My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 211: This Little Shit Needs A Beating

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I froze and looked up to find Adrien’s green eyes half-open, watching me with a lazy warmth that made my heart flip. His lips curled into the faintest smile, one that crinkled the corners of his eyes and turned my insides to mush.

"I thought you were still asleep," I whispered, my voice barely above a murmur, mortified to be caught admiring him so openly.

"Was," he replied softly, shifting just enough to tuck me in closer, his thumb tracing lazy circles over the bare skin of my hip where my shirt had ridden up during the night. "But it’s kinda hard to stay asleep when the prettiest boy in the world is playing with my hair and blushing like he’s reliving every naughty thing we did last night."

I let out a quiet groan and buried my face against his chest again, feeling his low chuckle reverberate through me.

"You’re such an asshole," I muttered into his skin, though my tone held no real complaint—only a shy, helpless happiness I couldn’t quite hide.

"And you’re adorable when you’re embarrassed," he shot back, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of my head. Then his voice dropped, softer now, almost reverent. "But really, Noah... are you okay? After everything?"

I pulled back just enough to meet his gaze again, searching the gentleness in his eyes, and nodded without a second thought.

"More than okay," I admitted quietly, surprised at my own honesty. "I thought I’d freak out this morning. But I don’t. I just... I feel good. Here. With you...and stuff."

The smile that spread across his face was slow and radiant, like the sun rising over the horizon, and he leaned in to kiss me tenderly, stealing my breath away. "Good," he whispered against my lips.

"Because I’m not planning on letting you out of this bed anytime soon, Hamster. Not when you fit right here so perfectly."

As his arms tightened around me once more, pulling me impossibly closer in the soft morning light, I surrendered to the warmth of him—embracing the certainty that whatever boundaries we’d crossed last night had only led us somewhere better.

I could still feel the ghost of his fingers tracing patterns on my stomach, his lips leaving warmth on spots I’d never allowed anyone else to touch.

As I shifted carefully, trying not to wake him, his arm instinctively tightened around me, pulling me closer.

"We should probably get up," I whispered, though it came out more husky than I intended.

Adrien let out a low, grumpy sound, half groan and half laugh, burying his face in my hair.

"Five more minutes," he mumbled. "Best fucking sleep I’ve had in years."

That made my cheeks flush, but I couldn’t help but smile. Reality and the enticing smell of toast wafting under the door, eventually pulled us back.

"Cute," I said, "but, get your ass up before Rachel starts wondering what’s up with us."

With one last sleepy kiss on my neck that sent shivers down my spine, he let me go, and we untangled from our cozy blanket cocoon.

We dressed quickly in the chilly room, exchanging shy, secret smiles that felt fresh and a bit addictive. I slipped into yesterday’s jeans and an oversized sweater, finger-combing my hair while Adrien tugged his shirt over his head, messy strands falling into his eyes in a way that made me want to pull him back into bed.

By the time we stepped into the sitting room, I was mostly composed—though that lingering blush was still there, refusing to budge.

Rachel’s mom was in her wheelchair by the window, gazing out at the snow-covered yard with the same serene quietness as the night before. The sunlight glinted off the fresh layer of snow, making everything look bright and pristine.

Rachel was at the little kitchen counter, buttering toast and humming an old tune under her breath. The power was still out, but a camping stove on the counter was hissing cheerfully as it heated a kettle.

She turned when she heard us, her face lighting up with a warm, genuine smile.

"Good morning, you two! Sleep well? Hope the bed wasn’t too lumpy."

I opened my mouth to respond—thinking of a nice, simple "yes, fine, thank you"—but my brain decided to replay the highlight reel of last night instead: Adrien’s mouth on my collarbone, his whispered confessions, how I’d leaned into his touch like I had been waiting for it my whole life.

My face was suddenly on fire. "Um...yea–"

Before I could manage anything coherent, Adrien stepped forward with the biggest grin I’ve ever seen.

"It was fantastic, Rachel. Best night I’ve ever had," he said smoothly, leaning against the doorframe like he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.

I turned to glare at him, my eyes wide in horror. The double meaning of his words hung in the air like glitter, impossible to ignore.

He met my glare with pure, unapologetic amusement.

Rachel blinked, then chuckled, thinking it was some youthful exaggeration. "Well, I’m glad the bed was kind to you."

Yeah, sure...the bed.

"Thanks for letting us stay," Adrien added, all charm and dimples. "Really."

"Anything for Joanne’s boy and his stepbrother," Rachel said fondly, waving off the thanks. She glanced between us, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Hope it wasn’t too cold without heat. These old houses lose warmth fast."

Adrien’s grin widened, slow and wicked. "Surprisingly warm, actually. Noah was great at keeping us... warm." He turned to me, all innocent act. "Isn’t that right, Noah? Were you cold at all?"

I shot him a glare so fierce I half-expected laser beams to shoot from my eyes. The message was crystal clear: Keep your stupid fucking mouth shut before I fucking murder you with a piece of bread.

My voice came out a little higher than I wanted. "N–nope. Not...cold at all."

Rachel raised her eyebrows just slightly, her gaze darting between us like she sensed something off, maybe how I was practically vibrating with embarrassment, or the way Adrien looked like the cat who had eaten all the canaries, but thankfully, she let it slide.

"Well, good," she said cheerfully, returning to the toast. "Breakfast’ll be ready in a minute...just toast and jam, and some instant coffee once the kettle boils. The neighbor called earlier; the power company says we should have electricity back soon."

Adrien pushed off the doorframe and moved to help her set plates on the small table with a casual grace. I stayed rooted near the couch, trying to will my face back to something resembling a normal color and failing miserably.

Rachel’s mother turned her head slightly, her eyes meeting mine for a brief moment. I could have sworn the corner of her mouth twitched like even she knew exactly what kind of "warm" we’d been keeping each other last night.

Oh shit, for a moment I thanked god she was mute.

Wait...what?

I’m a terrible person.

I was never going to live this down.