My Forbidden Stepbrother – Chapter 2: The Walls Have Ear

The Morning After the Storm

I barely slept that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him standing in the doorway — shirtless, quiet, watching me with that unreadable expression. The air between us hadn’t just been heavy. It had been electric. Dangerous.

And now it was morning.

Sunlight slipped through the curtains, warm and merciless. It felt wrong for the world to look so normal after what had happened — after the way my heart had pounded when our hands brushed in the kitchen.

I sat up slowly.

I could still hear the faint echo of his voice from last night.

“We shouldn’t do this.”

But neither of us had moved away.

Breakfast Was a Battlefield

The smell of coffee drifted upstairs.

He was awake.

Of course he was.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time before going down. I chose the simplest outfit I could find — loose T-shirt, shorts. Nothing intentional.

Or maybe everything was intentional.

When I reached the kitchen, he was leaning against the counter, mug in hand. Dark hair slightly messy. Grey sweatpants.

I froze.

He looked up.

And smiled.

Not the casual, friendly kind.

The knowing kind.

“Morning,” he said.

My throat felt dry. “Morning.”

Silence stretched between us.

Last night we had almost crossed a line. A line that would change everything. If you missed it, you should read Chapter 1: The First Night Under The Same Roof — because that was where the tension began. That was when innocence quietly died.

Now we were standing in the aftermath.

The Way He Looked at Me

He stepped closer.

Too close.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

I nodded. Too quickly.

He reached out — just slightly — and brushed a strand of hair from my shoulder.

It was such a small touch.

But my entire body reacted.

My breath caught.

His eyes dropped — slowly — then came back up to meet mine.

“We shouldn’t…” I whispered.

“I know.”

Neither of us stepped back.

The house was empty. Our parents wouldn’t be back until evening.

The silence grew thicker.

And then—

The sound of a spoon hitting the floor broke it.

I jumped.

He laughed softly, bending to pick it up. When he stood again, we were even closer.

Close enough to feel the warmth of his skin.

Close enough to know this wasn’t just curiosity anymore.

A Dangerous Question

“Did you think about it?” he asked.

My heart pounded.

“About what?”

He tilted his head slightly.

“About last night. About what almost happened.”

I tried to look away. I couldn’t.

“Yes.”

There. I said it.

His jaw tightened.

“So did I.”

The air changed instantly.

The playful tension shifted into something heavier.

Something real.

He stepped forward until my back touched the counter.

His hands rested on either side of me.

Not touching.

But trapping me.

“You know this is wrong,” I whispered.

“I know.”

“Then why aren’t you stopping?”

He leaned in slightly.

“Because neither are you.”

The First Real Moment

My pulse was out of control.

His breath brushed against my cheek.

And for one terrifying second, I thought he was going to kiss me.

Instead, he paused.

Giving me time.

An out.

But I didn’t move.

I didn’t push him away.

I didn’t say stop.

That was my answer.

His fingers finally touched my waist — slowly, cautiously — like he was waiting for me to change my mind.

I didn’t.

The contact sent a spark through me.

We were standing in the middle of the kitchen.

In broad daylight.

One step away from crossing the line for good.

And this time…

There would be no pretending it was an accident.

Interrupted

The sound of a car outside shattered the moment.

We both jumped apart instantly.

My heart dropped.

Was it our parents?

He looked out the window.

Delivery truck.

We both exhaled.

But the spell was broken.

Reality had returned.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration flickering across his face.

“This can’t keep happening,” he muttered.

I swallowed.

“Then maybe it shouldn’t.”

But neither of us sounded convinced.

A Promise We Might Break

He stepped back.

Distance now. Real distance.

“I need to go out,” he said. “Clear my head.”

I nodded.

Probably for the best.

Before leaving, he paused at the door.

And looked at me one more time.

“If we do this…” he said quietly, “there’s no going back.”

My stomach tightened.

I knew that.

He knew that.

And yet—

When the door closed behind him, all I could think about was the way his hands felt on my waist.

And the fact that next time…

I might not stop him.

End of Chapter 2

👉 Continue to Chapter 3: The Line We Finally Crossed (coming next)