Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14: 14-On A Mission

Helanie:

With my breath erratic and terror filling my eyes, I stayed motionless even after he had secured the window and saved me.

"Do you not eat at all?" His husky and seductive voice from behind me sent chills down my spine. With much hesitation, I turned and slowly raised my head, finding Emmet standing before me. His beautiful hair was tousled by the wind, but he held me close for a moment before quickly unwinding his arm from around my waist.

His hand alone was nearly the size of my small waist.

"I was trying to—" It was then that I realized I was probably trespassing in his study. A large desk sat in the center, covered in papers that had been scattered by the wind.

I recalled how the brothers were particularly possessive about their property.

"I’m sorry—I was just trying to," I stammered again, still in shock from how the wind had almost swept me away.

"Thank you," he muttered, cutting me off. I fell silent, raising my head once more.

He was watching me with his head tilted slightly. "If you hadn’t come in time, I would have lost all these papers."

He was much kinder and gentler than I expected, especially since I had heard he was the most unpredictable of the brothers. And unpredictable, as I understood, meant he could be quite dangerous when he wanted.

"Oh! Do you want me to help you with them?" I offered, gesturing toward the scattered papers, trying to avoid his intense gaze. His eyes were so deep, framed by thick lashes that could make anyone self-conscious. But the real question was, did he even blink?

I have not seen him blink once, until he did. It was one heavy blink, slow and dramatic but effective.

"Sure." Instead of asking me to leave or insisting he’d handle it himself, he casually stepped back and motioned for me to help. I knelt down, gathering the scattered papers while he took his time before joining in.

He calmly adjusted his pants and gave his coat a sharp tug before kneeling on one knee.

There were so many loose papers, unorganized and unclipped. Yet, even as he helped gather the documents, he kept watching me, his narrowed eyes fixed on my every move.

"Ahem! You might want to use that stapler," I uttered, not trying to be sarcastic but genuinely offering a suggestion as I spotted the stapler on the desk.

"Got it. What should I do next?" he replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Uh, use it?" I raised an eyebrow, not quite expecting him to respond the way he did.

He smiled.

It wasn’t a big deal, but something about his presence had led me to believe that he didn’t smile.

"Sure, anything else?" he asked, the hint of a smile still playing on his lips, causing a strange flutter in my chest. I quickly looked away. He was intimidating, to say the least.

That was it—I had to ask why he kept staring at me.

"Is there something wrong?" I finally blurted out, avoiding his gaze while bundling the papers together.

"Have we met before?"

His simple question made my entire body freeze.

*Have we met before?*