REVENGE KISS: FALLING FOR MY BAD BOY STEP BROTHER

Chapter 010: Fractured Heat

~SAFFRON~

I glance back one last time as Elixir’s taillights fade down the drive, the gate swinging shut behind his car. We’d breezed through security with the code my mom texted me earlier—though Elixir seemed to know the drill, directing me right to the spot like he’d done it before. But now, standing alone on the grand porch, the main door feels like a barrier. No key. I’d stupidly assumed Jason and I would come home together.

My finger hovers over the doorbell, heart thudding. What if he doesn’t answer? What if he does, with that same ice-cold stare?

I press it anyway. The chime echoes through the mansion like a verdict waiting to be delivered.

I rub my hands over the arms of my plaid shirt, waiting in the cold night air. Just as I’m about to press it again, the door opens.

Thank God.

But then my breath catches.

Jason’s tall, broad figure fills the doorway, towering over me. It hits me how much taller he is than Elixir—even though Elixir seems bulkier… that’s not the point. The point is Jason is pinning me with a death stare. He’s still wearing the same clothes from the party, only his jacket gone.

I blink, my eyes shifting to the cursive English words inked along his veiny forearm. The second my gaze lands there, he folds his arms, hiding the inscription. I meet his eyes again before stepping inside, my arm almost brushing his side. He shuts the door behind us.

“You had fun?” he asks bluntly as I head for the stairs. His voice tight.

I inhale deeply and turn to face him. “Yeah. I did,” I say firmly.

His lip curls. “What kind of fun?” The question drips with accusation, his eyes narrowing like he’s already decided the answer.

My mouth opens in shock at the sheer audacity of his question, words forming in my mind but dying before they can escape.

“What kind of fun?” he repeats, stepping closer.

My lips twist, and I shake my head. “You’re unbelievable.” I say.

I start up the stairs, ignoring him, but he’s already moving with slow strides that close the distance in seconds.

“I wasn’t the one getting comfortable flirting with a guy I just met.”

Boom. Boom. Boom. My heart slams against my ribs.

He clenches his jaw, a tight smile forming. “Or was his joke that funny?”

My fists clench. “Go to hell.”

How dare he pour every ounce of whatever twisted history he has with Elixir onto me like this? Like I’m the one who did something wrong.

He shrugs. “I just wanna know.”

“It’s none of your f*****g business.” I keep climbing.

“Wrong!” His voice is right behind me now, his steps matching mine. “I was told to look after you—”

“Yes!” I whip around on the landing. “And not by being a complete jerk about it!”

Jason goes quiet for half a second. Then, “Elixir is a jerk. Seems to me you like it that way.” he flashes his brows.

That does it.

“You know, I actually thought we could start afresh,” I snap. “But that was the worst idea I’ve ever had in my life.”

Something shifts in his face, a flinch he tries to hide behind a strained smile. He climbs the last two steps until we’re eye-level. “Saffron,” he says quietly, “I don’t care about your stupid. fresh. start.”

My hands shoot out before I can stop them, shoving hard against his chest. He barely moves. I shove again, fists pounding wherever they can land. Everything I’ve been holding in explodes out of me.

But he catches my wrists in one strong grip. “Don’t touch me!” I yell. “Jason, let go of me”

I twist and pull, but he holds firmly without squeezing tighter. My back hits the banister. Suddenly there’s no space left between us. His heat, his scent, the rapid rise and fall of his chest—it’s everywhere. My breath comes high and shaky, and I go still, tears gathering in my eyes. Why does he have to be so annoying? I have barely stayed a week here, and he's already making it hard for me.

“Leave me alone,” I whisper, my voice breaking. Even as the words ‘I hate you’ echo loud in my mind.

I don't know how long we stayed in that position, but Jason lowers his head, and when he looks up at me again, he looks so calm, regretful of his actions, his eyes softening with a flicker of hurt. He's like a completely different person. All I see now is a guy who's carrying something heavy. My anger begins to crack… giving way to something warmer, more dangerous, as his gaze holds mine.

His eyes drift to my lips and linger there. My breathing stalls. His eyes meet mine again before he leans in, slow, like he’s fighting it and losing. It surprises me, and I know—I know in my heart that he’s about to kiss me. And the worst part? Some part of me wants him to.

Then from the hallway behind him, a sharp, brrring-brrring cuts through the silence.

The wall phone—a relic Fred insists on for emergencies in this wing of the house.

Jason lets go of me like I burned him, dragging a hand through his hair as he steps back. He's breathing hard, looking at me like he can’t believe what he almost did.

The wall phone rings again.

He bounds up the stairs fast, glancing back at me, his back tense, like he's grateful for the interruption. I hesitate on the landing, my heart still racing from... whatever that was. The lean-in. The heat that made me forget everything except wanting—God, no. I can't think about that right now. The ringing persists. What if something's wrong with my mom? Panic spikes in my chest, overriding everything else. I follow him quietly, drawn by fear more than curiosity. Who calls a wall phone this late? And why does it feel like the universe just saved us from crossing a line we can't uncross?

He snatches the receiver off the hook, his voice dropping to a calm, controlled tone. "Yeah?"

I linger in the doorway of the small alcove where the phone's mounted, arms crossed, pretending I'm not eavesdropping. But I am. Every word. My mind flipping between the almost-kiss.

"Dad." Jason's grip tightens on the phone. "Yeah, I'm still awake." He pauses, listening to whatever Fred is saying. “Um… I left my phone in my room. I was going to grab water when I heard the wall phone ring.”

Liar. But this one's very necessary.

Jason glances at me over his shoulder, his eyes unreadable, then turns away. "Yeah. Saffron’s already asleep."

I raise an eyebrow, and it occurs to me that I haven't bothered checking my phone since the party.

"Oh." He pauses, listening. "I'll tell her in the morning. What time tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? My stomach flips. What's that about tomorrow?

I take out my phone and feel relieved on seeing that my mom sent me a text, my panic easing as I read it silently, ‘We’ll be back tomorrow. Fred has an urgent gala.’ confirming nothing's wrong.

Wait, they're coming back already? The honeymoon was supposed to be longer.

Jason nods, even though his dad can't see him. "Got it. Safe flight. Night."

He hangs up, the click echoing too loud in the quiet space. He doesn't turn right away, just stares at the phone.

When he finally faces me, his expression is blank again. That soft look from before? Gone. "My dad and... your mother are both coming back tomorrow."

"Okay," I say, pretending not to care about those words as they came from his mouth. Jason watches me for a beat too long, then he turns away, heading to his room.

I’m left alone in the hallway, wondering if their return will make things even more awkward between us after what almost happened tonight.