The stranger is my stepbrother.

DELANCEY

I didn’t get the chance to swing.

He caught me before I could move my arm—only three fingers wrapped around my wrist and I froze.

“Easy,” his voice was husky, eyes narrowed at me. “This is more expensive than the lingerie you have on.”

My throat burned. I wasn’t conscious of what I was wearing until he mentioned it. Glancing over my body, I realized I’d been put into lace lingerie.

I felt seen. Naked. Exposed. Stripped bare under his stare.

My stomach twisted. Mum.

I flinched, moving backward in retreat. Embarrassment crept up my neck as I felt the heat that surged through my veins.

He didn’t say anything else. Rather, he stepped forward, taking the bottle I’d nearly smashed against his head.

“Do you go around hitting strangers with wine bottles around 7 am in the morning?”

He asked, his voice stripped of emotion which somehow made it worse. His fingers slid slowly over the bottle—deliberately, before he dropped it to the floor.

My shoulders squared, my upper lips curled into a sneer.

“No. I usually wait until after breakfast.”

He huffed, stepping out of the shower. I stared at him, my eyes raked over him before my mind could catch up.

“Funny,” he said, but without a single muscle in his face moving.

“What are you doing here?” I probed, ignoring the fact that we were covered in inappropriate fabric. “And who are you?”

“I should be asking you that,” he growled, pushing me aside and walking into the room like he owned every space there.

I followed him briskly. My eyes stared at him, trying to think of who he could be. He had tattoos all over his back, spilling down to his waistline.

He walked into the room, headed straight for the wardrobe, and began searching through the clothes.

I took my time to observe him—his body. Even when I knew I wasn’t supposed to do that.

His towel hung low—too low that I could see his V-line. My gaze betrayed me, slipping where it had no business being.

My eyes dipped before I could stop them. Too low, too curious—and heat crawled up my spine.

“What are you looking at?”

I didn’t realize he’d caught me staring. I jerked, visibly shaking at the sound of his voice. His forehead wrinkled, eyebrows raised inquisitively.

“N-Nothing.”

“Are you checking me out?”

The accusation landed harder than the bottle ever could have.

I gasped. What?

“Excuse me?”

“You’re not excused,” his voice cracked harshly as he turned all attention to me. “First, you came into my room, then tried to attack me with a bottle of my very expensive wine. And now? You’re trying to undress me with your eyes?”

My breath hitched. I scoffed, chuckling nervously at how serious he sounded.

“Really?” I shot back. “You’re the one who tried to attack me. What were you doing in the bathroom when a lady was sleeping on the bed of the very same room?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you shut the fuck up and explain,” he said quietly, “why you woke up in my room.”

His room? I didn’t even know it was his room. I was barely conscious last night and had no idea how I’d gotten there.

“I don’t know,” my voice was lower now. “I had no idea this was your—‘

“—Get out.”

My eyes widened, brows furrowed. “W-what?”

“You heard me right,” he walked towards the door, twisting the knob open as his fingers pointed out. “Get out of my room right now.”

*

“You need to stop acting bratty, Del.”

Mum said to me over breakfast, already making me lose my appetite. I reclined over the soft leather chair, slamming my fork back into my plate.

I fought hard to seal my lips, my eyes staring between her and her fiancé, Viktor.

“Really?” I scoffed. “You’re the one messing with another man yet I’m bratty?”

“Stop,” she made an attempt to raise her hands but Viktor caught it instead.

I snickered. Why was he acting like he was someone good?

“Use your words, honey. Not your hands.”

Mum kept her eyes on me, hands slowly returning back to her plate. For me, breakfast was over.

“You almost killed someone, Delancey. What if we hadn’t gotten there on time?”

“At least he didn’t die,” I smiled mischievously, leaning my elbows forward on the table. “That's pretty bad news by the way because I wanted him dead.”

She exhaled sharply. “Sometimes, you act like a psychopath.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Never said I wasn’t one.”

“Since you want to be a pain in my ass,” she continued, taking a little bite from her scones. “I’m sending you to rehab.”

“Rehab?” My jaw dropped. “You can’t do that, Mum. Rehab is for crazy people.”

