The Stepbrother’s Hidden Desires

Annabel got Logan’s phone number and address from Liam. Liam teased her about it, “What’s up, missing Logan? When you two were together every day, you were always finding fault with him, and now that you’re apart, you’re thinking about him again. Isn’t having a brother around nice?”

Annabel couldn’t reveal the real reason, but sometimes she did wonder how Logan was doing overseas. However, she wouldn’t admit it in front of Liam. “Even if he went to Mars, I wouldn’t miss him.”

She lived with Logan in the same house for three years. He wasn’t that bad, but all his good qualities couldn’t outweigh the fact that he was Brenna’s son.

On the 8th night, David returned to school. Just as he stepped into the dormitory, Annabel walked in with a hot meal within five minutes.

The dormitory door was unlocked, David’s jacket hung on the chair, his suitcase was beside the bed, and the sound of running water came from the bathroom. She knew David had already returned.

She purposely didn’t make a sound, intending to startle him when he came out.

After a few minutes, the sound of water from the bathroom stopped. “Perez, help me grab my clothes. I forgot them just now. They’re on my bed.”

Annabel’s heart skipped a beat. She picked up the clothes on the bed and walked towards the bathroom, knocking on the door.

The door opened halfway, and David stood with his back to her, reaching out his arm, revealing a partially exposed shoulder with well-defined muscular lines. “Nice shape,” she thought, boldly pushing the bathroom door open a bit more, now able to vaguely see his sturdy and slender thighs.

David wiped his face with a towel, shouting, “Where’s my clothes?”

With a mischievous thought, she handed him a T-shirt first. He took it, feeling something was off. When he turned his head and saw Annabel standing at the door, he froze. She was looking at him with interest, giving him a once-over. With a smirk, she said, “Nice body.”

David’s face turned red instantly, and he quickly closed the door, fuming inside, “Annabel!”

Annabel swore to heaven that she didn’t have any impure intentions; she just wanted to see if David’s physique was as she imagined. Indeed, he had a good body. She was quite satisfied.

Annabel’s shadow reflected on the glass door as she leaned against it, ready to peek inside. Although he knew she couldn’t see anything, David’s face was still burning with embarrassment. Angrily, he shouted from inside, “Stop looking and go back to your dorm!”

Annabel teased from outside the door, “Don’t you need your underwear?”

David felt like banging his head against the wall.

The bathroom door opened a crack, just enough for David to reach out his hand. Annabel knew he was furious, so she deliberately touched his hand before handing over the rest of his clothes.

David, now infuriated, slammed the bathroom door shut. He had been worried about her getting drunk and taken advantage of outside, but now it seemed she was just a female hooligan. He had been worrying for nothing.

After showering and coming out of the bathroom, David found Annabel sitting at his desk, chin propped on her hand, scribbling on a notebook full of his name.

“Hey,” he said, trying to sound serious but blushing profusely. “What are you doing here in the guys’ dorm? Go back!”

Annabel turned her head, looking at him mischievously. “Done showering?”

Her words were clearly a reminder of what had just happened. David frowned, “Do you even know what embarrassment means, as a girl?”

David had a towel around his neck, his hair still wet, droplets trickling down his slightly flushed neck onto his firm, flat body. Annabel couldn’t help but have some wild thoughts. She hadn’t realized he was so thin; he even had abs and a V-line. His strong and sturdy chest must be comforting to lean on.

Seeing that Annabel wasn’t paying attention to his words, just staring at his upper body, David felt the heat rise in him again. “Annabel!”

She looked up innocently, smiling. David felt shy but tried to maintain a serious demeanor. Annabel just loved it. Smiling mischievously, she asked, “What did you say?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Through gritted teeth, David said, “Have you seen enough?”

With a wicked grin, she replied, “What if I haven’t? Will you strip for me?”

David felt like he was going to lose it. How did he not know she was such a lecher?

Seeing David’s expression getting worse, Annabel quickly changed her tune, tilting her head and grabbing his clothes playfully, “I was just kidding, don’t be mad.”

