My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 204: To Seduce You

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The silence between us had stretched long enough to feel oddly comfortable, almost like an extra blanket wrapping around us. Outside, the storm pounded against the window, but beneath the heavy blankets, our bed had turned into a cozy little world of its own, it was warm, dim, and safe.

I lay on my back, gazing at the faint shadows dancing on the ceiling, listening to Adrien’s steady breathing, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was asleep or just pretending, like I was.

Or if he knew I was pretending to be asleep.

Then, before I could really think about it, the words slipped out, soft and honest in the dark.

"You know... I wasn’t really worried you’d try to ...seduce me or anything," I whispered. "That’s not why I was acting so strange about the bed."

Adrien shifted next to me, the mattress dipping slightly as he turned on his side to face me. "Then what was it? Why were you so... terrified?"

I winced, terrified? I came off as terrified?!

Crap!

I swallowed hard, my cheeks warming even though he couldn’t see them. "I’ve just... never shared a bed with a boy before...like ever and I didn’t want to do something embarrassing like hog the covers, talk in my sleep, or accidentally kick you in the shin or whatever. I was pretty nervous."

"You haven’t shared a bed with anyone." He paused for a moment before responding with a gentle surprise in his voice. "Not even with Ethan?"

I shook my head against the pillow. "No. We kissed, held hands, cuddled on the couch during movies... but never this. Never overnight. Never in a bed... we’ve never uh, gone that far."

I hesitated before letting out the thought I’d never voiced to anyone.

"Deep down, I think I was always scared to let him get that close. There’s this annoying voice in my head that keeps telling me I’m not... enough. Like someone like me doesn’t have anything special to offer, and eventually, he’d realize that and leave. I know Ethan wouldn’t do that, he’s too good for that but logic doesn’t matter to that voice. It just won’t stop saying I’m unlovable even when I’m not that insecure anymore about myself anymore"

Although I was willing to give myself to Ethan when I realized I loved him in that cliff, that voice kept telling me that Ethan wouldn’t want me anymore after that.

My confession hung there, raw and trembling in the air. I half-expected Adrien to make a joke, to tease me back into my usual self, but he didn’t.

Instead, the mattress shifted again, and I felt his warm, careful hand find mine under the covers. His fingers intertwined with mine, just like I’d done for him earlier, and he traced slow, gentle circles over my knuckles with his thumb.

"Noah," he said softly, with a steady voice, "you are not unlovable. Not even close."

I turned to him, trying to make out his expression in the dim light.

"Sure, you have your weird moments," he continued, a hint of a smile in his tone now, "like when you yell at me or start a pillow fight. But who doesn’t? Most of the time? You’re kind in a way that a lot of people aren’t. You’re funny without trying too hard. You really listen. You care so much that it sometimes hurts you. You’re empathetic and cool, just... good. The kind of good that makes people want to be better."

My throat tightened as I stared at him, speechless, feeling his words settle into parts of me I’d kept shut for years.

He gently squeezed my hand. "And if anyone in this bed is unlovable, it’s me. Remember how awful I was to you when we first became step-siblings and before that? The pranks, the teasing, the bullying? I was a total jerk."

Without thinking, I shifted a little closer, our shoulders nearly brushing now. "You were pretty terrible," I admitted quietly, "but that’s not who you are anymore. You’re trying. You’re changing. That’s what matters most. I forgave you a long time ago."

For a long moment, we simply looked at each other or at least tried to in the near-darkness, our features soft and shadowed, breath mingling in the small space between us.

Then that familiar smirk appeared on his face, playful but edged with something deeper.

"I’m not entirely a good person, you know," he said with a low murmur. "For instance... I’m really glad my little innocent hamster is still innocent. Untouched by the golden boy or any other hopeless loser."

Wait...what did he just...?

Heat flooded my face as I tried to pull my hand away, both shocked and flustered. "Adrien—"

But he didn’t let go. His grip tightened around mine...gentle yet firm, holding me there.

"I’m not a good person," he continued, his voice dropping lower, rougher, "because I’ve got these sinful, completely selfish desires for you. Desires I’ve been keeping under wraps for months. And I do want to seduce you until you forget we’re supposed to be step-siblings. Until you let me kiss you, touch you, love you the way I’ve wanted to for way too long without holding back, without regrets."

I felt breathless. The air between us pulsed with the energy of everything we’d been skirting around for weeks.

I opened my mouth, but only a soft, stuttered "I—" came out.

His eyes searched mine in the dark, intense and completely vulnerable.

"I’m sorry for crossing any lines," he whispered, "but if you want me to stop, you have to tell me now. Because in about five seconds, I’m going to kiss you like crazy, and I might not stop after that. But if you tell me stop now, I will and we can just go back to sleep like I never even said anything at all."

His thumb brushed my lip again, waiting.

Outside, the storm raged, the cold pressing against the windows, but right there, right then...nothing mattered more than the space between our mouths and the heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Because just why did loving him feel so wrong and right at the same damn time?

Loving him was a suicide of some kind.