Page 111 of Oathbreaker

I melt as I always do when his lips touch mine.

It’s a dirty kiss, and his mouth is hungry against mine. Hunter grinds against me, and the feeling of his hard cock against my stomach signals my lady bits to get wet.

I lean into the kiss. When he ends it, I inhale sharply.

“August loves you. He wants you as a stepmom.”

“I don’t want him to think I’m trying to erase his mother, but I don’t know what I’m doing here. I want him to feel loved and cared for and not edged out.”

He smiles down at me, his thumb rubbing against my bottom lip. He gives me a chaste kiss.

“You’re amazing. You know that, Sunbeam?” Another kiss. “August and I are so lucky to have you in our lives.”

The pre-heated oven beeps, which spurs me into action. I burst out of the pantry with Hunter on my heels in time to see Ella enter the kitchen.

“Did a bomb go off in here?” she asks, taking in the island.

“I just want to make Hunter a chocolate cake.” I sniff, rubbing my nose with the back of my hand to stave off the onslaught of tears I feel welling up.

Ella nods slowly. “Uh-huh. And do you, um, enjoy baking?”

I stare at her in the thick silence, and she laughs.

“Move over, girl. Let me help you.”

I sag in relief. “You will?”

“Yep. Lucky for you, baking is my specialty. I love sweets if you didn’t know. Plus, I’ve made this cake before.” She winks, and I settle in beside her.

Hunter kisses the side of my head and leaves the kitchen.

With him out of the way, I put my hand over my chest, centering myself with a quick breathing exercise. When I’m finished, I feel the anxiety leaving my body.

“You really care about this cake, don’t you,” Ella says as she greases a parchment-lined baking tin.

“I do. I just want it to be right.” I assess the damage I’ve done to the kitchen island and decide to make myself useful by cleaning while Ella bakes.

“It’s already all right,” Ella says, giving me a sage nod.

I tilt my head to the side, considering her. “Yeah,” I reply. Ella and I haven’t spent much time together. Before the abduction, we were starting to get to know each other, but we didn’t get to hang out much, as I was there to work with August.

And then, when Hunter and I broke up, I avoided the house altogether.

Since returning, I kept to myself until a few weeks ago. Now it feels like she’s the person who is challenging to get ahold of.

“I’ve never seen my brother so happy,” Ella says, breaking through my contemplation. “You’re good for him.”

“We’re good for each other,” I reply.

She hums, focusing back on the cake. I count several seconds as I shuffle around the kitchen, cleaning up. When the island is clean and orderly, I put my hands flat on the marble countertop, assessing her.

I realize she’s avoiding my gaze.

“Ella,” I say softly.

“Hmm?” she asks, casting the sound over her shoulder as she puts the cake in the oven.

“What’s up?” I ask.

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