Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 269

Chapter 269: 269-His Flirting Isn’t Subtle

Helanie:

My eyes widened, and a yelp escaped my lips, which I quickly covered to avoid making a sound. However, before her lips could crash against his, Maximus realized what she was up to. Swiftly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back.

“Charlotte, have you lost your mind?” he sounded irritated, but she just started laughing loudly, pointing a finger at him.

“Oh my Goddess, look at you. It’s so easy to tease you. Of course, I wasn’t going to do anything. If I wanted to, I would have done it. Come on, now let me cook for you,” she said. I was stunned to see how quickly she recovered from his rejection. It didn’t even seem to faze her.

She acted nonchalant, even more confident now.

“Say it. What are you craving right now?” she demanded, stepping back into his path and leaning over him again. He was pressed against the counter, leaning back and away from her.

“Tell me, what do you want to eat?” she practically yelled into his ear, making him close one eye and pull his head further away from her. As he did, he caught sight of me standing in the doorway with my arms folded across my chest.

I wasn’t jealous.

I was just intrigued by what was happening right under everyone’s noses. Did my mother know about Charlotte’s obsession with Maximus? Did her mother know–or worse, support her daughter’s actions?

“What are you craving?” Charlotte asked again. That’s when I noticed Maximus’s mood shift.

In a very low voice, he said, “Helanie!”

My posture stiffened.

I straightened my back as I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“Huh?” Charlotte stepped back, as confused as I was.

“I’m saying, how about Helanie cooks something for me today? She lives here too, but she never offers to help with anything,” he said smoothly, recovering quickly.

Charlotte turned fully around, following his gaze, and locked eyes with me.

Her smile vanished instantly. The look of bitterness on her face was unmistakable as she narrowed her eyes at me.

“She doesn’t even know how to cook,” she snapped, answering for me.

“Is it true, Helanie? You don’t know how to cook?” The Maximus who looked so tired and exhausted just moments ago was suddenly smirking, clearly taking an interest in the topic.

Charlotte was giving me a look, silently warning me to go along with what she’d said.

“Actually, I’m a great cook. I can bake better than anything you’ve ever tried in a high-end bakery,” I shrugged, purposely trying to annoy Charlotte.

She had been getting on my nerves every time she tried to control some part of my life. If she thought her glares would silence me, she was wrong.

“See?” Maximus’s smile widened. “She knows how to do everything perfectly.”

His eyes remained on me, even as he spoke to Charlotte, who was clearly displeased by his tone.

“Tell me, what do you want me to cook for you?” I asked Maximus as I strolled inside and stood by the counter.

“Hmm, should I start writing down the list?” he murmured sweetly, acting as if Charlotte didn’t even exist.

“Okay, you can write down the list. We’ll cook together,” Charlotte chimed in, eager to include herself somehow.

“You want me to cook a whole meal?” I asked Maximus, who once again ignored Charlotte and kept his gaze fixed on me.

“It doesn’t sound like a bad idea. You could cook dinner tonight for all of us,” he suggested.

“That’s a great idea. I’m ready,” Charlotte tried to add, but both of us seemed to brush her off.

“Tell me if it’s too much and you need my help,” Maximus inquired, batting his eyelashes and not even pretending to be subtle.

Charlotte stood beside us, watching like an over-attentive observer.

“I’ll go tell my mom that we’re the ones cooking tonight’s dinner,” she suddenly announced and rushed off, almost as if her tail were on fire. I was sure she’d go complain about me to her mother.

As she disappeared, I sighed. “You know she’s going to get me in trouble now, don’t you?”

“I’ll stay here the whole time. Let’s see who dares trouble you tonight,” he whispered huskily. Then, leaning closer, he quickly planted a kiss on my shoulder.

My body jolted, and I instinctively stepped back, putting some distance between us.

“Hey, don’t be so obnoxious,” I warned him, though there was a hint of shyness in my tone.

“Why not? I can be anything with you, and you won’t judge me, right? Just like you can be anything with me–or anyone,” he whispered, his dramatic words making me roll my eyes.

“Okay! Give me the list so I can start cooking,” I extended my hand. Instead of writing it down on a piece of paper, Maximus did something bold once again.

He pulled out a pen and started writing on my hand. At first, I felt uncomfortable, even trying to pull my hand away because I was afraid someone might walk in on us. But when he held my hand steady in his, I felt a strange warmth from his touch.

I frowned while he happily started jotting down on my palm. I wasn’t supposed to feel his touch like that. But it was comforting, and it made me wonder about what he had claimed to me about being mates.

However, I quickly shut down those thoughts when I recalled that he felt nothing but my pheromones messing with him.

I could have told him, but I wouldn’t tell anyone about my weaknesses. The same way if I had told Jenny anything, she would have shared it with Rayden since she was back with him.

“There,” he double-pressed the pen, putting a period at the end. Once he put the pen away, he leaned down and kissed my palm.

That’s when I quickly pulled my hand back shyly and warned him with my eyes. But it was all just playful banter. He stepped back so I could take a look at his demands, but that’s when Charlotte brought her mother, who didn’t see Maximus standing behind the door with the wall.

“Has this girl lost her mind?” Aunt Emma arrived, talking about me to her daughter.