Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 136

Chapter 136: 136-The Acceptance I Didn’t Expect

Helanie:

His lips were soft and comforting. I could have pulled away, but in that moment, I just couldn’t. I enjoyed how good they tasted— a hint of cherry with a subtle touch of honey. His lips felt like a journey to heaven. I smiled against his lips as he pressed his mouth harder on mine, deepening the kiss.

However, I didn’t participate much, which made him slowly pull back. He lingered close, his breath warm on my face, until a snapping twig interrupted his next attempt to kiss me.

I got so scared that I instinctively pulled away, breaking the cozy blanket circle and looking in the direction of the noise.

"Hey, easy! Maybe it was just a squirrel," he laughed, raising his arm to reassure me.

"Maybe we should check. What if someone saw us?" I asked, still shaken, dismissing the comfort of his warm embrace.

"For your peace of mind, I’ll check it out," he said, getting up. Before leaving, he wrapped the blanket snugly around me.

The way he took care of me felt almost unreal. I wasn’t used to such gentle gestures anymore.

After a few minutes, he returned. He must have been freezing in just his white long-sleeve shirt and black pants, which explained why he had wrapped himself in a blanket earlier.

"There’s no one around, and the guesthouse doors are closed," he uttered.

This time, I raised my arm to offer him some comfort. He had been so sweet to me, and it didn’t hurt to be nice to him in return.

He smiled widely before sitting back under the blanket with me. Our heads peeked out like two eggs from a cozy nest.

"Back when I kissed you in the office and you ran out on me, I was scared you might be disgusted with me because of the ’step-sibling’ title," he said, recalling that day. I didn’t expect him to bring up something I thought he had long forgotten.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten. But I guessed he wasn’t the type to push for answers impatiently. Instead, he waited for the right moment to bring it up.

"I was afraid someone would catch us," I lied. The truth was, it had been the haunting memory of other, unwelcome touches that came crashing down on me like a wrecking ball, making me react the way I had.

"Yeah, I figured something was up. Anyway, are you okay now?" he asked gently, as expected. He was addressing another incident that needed explaining.

"I’m fine now," I replied, quickly looking away. But because we were sharing the same blanket, I couldn’t move much and was still within his sight.