My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 184: He Likes You

Catherine’s POV

Tessa walked several paces ahead of us. I knew she was doing it on purpose, her quick strides a clear attempt to give us space, though her occasional backward glances told me she was missing nothing. Gabriel and I walked side-by-side, and I could feel the heat radiating from him, a steady warmth that seemed to pull at me. Every time I glanced over, his eyes were fixed on me, tracing the lines of my face.

"Thanks," I said quietly, my voice barely rising above a whisper. "For stepping in for Tessa. Lucy is... she is always out of control."

"She’s annoying. I don’t understand how Julian tolerated her," Gabriel replied, his tone flat and dismissive as if he were discussing a minor clerical error rather than a public assault. "She doesn’t know when to stop. She’s always had a problem with boundaries, but you... you shouldn’t have to worry about her. Your ’boyfriend’ clearly isn’t here to protect you when it actually matters, but you can always count on me."

The way he spat the word boyfriend was tinged with a concentrated mockery and resentment that he didn’t even try to hide.

"Gabriel, stop. Dante has his own classes to attend to," I said, trying to maintain a firm tone. "By the way, I’m not a child. I can handle Lucy myself."

"Clearly," Gabriel murmured. As we walked, his hand brushed against mine. I pulled my hand away, tucking it into the pocket of my trousers, but a few seconds later, I felt his fingers brush against my forearm. He was walking closer now, his shoulder nearly touching mine, forcing me to match his slow pace.

We reached the door of the lecture hall. Tessa slipped inside with a quick, grateful wave, her eyes darting between us one last time before she disappeared into the room. I turned to follow her, but Gabriel’s hand shot out. He caught my elbow, his fingers firm as he pulled me back into the shadows of the alcove near the door.

"Uhm... Catherine."

"Gabriel, I’m going to be late. The lecturer is already at the podium."

He didn’t let go. Instead, he stepped into my personal space, forcing me back against the cold stone wall. He leaned down, his face so close that I could see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes. His breath was warm against my ear, sending a shudder down my spine that had nothing to do with the temperature of the building.

"I just want you to know that Dante isn’t the only one who can protect you, Catherine," he whispered. His voice was a low, velvet rasp that vibrated through my entire body. "Remember that."

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes dropping to my hand. I was still clutching a pen. He reached out and took it from me, his fingers staying on mine for several seconds too long.

"You dropped this," he said softly, even though I knew perfectly well I hadn’t.

He handed the pen back, but he didn’t release the other end immediately. He held it, creating a small, tense tug-of-war between us in the narrow space. His gaze moved from the pen back to my lips, and for a terrifying, heart-stopping moment, I thought he was going to close the distance.

"Stay safe and call me if there’s a problem," he added, his expression shifting back into that blank, bored mask he wore for the world. "See you later."

He finally released the pen and stepped back. Without another word, he turned and began walking away toward the business department.

I waited until he disappeared around the corner before I finally slipped into the lecture hall. My head was spinning with the chaotic mess of Gabriel’s quiet, creeping possessiveness. I sat down next to Tessa, trying to focus on the slides at the front of the room, but the professor’s voice sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well.

Tessa nudged against my arm and I turned to her. She leaned in close, a mischievous, knowing grin spreading across her face. She had her chin propped on her hand, her eyes dancing with a light I recognized all too well.

"What?" I whispered, leaning away.

"Oh, don’t ’what’ me, Catherine," she giggled. "That was quite the show in the hallway. I might have walked in first, but I wasn’t exactly blind to what was happening behind me. My peripheral vision is excellent."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, staring straight ahead. "I hope it’s not what I’m thinking. If it is, then you must be crazy because Gabriel was just making sure I got to class safely after the drama with Lucy. He’s my brother, cleanse your rotten mind."

Tessa let out a smothered, incredulous laugh, shaking her head. "I didn’t say anything yet you became all defensive."

I rolled my eyes and ignored her but she definitely wasn’t done. "But I do think he has something for you. Did you see that move where he tucked your hair behind your ear? That didn’t seem like a ’helpful brother’ gesture."

"Tessa, stop. He was just being nice," I insisted, though I could feel the heat rising in my neck and flooding my cheeks. "He’s just being helpful. It has nothing to do with whatever perverted thoughts you’re having."

"Perverted thoughts?" Tessa laughed harder, drawing a reprimanding look from the student sitting in the row in front of us. She lowered her voice but refused to drop the subject. "Keep deceiving yourself, babe. It’s cute. But that look in his eyes? I know it well. That’s the look of a man who wanted to eat you alive right there in front of the classroom door. Between him and Julian, I don’t know how you even manage to walk straight. It’s like you’re living in a reverse harem, only everyone wants to kill each other."

"Shut up," I hissed, the burn in my cheeks reaching my ears. "It’s all in your head. Gabriel doesn’t even like me most of the time. He could spend days ignoring me when I annoy him. He’s just protective of the family name."

"Sure. And I’m the Queen of England," she countered, her grin widening. "When he leaned so close to you I thought he was going to kiss you right there. You’re in deep, Catherine. These brothers of yours are obsessed with you. It’s written all over their faces."

I reached out and grabbed her arm, my expression turning dead serious. I needed to shift the focus before she said something loud enough for the whole room to hear. "Tessa, listen to me. Stop talking, someone might hear."

She gave me a look that spelt "you are so boring."

I scoffed and lowered my voice. "Tessa, about Lucy, You need to stay away from her. She will be looking for any reason to snap after what happened today."

Tessa rolled her eyes, her stubbornness flaring up instantly. "Bad for her then. I don’t go around looking for trouble but when trouble comes to me, I have to face it square on. I’m not going to let a brat like that intimidate me into silence just because she thinks she is in control."

I leaned in even closer, dropping my voice so low. I held her arm firmly, making sure she was looking into my eyes.

"I’m serious, Tessa," I whispered. "I’m telling you to avoid these problems for the safety of your baby. You can’t be getting into physical fights or high-stress confrontations with people like Lucy. She doesn’t have a conscience. She’s small-minded and vengeful."

The playful light in Tessa’s eyes vanished instantly. She went still, her hand instinctively moving to her stomach, resting there protectively. The reality of her situation seemed to finally settle.

"Oh, true," she murmured, her voice losing its mocking edge. "It’s just... she makes me so angry. The way she looks down on everyone." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"I know she does," I said, relaxing my grip on her arm. "But you have more to lose than she does. Let me handle her on my own."

Tessa nodded slowly. "Fine. I’ll stay away from her. But you should keep an eye on Gabriel too. I believe he likes you. I wish I was in your shoes because mehnnn, the Vaughn brothers appear like a different kind of trouble."

I scoffed, a dry, humorless sound. "My shoe size is smaller than yours, so you definitely can’t fit in."

She raised an eyebrow. "How the fuck did you even come up with that?"