MY STEPBROTHER AND I

KISSED

CHAPTER TWO

KISSED

SERAPHINA

The cheers still echoed faintly in my ears as I stood there, breathless and dazed. My lips tingled from the kiss I had just shared with a stranger—one I barely knew but had used to prove a point to Ian. The crowd’s shouts faded into the background, but Ian’s smirk lingered in my vision, sharp and smug.

I gripped my phone, my heart pounding as my thought trailed back to the bastard Dan, and an idea took root. I had to send him something to remind him of what he’d lost. A string of photos—proof that I wasn’t crying over him. Proof that I was moving on. I’d make him regret betraying me.

My chest heaved as I scanned the party, my gaze darting from one guy to another. Most of them were drunk, high, or too preoccupied to notice me. My fingers curled tightly around the phone. I needed the perfect picture. Something raw and wild. Something that screamed revenge.

I walked up to a guy and kissed him raw, trying to take a perfect picture but none came out right. I skipped through going for another and another, till I've got a dozen lip kisses, but every time I leaned in to kiss someone, something felt... off. Forced. The camera never captured what I wanted. The moments lacked fire—lacked emotion. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for, but I knew none of these shallow kisses were it.

Frustrated, I shoved my phone into my pocket and turned back toward the crowd. That’s when I felt it.

A hand.

Strong fingers gripped my waist and spun me around, slamming my back against the side of a car. My breath hitched as I looked up, only to find the tattooed guy from earlier staring down at me with dark, predatory eyes.

“Didn’t think you’d leave me hanging like that,” he murmured, his lips curling into a wicked grin.

“Let go of me,” I snapped, pushing at his chest, but he didn’t budge.

“Relax,” he said, his voice dripping with amusement. “You’re here to have fun, right? What’s a little fun without going all the way?”

His lips crashed down on mine, and I froze—panic surging through my veins. He wasn’t gentle. His hands roamed my body, pressing me harder against the car. I squirmed, shoving at him, but he didn’t stop. His grip tightened, and I felt my pulse spike as fear clawed up my throat.

“Stop!” I gasped, finally managing to push my face away from his.

But he didn’t stop.

He grabbed my wrists, pinning them to the car. My head spun as his mouth trailed toward my neck. My legs trembled as I fought to push him off, but he was too strong.

Then, suddenly clapping filled the air. Followed by a cheering sound.

I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

The guy stilled, his body going rigid as he turned his head toward the sound. I gasped for air, blinking as my gaze followed his.

Ian.

He stood a few feet away, his arms crossed and a cold smirk plastered on his face.

“Wow,” Ian drawled. “You really know how to make a girl feel special.”

The tattooed guy growled and released me, turning to Ian with clenched fists. “Mind your own business, pretty boy.”

Ian’s smirk didn’t waver. “Oh, but this is my business.”

Before the guy could react, Ian lunged. His fist connected with the guy’s jaw, sending him stumbling back, he grabbed the guy by his shirt and threw him to the ground, raining punches down until the guy scrambled to his feet and took off running.

I stood frozen, my chest heaving as Ian turned back to me, his eyes dark and for the first time since we met, it wasn't with mischief, it was with concern…concern for me.

“You good?” he asked, his voice sharper than usual.

I swallowed hard, nodding. But Ian didn’t look convinced.

“Annie told me,” he said suddenly.

“Told you what?” I managed to ask, but my voice shook.

“About your boyfriend and about the pictures.”

My stomach dropped.

Ian stepped closer, his gaze never leaving mine. “So what’s the plan? You gonna kiss every guy here until you get the perfect shot?”

Heat flared in my cheeks, and I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off.

“If I kiss you, will you stop this?”

His words hung in the air as my heart slammed against my ribs.

I stared at him, really looking at him for the first time since I met him.

His sharp jawline, the stubble dusting his chin, the stormy gray eyes that seemed to see through every lie I tried to tell. His dark hair fell messily over his forehead, and his lips—God, his lips—looked dangerous in the best way.

I didn’t trust him. Not even a little.

But I wanted to.

Slowly, I nodded.

Ian stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat radiating off his body. His hand slid to my waist, tugging me toward him. My pulse hammered in my ears as he reached for my phone, swiping it open and flipping the camera to face us.

“Ready?” he murmured, his voice low.

I barely managed to breathe out, “Yes.”

And then his lips crashed against mine.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t soft or sweet. It was raw, messy, and devastatingly perfect. His mouth moved with a hunger that left me gasping, and without thinking, I grabbed onto him, my fingers curling around his shirt.

The camera clicked, but he didn’t stop.

Neither did I.

He finally pulled back, his eyes being darker than before, and I knew mine probably looked the same.

“Happy now?” he asked, holding the phone out to me.

I stared at the screen, my lips swollen and hair slightly disheveled in the picture. But it was perfect.

Wordlessly, I nodded.

“Good,” he said, opening the car door. “Now get in. We’re leaving.”

I obeyed without question, sliding into the passenger seat as Ian started the engine.

As we drove away, I couldn’t stop replaying the kiss in my head. The way his hands had held me. The way his lips had claimed mine.

And the worst part?

I didn’t regret a single second of it.