Page 14 of The Unexpected

I stare at the butter dish. At the half-eaten toast, the perfectly cubed cantaloupe, the glint of jam on the tiny silver spoon. “I don’t think I can just go back to normal.”

He pushes off the counter, strides to the table, and looms over me. The sunlight cuts across his face, making the lines of his jaw even harsher, the blue of his eyes almost inhuman. He bends down so his mouth is close to my ear.

“Good,” he says. “Because I don’t want you normal, Stella. I like you the way you are.”

The words send a shock through my core. I swallow, hard, and feel the ghost of last night at the back of my throat. The memory of his cock—huge, brutal, impossible—lingers like an aftertaste, sweet and savage at once. I want to look away, but I can’t. I want to be brave, but I’m not.

I force myself to meet his gaze. “Are you going to ruin me?”

He grins, slow and hungry. “I already have.”

The words hang in the air, thick and electric. The cleaning crew finishes, the house drops into a hush, and all that’s left is the two of us, staring each other down across the breakfast table, the light high and pitiless above us.

If I breathe in, I swear I can still taste him on my tongue.

I drain the coffee in one long gulp, ignoring the burn.

Hunter returns to his seat, unfolds the newspaper, and pretends to read. But every now and then, I catch him glancing up, the ghost of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

He’s right. There’s no going back.

And for the first time since I can remember, I’m not sure I want to.

It’s weird how fast a vibe can shift in the aftermath. One minute we’re sparring, and the next my stomach is folding in on itself, as if every cell in my body has just gotten a memo that it’s time to freak out.

I wrap both hands around my mug, letting the heat soak in, and watch the cream swirl around the rim. My voice, when it comes, is thinner than I want. “We need to talk about last night.”

Hunter’s eyes don’t move from the newspaper, but I see the tic at the corner of his mouth. “We’re talking, aren’t we?”

I press my lips together, trying to work out how to sound sane and also not like a total prude. “I mean, what happened. It was—” I search for a word, but nothing feels big enough or small enough. “It was a lot.”

He turns a page, slow and deliberate, then folds the paper and sets it aside. “Did I do something you didn’t want?” His tone is so even that for a second, I actually think he’s worried, and the absurdity of it almost makes me laugh.

“No,” I say. “You did exactly what I wanted. That’s the problem.”

He considers this, then leans back in the chair, the sleeves of his sweater bunching at the elbows. “I’m sensing you didn’t invite me here for relationship counseling.”

I draw a shaky breath. “We probably do need counseling. Because, in case you forgot, you’re my dad’s stepbrother.”

He cocks his head. “Exactly. We’re not related by blood. It’s not illegal.”

“That’s not the point!” I snap, louder than I meant. My voice echoes a little in the empty kitchen. “It’s—” I lower my voice, glancing at the hallway to make sure none of the cleaning crew is in earshot. “It’s weird.”

He shrugs, as if I’ve just told him it might rain. “That’s your hang-up, not mine.”

“I’m serious, Hunter.”

His gaze sharpens, just for a second, and I see a flash of something—annoyance? amusement?—before it smooths over. “You want to see a shrink about it?” he says. “Go ahead. I’ll even drive you.”

I set the mug down, barely keeping it from slopping over the rim. “You’d go too?”

He holds my gaze, unblinking. “No. I’m not the shrink type. But you go ahead. Isn’t that what girls do? They go to Pilates, drink matcha, and work on their mental health.”

I stare at him, waiting for the punchline, but he just waits, radiating boredom.

“That’s condescending, and I’m being serious,” I say. “We can’t just fuck and act like nothing’s wrong when we’re family. It’s taboo. People go to prison for less.”

Hunter laughs, a real one this time, but the sound is less friendly than before. “I can afford better lawyers than your father, if that’s what you’re worried about.”