Noah Morgan has always lived on her own terms — reckless, fearless, and fiercely independent. At nineteen, she’s had her share of bad choices, wild nights, and broken hearts. But nothing compares to the day she’s forced to leave her life behind and move into her mother’s new husband’s mansion. For Noah, this new world isn’t a chance to start over — it’s a prison made of polished floors, luxury cars, and cold silence.

Until she meets Nick Leister.

Nick is everything she shouldn’t want. He’s dangerous, impulsive, and too confident for his own good. He races cars, fights in underground rings, and collects trouble like trophies. He also happens to be her new stepbrother. From the moment they meet, sparks fly — not the romantic kind, but the kind that burns.

Nick doesn’t like being challenged, and Noah doesn’t know how to submit. Their attraction is instant, magnetic, and completely forbidden. But it’s not just physical. It’s emotional. They see through each other — past the arrogance, past the masks. Beneath Nick’s anger is pain. Beneath Noah’s fire is fear.

Their connection starts as a war. Glances that threaten. Words that sting. Accidental touches that linger longer than they should. In a house full of luxury and lies, Nick and Noah become each other’s only truth — and that truth is dangerous.

Their relationship is a slow, sensual explosion. It begins with arguments in the hallway, late-night rides on Nick’s motorcycle, and stolen stares across the dinner table. But soon it grows darker — into moments of intense desire, overwhelming jealousy, and the kind of intimacy that feels too real to be safe.

As their attraction deepens, Noah uncovers the truth about Nick’s world — the illegal street races, the underground fights, and the brutal past he tries to hide. Nick isn't just a bad boy — he's wounded. Abandoned by his real father, constantly at odds with the man his mother married, Nick lives on adrenaline and danger. He hides behind rage and rebellion because love has never been kind to him.

And yet, with Noah, he softens. Just not enough.

Noah, too, is battling ghosts. Her father walked out when she was a child. Her mother’s love is conditional — based on appearances and obedience. She feels like a pawn in someone else’s story. But when Nick touches her — really touches her — she feels seen, alive, and no longer invisible. The more they fall into each other, the more impossible it becomes to hide.

But secrets don’t stay buried for long.

Their relationship becomes physical. First in shadows. Then behind closed doors. Their bodies speak the things they cannot say aloud — desire, fear, possession. Noah is drawn to Nick's darkness, and Nick is terrified of how much he needs her.

But in a world of luxury and lies, love has no place.

Their parents can’t know. The world wouldn’t understand. And Nick is already on the edge — one wrong move and everything could fall apart. Noah tries to pull away. Nick refuses to let go. Their passion becomes a dangerous addiction, one they can’t quit.

Things begin to unravel fast.

Nick’s involvement in underground street races leads to an accident that nearly kills him. Noah finds out he’s in deeper trouble than she ever imagined — debt, enemies, and a violent past catching up fast. Meanwhile, rumors about their closeness start to spread. Their secret is not safe anymore.

Then comes the betrayal.

Nick, under pressure and drowning in guilt, pushes Noah away. Harsh words. Cold silence. The heat between them turns to fire — but this time, the kind that burns everything down. Noah is heartbroken, and Nick is lost in his own chaos.

But the heart wants what it wants.

Despite the risks, they come back to each other. Not because they’re perfect — but because without one another, they’re broken. In a moment of raw honesty, Nick confesses everything: the pain of his childhood, the violence in his veins, the way Noah is the only light in a world that has always been dark.

They come back together

It started with a whisper in the hallway.


By third period, it was a shout behind closed lockers.


> "Did you hear? Nick Leister and the new girl… his stepsister?"


The word stepsister clung to tongues like poison. They said it with curiosity. With disgust. With envy. As if it was fiction, or worse — entertainment.


Noah heard it from across the quad. Laughter. Sneers. Phones held just a little too long in her direction.


Nick hadn't spoken to her in two days. Not since the fight in the parking lot. Not since he said he regretted touching her — even as his hands had memorized every inch of her body.


> "How long?" Ron asked Nick behind the bleachers.


> "That's not the problem and you know it."


Nick shoved his fists into his jacket pockets.


After school. Loud. In public. Where everyone could hear.


She cornered Noah by the science wing, a crowd already gathering.


> "You think you're special?" Daniella hissed. "You think he won't toss you aside like the rest of us?"


> "I don't think anything. I know he's never looked at you the way he looks at me."


Nick appeared from nowhere, grabbing Daniella's arm and yanking her back with a glare so cold it froze the entire hall.


> "Touch her again," he growled, "and I swear to God—"


> "What?" Daniella screamed. "You'll hit me like you hit everyone else?"


> "No," Nick said. "I'll forget I ever pitied you."


She stormed off, mascara smudged, dignity shattered.


But the silence she left behind was louder than any scream.


That night, Nick showed up at Noah's door.


She just stared at him — hoodie oversized, eyes rimmed in anger and exhaustion.


> "Neither should you," he said. "You belong anywhere but this house. Anywhere but with me."


He stepped closer. His hand reached out — tentative, trembling — to touch the fading red mark on her cheek.


She laughed, bitter. "You think sorry fixes this?"


> "No," he whispered. "But it's the only thing I have left."


She walked into him, not for a kiss, not for comfort — just to feel him. His chest against hers. His breath in her hair.


> "We're a story no one's allowed to read."


Chapter 8 - The Rumour and the Rage