Page 26 of An Unexpected Encounter

“Your scar. If that’s all you want, can I shut the door?” God, this makes her even more perfect. Oh no, Spitfire, you’re not getting away from us that easily.

“Can I come in, please? I just want a few minutes to talk to you. I brought coffee and sweets.” I hold up the cups and bag, giving her the biggest smile.

I give the bag of pastries a shake, and I can see the moment she relents, her face softening from the scowl she was displaying.

“Fine, you have five minutes. Is it decaf?”

“Umm, no.” Who drinks decaf coffee?

“I’ll take the bag then. Come on, time is ticking.” She steps back, allowing me room to step past her as she takes the bag from my hand and opens it.

“Fucking bear claw, my favorite.” She lets out a moan, and I can’t help but beam with pride.

My mom always said that they were wrong about food. It’s not only the way to a man’s heart, but a woman’s as well. Flowers are overrated, but food never goes out of style. I always thought she was crazy, but maybe she was right.

“They’re mine too.”

“Okay, well, what did you want to talk to me about? You’re down to four and a half minutes now.” She wobbles a little as she walks across the room, and I notice how she grabs hold of the back of the couch to steady herself.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just got dizzy. I’ve got a headache.” She mumbles the last part, and my eyebrow raises. “Go on, talk.” She manages to sit on the end of the couch and I take the spot in the chair across from her.

“I wanted to talk to you about what we said at the wedding. What you overheard us say.”

“Are you here to stick the knife further in my hea—my back?” She clears her throat, but it’s too late. I caught her slip of the tongue.

“No, I came to tell you that you only heard part of the conversation. Yes, what you heard was said, but it was our sad attempt to rationalize why we couldn’t be with you. Not only were you with all of us, but you were our step-sister now.”

She just glares at me, saying nothing, and my heart races.

“Maybe I was a slut. I mean, in hindsight, I only thought I had slept with two people in the twenty-four period. But it was still pretty shitty, wouldn’t you say? In this day and age, I thought we were past slut shaming women for having sex. It’s a double standard, don't you think? Men get high fives while women are scorned for their loose morals.”

“You’re right, and we don’t think of you as a slut. You have to believe me.”

“No, I don’t. We don’t even know each other. It was one night. Now our parents are married, so it doesn’t matter. We couldn’t have been anything more than that.”

“But we could. We’re not blood-related,” I remind her.

“It still doesn’t negate the fact that there's three of you and one of me.”

“What if it doesn’t matter to us?”

“Honey, I’m home. How’s chick—” a male voice booms, as the front door opens.

“Sam, we have company,” Selena says loudly, and I can’t help but notice the sweat peppering her forehead or the way she’s suddenly gripping the bag tightly.

Chapter 13

Selena

“Fuck, that was close.” Sam lets out a deep breath as he drops on the couch beside me.

Once Sam arrived, Zeke, as he told me he preferred to be called, made a quick exit, but not before letting me know he’d be in touch.

“Yeah, it was. I should have checked who was at the door before opening it. Something I'll definitely do next time.” I go to stand, but another wave of dizziness hits me and I drop back down to the couch.

“Shit, are you okay?” Sam rushes to my side, dropping the bag in his hand to the floor.

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