Rule Number One: Kissing Your Stepbrother Again Will Ruin You

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Synopsis

I almost had a one-night stand with a stranger at my graduation after-party once. Almost broke a promise I made to my dead mother. He wasn't like any other guy I'd come across. He had this sadness and arrogance hidden behind his beautiful eyes that made me fall for him. But within minutes of meeting each other, things changed drastically between us. He said words that made me feel humiliated, but that wasn't the worst part. Neither was it the way he pulled away from me like I was something dangerous. It wasn't even the fact that I couldn't stop thinking about him afterward. The worst part was seeing him again nine months later, standing inside my 'house' while my father smiled and said: "This is your new stepbrother." Zephyr Knox was never supposed to become my family. He was cold, cruel, self-destructive, and completely addicted to pushing people away before they could leave him first. Loving him was like holding fire in my bare hands and convincing myself the burns were worth it. I thought they were. Until secrets started destroying us. Until our parents found out about us. Until the smoke around us stopped being romantic and started becoming deadly. People say forbidden love ruins lives. I've come to the conclusion that they were right. Because loving my stepbrother didn't just break my heart. It almost killed me.