My Toxic Stepbrother

The First Touch.

**Riley**

The sun hadn’t even cleared the treeline when I stepped into the home gym. I needed to move. My head was a mess of grey eyes and whispered threats, and the only way to quiet it was to make my muscles burn. The gym was a glass-walled box filled with machines that cost more than my last car. I headed straight for the free weights, picking up a pair of fifteen-pound dumbbells.

I started with overhead presses. *One. Two.* I focused on the pull in my shoulders. *Three. Four.* I tried to ignore the way the house felt like it was breathing around me. Ever since the fight on the rooftop, the air felt charged. Every time I turned a corner, I expected to see Kai’s tall, tattooed frame blocking my way.

I was halfway through my second set when the heavy glass door hissed open. I didn't have to look to know who it was. The air in the room shifted, growing heavier and smelling of that familiar, expensive sandalwood.

I kept my gaze fixed on the mirrored wall in front of me. Kai walked in wearing nothing but a pair of grey low-slung sweatpants. His chest was a map of dark ink, his muscles moving fluidly under his skin. He didn't go for the treadmill or the bench. He walked straight toward me and leaned against the rack of weights, watching me work.

"Your form is off," he drawled.

"I didn't ask for a trainer," I snapped, pushing the weights up for my tenth rep. My arms were starting to shake, but I refused to drop them.

"You're going to hurt your back." He stepped closer, entering my personal space without an ounce of hesitation. "Stop being stubborn for five seconds and listen."

"I'm fine, Kai. Go lift something heavy and leave me alone."

I started another rep, but my left arm wavered. Before I could bring the weight down, I felt a sudden, searing heat. Kai stepped up behind me, his chest pressing lightly against my back. He reached up, his large, calloused hands wrapping around my wrists to steady the dumbbells.

My breath hitched. His skin was hot—uncomfortably hot—and the contrast against my cool skin made my pulse jump.

"Elbows in," he whispered, his voice vibrating against the back of my neck.

He didn't let go. Instead, he guided my arms through the motion. His hands were firm, his fingers splaying over my wrists. I could feel the ridges of his tattoos and the strength in his grip. As we lowered the weights together, he didn't pull away. His hands slid down my arms, his palms grazing my biceps before settling firmly on my waist.

He squeezed once, his thumbs digging into the soft dip of my hips. The touch was possessive, a silent claim that made my stomach flip.

"There," he murmured. "Better."

I dropped the weights onto the padded floor with a loud *thud* and spun around, my chest heaving. "Don't touch me!"

Kai didn't back up. He stood his ground, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his face. He looked down at me, his eyes dark and hungry. "You’re shaking, Riley. Is it the workout, or is it me?"

"It’s the fact that you don't know what personal space is," I spat, trying to ignore the way my body was betraying me. My skin felt electric where he’d touched me, and a dull ache was blooming deep in my belly. "Stay on your side of the house, Kai. I mean it."

I grabbed my towel and bolted for the door. I didn't look back, but I could feel his gaze burning into the back of my head.

I hurried down the long, silent hallway toward my room, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm. I just needed to get behind a locked door. I was halfway there when a hand shot out from a recessed doorway, grabbing my upper arm and swinging me around.

I gasped as I hit the wall. It wasn't a hard impact, but it was enough to startle the breath out of me. Kai was there again, his arms caging me in, his hands planted on the wall on either side of my head. He was still shirtless, his skin glistening with a light sheen of sweat.

"We aren't done talking," he said, his voice dropping to a husky, dangerous register.

"We have nothing to talk about," I whispered, my back pressed flat against the floral wallpaper. "Let me go."

"You keep saying that," he said, leaning in until our noses almost touched. "But your heart is beating so fast I can see it in your throat. You’re terrified, Riley. But you’re not terrified of me."

"I hate you," I said, the words feeling weak and hollow.

"No, you don't." He shifted closer, his thigh sliding between mine. The contact was bold and intimate, and I let out a soft, broken sound. He leaned down, his lips hovering just a fraction of an inch from mine. "You feel that too, don’t you? That pull? It’s driving you crazy."

I looked at his lips, then back to his dark, swirling eyes. The tension was a living thing, a cord stretched so tight it was about to snap. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to push him away. But more than anything, I wanted to know what those lips felt like.

"There's nothing," I lied, my voice trembling. "Nothing at all."

Kai’s smirk turned into something more predatory. He leaned in even closer, his breath hitching as his gaze dropped to my mouth. For a second, the world went silent. I held my breath, waiting for the collision, my body leaning into him of its own accord.

Then, the sound of a door opening down the hall broke the spell.

"Riley? Kai? Is that you?" My mother’s voice carried through the air, light and unsuspecting.

The spell shattered. I ducked under Kai’s arm and ran. I didn't look back, didn't stop, and didn't breathe until I was inside my room with the lock clicked firmly into place.

I sank to the floor, my back against the wood. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I reached up and touched my own lips, the skin there feeling tingly and swollen as if he’d actually kissed me.

I was terrified. Not of Kai, but of the fact that I had wanted him to close that gap. I wanted the monster to ruin me, and that realization was the most dangerous thing in this house.