The Incest

Chapter Two

Cora's POV

Dinner at eight.

Which gives me exactly four hours to overthink every possible awkward thing I could say, do, or breathe in front of Xavier again.

By the time the clock hits seven-thirty, I’ve already changed outfits three times. Nothing feels right. Too casual, too fancy, too trying.

In the end, I throw on black jeans, a silk top Mom probably slipped into my suitcase when I wasn’t looking, and boots that make me feel at least a little taller, a little tougher.

The dining room is ridiculous. The table is so long it could seat the entire cast of a reality show. Candles flicker in golden holders, and staff move quietly in the background like shadows.

Mom is glowing beside her new husband—aka Xavier’s dad, aka Mr. Rich-As-Sin. He’s got the kind of presence that makes the whole room colder. Smiling, but sharp. His hand never leaves Mom’s wrist, like she’s a prize he just collected.

And Xavier? He’s already seated, lounging back in his chair, wine glass in hand. His eyes find mine instantly.

Of course they do.

I drop into a chair as far from him as possible.

Dinner is a blur of polite conversation I barely hear. Fancy food I can’t pronounce. Silverware with too many forks. Mom keeps squeezing my hand under the table like See, it’s not so bad.

But every time I glance up, Xavier is watching me. Calm. Patient. Like a cat watching a mouse decide how long it wants to pretend it’s free.

By dessert, I’m done.

“Ugghhh,” I mutter under my breath as another plate of something overly sweet lands in front of me. “Kill me now.”

Xavier smirks. “Careful. Someone might take you up on that.”

I glare across the table. “You volunteering?”

“Maybe.” His voice is lazy, dangerous.

Mom frowns. “Kids…”

“Not kids,” Xavier cuts in smoothly, eyes still on me. “Not anymore.”

My pulse skips. Heat rushes to my cheeks.

I stab my fork into the dessert so hard the plate scrapes. “Yeah, nope. Not doing this.”

And before anyone can stop me, I push my chair back, mutter something about jet lag, and stalk out of the dining room.

I can still feel his eyes on my back as I go.

---

I slammed my door harder than necessary, and the echo rattled through the empty hall before silence swallowed me whole.

“Great,” I muttered, kicking off my boots. “First dinner and I already look like the dramatic stepdaughter. Ten out of ten performance, Cora.”

I threw myself onto the ridiculous silk bed, but no matter how much I rolled around, I couldn’t relax. The sheets smelled like lavender and polish, too clean, too foreign. My stomach twisted from the food I barely touched, and my brain wouldn’t stop replaying Xavier’s stare across the table.

Those eyes. God. He looked at me like he could read every thought I had—and like he wasn’t supposed to, but wanted to anyway.

“Ugghh,” I groaned, grabbing a pillow and smothering my face. “Nope. Not thinking about him. Out of sight, out of mind.”

Except he wasn’t out of mind. Not even close.

I tossed. I turned. I counted fake sheep. By midnight, I gave up on sleep completely.

The house was too quiet. Too big. I felt like if I closed my eyes, I’d wake up in some maze and never find the way out.

So I got up.

Barefoot, I padded into the hallway. The lights were dimmed, golden sconces casting soft glows that left shadows lurking in corners. My footsteps echoed faintly, a reminder of how small I was compared to this place.

I walked aimlessly at first—past tall windows that showed nothing but black night, past endless doors, past paintings that seemed even creepier in the dark.

Then voices caught my attention.

Low, muffled, from downstairs.

Curiosity pulled me like a string. I crept toward the grand staircase and crouched behind the carved railing. From here, I could just barely see the bottom floor: Mr. Rich-as-Sin—Xavier’s dad—and a man in a sharp suit.

“…not ready yet,” the suited man was saying.

“It has to be,” Xavier’s dad replied, voice clipped. “The board is restless. They expect results.”

The rest blurred, words too soft to catch. But the tension in his voice was enough to prickle my skin. Whatever this was, it didn’t sound like casual business.

I leaned too far, the wood creaked, and I froze.

When I dared to look again, the men were gone.

“Jeez,” I whispered, clutching the railing. My heart thumped like I’d been caught, even though no one was there.

I stood, ready to sneak back to my room—and that’s when I saw him.

Xavier.

Leaning against the wall at the far end of the hall, arms crossed, watching me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Holy s**t, do you live to sneak up on me?”

He pushed off the wall slowly, hands sliding into his pockets. “You’re the one sneaking around my house at midnight. Who’s the creep here?”

“I wasn’t sneaking. I was… walking.”

“In the dark. Barefoot. Listening at corners.” He smirked. “Textbook definition of sneaking.”

I scowled. “What are you, the midnight patrol?”

“Maybe.” He stepped closer, quiet, controlled, like every movement was deliberate. His eyes caught the faint glow of the sconces, sharp and unreadable. “Or maybe I just wanted to see where you’d end up.”

My pulse stumbled. “Ugghh, don’t say it like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you were waiting for me.”

He tilted his head, gaze locking with mine. The corners of his mouth curved, but his eyes—his eyes didn’t smile. They burned.

“I wasn’t waiting,” he said softly. “But I’m not surprised.”

I swallowed, heat crawling up my neck. “You’re insane.”

“Probably.”

For a long moment, neither of us moved. The hall stretched around us, heavy with silence. I hated how aware I was of him—his height, the way his shirt clung to his shoulders, the way his stare pinned me in place like I was the only thing that mattered.

I forced myself to look away. “I should go back to my room.”

“Then go.”

The words were simple, but his voice was low, rougher than before. Like he wanted me to stay even as he told me to leave.

My chest tightened. Nope. Not dealing with that.

I stepped past him, determined not to glance back. But the air shifted as I passed, and I swear his hand twitched like he almost reached for me.

Almost.

I didn’t stop. I didn’t breathe until I was back in my room with the door shut behind me.

My heart pounded as I slid down to the floor, back against the wood.

“f**k,” I whispered.

His eyes. That look.

Like he wanted me.

And worse… like part of me wanted him to.

---

I crawled back into bed, but sleep didn’t come easy. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Xavier’s smirk, heard his voice, felt that stare strip me bare.

By the time dawn light slipped through the curtains, I knew one thing for sure:

This wasn’t going to be simple.

This was going to be dangerous.

And it was only the first night