,” he murmured.

I swallowed. “Let go of me.”

“No.”

The airport sunlight flashed across his jaw as we stepped onto the stairs. His grip guided me down each step, gentle enough that no one watching would think anything was wrong. Firm enough that I couldn’t pretend it wasn’t.

At the bottom, a sleek black SUV waited, engine running. A driver stood beside it, posture straight, gaze lowered.

Waiting forhim.

Waiting forus.

Riley leaned in, lips grazing the shell of my ear.

“Now,” he whispered, “tell your friends how bad your situation really is.”

The heat rising off the San José tarmac shimmered around us, warm but not suffocating, the kind of dry California heat that settled into clothing and clung to skin. The jet behind us gleamed under the sunlight, expensive and silent now, like a secret about to be locked away.

The driver straightened when Riley appeared at my back, his hand still resting on my hip as though he were guiding me.

“Mr. Maddox,” the driver said with a deferential nod. “Car’s ready. Straight to Palo Alto?”

Riley answered as if he always gave instructions, never received them. “Yes.”