The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 110 - one hundred and ten

Chapter One Hundred and Ten

Malachi’s POV

The next morning, everyone gathered in the main hall. Hunting gear was laid out. Rifles, vests, boots.

Sophie was staying behind with Cecilia. Sophie because she didn’t want to kill anything. Cecilia because her ankle was still swollen.

Pa Wood stood at the center with his list. "Teams are as follows. Tom and Mario. Layla and Isabella. Sasha and Travis."

I waited for my assignment. Already calculating which territory I’d take based on who I was paired with.

"And Malachi and Alicia."

Perfect. Hours alone in the woods with the one person I was trying to maintain distance from. The one person who made my control slip just by existing.

I kept my expression neutral. Nodded like this was fine. Like I wasn’t already thinking about all the ways this could go wrong.

Alicia looked less composed. I saw her jaw tighten. Saw the flash of something in her eyes before she masked it.

We geared up in silence. She pulled on boots that were slightly too big. Grabbed a rifle and checked it with surprising competence. Pa Wood’s mandatory training, probably.

The groups split once we entered the forest. Each taking different directions. Different territories.

Alicia and I walked without speaking. Just the sound of boots on earth and birds overhead. The tension between us was thick enough to choke on.

After twenty minutes of this torture, I broke the silence. "We should hunt a boar. There are tracks here."

"Fine."

"You know how to track?"

"I know enough."

"Good. Then you take left flank. I’ll take right. We’ll corner it."

She moved to position without argument. At least she could follow basic instructions.

I circled right, following the tracks through dense underbrush. The forest here was thick. Good cover for the boar. Bad visibility for us.

I heard movement ahead. Slow, careful movement. The boar was there. Close.

I positioned myself carefully. Raised my rifle. Found the target through my scope. A clean shot. Easy.

My finger moved to the trigger. I was about to squeeze when—

CRACK.

The sharp sound of a branch snapping echoed through the forest. The boar’s head jerked up. It bolted immediately, crashing through the underbrush.

Gone.

I lowered my rifle and turned to look at Alicia. She was standing there with one boot on what was clearly the loudest branch in the entire forest.

"Seriously?" I said.

"It was an accident."

"An accident? You stepped on the loudest branch in the entire forest."

"I didn’t see it."

"How could you not see it? It was right in front of you."

"Maybe because I was watching you instead of my feet."

Something dark stirred in me at those words. She’d been watching me. Couldn’t take her eyes off me even when she should have been focused on the hunt.

Good.

"Watching me? Why the hell were you watching me?"

"Because you had a gun pointed in my general direction! I wanted to make sure you didn’t accidentally shoot me!"

"I know how to handle a rifle, Alicia. I’m not going to shoot you."

"Could’ve fooled me. You looked pretty trigger happy."

"I was about to get us a boar. And you ruined it by being loud."

"Oh, I’m sorry. Next time I’ll make sure to tiptoe through the forest like some kind of woodland fairy."

There was fire in her eyes now. Real emotion breaking through that careful control she’d been maintaining. I liked it. Liked seeing her worked up. Even if it was because she was angry at me.

"That would be helpful, yes."

"You’re impossible."

"I’m impossible? You just cost us our hunt because you can’t watch where you’re stepping."

"Maybe I wouldn’t have stepped on the branch if you hadn’t been making me nervous with that gun."

"The gun wasn’t even pointed near you!"

"It felt like it was near me!"

"That’s not how guns work, Alicia!"

We were almost yelling. Standing in the middle of the forest arguing about a branch and a boar. Anyone listening would think we were insane.

But I didn’t care. This felt good. Felt real. Better than the cold distance. Better than her refusing to look at me.

"Fine," she said, her voice sharp. "It’s my fault. I messed up. Happy now?"

"No, I’m not happy. We’ve been out here for an hour and have nothing to show for it."

"Then maybe you should’ve been paired with someone else. Someone who knows how to hunt properly. Someone like Cecilia."

There it was. The jealousy she’d been trying to hide. The anger beneath the surface.

I liked it. Liked knowing she cared enough to be angry. Even if she was trying to pretend she didn’t.

"Cecilia has a sprained ankle," I said, watching her face.

"Obviously. I was being sarcastic."

"Were you?"

"Yes. I was suggesting you’d rather be with literally anyone else. Which I’m sure is true."

She had no idea. No idea that being out here alone with her was both torture and the best part of my day. That I’d rather be with her covered in mud and arguing than with Cecilia in any capacity.

"You don’t know what’s true," I said quietly.

"Don’t I? You made it pretty clear who you’d rather be with."

We were getting into dangerous territory. Away from the hunt and into things we shouldn’t discuss.

"We should keep moving," I said. "Find another target."

"Fine."

We walked in tense silence. Following new tracks. I could feel her behind me. Aware of every step she took. Every breath.

This was hell. Being alone with her. Wanting her. Not being able to have her.

"There," I said, spotting deer tracks. Fresh ones. "If you can manage not to alert this one, we might actually get something."

"I said it was an accident."

"Accidents have consequences."

"I’m aware."

We followed the tracks. She was more careful now. Watching every step. Making sure she didn’t make another mistake.

The deer came into view. A large buck. Good antlers. A worthy kill.

I raised my rifle. Found it in my scope. Lined up the shot.

Behind me, Alicia held completely still. I could feel her attention on me. Watching. Waiting.

I took the shot. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The buck dropped.

"Finally," I muttered.

We approached. I checked the kill. Clean shot. At least something had gone right.

"See?" I said, looking at her. "That’s how it’s supposed to work. Quietly. Carefully. Without stepping on branches."

"I get it. I messed up the first one. Can we move past it now?"

"Can we?"

The question hung between us. We both knew I wasn’t just talking about the hunt. Wasn’t just talking about the branch.

I was asking if we could move past all of it. The lies. The hurt. The distance.

"I don’t know," she said, her voice quieter now. "Can we?"

I wanted to say yes. Wanted to close the distance between us and tell her the truth. Tell her that Cecilia meant nothing. That this was all an act. That she was the only thing that mattered.

But I couldn’t. Not here. Not when we’d go back to the estate and have to pretend again.

So I just looked at her. Let the moment stretch. Let her see something in my eyes even if I couldn’t say it out loud.

"We should get this back to the estate," I finally said. "Before the others finish their hunts."

"Right."

We worked together to prepare the buck for transport. Our hands brushed occasionally. Each touch felt electric. Dangerous.

This was going to be the longest two weeks of my life.