Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26: 26-Knowing My Stepbrother

Helanie:

Now, we stood in front of his car, wearing rubber gloves. He handed me a cloth and began pouring soap into the bucket.

I watched him do that for a few seconds before he straightened up and glanced down at his damp shirt and jacket.

"What are you doing?" I nearly choked as he shamelessly pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, his abs now fully on display.

"What? Am I supposed to keep my body trapped in there?" He shook his head slightly, a silent way of calling me ’silly,’ before reaching for the sponge in the bucket.

"Okay, but stay away from me," I muttered under my breath, hoping he wouldn’t hear.

He started scrubbing the car with an intense focus, making his muscles flex even more. I hated how often my eyes drifted in his direction. But soon enough, we were both too busy with the task at hand to pay attention to ourselves.

I dipped my sponge into the soapy water again, feeling the cool liquid seep through my fingers. I glanced at him, just for a second. He was busy hosing down the tires, his back turned to me, muscles shifting under his wet t-shirt. His shoulders seemed broader than I remembered, and I quickly looked away before he could notice me staring.

Why was I even paying attention to that? A quick flash of last night came rushing back to me. My gaze drifted to his hand now—he was gripping the hose tightly, which made me swallow hard. The memory of his hand on my chest stirred something in me, and I bit my lip, shaking my head and silently cursing myself for letting my mind wander there. He really loves grasping things hard, not realizing how firm and big his hands are.

"We’re barely getting anywhere," he said, turning to me with a grin that made my heart stutter—just a little. His eyes, always a little too keen for my comfort, flickered over me before he nodded toward the bucket. "You’re hogging all the soap."

"Sorry, I’m just trying to be careful. I don’t want to mess up your car." It was the only excuse I could come up with.

His head tilted, his wet hair making me wonder why he was drenched in water.

"The only fragile one here is you, Helanie. Don’t be ridiculous," he said, his casual tone snapping me back to reality.

I didn’t want to be the kind of person who ogled her stepbrother. He had literally just told me he saw me as his stepsister, as family. It felt strange. I had never been that way before. That thought made me instinctively reach for my pendant, and sure enough, I was wearing it. Of course, it wasn’t me creating any pheromones, and he wasn’t releasing any either. He didn’t have that curse, so why was I so focused on him?

Before I could respond, he turned the hose on me, sending a quick blast of cold water that hit me square in the chest. I gasped, my hands flying up instinctively as the droplets soaked through my dress, making the fabric cling to my shirt underneath.

"Earth to Helanie," he teased.

"What was that for?" I asked shyly, trying to peel my dress away from my body. My cheeks burned as I noticed his eyes flicker toward my chest for a split second before he quickly looked away and resumed hosing down the car.

"That was to wake you up," he remarked, but this time, he didn’t turn back to look at me. I was sure I was showing more than I intended, and he was being careful not to stare.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" The question slipped out before I could stop myself. He turned to me, his striking blue eyes meeting mine, looking more intense than ever.

"And yet you guys pray to her all the time?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. I could never forgive the Moon Goddess for what she had done to me, cursing me with these pheromones and subjecting me to that night of torture. Yet, they still prayed to her? _{freeweɓnovēl.coɱ}