Page 28 of Hey, Stepbro

Brock chuckles, his eyes sparkling. "Right, right. Not a date."

We start walking, our arms brushing against each other occasionally. Heat emanates off of him, making me feel a little dizzy.

"So, have you always been interested in books?" Brock asks, breaking the silence.

Heat rises to my cheeks as I smile up at him. "Yeah, ever since I was a kid. My mom used to take me to the library all the time. It was our thing."

Brock nods, his expression softening. "That's really cool. What's your favorite book?"

I hesitate, embarrassed. "Um, it's kind of cheesy, but I loveThe Notebook."

Brock raises an eyebrow, looking surprised. "Really? I thought that was a movie."

"It's based on a book. And I love the story, you know? It's so romantic and heartbreaking at the same time."

Brock’s eyes crinkle at the corners. "Yeah, I get it. I haven't read it, but maybe we can read it together sometime."

I stop dead in my tracks. "You'd readThe Notebookwith me?"

"Is something wrong with that?"

"It's that... you don't read. You play sports."

Brock looks mildly offended. "Wow, he thinks I don't read. Unbelievable."

"You don't. Do you?"

"For your information, I checked out two books at the library yesterday," Brock retorts, his tone playful. "I'm a man of many talents. Don't underestimate me."

I laugh, a little relieved. "Maybe we do have more in common than I thought."

As we continue walking, I notice Brock glancing at me from the corner of his eye, his gaze intense. I suddenly feel self-conscious, wondering if there's something on my face or if I'm walking weirdly.

"What?" I ask, breaking the silence.

Brock shakes his head, his lips quirking up in a smile. "Nothing. You look really pretty tonight."

My heart flutters at his compliment, my cheeks flushing pink. "You look pretty handsome yourself."

Brock chuckles, the sound deep and rumbling. "I always look handsome."

"Okay, Mr. Cocky. Errrr, Jock-y. Let's focus on enjoying the night, okay?"

"Agreed," Brock says, grinning at me.

He chuckles, his hand reaching out to brush against mine. "You know, Blakely, I've been thinking about you a lot lately."

My heart skips a beat at his words, wondering where this conversation is going. "Really? What about?"

Brock stops walking and turns to face me, his hand still holding mine. "I know we're not supposed to feel this way, but I can't help it. I'm really attracted to you. And I know you feel the same way too."

My breath catches in my throat as Brock leans in closer, his face only inches away from mine. The warmth of his breath on my skin sends shivers down my spine. I know I shouldn't feel this way about my stepbrother, but I can't help it. The way he looks at me, the way he touches me, it's like nothing I've ever experienced before.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "We're just stepbrothers."

Brock's eyes darken, and I know he can see right through me. "Stepbrothers don't look at each other like we do. They don't feel the way we do when we're around each other."

I swallow hard, my heart rate increasing. "I know, but we can’t do it more than once... we shouldn't..."

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