Page 138 of Heartless Stepbrother

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I tried to focus on anything but Riley.

Derek dropped his shorts. The girls around me shrieked like they’d just been given front-row seats at a concert. He sprinted across the sand, completely naked, straight toward the freezing waves.

The ocean swallowed him in a crash of white foam.

Everyone erupted with laughter.

And then…

My phone vibrated.

A new message.

But I already knew who it was.

Admit it. You would’ve liked to be her.

My heart jumped. My face burned.

I typed without thinking.

No.

Three seconds passed.

Then…

Liar.

My pulse raced, anger spiking through me, sharper than the heat of the fire.

I would never kiss you like that.

A slow, cruel reply came almost instantly.

True. Once you kiss me you’d never be able to stop.

My stomach flipped, and I hated the flutter of it.

I typed back, fingers tight around my phone.

You wish.

His answer was a blade sliding between my ribs.

We’ll see.

I swallowed hard, shoving my phone into my pocket like that would help stop the way my body reacted.

Across the fire, Derek was trudging back up the beach, dripping, shivering, wrapped in someone’s sweatshirt while the crowd cheered like he’d returned from war.

Everyone laughed.

Everyone celebrated.

But all I could feel was Riley’s gaze, cool, dark, and maddeningly entertained, burning into my skin.

Like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

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