Share

Chapter 3

Author: Tarina
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-24 16:15:50

Xavier

I drop shrimp into sizzling garlic butter, the pan spitting and hissing. The chaos mirrors the storm inside me—anger at Melanie’s selfishness, carefully hidden for Hazel’s sake. I sip my riesling, keeping my calm façade intact.

When dinner’s ready, I call Hazel and plate the food. Her familiar footsteps on the stairs are comforting, but when I see her, I freeze. For a moment, it’s Melanie—the same bright red hair, slim shoulders, and lean frame. Hazel has grown so much, and for a fleeting second, I almost imagine my wife is back.

I serve the pasta and pour another glass of wine, offering Hazel a smile. She’s so much like Melanie it’s startling. The resemblance is uncanny—her body slim and delicate, yet striking—but her face is softer, her icy blue eyes wide and innocent, free of Melanie’s hardened edge.

Hazel devours the meal like she hasn’t eaten in days, and worry twists in my chest. How could Melanie abandon her own child?

“What did your mom say before she left?” I ask, alr
Locked Chapter
Continue Reading on GoodNovel
Scan code to download App

Related chapters

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Book 1: My Best Friend's Brother

    Chapter 1 [Kendall] “Thanks for inviting me,” I say, smiling at Elora as I nudge her with my shoulder. She laughs, lifting her champagne glass. “You needed a break, Kendall. It’s about time.” I wiggle my toes in the clear, saltwater pool and glance at her perfectly manicured feet. “Yeah, I don’t get out much.” Elora tilts her head knowingly. “Because you’re always at home taking care of your dad.” I nod, the usual heaviness settling in. “He’s not been the same since the heart attack. I’ve taken over most of the household stuff. Lucky he made enough money as a low-level guy before getting sick to take care of us. I owe him everything.” “You’re a good daughter,” she says sincerely before grinning again. “But today’s about mimosas and sunshine, so drink up.” I smile, taking another sip of my drink. Elora’s been my best friend since we were twelve, always dragging me into fun I didn’t know I needed. Sometimes I think she tries to live enough for both of us. When Marco Barone’s voi

    Last Updated : 2024-11-13
  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 2

    [Camden] I can think of about five things I’d rather be doing (three of them women) that isn’t standing around at Bruno Esposito’s stupid party. It isn’t even really a wiseguy party, just something that Bruno has thrown together for his birthday. I ended up driving Elora here early because she couldn’t wait, which left Kendall to finish getting ready on her own.Elora bolted the second we arrived, no doubt hunting down Bruno or stirring up trouble somewhere else. The mansion is huge, probably bigger even than Dante’s-my capo. The Espositos are an old family, and Bruno is the next in line. I guess that’s part of the reason that Elora likes him so much. She’s attracted to power, that’s for sure. I’m the guy that works for the men in power, and I like it that way. There’s too much responsibility in being a made man to be honest. Too many people trying to take what you have. I’m glad I’m under the radar and don’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder at every turn. I jus

    Last Updated : 2024-11-13
  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 3

    [Kendall] I’ve never been particularly popular, but there must be something to this dress, because men keep coming up to me, introducing themselves. Alessandro Barone, Marco’s younger brother, walks up to me, looking me up and down. “What’s your name, pretty girl?” he asks in a low tone, and I snort out a laugh. “You’ve known me since high school, Alessandro. I was the year ahead of you? We were in choir together?” He just looks at me blankly. “Kendall Risi,” I say, sighing, and his eyes widen. “No fucking way,” he says in a mumble, and for the first time I notice his eyes are a bit glassy. I don’t smell booze, though, so I suspect drugs. “You’ve been hanging out with Bruno too much,” I accuse, and Alessandro shrugs, smirking. “Maybe. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you,” he says, stepping closer. I back away, not wanting to get cornered by him. “I guess that’s a compliment?” I say dryly. “Of course it is. Look at you,” he says, licking his lips. “I never noticed you be

    Last Updated : 2024-11-13
  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 4