“And you’re one of them,” Viktor added, his voice cracking. “You’re drinking, spending nights out in the club. I’m sure you smoke and might be doing drugs while making out with different boys.”

Seriously? He had the nerve to say all that to me? He didn’t even know me!

And why wasn’t Mum saying anything? Why was she accepting his behavior towards me?

He didn’t have to try hard to make me hate him, because I already did before I laid eyes on him.

“Don’t you dare say those words to me ever again,” I spat, grabbing my glass of water.

Without warning, I emptied everything in the glass on him, ignoring the gasps that fled mum’s lips.

She screeched. “Delancey!”

“What?” I retorted, already pulling my chair backward as it scraped the ground. “You heard him call me those words yet said nothing.”

Viktor remained silent, with Mum trying to wipe off the stain on his shirt. I got up angrily, not sparing them another glance.

“I’ve had enough of your attitude, Delancey, one more wrong behavior and I’m throwing you into rehab. Or better still send you back to your grandparents in Italy.”

Italy? I’d rather die than go back there.

As scared as I felt hearing her say those words, I refused to become vulnerable.

I walked away from the dining, and into the kitchen where I wanted to prepare something else for myself.

Since my mother was getting married into a family as rich as this, why didn’t I just seize the opportunity?

He was in there again—the same guy that threw me out of his room. I wasn’t sure but, he had to be Viktor’s relative.

Maybe his brother or something.

“Excuse me? You’re obstructing me.”

His hard wall of muscle was in the way, blocking me after a few feet from the entrance.

He didn’t acknowledge me, didn’t even say anything about what I’d told him. That annoying guy remained in that spot, sorting through the cabinets.

“Hello?” My voice grew stronger, annoyed. “Am I talking to a deaf person? Or are you purposely trying to annoy me?”

That was when he turned to look at me. And God! I didn’t expect such intense eye contact. Neither was I expecting his eyes to be the perfect color of hazel.

“If you’re going to have an attitude with your mum and my dad, then you’d better watch it with me.”

His dad? I blinked my eyes. He looked older than Viktor in my view. I squinted, allowing my gaze to rake through his figure.

“W-what? Viktor is…? Wait, you’re— ?”

I grew confused.

“—your stepbrother,” he said flatly withiyt a smile. “Kaius Andrei Gavrilov.”

I wasn’t pronouncing all that. I wasn’t even interested in his stupid name. Russian. He was Russian, and I could tell from his accent.

“Yeah, right,” I snickered. “Being an asshole must run in the family.”

He arched his brows at me, leaning his head forward curiously.

“What did you say?”

“Did I stutter?” I curled my lips into a snarl. “You heard me right. You and your dad—you’re both—‘

He grabbed me before I could complete my words, completely sweeping me off my feet. I was off the ground before I knew it, already sitting on the counter.

Kaius. He’d carried me without my approval. His hands spread my legs apart, fixing his intense gaze as he took a position in between my legs.

“—one more word or nasty behavior from you, and I’ll show you how girls like you are treated.”

I blinked my eyes, my mouth opened, but without any words slipping out.

I hated the way my body reacted—betraying me when my mind was screaming to fight him.

His grip tightened on my thighs—not enough to hurt, just enough to remind me he could.

“You should be grateful,” he said quietly, his mouth close to my ear, his breath warm against my skin. “Most girls don’t get warnings.”

My heart hammered in my chest at how reprimanding he sounded. If he was going to be my stepbrother, he’d be stricter than my Mum.

And I didn’t want it. Wouldn’t allow it.

Not Delancey. He’d got the wrong girl.

“Don’t threaten me,” I threw back, furrowing my brows. “I’m not your little sister. And I’m certainly not going to let you—‘

He stepped closer—close enough that my breath hitched and I couldn’t tell where my space ended and his began.

Wait, was he already reacting to this?

Oh my goodness.

That felt good. So good, yet so wrong.

“Lacey,” he said softly.

“It’s Delancey.”

His lips curved—not into a smile, but something far worse.

“I’ll call you whatever I want,” he whispered. “And if you keep behaving like this…”

His fingers lifted my chin, forcing my eyes to his.

“You’ll earn your next lesson.”

Then he stepped back. Like nothing had just happened.