Chapter seventy one

ChristinaWhen I reached home, the atmosphere felt completely different.Warm and light.For a moment, it almost made me forget everything that had just happened.Like Hunter hadn’t bruised my lips while kissing them.Kai was sitting beside Mom, laughing as he played with her fingers. Douglas was next to them. He was relaxed, talking casually.Mom looked… happy.Genuinely happy.“Chris…” she called the moment she saw me.I walked closer while forcing a smile onto my face.“You’re back,” she said. Her eyes soft.I nodded and sat beside her.“Your husband is quite the charmer,” Mom said with a playful wink.I blinked and looked at Douglas.“What did you say to her?” I asked.Douglas raised his hands innocently. “Nothing serious. I just told her that if I had met her earlier, I would’ve married her instead of you.”Mom laughed.I couldn’t help but laugh too.“I called them here,” Mom said softly. Her fingers still wrapped around Kai’s tiny hand. “I was missing him.”She leaned down and k

Chapter seventy two

Hunter“Hunter… you’ve seemed distracted since we left the office,” Lisa said. Her voice soft over the low music playing in the background.The restaurant was perfect.Dim lights. Expensive wine. A beautiful woman sitting across from me, dressed like shebelonged in a magazine cover.Everything was exactly how it was supposed to be.And yet—My mind wasn’t here. It was somewhere else.With her.With Christina.I was still thinking about my step sister who was already married and had a child from her husband.How pathetic.I let out a quiet breath, dragging a hand across my forehead.“I’m good,” I said.The lie came out too easily.No matter how hard I tried to focus on the present, Christina kept slipping back into mymind.I knew exactly where she was.At home. She might be chatting with her mother. Or playing some stupid game with her son.And I was here—sitting across from Lisa and pretending this dinner meant something more than control.This date was just an excuse to keep myself

Chapter seventy three

Hunter“If I wanted to, I would’ve done it the day I saw you again,” I said with a smirk.She rolled her eyes.The familiar "here we go again" expression written all over her face."I finished some designs for Lisa." She slowly slid her iPad across the table toward me.A clean shift.A safe topic.Like I didn’t notice how badly she wanted to move the conversation away from us.She was stuck here and I wasn't going anywhere, so she was reaching for the nearest distraction.I took the iPad from her hand.My fingers brushing hers for a second longer than necessary.Her designs filled the screen.I looked down at the off white gown on the screen.A victorian style off white gown with intricate lace detailing.It was stunning.And beautiful.Just like her.My eyes scanned every line, every detail.Chris had always been like this.Beyond being a straight-A student, she had always been a natural when it came to anything creative.Whether it was photography… or design… or anything she decided

Chapter seventy four

Hunter"Hunter, please..." she whispered. Her voice breathy. “Stop it already.”Her eyes squeezed shut as if she could block out the sensation of my hands kneading her breasts.My hand slid lower between her thighs. Slower than usual.My fingers found the spot I had known by heart for years.Even through the layers of fabric, I could feel the dampness in her pussy.An urge to taste that dampness rose within me.Heavy and Desperate."Your pussy... it was always so fucking wet for me," I growled. My voice vibrated against the sensitive skin of her neck.I wanted to drop to my knees right there on the kitchen floor.I wanted to strip her bare and consume every bit of the slick heat she was hiding from me.I pressed my length harder against her. Making sure she felt every inch of the tension she had created."Tell me, Chris... I was better at licking your pussy than that dickhead ever was, wasn't I?"My nails dug into the fabric of her panties.I gripped her so hard I nearly ripped the ma

Chapter seventy five

Christina“Mommy…”Kai’s small arms wrapped around me, pulling me out of the storm in my head.I softened instantly. My fingers sliding into his hair as I kissed the top of his head.“Are we going back to the hotel?” he asked, looking up at me with those wide eyes.I nodded.“Yes, baby.”He frowned slightly. “Why? Aren’t we staying at grandma’s house?”I forced a smile and caressed his cheek.“Not tonight.”My voice sounded calmer than I felt.Because inside—I was anything but calm. I was a wreck of jagged nerves and slick heat.What had just happened in the kitchen…It wasn’t supposed to happen.Not after five years.Not after everything I had built inside me—layer after layer of anger, of distance, of control.I thought I had moved past him.I thought I wouldn’t even feel anything standing this close to him again.But I was wrong.Completely wrong.Even after an hour, his touch was still burning between my legs. The shell of my ears. Everywhere.Even though my mouth said don’t, my

Chapter seventy six

Christina“What a pleasant surprise.” The voice hit me like a shock.I turned slowly. Hunter was standing there, radiating power in a tailored suit.Standing way too close for comfort.And a woman beside him made my stomach turn… Lisa.Their fingers were intertwined like it was the most natural thing in the world.“We had no idea we’d run into you here,” Lisa said, her voice bright and almost too excited.Of course you didn’t.“I came to check the fabric and the preparations,” I said, keeping my tone flat. I didn’t look at Hunter. Not even once. “Everything looks fine. We were just leaving.”I glanced at Douglas and turned slightly, ready to walk away.“Wait.”One word. It felt like a command.I stopped. Even though I wanted to refuse. Even though I wanted to prove that I was no longer under his control.I stopped.My eyes met his dark one. He was staring into my soul.Hunter snatched a gown from the floor manager’s hands and shoved it toward me.“This,” he said, his eyes locked into