(Sierra's POV)
The campus felt unusually quiet as I headed toward the art building. Something in the air made me uneasy-my instincts never failed me. Angel had stayed behind to work on her sketches, leaving me alone. I should've felt relief, but instead, a strange tension prickled at the back of my neck. I rounded the corner near the old storage wing, and that's when I saw them—Luciana and her three girls, Sasa, Rosa, and Kesi—hovering around a stack of crates. Their smiles were sharp, the kind that made my stomach twist. I immediately froze, sensing the trap.
I tried to turn around, but my shoes scuffed against the gravel and caught Luciana's attention. A smirk twisted her lips. "Well, well… if it isn't little Sierra, our gold digger princess all alone."
"What're u doing here princess, I thought u're seducing ur hot stepbrothers." They laughed saying these. I felt so humiliated, but I can't do anything….. My heart sank, and I wasn't alone anymore-not in my mind-but in reality, yes. Alone, vulnerable, but that's none of her business. Before I could react, I felt a sudden shove toward the crates. I stumbled backward, flailing my arms around me. The sharp edge of one crate scraped my hand, and panic shot through me.
(Stefano's POV)
I'd been walking toward the library when I sensed it-something off. My instincts screamed before my eyes even focused. And there she was-Sierra, caught in Luciana's trap. My blood burned. In a flash, I was sprinting across the courtyard, my chest heaving with fury and adrenaline. "Move! Otherwise today I'll forget u're a woman Luci." I yelled, pushing through the girls. I had my hands on Luciana's shoulders, shoving her aside. She hissed but I didn't care. Sierra's eyes widened as I reached her. "Stefano…" she whispered, the mix of relief and surprise in her gaze. But then Luciana said something unexpected, "Baby u still call me Luci, ur Luci." I froze there, Kitten can't know about me and Luci. I grasped Sierra's wrist, pulling her back from the crates, my grip firm, almost too firm. "You can't just wander off alone!" I growled, my chest tight with frustration.
(Sierra's POV)
He gripped my wrist like I was a lifeline-and maybe I was. His eyes blazed, dark and furious. My mind still on the part where Luciana said, "Baby u still call me Luci, ur Luci." Why she called him Baby? And why he called her Luci? Why he let her call Baby? It seemed like they are used to call each other this things. My mind for furious. I don't know why I am so so angry but I'm furious at this jerk right now. I yanked my arm free. "I'm not a child, Stefano! I can handle myself!" I snapped, my voice stronger than I felt. His jaw clenched. "Not from her! Not from anyone who wants to mess with you!" I stepped back, matching his glare, my pulse pounding. My chest rose and fell rapidly. "I don't need your protection!" The air between us crackled. Our faces were inches apart. Breath against breath. My body shook-not from fear, but from the intensity of him-from the heat radiating off him-from the anger that mirrored my own.
(Stefano's POV)
I let out a frustrated growl, grabbing her arm again—not harshly, but possessively. "Stop arguing with me, Sierra. You can't act like nothing's happening!" She shoved me away, hard, and my chest jerked back, startled by the strength in her and the fire in her eyes. "I'm not… your possession, Stefano!" she spat, her green eyes glimmering and challenging me.
I blinked, taken aback by her defiance—and then the tension snapped. Everything—the anger, the jealousy, the frustration, the unspoken desire—exploded. And before I could think, I closed the distance between us, my lips colliding with hers in an urgent, messy, desperate kiss. Her breath hitched, and for a moment, I thought the world had shrunk to the two of us. She pushed against me at first, and I felt her hesitation, her independence screaming at me-but the need, the hunger, the overwhelming pull kept us locked.
Her lips were soft, stubborn, so tasty, a little trembling under mine, but I didn't relent. I kissed her again, deeper this time, hungry but not violent, long enough that the air between us burned and crackled. I wanted to kiss her like this all day long, she taste so good. I slipped my tongue in her mouth, Fuck! She taste so fucking good.
(Sierra's POV)
My knees almost buckled. I was angry, scared, and yet-every nerve in my body was alive. I couldn't understand why this felt right, why it felt inevitable. His hands were on my arms, holding me-but not hurting me-and his lips. God, his lips were fire, soft yet demanding. He slipped his tongue inside my mouth, I felt so fucking good. But I also feel wet inside my panty, what's this jerk doing to me? His hands were roaming in my back coming to my waist then towards my bosoms. God! What's he is doing to me? But we can't go more than this. I stopped his hands before it go to my bosoms. I shiver at this thought of his hands in my bosoms. I gasped into the kiss, breaking apart just enough to meet his eyes. "Stefano… what—what are you doing?"
"I… I don't know," he admitted, his voice going rough, almost desperate. "I can't… I hate that I… want this. I hate it, Kitten… but I can't stop."
(Sierra's POV)
My chest tightened, my heart hammering. I wanted to push him away, scream, run-but a small, dangerous part of me didn't. A part of me, that had been afraid of him, angry at him, jealous of the attention he gave to everyone else, wanted this, needed this. "Stefano…" I whispered, breathless. He kissed me again-this time slower, lingering, like he couldn't get enough of me. Every second stretched, every heartbeat a drum in my chest. I wanted to argue, but words failed. Only the kiss existed. Only the fire. Only the tension that had been building for weeks, months, years even, finally snapping.
(Stefano's POV)
Her eyes widened. "Stefano… I…" I silenced her with another kiss, slower this time, savoring, hungry yet careful not to hurt. I wanted to memorize her, keep her close, feel the heat and the softness that had haunted me since I saw her first.
(Sierra's POV)
God, his kisses are so hungry, hot and wet. Both of us taste each other's mouth. It felt so fucking good. When he finally pulled back, I could barely think. My hands shook, my chest heaved, and my mind was a dizzying mess of fear, desire, and disbelief. He was here. He was… him. And somehow, the barriers I had built for months felt like they were crumbling under the weight of everything—his anger, his frustration, his kiss, his words. It wasn't until then that I realized how much I had wanted it, how much I had wanted him—not as a stepbrother, not as an enemy—but as Stefano.
(To be continued...….)