Falling For The Forbidden

CHAPTER 4

Olivia's POV

Olivia couldn't sleep.

She stared at the ceiling, the dim glow of the city filtering through the curtains, casting faint shadows across the room. Her mind was racing, thoughts of Ryan swirling in her head. His words echoed over and over, pulling at the edges of her resolve.

_ "One day, you won't be able to run anymore." _

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the thought away, but it was no use. The truth was sinking in, slowly but surely, and no matter how hard she fought it, the pull toward him was undeniable. He was always there, lurking in her thoughts, in her dreams—Ryan, her stepbrother, the one man she couldn't afford to want.

The soft buzz of her phone on the nightstand pulled her out of her thoughts. She hesitated before reaching for it, her heart skipping when she saw his name on the screen.

Ryan: **We need to talk. **

Her fingers hovered over the reply button, but she couldn't bring herself to respond. Talking was the last thing they needed right now. She knew where it would lead—more confusion, more tension, more of that unbearable heat between them that left her feeling like she was teetering on the edge of something dangerous.

Instead of replying, Olivia tossed the phone back onto the bed and climbed out from under the covers, pacing the room. She felt restless like the walls were closing in on her. Work had been her refuge, but even that wasn't enough to block out thoughts of Ryan. And now, he was reaching out again, pulling her back into the storm.

Her phone buzzed again, and this time she couldn't resist. She picked it up, expecting another message from him, but instead, it was a call. His name flashed on the screen, and her breath caught.

She shouldn't answer. It would only make things worse. But her hand moved on its own, lifting the phone to her ear.

"Ryan," she breathed, her voice betraying the turmoil inside her.

"Olivia." His voice was low, rough around the edges, like he'd been thinking about her just as much as she'd been thinking about him. "We need to talk."

She swallowed hard, her pulse quickening. "There's nothing to talk about."

"There's everything to talk about," he countered, his voice firm but gentle. "You can't just ignore this. You know that."

"I'm not ignoring anything," she replied, though the lie tasted bitter on her tongue. "We agreed—"

"Screw what we agreed," Ryan cut her off, his tone sharp. "You're not just some random woman in my life, Olivia. You can pretend all you want, but I'm not going to stand here and act like there's nothing between us."

Her breath hitched, her grip tightening on the phone. His words were like a match to a fuse, igniting the emotions she had tried so hard to bury. She didn't want to admit how much he affected her, how much she wanted him, despite everything.

"Ryan, please..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer, almost pleading. "I'm not asking for much, Olivia. I just want to see you. Face to face. One conversation. That's all."

She closed her eyes, her heart racing. She knew she shouldn't. Seeing him again, being that close to him—it would only make things harder. But there was a part of her, a dangerous part, that longed for it. Longed for him.

"I can't," she whispered, though she wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself.

"Yes, you can." His voice was a low murmur now, coaxing her, drawing her in. "Just come over. No expectations. We'll talk."