The Look On His Face
1344 Words
YULIA
My breath caught somewhere in my throat. The room suddenly felt too small. I should’ve told him to stop. I should’ve reminded him that this was wrong. That our parents were married. That we were living under the same roof now. That he was my stepbrother.
Instead, I sat there staring at him while my heart betrayed me completely.
Because the truth was… I didn’t want him to stop.
Kendrick’s gaze dropped to my lips again, slower this time, like he was giving me one last chance to pull away. I didn’t. And somehow, that seemed to affect him too.
He leaned closer. Close enough…
My pulse pounded so loudly I was convinced he could hear it. “Kendrick…” I whispered weakly.
His forehead rested lightly against mine. “Should I stop?”
My breath completely fell apart. “No.”
He leaned in and kissed my lips. The second his lips touched mine, every rational thought disappeared.
I'd been craving this since the first time I arrived at his house.
He kissed me harder, deeper, his hand sliding from my face to the back of my neck, gripping gently.
I pulled him in, as close as I could, like I wasn't getting enough of him, feeling the softness of his lips.
“f**k,” Kendrick growled against my lips, his British accent thicker now. “You taste so addictive.”
My entire body melted at the sound of his voice. The feel of him and the realization that Kendrick Fernsby was kissing me like he’d wanted this for a long time completely unraveled me.
And honestly? Maybe I had wanted this too, more than I should have.
His hand tightened at the back of my neck while the other rested firmly against my waist, pulling me closer until there was barely any space left between us.
The kiss deepened slowly, dangerously, like he was testing boundaries we both knew we shouldn’t cross. I kissed him back just as desperately. My fingers curled tightly around his shirt, pulling him closer because somehow it still didn’t feel close enough.
God. This man could kiss.
Kendrick sucked softly on my bottom lip before finally pulling back just enough for us to breathe. His forehead rested against mine while both of us struggled to steady our breathing.
“Now,” he muttered roughly, “I won’t be able to stay away from you.”
The way his hands tightened around my waist told me there was no going back now.
“You gonna let me go so I can get changed?” he asked, glancing down at the way I was still gripping his clothes. Then his eyes lifted back to mine, amused.
Heat flooded my face instantly. I laughed nervously. “Yeah… sorry.”
I slowly released him. Before stepping away, Kendrick leaned down and kissed my lips one more time. Soft this time.
“I’ll be back in a second,” he murmured.
I nodded helplessly while watching him leave my room.
“Whoa…” I exhaled shakily and dropped dramatically onto the couch, pressing both hands against my burning cheeks.
What the hell just happened?
I smiled, replaying every second of that kiss in my head. The way he touched me. The way he looked at me. The way my entire brain completely stopped functioning.
Best kiss ever!
My phone suddenly rang loudly beside me, making me jump. I grabbed it quickly and saw my father’s contact across the screen.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Baby girl!” his cheerful voice came through instantly. “How’s my favorite daughter?”
I snorted softly. “You say that like you have options.”
He laughed loudly. “Fair point.”
“Oh, so you remember you have a daughter?” I teased dramatically. “Or has marriage completely erased me from your memory already?”
“That’s unfair,” he argued without sounding guilty at all.
“You’re in la-la land.”
“I won’t deny that,” he admitted shamelessly. “Your stepmother is very distracting.”
I grimaced, hearing that. “Okay… that’s enough information.”
His laughter echoed through the phone again.
Parents in love were embarrassing.
“So,” he continued, “how’s everything there?”
I swallowed hard. Because if only he knew what had happened less than five minutes ago…
“I’m okay,” I answered carefully.
“And Kendrick?” Dad asked casually. “How’s he treating you?”
Right on cue, the door opened again. And there he was—freshly changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and a white shirt. And somehow even more attractive than before.
I ogled him way too long. Kendrick noticed that a smirk slowly appeared on his face before he tipped his head lightly toward my phone.
Focus. Right. Dad was still talking. “Yulia? Did you hear me?”
“Huh?” I blinked rapidly. “Sorry—no.”
Kendrick looked entirely too amused by my suffering.
“I said,” Dad repeated patiently, “Kendrick spoke to Daphne earlier and mentioned you two went out together.”
I glanced at Kendrick suspiciously while he casually leaned against the wall, watching me.
“Yeah,” I answered slowly.
“That’s good,” Dad continued happily. “I’m glad you two are bonding.”
If only he knew. I nearly choked on air. Meanwhile, Kendrick dared to look entertained.
I glared at him right away. His smile broadened.
Evil man.
Dad continued talking while I tried very hard not to think about the fact that Kendrick had kissed me senseless minutes ago.
“Well, I’ll let you go. Enjoy your break while it lasts,” he laughed. “We’ll be back before you know it.”
I rolled my eyes fondly. “Have fun on your honeymoon.”
“Oh, trust me—”
“Okay, bye!” I interrupted quickly before hanging up.
Still smiling faintly, Kendrick walked closer until he stood directly in front of me again.
His hand reached for mine slowly, and he pressed a soft kiss against the back of my hand. The gesture felt ridiculously intimate.
His gaze shifted upward afterward. “You took off the glasses.”
I blinked once. “Oh. Yeah.”
“I f**k with them,” he said casually, nodding toward the glasses sitting beside me.
I chuckled. “Yeah… I figured.”
Silence settled briefly between us again. Different now, because we had crossed a line, and both of us knew it.
“So…” I started carefully. “What now?”
Kendrick looked at me for a second before answering honestly. “I’m on whatever you’re on.”
I frowned slightly. “Meaning?”
His eyes held mine steadily. “I’m going with the flow.”
That answer somehow made my heart race even faster. It sounded real. No games. No pretending. Just whatever this thing between us was becoming. Complicated. Addicting.
Kendrick sat beside me afterward, asking about my day and my meeting with Adeline.
I told him bits and pieces, carefully avoiding the parts where my best friend practically diagnosed me with feelings for him.
I instantly remembered something. “Oh, Sophie invited me out on Wednesday night.”
“I know.”
I blinked. “You know?”
“Damon mentioned it.”
“Oh.”
“You going?”
“Yeah. I invited Adeline, too.”
“No problem.”
I smiled slightly, oddly relieved he didn’t mind.
We heard a knock on the door, and we looked toward the doorway. Tessa stood there carefully.
“Mr. Fernsby?”
“Yes?”
“There’s someone here to see you.”
He frowned slightly. “Who?”
Tessa hesitated briefly. “Natalie is here.”
I looked toward Kendrick. His jaw tightened.
And for the first time all evening, he looked uncomfortable.
“Who’s Natalie to you?”
Kendrick looked at me for a second too long, deciding how much truth to give me.
And just like that, my stomach sank.
- Writer