    [Camden]I’m still outside smoking, not paying much attention to the rest of the party, when a blood-curdling scream cuts through the night. It takes me only a second to realize that it’s Elora , and my heart begins to pound as I run down the hallway. I have to push people out of my way, most of the party had started to move upstairs and everyone was in the way. Now that Elora had screamed, people were all going that way and I all but elbowed everyone out of my way as I approached Bruno’s office.Elora is standing in the doorway, shivering all over and I put my hands on her shoulders, turning her away from Bruno’s dead body.“Shit,” I curse.Elora clutches on to me, making me look at her. “It was Marco,” she whispers. “You have to get to Kendall. She saw everything.”Fuck.Apparently, there’s a witness to this murder, and it’s my little sister’s best friend. I’m going to have a long night ahead of me, clearly. I take Elora ’s shoulders in my hands and look at her fiercely.“Find Dant

    Last Updated : 2024-11-25
  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 5

    [Kendall]I wake up with Camden's arms wrapped around me, and it takes me a long moment to figure out where I am and what’s going on.Then I remember last night—a flash across my memory of Bruno’s face—and I gasp.Camden murmurs something in his sleep and rocks against me, his morning erection pressing against my ass.I swallow hard.My teenage self would be over the moon right now, lying in bed with Camden, feeling his arms around me, his body pressed against mine—but I have no idea how to handle it.My mind is spinning between the confusion of this intimate closeness and the aching emptiness inside me. Part of me wants to cling to him and let myself forget, even if just for a little while.I just don’t want to think anymore. I don’t want to see Bruno’s dead body, think about the fact that he’s just...gone.I don’t want to think about Marco’s heavy breaths as he chased me through the woods.Or how I was only able to get rid of him by climbing over a rose bush that cut along my legs,

    Last Updated : 2024-11-25
  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 6

    [Kendall]My pulse races, anticipation thrumming through me like a live wire, and he watches me with a smirk that’s both reassuring and maddeningly confident. His eyes are dark with desire, but there’s something else beneath the surface, something I can’t quite place.“You’re so beautiful, Kendall,” he murmurs, his voice thick with need. He slides a hand down my thigh, the roughness of his fingertips sending shivers along my skin, as if he’s marking me, leaving traces of his touch everywhere. My body trembles under the weight of it, a hunger igniting deep inside.His words send a strange, warm ache through my chest, and I reach up, pulling him back down to me, desperate to feel his weight, his warmth, against me. The heat of his body presses into mine, each inch of him a reminder of how badly I’ve wanted this, how long I’ve been fighting this pull between us. His breath, hot and ragged, dances across my neck as he moves, making me dizzy.He cups his hand against my pussy, and the he

    Last Updated : 2024-11-25
  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother     Chapter 7

    [Kendall] “You said you didn’t want to think. Did it help?” His words carry a weight, a quiet sincerity that makes my heart ache in a way I wasn’t prepared for. “I’m not thinking anything,” I whisper, my voice raw, as I look away, my fingers brushing over the marks he left on my skin. Camden laughs softly, rubbing a hand over his face. “Then it did work,” he chuckles, his laughter warm and somehow comforting, like a balm on my scattered nerves. I have no idea what to do with myself now. My body feels heavy and weightless at the same time, like I’m floating in some strange, blissful limbo. I stand up on shaky legs, unsure of what happens next, and mumble, “I think I’ll take a shower.” Camden nods, throwing a forearm over his eyes as if he, too, is processing what just happened, giving me space. I leave the room, the cool air of the hallway hitting me like a shock, and head to the bathroom. I stare at myself in the mirror for a long time, at the marks Camden left on my throat

    Last Updated : 2024-11-25
  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 8

    [Camden]I don’t tell Kendall about the noise from yesterday. She’s already anxious, and I’d rather her feel safe, even if this morning only took her mind off things for a little while. I call Dante while I’m checking the perimeter of the safe house.“Any news?” I ask as soon as he picks up, my voice low.“Not yet,” he answers, a hint of frustration sharpening his tone. “Angelo swears he spotted Marco running down the highway, but he couldn’t catch up with him after the party, so who knows.”I frown, glancing toward the dense treeline on the edge of the property, every nerve on alert. “Angelo doesn’t drink. Why wouldn’t you believe him?”Dante sighs, a faint rustling sound in the background, as though he’s pulling on his hair. “I don’t know, it was dark, so I’m taking it with a pinch of salt, I guess.”I hum, eyes narrowed as I peer toward the shadows. The moon barely cut through the trees last night. He’s probably right, Angelo could’ve seen anyone out there.“I’m going to move safe

