My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 292

Chapter 292

Gianna

I stood by the door for a long time, the cold wood pressing into my back. The only sound in the deep silence was the slow rise and fall of Raphael’s bare chest.

Slowly, almost without realizing I was doing it, I let my shoes drop from my fingers. They hit the thick rug with two soft thuds. I took one step forward, then another, my bare feet sinking into the soft carpet. I walked toward him like I was approaching a sleeping predator, afraid that even the sound of my breathing might wake him.

But he didn’t move.

I stopped right in front of the armchair. I had never been this close to him when he wasn’t looking at me like he wanted to devour my soul. His long, dark eyelashes cast soft shadows against his cheekbones. The hard, angry line of his mouth had relaxed into something soft and almost peaceful. In the pale grey dawn, he didn’t look like the scary, powerful Capone who ruled from behind the screen.

He just looked real.

My knees felt weak, heavy with the exhaustion of the long night and the weight of the secret I had just given away on the roof.

I sank down slowly, lowering myself onto the small, plush footstool right in front of his knees. I kept my movements tiny, holding my breath as I settled into the fabric.

I didn’t look at his face anymore. I couldn’t. Instead, my eyes drifted to the large frame resting beside his chair.

1 reached out a trembling hand, my fingertips brushing the polished gold of the frame before sliding onto the rough canvas. I traced the dark, painted metal lines that cut across the girl’s face, and then my fingers lingered on the black shadows that wrapped around her neck like choking hands.

A heavy wave of exhaustion washed over me. My mind drifted back to Leone, to the warm, safe way he used to wrap his arms around me after those awful, cold sessions with the doctors. Leone would just hold me until the shaking stopped, asking for nothing in return. I craved that softness right now. I wanted to crawl onto Raphael’s lap, to bury my face in the crook of his warm neck, and let him quiet the storm inside my head.

But Raphael wasn’t Leone, and the thought of wanting his comfort, of needing him to make me feel safe scared me more than anything else.

My brain tried to stop me, but my body made the choice.

I was going to crawl into his arms anyway.