Forbidden Love: Step Brother, I Wont Run Away Again

Chapter 8 Do You Like Me?

Once inside the car, Evan handed Elena a shawl. "Spring can be rainy, Ms. Selles. Don't catch a cold."

Elena thanked Evan. The car's air conditioning was set low, and she indeed needed the cashmere shawl.

"I'm surprised you're willing to get into my car. I thought single women in New York wouldn't dare face me alone," Evan remarked, seemingly offhand.

He was testing her.

Elena shrugged. "Those are just rumors, sir. Everyone lives surrounded by speculation. I'm a journalist. I've heard far worse. Trust me. Time will erase everything."

"You're quite the comforter."

"Do not believe that he who seeks to comfort you lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. His life has much difficulty and sadness and remains far behind, and if it were otherwise, he would never have been able to find these words." Elena leaned back into a comfortable position.

"Rilke," Evan confirmed. Elena had quoted from Letters to a Young Poet.

He laughed softly, a genuine smile reaching his eyes. "Forgive me. I feel like I'm back in my sophomore spring. Reading, studying poetry, life was so simple then."

Evan's probing didn't stop. "However, does Harper Manor make you feel stifled, too? It's one of New York's wealthiest households. I heard Klaus Harper is a childhood friend of yours, Ms. Selles. Why would you feel lonely there?"

"Call me Elena, Mr. Adams." Elena realized Evan had done his homework on her.

She sat up straight, lowered her head slightly, and, with a rehearsed move, ensured she appeared slightly melancholic in Evan's eyes before speaking.

"Since you know Klaus and I grew up together, you must know about his girlfriend Lily's fall. If I told you I was innocent, would you believe me?"

As Elena recounted her past, she didn't shed a tear. She spoke calmly as she detailed the injustices she had suffered.

Elena was fiery and stunning. This was Evan's initial impression of her.

She was a natural flame, but now, beneath the fire, there was a hint of coldness only he could see.

This contrast was enough to captivate a man like Evan.

Elena's swan-like neck was delicate and fair.

Evan thought involuntarily that no one understood Elena better than he did.

"Call me Evan, Elena. I understand how you feel."

Meanwhile, he clasped Elena's hand.

When Evan wanted to impress someone, his efficiency was remarkable.

After returning home, Elena had just finished a cup of hot coffee to chase away the chill of the rain when Evan's butler arrived with a first edition of Rilke's poetry and a bouquet of roses.

She wondered where Evan had managed to find such a rare volume.

Holding the bouquet of Carola roses, Elena lightly walked up the stairs.

As she rounded the corner on the second floor, she was suddenly enveloped in a warm embrace from behind.

Strong, firm arms and a chest that was both hard and soft in the right places... This perfect blend of male strength and tenderness could belong to only one person Elena knew.

She let out a contented sigh in the familiar embrace.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Elena. Stop smiling at Adams. Whatever you want to find out about him, I'll help you." The voice, filled with both jealousy and concern, poured into Elena's ears from above.

Klaus knocked the bothersome bouquet to the floor.

Elena wriggled out of Klaus' arms.

"I don't need you telling me how to do my job."

"Elena, the dangers surrounding Evan are far beyond what you imagine," Klaus said, catching her off guard and grasping her shoulders with a serious tone. "Remember the suspect? Gordon's death was no accident. If you delve deeper, I fear you might end up in danger, too."

"Why didn't you stop me earlier if you knew all this?" Elena asked, her voice tinged with disappointment.

"I swear, Elena, even if you unearth the truth, Adams won't let it go published. Stop digging into him. Want a real scoop? I'll give you one. How about exposing the Hassan family's business scandal? That could also settle your score with Jennifer," Klaus proposed.

Elena wearily shook her head. "You know, Klaus, I can no longer just accept the truths others hand me. I have to investigate this myself, or else..."

Before she could finish her thought, Klaus enveloped her in a passionate kiss.

He didn't want to hear any more about Lily or the balcony from her lips, choosing instead the most primal way to silence her.

Klaus cradled Elena's face and kissed her deeply.

His tongue forcefully pushed past her teeth, stirring fiercely inside her mouth, while his hand pressed her head firmly towards him.

Closer, ever closer.

He kissed her with a wild urgency as if he didn't want to leave her any chance to breathe.

His fingers ran through Elena's blonde hair, his arms locking her tightly against him, nearly pressing her into his chest.

Klaus' legs firmly secured Elena, and his arousal was painfully obvious. Through their clothes, Elena felt his bulge, reigniting a thirst within her.

Elena's weak resistance was futile against Klaus' broad physique, like a towering mountain. Her slight resistance only added an unspoken thrill to their embrace. Elena's legs were trembling, barely able to support her.

Only when Elena gasped for air did Klaus finally let her go.

Elena touched her swollen lips, feeling the tingling that confirmed their redness.

What a mess. She hadn't even had dinner yet. How was she supposed to face Neil now?

She was about to protest Klaus' roughness, but as she lifted her gaze, the words caught in her throat. Streams of the setting sun filtered through the window, casting a warm, rare glow on Klaus' face.

The sunlight softened his features, and his brown eyes seemed to absorb the warmth, giving him an almost boyish look reminiscent of his younger days.

Back in college, after every hockey game, Elena would wait for him at Harper Manor, watching from the second floor as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Their young eyes met, with hidden affections flowing like currents beneath a frozen surface.

Whenever they managed to dodge Wilson's vigilant eyes, Klaus would sweep Elena into his arms, and they'd steal passionate kisses in the secluded corners of the hallway.

Elena, an 11th-grade girl in her naive youth, never questioned their feelings aloud.

Holding onto Klaus' jacket every day was bliss for her.

But now, she desperately wanted an answer, one that could put an end to her crush.

She scrutinized his tender expression, and suddenly, a bold suspicion took root in her mind.

"Why are you so worried about my safety? Why don't you want me to get involved with Evan Adams? Do you... like me, Klaus?"