    Last Updated : 2024-11-25

Latest chapter

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 3

    Xavier I drop shrimp into sizzling garlic butter, the pan spitting and hissing. The chaos mirrors the storm inside me—anger at Melanie’s selfishness, carefully hidden for Hazel’s sake. I sip my riesling, keeping my calm façade intact.When dinner’s ready, I call Hazel and plate the food. Her familiar footsteps on the stairs are comforting, but when I see her, I freeze. For a moment, it’s Melanie—the same bright red hair, slim shoulders, and lean frame. Hazel has grown so much, and for a fleeting second, I almost imagine my wife is back.I serve the pasta and pour another glass of wine, offering Hazel a smile. She’s so much like Melanie it’s startling. The resemblance is uncanny—her body slim and delicate, yet striking—but her face is softer, her icy blue eyes wide and innocent, free of Melanie’s hardened edge.Hazel devours the meal like she hasn’t eaten in days, and worry twists in my chest. How could Melanie abandon her own child?“What did your mom say before she left?” I ask, alr

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    BOOK 5: MY FORBIDDEN STEPDADDY

    Blurb:What happens when the one person you shouldn't want becomes the only one you crave?Hazel Holland’s life is a mess, and the last thing she wants is to crawl back to her stepfather for help. But Xavier Rochat isn’t just her rock—he’s all broad shoulders, commanding presence, and forbidden temptation. Living under his roof again stirs feelings she knows she shouldn’t have, but she can’t stop thinking about those strong hands and the way his voice makes her knees weak.Xavier has always seen Hazel as the girl he helped raise—but she’s not a little girl anymore. She’s stunning, tempting, and entirely off-limits. Resisting her is a battle he’s losing, especially when she makes it clear she doesn’t want to play by the rules.Their connection is wrong, dangerous, and too hot to resist. But how long can they keep their hands off each other before everything explodes?My forbidden stepdaddy is a raw, forbidden romance full of tension, temptation, and heat that will leave you begging f

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 67

    EpilogueSadie – One Year LaterI gazed down at my baby, my son, in absolute wonder. My heart swelled in my chest with so much love, I thought it would burst. I was exhausted, and my whole body hurt, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was my little boy, that he was healthy and whole.“Are you feeling up to visitors?” the nurse attending to me asked in a soft voice, careful as to not disturb my sleeping baby.I smiled at her and nodded. “I am.”“I’ll let them in, then,” she replied with a grin.Turning, she made her way out of the room, closing the door behind her. I turned my gaze back down to my little boy and couldn’t help the smile that curled my lips.He was so beautiful. Tiny and pink and perfect.I couldn’t wait for his daddy and sister to meet him.At that moment, the door to my room opened back up, and the nurse returned with Cyrus and Megan in tow. Cyrus had been with me during the labor, but had gone out to wait with Megan while the baby was cleaned up so he could bring h

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 65

    CyrusThe silence stretched between us for several long moments, and with each second that passed, I grew more and more nervous that she was going to say no.Her expression flickered between so many emotions so quickly, I couldn’t fully decipher what she was thinking.At length, she slowly said, “Are…are you asking me to marry you because you genuinely love me and want to…or are you just afraid of losing me after everything that happened with Ralph?”“Oh, baby, no,” I assured her with a firm shake of my head. “I love you with my entire being, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want us to raise Megan together and be a family. I swear to you, this has nothing to do with Ralph.”I held her gaze, praying she believed me. I was ready to do whatever I had to in order to convince her I was being entirely serious.To my complete relief, though, her lips curled into a smile, and she blurted, “Yes! Yes, Cyrus, I’ll marry you!”I surged to my feet, pulling her from her chair. Wr

