Claimed by My Stepbrother

Chapter 6

"It's not because of him," she says so quietly that I can barely hear her.

I feel my heart, which was squeezing so tight fromjealousy that I couldn't breathe, is finally able to beat again.

"It's because of my father," she continues and turns to face me. "He died on this day six years ago."

And then she presses her face to my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist, and I swear that I've never felt anything more intimate in my entire life.

Sky

What am I doing? Am I really hugging Zac Harden, locked in my room, five feet from my bed?

I press my face to his broad, muscled chest. His family name describes him so well. His body is hard as a rock, and it's so easy to melt in his firm arms.

"I'm glad that Mom went on her honeymoon," I say, barely speaking because my face is pressed to Zac's sweatshirt. "I know she has to continue living and be happy. I thought I could do that, too."

I swallow and take a deep breath.

I always thought talking to Zac would be dangerous and uncomfortable, but this time there's nowhere else in the world I'd rather be.

"But it turns out that I can't," I continue, still sobbing a little. "I can't be completely happy for her because I know that this is the day he died. It was the worst day of my life. And that's why I couldn't go on a date with Caleb. I just couldn't force myself."

I told Zac that I was going on a date with Caleb, and that was why he didn't wait to drive me back home. I texted Caleb right after I walked out of school that I did not feel well, so we'd have to cancel.

But the real reason I didn't come straight back home is that I didn't want Zac to see me crying. I went to the park not far away from school and cried there quietly until I realized that I couldn't anymore.

My dad wasn't a good husband to my mom. He was a cheater and a liar, and their marriage broke up after only three years. This was to be expected given that she got pregnant at seventeen by a man she barely knew.

But he was a good father. He called almost every day, we went for long walks or to the cinema at least twice a month. He never forgot about my birthday.

Until the day he got into a car accident, and the consequences were fatal.

I thought all of my tears were finished, but when I came back home, I immediately started crying again, so I locked myself in my room and decided not to walk out of it until I recovered.

Until Zac came into my room uninvited and, for some reason, it didn't bother me at all. For some unexplained reason, Zac Harden even makes me feel better.

"Now that I'm here, you can cry as much as you want. I'll be near," he says quietly, brushing his fingers over my hair. "I won't leave until you feel better."

He says exactly what I needed to hear to feel stronger. To realize that I can breathe again.

And it seems like I don't want to cry anymore. But I also don't want him to leave this room.

"Thankyou, Zac," I say, lifting my gaze to look into his eyes.

And then I remember that I must be red as a tomato after how many hours I've cried, so I hide my face in his sweatshirt again.

"Don't look at me. I look like shit," I say shamefully, pressing my face harder to his chest.

"Don't be ridiculous, you always look gorgeous," he responds right away, placing his hand higher, right on my forehead, and petting it gently.

Did he just say that I'm gorgeous? He’s never said that to me before. Even on our parents' wedding day, when I wore a long light blue dress, high heels, and professional makeup, he didn't say a single word about how I looked.

"Do you really think I'm gorgeous?" I ask, raising up my eyes again, looking straight into his. Oh, gosh, why did I ask that?

My breathing got heavier, and my heart rate accelerated, but it's not because I want to start crying again.

No, it's something different, something much more exciting.

Zac's palm travels from my forehead to my face, and he gently brushes his thumb over my lower lip.

"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life," he whispers, so sincerely that even me, a girl who trusts nobody, believes his every word without a doubt.

I part my lips to say something, anything...

And then he leans closer and presses his lips to mine in a soft, barely perceptible kiss.

I gasp involuntarily, and he stops for a second but does not pull away, trying to realize if I'm against this kiss.

I'm so not against it. I'm totally into it.