* * * *
My eyes fluttered open. Everything was dark. There was no light, except for the moonlight that streamed into my window. I had no clue how long I’d slept. My stomach roared with hunger. I needed to find the kitchen. I was partway to the door when my foot slammed into a box I didn’t see. I hit the floor like a ton of bricks.
I pushed myself up and rose to my feet when the light flicked on.
“You okay?”
“What are you doing? Sitting outside my door?” I stood but didn’t move.
He stood in the doorway, one hand braced on the frame, the other gripped the knob. He wore a pair of track pants with no shirt. His hair was damp. I flicked my gaze over his chest, his abs, the sexy-as-hell V that disappeared into his pants. I smoothed my hair. I hated that I cared how I looked.
“I’m fine. What time is it?”
“Just after midnight.” Hunter smirked. “You hungry?”
“You read my mind.”
Hunter motioned for me to follow him and led me to the kitchen.
“We always have a stash of leftovers in the fridge.” Hunter opened it and peered in. “Looks like the menu tonight is Caesar salad and homemade macaroni and cheese.”
I sat on a stool at the counter. “Sounds good.”
Hunter grabbed two plates from the cupboard. He heated the mac and cheese in the microwave, then served the salad. He set my plate in front of me before he took the seat beside me.
I swore I could almost feel the heat radiate from him, he sat that close. “Thanks.” We ate in silence for a few minutes. I looked at him from the corner of my eye. “You could have told me there was an elevator.”
Hunter smirked. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“If you’d told me, maybe I wouldn’t have been so exhausted that I slept until midnight. I’m going to be awake half the night now.”
“I’m awake half the night most nights.” He turned and looked at me. He roamed his gaze over me, but came back up to meet mine. “I could help tire you out.”
I hopped off the stool and grabbed my plate. “That’s not happening again, Hunter.”
Hunter threw his head back and laughed.
“I’m going to finish eating in my room.”
“Want me to check your closet for monsters?”
“Goodnight, Hunter.”
I didn’t have to turn around to see his smile. The image was burned into my brain, and no matter how hard I tried to stop thinking about him, I failed. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Eight
I woke up late the next morning. I blamed Hunter for that. His cocky attitude, his hot and cold demeanor, he got under my skin. After I’d returned to my room, I’d spent hours keeping myself busy in an attempt to not think about him. It hadn’t worked.
I hid in my room until the early afternoon. I unpacked all my boxes and put everything away. I wanted to make my mom happy and the way to do that was to show her how well I adjusted to her decisions. I was determined to be supportive of her new life.
My stomach brought me downstairs sometime after two. I’d half expected everyone to be out enjoying the sun, but I found them all in the kitchen.
“Good afternoon, sleepyhead.” Mom got to her feet and poured me a cup of coffee. “I hope you slept well.”
“Yeah. I slept fine.” I sipped my coffee and ignored the fact that Hunter stared at me again. “I spent the morning unpacking and settling in.”
“Good, sweetie, I’m glad.” Mom turned to David. “Do you think ice sculptures would be too over the top?”
David shook his head. “If you want ice sculptures, we can have ice sculptures.”
I furrowed my brow. “Ice sculptures? For what?”
“The family reunion.” David reached for my mother’s hand. “I want to introduce my new bride to the whole family.”
I felt the blood drain from my head. The whole family. I flicked my gaze to Hunter. He looked un-phased. The whole family. Everyone.
“Will Aunt Angela be coming?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah, she’s already confirmed.”
“Is Mitch coming with her?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t he?”
Hunter pushed himself away from the counter. “No reason. I just wanted to know if we should hide the hard liquor. You remember the last time everyone was here, don’t you?”
David grimaced. “Good plan.”
I didn’t listen to the rest of the conversation. I tried to figure a way out. I could feign illness, which wouldn’t be hard. My stomach churned and rolled when I remembered how Mitch had acted toward me at the party. I left my coffee on the counter and mumbled an excuse to go upstairs.
I paced the floor. My hands were balled into fists. I needed to hit something. Mitch, I needed to hit Mitch.
My door opened and Hunter stepped in.
For reasons I couldn’t imagine, tears sprang to my eyes. “Here to enjoy my misery?”
Hunter shook his head. “I can tell my dad what he did. I can have him uninvited.”
I wiped the tears away. I felt ridiculous, crying over a guy who meant nothing to me. “No. It’s okay.”
“Are you okay?” He took a step toward me, his brow pinched with worry. Gone was the cocky, arrogant ass who seemed to enjoy tormenting me.
I took a deep breath and sat on my bed. “Do you think I could just hide in my room through the whole thing? I could pretend to wash my hair.”
Hunter sat next to me. He ran his fingers through my long, chestnut tresses. A moan almost escaped, but I managed to swallow it—hard. “You’ve got this, Summer.”
“Everything is fucked up.” I shook my head, then Hunter cupped my face. I shut my eyes to avoid his piercing gaze.
“Everything is fine.” His other hand blazed a trail of fire up my arm.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
My eyes were still closed. I didn’t want to open them. I leaned into his touch. I wanted to pretend we were still in my dorm, but it didn’t matter where we were. He was my stepbrother now. I wrenched away and stood, but he grabbed my hand. I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. I couldn’t pull away. He pulled me back.
“I like you, Summer.”
My laughter came out huskier than I expected. A warmth spread through me. It started in my stomach and went down, down to my pussy. I bit my lip when I thought of his fingers and how they felt when they were deep inside me. I wanted him so badly I ached. There was an emptiness in me that only he could fill.
“You like tormenting me.”
He stood and threaded his fingers into my hair. “I love tormenting you.”
His lips grazed my ear, then my neck. I felt his smile on my skin. He kissed his way up my neck and glided his hands down my back. He cupped my ass and pulled me into him. His erection pressed into me, but it was his words that melted me and made me want him.
His lips grazed my ear. “I won’t let him hurt you, Summer.”
Chapter Nine
His touch satisfied something deep inside me. It was like listening to a song you’d thought about for days. The lines rolled through your mind on repeat and nothing was able to match the thrill you get when you finally break down and listen to it. He was music. We were music. Our heartbeats, the sound of our breathing, it was all a part of our symphony.