Page 64 of Something Like Sunflowers

When I pull away, and she wipes the tears from my face with painted thumbs that look something like sunflowers, I feel the pieces of my life click together. A movie playing out before me with only one possible ending ever in mind. Perfectly plotted and planned.

My destiny.

And this time I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect it.

Chapter 25

Devyn

She’s not my biological daughter.” Hunter paces the living room as I sit on the arm of a Bordeaux and cherry oak recliner that matches everything else in his house with Pinterest perfection. I guess when you film a lot of your content in your own home you want it to feel neat and put together most of the time.

I try not to post too much of myself on my page. It decreases the times I get drawn to looking at myself and picking apart one thousand and two things I can’t stand. I learned long ago it’s best not to pay attention to photos or video clips of myself, so I try to post group settings and events in fun, artsy ways instead.

I lost several thousand followers when I quit the station and stopped posting selfies. Eye-opening is what that is.

But not as eye-opening as what he just told me.

“Of course, she’s yours. Hunter, you don’t have to sugarcoat this for me. I hung out with her all morning. She looks like you, acts like you, has your last name, and calls you Papa. She’s—”

“Samuel’s.”

He watches me carefully as I take in this new information. A swift breath of air releases from my lungs and escapes my lips, as relief floods over me. But he frowns, and I try to take it back.

It’s too late. And my blatant relief is over the very thing that might be causing him pain.

“I wish she were mine.” His eyes meet mine, and his message is loud and clear. This is still very much his child, father or not. “Devyn, I don’t want to scare you off.” He grabs my hand, toying with the crease of my Starburst ring where yellow joins orange. “But she’s mine. I’m hers. We’re a package deal.”

“I understand,” I say, linking my fingers with his. “And I’m not running yet, am I?”

I surprise myself with that revelation, because a whole lot has happened in the last few days, and most of it revolves around Hunter and this life I didn’t even know existed a week ago. A life that feels so ingrained in me that there’s no way I’ve been away from it for this long.

I’m not ready to leave it behind, either.

He has a child. A niece, I correct myself, watching as his eyes bore a hole into my soul, waiting for something more. I can live with that.

“What happened last night,” I say, switching gears, “I know we were drinking, but I wanted all of that to happen. I needed you to know that.”

He smiles a shit-eating grin that’s so damn smug, I wish I could take my words back just to give him hell longer.

“Oh, I know.” He licks his lips, leaning in and getting dangerously close to my ear. “My jeans from last night are covered in how much you wanted all of that to happen, remember?” I shiver, hating that he’s right and loving how downright slutty it makes me feel, which is a whole new kink Hunter has seemed to unlock that I didn’t know I had.

I swat him away, lifting my body from his lap and turning to put my hands on his shoulders as I tower over him. “Excuse me. We are taking things slow, Mr. Isaac. You just sprang some soap opera level news on me about a secret daughter, and then basically all but molested my ear, so I feel the need to point that out.”

I stand and walk away, giggling quietly as I hear him groan. He follows me to the kitchen, spinning me around to face him, his hands on my hips like electricity in my veins.

“Call me Mr. Isaac again, wife.” He leans in and presses a light kiss to the corner of my lips, and I can’t help the smile that pulls at the edges of my mouth even when I’m trying desperately to make it do the opposite.

“Oh, my gosh, you can’t say that.” But I’m practically melting into his arms and shoving my neck into his warm, languid kisses as he tongues and bites and all but fucks the skin on my neck. I back up, holding him closer and angling to give him more access to all parts of my body as heat takes over and claws its way through me.

“I’m gonna fuck you so hard once you let me.” His teeth scrape my earlobe as he pulls away, sending pulses to my center with every swipe of his hot mouth on my body.

I want him all over me, inside me, on top of me. I want him everywhere. I grind my body against his, and he picks me up by my butt, hoisting me and wrapping my legs around him. His hand pushes between us, and his fingers brush my clit.

“Feels so good,” I moan as I press my body harder into his and rub myself over his fingers until I can feel the slickness from inside me seeping out all over him, and fuck if this isn’t the hottest thing I’ve ever done. I want more.

I want so much more with Hunter Isaac, and I don’t even know what more there is.

But a voice in my head keeps saying we need to protect ourselves. We need to take this slow.

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