David shot her a glare full of resentment. She cheerfully took out several takeout boxes from the eco-bag beside her and laid them out one by one, offering a variety of dishes. “Are you hungry? Hurry up and eat, or it’ll get cold.”

She moved a chair next to him, saying, “How’s my service? Is it satisfactory?”

“I’m not hungry. I’ve already made plans to eat out with my classmates.”

Annabel’s smile froze for a moment, then she leaned closer, pouting, “But I’m hungry too. Can’t you take me along?”

“No.”

“I’m really hungry.”

“Then eat these.”

“I don’t like that.”

David reminded himself not to be soft-hearted. Liam was right; since they couldn’t be together, he should put an end to her fantasies as soon as possible. “Then don’t eat. Go back to your own dorm!”

He grabbed his jacket hanging on the chair and walked out, not looking back. When he glanced back and saw Annabel still standing there looking upset, he said, “Aren’t you leaving?”

She cheerfully followed him. He had just showered, and there was still a faint scent of shower gel on him, which smelled really good.

David walked quickly, intentionally trying to shake her off, but Annabel stuck close. He could sense that David was a bit unhappy. “Why are you so angry? I won’t watch you shower anymore.”

Since they were all familiar faces in the hallway, when she said that, others made teasing remarks like, “David, your girlfriend is very pretty. Aren’t you going to introduce her?”

Annabel felt a warm glow hearing that and played along, pretending to be shy.

David explained, “She’s not my girlfriend, just a fellow student from my hometown.”

One chubby guy joked, “Even after seeing you shower, you still deny it. With such a pretty girlfriend, why are you embarrassed?”

David couldn’t explain further. He glared at Annabel, who even said to the guy, “He’s just thin-skinned.”

He snapped, “Annabel, can you please shut up?”

Just as they reached downstairs, they bumped into Perez. “I was just about to call you, and here you are.”

Turning to Annabel, who was standing nearby, Perez said, “We’re about to go eat. Have you eaten? If not, come along.”

Before David could respond, Annabel quickly chimed in, “Nope, I’m starving. Please let me join you.”

David rolled his eyes in resignation. She was like a stubborn plaster; he couldn’t peel her off.

The restaurant was not far from the school, in a secluded private room where seven or eight guys were seated, a mix of male and female. The table was already filled with dishes, waiting for them to arrive.

“And who might this be?”

Annabel smiled at David, and Perez, being quick-witted, chuckled, “Annabel, a freshman. Oh, and did I mention she…” He intentionally paused for a moment, sparking everyone’s curiosity. “Used to be David’s student.”

Annabel greeted everyone with a smile, “Hi, everyone.”

There was a flurry of questions from everyone, and Perez introduced Annabel to them one by one, as if she were his friend. However, David didn’t pay much attention to her; instead, he seemed quite interested in the slim girl sitting beside him. Luckily, Annabel was outgoing, and after a while, she got along well with everyone.

The girl next to David kept her gaze on Annabel for a while. When Annabel turned towards her, she introduced herself generously, “I’m Sara, also from Eastdown, and I graduated from Shining High School, but several years ahead of you.”

Seeing that she knew so much about her and that they seemed familiar with each other, Annabel deduced that she and David must have known each other for a long time. Annabel politely replied, “I’m new here. I’ll need your help in the future.”

Sara turned to David and remarked, “Your student is really well-behaved.”

David glanced at Annabel from the corner of his eye. She had bright eyes and an innocent smile, looking sincere and obedient. This little rascal really seemed the part when she pretended. David restrained himself from exposing her.

During the meal, there were lively conversations, occasionally interrupted by Sara’s coughing. David took care of her all evening, reminding her not to eat certain fish or chili peppers, and kept pouring water for her, as if she were his girlfriend.

Annabel felt quite disappointed, but she couldn’t understand why David suddenly became so distant towards her.

After the meal, everyone dispersed, leaving only the three of them.

“I’ll take Sara to the pharmacy to get some medicine. You can go back first,” David said.

“I’m scared to go back alone. I want to walk with you guys,” Annabel replied.

The school gate wasn’t far from here, and it was still early. The street was bustling, so who was she afraid of?

Sara forced a smile, “Then let’s walk together.”