The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 112 - One Hundred and Twelve

Chapter One Hundred and Twelve

Malachi’s POV

I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The kiss. Her mouth under mine. The way she’d gasped when my hand slipped beneath her waistband. The heat of her skin. How she’d pulled me closer even though she knew it was wrong.

I’d been hard since it happened. Hours later and I still couldn’t get the image out of my head. Alicia pressed against that wall. Her eyes dark with want. Her body responding to my touch.

I wanted more. Wanted to finish what we’d started. Wanted to drag her somewhere private and make her come undone. Wanted to hear her say my name. Wanted to taste every inch of her.

This obsession was going to destroy me. But I didn’t care. She was in my blood now. Under my skin. I couldn’t think about anything else.

Evening came quickly. The other hunting parties returned one by one. Each with their kills. The courtyard filled with voices and the smell of blood and earth.

My mother looked exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes. Mud on her clothes. She set down her rifle with obvious relief.

Sasha and Isabella weren’t much better. Both looked like they’d been through hell. Isabella’s hair had come loose from its braid. Sasha had a scratch across her cheek.

Mario surveyed the kills laid out in the courtyard. His eyes landed on our buck. The largest of them all.

"Who killed the boar?" he asked.

Sophie answered before I could. "Alicia did."

Mario’s eyebrows rose. He looked at Alicia with new interest. "Really? That’s impressive."

"It’s true," I said. Keeping my voice neutral. Like I hadn’t spent the last few hours replaying the moment my fingers had touched her bare skin.

Pa Wood moved closer to examine the buck. Ran his hand along the antlers. Nodded with approval.

"Clean kill," he said. "I never knew you were a hunter, Alicia."

She smiled. That beautiful smile that made something in my chest tighten. "You’re a good teacher."

I watched her accept the praise. Watched her stand there looking proud and capable. Watched everyone look at her with respect.

Mine. The thought was immediate. Possessive. Wrong.

She wasn’t mine. She was Travis’s. My brother’s wife. Off limits in every possible way.

But I wanted her anyway. Wanted her so badly I could barely breathe. Wanted to claim her in front of everyone. Wanted them all to know she belonged to me.

I was losing my mind.

Pa Wood looked around the courtyard. Frowned. "Where’s Travis? And Tom?"

I’d been so focused on Alicia I hadn’t noticed they were missing. Now that Pa Wood mentioned it, their absence was obvious. Everyone else had returned. Just those two were gone.

"They should’ve been back by now," Pa Wood said. His voice held concern. "They had the eastern territory. That’s the easiest route."

My mother’s face tightened with worry. "Maybe they went farther than planned."

"Maybe." But Pa Wood didn’t sound convinced. He turned to me. "Malachi. We need to check the woods. Make sure everything’s safe."

I nodded. Already moving to grab my rifle. "I’ll go now."

"I’m coming too," Alicia said.

"No."

The word came out harsher than I intended. Everyone looked at me. I forced myself to soften my tone.

"You’ve been out all day. You should rest."

"So have you."

"I’m fine."

"So am I."

Stubborn. Always so stubborn. I wanted to kiss that defiant look off her face. Wanted to push her against another wall and make her forget about being reasonable.

"Alicia should rest," my mother said. Supporting me without knowing why I really wanted Alicia to stay behind.

The truth was I couldn’t go into those woods with her. Not alone. Not in the dark. Not when I was already barely holding onto my control.

If we were alone again, I’d touch her. Kiss her. Do all the things I’d been fantasizing about since this afternoon. And I couldn’t afford that. Not with Travis missing. Not with everyone watching.

"Fine," Alicia said. But she looked hurt. Like I was rejecting her.

I wasn’t. I was protecting her. From me. From what I wanted to do to her.

Pa Wood handed me a flashlight. "Be careful. Yell if you need help."

I took it and headed for the tree line. The forest was darker now. Shadows everywhere. The temperature had dropped.

I moved through the trees with practiced ease. Following the path Travis and Tom should have taken. Looking for signs of them.

My mind wandered back to Alicia. Always back to Alicia.

I could still feel her waist under my hand. Still taste her on my lips. Still hear that small gasp she’d made when I touched her.

I was obsessed. Completely and utterly obsessed. Every thought circled back to her. Every moment I wasn’t with her felt like torture.

This was dangerous. I knew it was dangerous. But I couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop.

I wanted to own her. Possess her. Make her mine in every way that mattered.

I wanted Travis gone. Wanted Cecilia gone. Wanted everyone gone so I could have Alicia to myself. So I could show her exactly how I felt. So I could make her understand that she belonged with me.

Not Travis. Me.

The thought should have made me feel guilty. Should have made me hate myself.

It didn’t.

I just wanted her more.

A sound ahead made me stop. Voices. I moved toward them carefully. Hand on my rifle.

Then I saw them. Travis and Tom. Both alive. Both fine. They were dragging something between them. Another deer. A doe.

"Took you long enough," I called out.

They both jumped. Tom laughed when he saw it was me.

"Got turned around in the dark," he said. "Took longer than expected to find our way back."

Travis looked tired but unharmed. He nodded at me. "Everyone worried?"

"Pa Wood sent me to check."

"We’re fine. Just slow."

I helped them carry the doe back. The whole time I was thinking about Alicia. About how she’d look when she saw Travis was safe. About how she’d probably smile at him. Touch his arm. Act like a proper wife.

The thought made something dark and ugly twist in my chest.

I hated it. Hated watching her pretend. Hated knowing she went to his bed at night. Hated that he had the right to touch her when I didn’t.

This obsession was going to consume me. Was going to make me do something stupid. Something I couldn’t take back.

But I didn’t care.

I wanted her. And eventually, I was going to have her.

No matter what it cost.