TEMPTED BY MY STEPSON

Lucia "Ma'am would you like some sugar." The maid asked with a smile. "Yeah, I_""No, she doesn't." Christian cut in, glaring at me. "You've put on so much weight already Lucia. You're supposed to start cutting down on sugars and food in general." Heat climbed up my face at his words. "I heard being overweight is the major cause of infertility." My mother in law piped up from the other end of the table, shooting me a derisive glance. I grabbed a glass of water, gulping it down quickly to swallow my bitterness. "Lucia, dear, did you go to meet doctor Singh?" She continued. "He works wonders for older women who can't get pregnant." My fingers tightened around the fork, and I suddenly envisioned flying out of my seat and stabbing her. I took a deep breath to tamp down the rage. I turned to look at my husband, fixing a smile on my face. "I want to go and visit my father today." He doesn't even spare me a glance. "No.""What do you mean, no? You know he only has two visiting days

Lucia"Congratulations on this milestone, Mr. Kemper." Juliana approached him, a sultry smile curving her painted red mouth. She stood out in her dyed silver hair, slinky silver dress, and heavy diamond choker. She embraced Christian, making sure to run her hand over his chest possessively. Her gaze met mine, searching for a reaction. I offered her a close lipped smile. "Juliana, I didn't know you were invited." I said. "Why wouldn't I be? The man of the day personally invited me." The words carried a hidden meaning, and I flinch. I didn't care about her affair with my husband. Christian could do whatever he wanted. I was more bothered about the gossip her presence brought. Already, I could see several people in the crowd whispering.I waited till Christian had stepped away to speak to another group before I rushed off to the corner, snatching a glass of champagne and melting into the shadows. My head couldn't stop replaying Hunter's words from earlier. Had he been lying? What co

Lucia."Lucia!" Christian's voice rang out, slicing through the silence of the house like a knife.My heart raced as I heard the the familiar echo of his shoes on the marble floor approaching my room. My cheeks still burned from his hand, throbbing painfully where his fist had landed.“Yes, Christian?” I answered, my voice barely above a whisper as I pulled the blanket tighter around me, trying to appear as meek and obedient as possible.He strode into the bedroom, eyes fiery, fists clenched at his sides. “What the hell did you think you were doing?”“I… I just… I…” My voice cracked. I avoided his gaze, pretending to busy myself with the sheets.“So you went to see your father,” he spat out. “After I explicitly told you not to. Did you think I wouldn't find out? After I said to stay put, to stay with me, to play your role! And yet, you still disobeyed me. Explain that.”“I just…” My throat tightened and I swallowed hard. “I needed to… see him just for a moment. I wasn’t thinking–”“Yo

Lucia.His lips crashed into mine and I shoved at his chest weakly.“Hunter, stop, we can’t–”He didn’t stop, instead he kissed me harder with his tongue sliding against mine and stealing every bit of my reluctance. My hands fisted in his shirt as I pulled him closer.“Christian’s suspicious,” I gasped when he let me breathe finally. “He’s watching the staff, the cameras–”“He’s not here.” Hunter’s voice was rough as he interrupted me. “And I’m done pretending I don’t want you.”I shook my head. “If he finds out..."“He won’t.” He cupped my face, stroking my cheeks with his fingers. “Trust me.”“Trust you?” I laughed dryly. “You kissed me knowing who I was. You dropped Hailey’s name like a bomb and refused to tell me more. You–”“I kissed you because I’ve wanted to since I was twelve.” His eyes burned into me. “I dropped her name to wake you up. And I’m here now because I’m not letting him hurt you again.”My breath caught. “Hunter.”“Tell me you don’t want this.” He leaned in, brushi

Hunter.“Christian's back, Lucia,” I whispered, the urgency and buzzing of my phone cutting through the haze of post-intimacy euphoria. “Get dressed and stay in the room.”Her eyes widened, panic setting in. “Hunter… oh my God.”"Nothing's happening," I cut in immediately to a bid to calm her down. "Just get dressed, that's all."She nodded, scrambling to grab her clothes. I grabbed her gown from the chair and tossed it to her. “Hurry.”She slipped it on, adjusting the straps nervously. “Should I stay here?”“Yes, like nothing happened, do you understand?” I said, my voice low but firm.She swallowed, cheeks flushed. “I understand.”I gave her a final nod before heading out the room and toward the stairs, a slight tension running through my veins like electricity. Christian was downstairs, and a second text had said he was looking for me.I reached the bottom of the stairs and heard the faint click of the front door closing as he stepped in.“Hunter,” Christian’s voice cut through the