The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 58 - fifty eight

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Malachi’s POV

"And if I say no?"

She asked. Surprising me.

It seemed my little bird was getting bolder.

I smiled, leaned in and whispered. "I don’t mind putting a collar around your pretty neck, Alicia."

I wanted to mark her on the neck again, but my last one was still visible.

My hands reached her visibly aching thighs, keeping them apart. "Then you’d permanently belong to me."

She’d be mine. Only mine.

"Belong to you?"

She brought her thighs together. "I don’t belong to anyone, Malachi. I was never yours, and I will never be yours."

Is that so?

Alicia loves lying to herself so much.

I had the urge to kiss that lying mouth of hers.

An idea clicked. I smirked.

"Unbuckle my belt, Alicia."

She was silent. Dead silent. Just when I thought she’d run away, her slender hands reached out to unbuckle the leather around my waist.

My eyes widened. Only for a second.

I caught her wrist before she could reach it. My fingers wrapped around her slender wrist firmly, stopping her.

I smiled. Couldn’t help it. She was trying to push me past the point of control. And god, she was succeeding.

But not tonight. She must be sore down there already.

I pulled her closer, pressing her head against my chest. "You’re one devious little bird."

I held her there for a moment, feeling her warmth against me. Her heart was racing. I could feel it through the thin fabric of her blouse.

I kissed the top of her head. Soft. Gentle. A complete contrast to what she’d been trying to provoke.

Then I tilted her chin up and kissed her lips. Slow and deep, pouring everything I couldn’t say into it. All the want. All the need. All the feelings I didn’t know how to name.

When I pulled back, I looked into her eyes. "Go to sleep, little bird."

She blinked. Confused. Then disappointed. I could see it written all over her face. The confusion turning into frustration. Into something that looked almost like hurt.

"What?"

"You heard me. It’s late. Go to sleep."

"But I thought—"

"I know what you thought." I brushed my thumb across her cheek. "But not tonight."

She pulled away from me, standing up quickly. The disappointment on her face was clear now. Unmistakable.

That was all I needed to see. All the confirmation I needed.

She wanted this. Wanted me. Just as badly as I wanted her.

It wasn’t just physical attraction. It wasn’t just the heat of the moment or the forbidden nature of what we were doing. She needed me too. The way I needed her.

"Goodnight, Malachi," she said stiffly, turning toward the door.

"Alicia."

She stopped but didn’t turn around.

"Sweet dreams."

I heard her sharp exhale. Then she left, closing the door a little harder than necessary behind her.

I sat back in my chair, smiling to myself. Let her be frustrated. Let her lie awake wanting me. Tomorrow would be different. But tonight, I wanted her to feel what I felt every time she walked away from me.

After a few minutes, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. Found the number I was looking for.

Rose answered on the second ring. "Malachi. It’s late."

"I need you to shift focus," I said without preamble. "Mario. I want everything on him. Every move he makes. Every person he talks to. Everything."

There was a pause. "You think he’s involved?"

"I know he’s involved. I just need proof."

"What about Zhao Wei?"

"Keep someone on him. But Mario is the priority now. They’re going to strike soon. I can feel it."

"How soon?"

"Days. Maybe a week at most." I leaned back in my chair. "Zhao’s been getting bolder. More careless. That means they’re close to making their move."

"And you want to catch Mario in the crossfire."

"Exactly."

Rose was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "You’re playing a dangerous game. If the family finds out—"

"They won’t. Not until I want them to."

"And Alicia? Does she know what you’re doing?"

The mention of her name made something tighten in my chest. "She doesn’t need to know. Not yet."

"She’s going to find out eventually. These things always come out."

"Let me worry about that."

"Fine. I’ll have everything on Mario by tomorrow night."

"Good. And Rose? Be careful. Mario’s more dangerous than he looks."

"I always am."

I ended the call and set my phone down. Stood up and walked to the window. It was dark outside.

Everything was coming together. All the pieces falling into place. Soon, I’d have everything I needed to bring Mario down. To expose his role in Emily’s death. In her child’s death.

Soon, there would be justice.

I left the study and headed to the kitchen. Poured myself a drink. Whiskey, neat. The burn felt good going down.

I took the glass to my room and sat on the edge of the bed. Took another sip. Then another.

My mind kept drifting back to Alicia. To the look on her face when I’d told her to go to sleep. The disappointment. The frustration.

She’d wanted me. Had been ready to give herself to me again right there in the study. And I’d sent her away.

It had taken every ounce of control I had. Every shred of willpower. Because what I’d really wanted was to take her right there on that desk. To show her exactly what she had been doing to me all evening.

But I’d held back. Because I needed her to understand something. Needed her to see that this wasn’t just about physical desire. Wasn’t just about scratching an itch.

This was something more. Something deeper.

Something that terrified me as much as it consumed me.

I finished the whiskey and poured another. Sat there in the darkness of my room, thinking about her. About us. About everything that was happening.

I thought about the way she smiled when she was with Sophie. The way she challenged me when everyone else just cowered. The way she felt in my arms, like she belonged there.

I thought about her lips. Her skin. The sounds she made when I touched her.

I thought about last night. About the way she’d given herself to me. The way she’d looked at me afterward. Like I was something more than just the monster everyone else saw.

The whiskey was making everything feel softer. Hazier. But my thoughts of Alicia remained sharp. Crystal clear.

I wanted her. Needed her in a way that went beyond logic or reason. In a way that made me do reckless, stupid things.

In a way that made me forget about revenge and justice and everything else I’d come back to Silver Lake City for.

She was becoming my weakness. My vulnerability. The one thing that could destroy all my carefully laid plans.

And I didn’t care.

I finished my second drink and set the glass aside. Lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Tomorrow, I’d focus on Zhao and Mario. On the business of destroying my enemies and protecting what was mine.

But tonight, I let myself think only of her. Of my little bird who’d tried so hard to break my control. Who had no idea that she already had.

I closed my eyes and let the whiskey pull me toward sleep. My last thought before darkness took me was of Alicia’s face. That disappointed look. That frustration.

Tomorrow, I’d make it up to her. Tomorrow, I’d show her exactly what she did to me.

But tonight, I let her wonder. Let her want.

Because wanting was its own kind of pleasure. Its own kind of torture.

And I wanted her to feel it. The way I felt it every moment she was near me.

Every moment she was away from me.

Every moment of every day since I’d first laid eyes on her.

My little bird.

I opened my laptop, telling myself I needed to work. I needed to review the files on Zhao Wei one more time. Make sure I haven’t missed anything. But my fingers moved on their own, pulling up the security feeds instead. I found her camera. I watched her move around her room, getting ready for bed.

She still looked frustrated. Kept running her hands through her hair. I picked up my phone and texted her.

"Go to sleep, little bird."

I watched her pick up her phone through the screen. I watched her read the message. Her response came quickly.

"I was going to sleep already."

But she wasn’t. She was pacing. Restless. Just like me. I should have closed the laptop. Should have given her privacy. But I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t stop watching her.

This was an obsession. Pure and simple. Unhealthy and twisted and wrong. But I didn’t care. I watched until she finally climbed into bed and she fell asleep. Only then did I close the laptop. Only then did I let myself breathe.