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 63

    Sadie It was hard to break that bond between a child and parent, and no matter what Ralph did, I think there would always be a part of Megan that wanted that connection with him.“I hope so,” Cyrus told her. “He’s going to try. That’s what’s important.”Megan regarded him a long moment before saying, “I’m glad he’s going to try.”Cyrus smiled softly. “Me, too. I promise you, Megan, I’m going to take care of you and protect you no matter what. Okay?”The corners of her lips curled up at that. “Okay. I love you, Uncle Cyrus.”“I love you, too, Megan,” he replied. Then, he looked up at me. I couldn’t help but smile back at him. My heart swelled, and I fell even more in love with him at that moment. I wanted to explain my feelings to him in more depth, but we needed to talk away from Megan. I didn’t want to confuse her even more as Cyrus and I tried to figure out the stuff between us.“All right, is there anything else you want to talk about?” Cyrus asked, turning back to Megan.She blin

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 62

    SadieA week after Ralph’s arrest, things finally felt as though they were getting back to normal. Ralph was charged with breaking the restraining order. True to his word, Cyrus didn’t press any other charges. Ralph would spend a little time in jail before his trial, and then, it was up to the courts to decide his fate.I didn’t worry about him, though. I focused on Megan and helping her overcome the latest trauma she’d been through. I hated that she’d gone through so much at such a young age. It wasn’t fair. She deserved so much better. I wanted to make it my mission in life to make up for all that she’d suffered. I wanted all this mess with Ralph to fade into distant memories for her. I wanted her to be happy. More than anything else in the world, I wanted her to just be a normal, six-year-old girl.We were out on the terrace one day, coloring, when she looked up at me and asked, “Sadie? Is my daddy gone forever?”I frowned at her and replied, “What do you mean, sweetie?”She hesita

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 61

    Ralph stared at me. I could tell he wanted to argue.I waited for him to say something, anything, that I could use to shut down any chance he had left of getting close to Megan.To my surprise, though, he reluctantly nodded. “All right…all right. I’ll…I’ll do what you say. So long as you promise you won’t stand in Megan’s way if she wants to see me someday.”I regarded him a long moment before releasing a long sigh. “I promise. I won’t stand in her way. And I promise that I will take excellent care of her.”Ralph dropped his head, looking defeated.“I know you will,” he whispered.At that moment, I heard Sadie rushing back to us.“The cops are on their way,” she gasped when she reached me. She looked between me and Ralph and then gave me a relieved smile. “I’m glad to see everyone is still in one piece.”“Barely,” I grumbled.She wrapped her arm around mine and hugged it.“Thank you,” she whispered.I smiled down at her, but I then caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 60

    CyrusI was at the very end of my control. My temper was about to snap. I kept reminding myself of Sadie’s words. Of my promise to her, but it was getting damn difficult to hold myself back. Ralph would just not give up. He kept pushing and pushing, bringing up Kate’s name and claiming Megan as his.It was infuriating. He kept saying he was a changed man, but he wasn’t taking responsibility for what he’d done. He wasn’t owning the fact that Kate wouldn’t have driven off the road that day if he hadn’t chased after her. I didn’t care that it was an accident. I didn’t care that he thought he loved her.In the end, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter because Kate was still gone. And she was gone because of him.“You know what, Cyrus?” Ralph growled. “You think you’re so high and mighty. You think you’re so much better than I am, but the truth is, you failed Kate just as much as I did.”My whole body went cold. “What the hell are you saying?”Ralph had the gall to glare at me. “If you thou

  • Forbidden Desire:My Best Friend's Brother    Chapter 58

    I couldn’t comprehend that. It made no sense.“How could you claim to love her and yet hurt her as much as you did?” I asked in a soft, cold voice. “How could you love her, but you put your hands on her? Hit her and scare her? Manipulate her, so she remained submissive and broken?”“I was messed up,” he answered in a pathetic tone. “I know I was. I know what I did to Kate was wrong. If I could go back and redo everything, I would. I’d love her the way she deserved to be loved. I wouldn’t lay a hand on her, and I’d do everything I could to make her happy. There is nothing I want more than the chance to undo all that I did, but I can’t. It’s too late for me to make things right with Kate, but it’s not too late for me to make things right with Megan!”I stared down at him, debating whether or not I believed him. To be honest, he did seem to be truly remorseful. I didn’t think anyone could truly fake this kind of emotion.Still, just b

Scan code to read on App
DMCA.com Protection Status