Page 129 of Heartless Stepbrother
Like I couldn’t step out of his orbit even when I thought I had.
Malia followed my gaze and snorted. “Yeah. Told you. He’s not exactly subtle.”
I tore my eyes away and took a long drink of water, willing my pulse to calm.
“It’s fine,” I said.
A lie.
A big one.
Malia bumped my elbow, friendly and warm. “Don’t worry. If he’s messing with you… you can mess right back. He deserves it.”
I couldn’t help it. I smiled. A real one.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime,” she said. Then she pointed at my water bottle. “Come sit with me and my friends if you need a break from the testosterone over there. I can offer actual conversation that doesn’t include jokes about fire, cars, or how many protein shakes someone can consume in a day.”
I was about to answer when a voice slid across my shoulder like a ribbon pulled too tight.
“Luna.”
My heartbeat jumped straight into my throat.
I turned.
Riley stood behind me, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded and unreadable in the firelight.
Malia raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. “Oh look,” she said dryly. “The lone wolf noticed she wandered.”
Riley didn’t even glance her way.
His attention was entirely on me.
And the look on his face…
It wasn’t anger.
It wasn’t jealousy.
It wasn’t anything as normal as that.
It was interest.
Sharp and deliberate.
Like he wanted to see what I’d do next.
He didn’t speak.
He just waited, expecting me to fall in step with him like everyone else did.
I tightened my fingers around the bottle, grounding myself.
Not this time.
I turned slightly toward Malia. “I’m good here.”
