My Fiance's Brother II
1461 Words
Sabastien
"It was a mistake," Eva whispered, her voice trembling. "It can’t happen again."
I could have sworn I heard a crack sound coming from my heart when I heard her say that.
I couldn’t bring myself to move away from her. I kept my forehead pressed against hers for a heartbeat longer than was strictly appropriate, my pulse thundering in my ears like a war drum.
My hand was still curved around the side of her neck, my thumb resting just below her jawline where I could feel the frantic, fluttering beat of her heart.
I looked down at her lips and they were swollen, wet, and parted. For a split second, the urge to ruin my brother’s girl engulfed me but she said it was a mistake.
All it was, was a mistake.
I exhaled a ragged, labored breath and forced myself to pull away.
"You don't kiss someone like that by accident, Eva," I said, my voice sounding like gravel under a boot.
"I'm sorry," she breathed again. "I'm so sorry, Sebastian."
"Stop apologizing," I snapped. "Just... stop."
I reached for the dashboard, picking up her glasses. The glue had set.
Moving back into her space, I felt her breath hitch as I slid the frames onto her face. My fingers lingered at her temples, tracing the delicate line of her skin before I pulled back.
Then I leaned over her to pull the seatbelt across her chest. I was so close I could see the gold flecks in her eyes through the lenses, her eyes were currently wide and searching mine.
Her breath hitched.
Mine did too.
For a second, I almost forgot why I pulled away the first time.
I wanted to kiss her again so badly it felt like a physical ache in my teeth. The first time had been too good, it had been a revelation I wasn't prepared for. I pushed back, my knuckles white as I gripped the steering wheel.
"I'm driving you home," I said, shifting the car into gear.
The city lights blurred past us as I drove, but my focus was entirely inward, fighting the urge to look to my right.
I could hear her shallow, uneven breathing. Every time she shifted in the seat, the rustle of her gown made my jaw tighten. My eyes kept drifting, traitorously, to the curve of her legs draped in that thin fabric.
I gripped the wheel tighter, the leather groaning under my strength. Don't touch her.
When we finally pulled up to the curb of the house she shared with Julian, I killed the engine. The quiet was immediately suffocating. I leaned over to undo her seatbelt, my shoulder brushing hers, and before I could move, she reached for the door handle.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, my voice sharp with genuine bewilderment.
Eva paused, her hand frozen on the latch. "I'm... opening the door to go out?"
"Did my brother used to let you open your own door?" I asked.
The silence that followed was my answer. A slow, hot anger began to simmer in my gut. I thought about the months I’d spent watching her, watching her haul groceries up the stairs alone, watching her stand by the car waiting for Julian to notice her, only for him to walk right past.
"You are not invisible to me, Eva," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "And I would never sit here and just watch you open the door yourself. Don’t ever do that again."
I stepped out, walked around the front of the car, and opened her door. I offered my hand, helping her out of the seat
We walked to the front door and she started digging through her bag, her movements becoming more frantic with every passing second.
"I... Julian locked up," she whispered, her face pale. "The keys are probably in his car at the stadium."
I sighed, a mix of frustration and a dark, secret relief. "Get in the car."
She didn't argue. I opened her door again, watched her slide in, and then got behind the wheel. As I pulled away from the curb, she finally looked at me.
"Where are we going?"
"I'm taking you to my place," I said. "The game won't be over for another two hours. You'll stay there until Julian gets back and picks you up."
My apartment felt different with her in it. It felt right. She sat on the edge of my sofa, her expression grim and distant. I brought her a glass of water which she took.
I wanted to give her space, to be the "good brother," but the sight of her sitting there, looking so small and in a relationship with my brother who clearly didn't appreciate her, snapped my restraint.
"Why are you still with him?" I asked, standing in the middle of the room.
She looked up at me, her eyes clouded. "Do you have something stronger than water?"
I nodded and led her toward the bar area near the kitchen. As she sat on the high stool, I pulled out a glass and started preparing her favorite: a gin and tonic with exactly two slices of lime and a sprig of mint.
"Answer the question, Eva," I said, sliding the drink toward her.
"It's complicated," she murmured, taking a sip. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," I countered. I moved around the bar and sat on the stool next to her, our knees brushing. The contact sent a jolt of static through my system, but I didn't pull away. "Do you even love him?"
She didn't say a word. She just stared into her glass.
"I see no reason for you to be with a man who treats you like a ghost," I said, my voice dropping. "It’s clear as daylight that he’s still looking for Olandria in every room he enters. He doesn't deserve the ground you walk on."
I leaned closer, my voice becoming a whisper. "I bet even the s*x isn't very good."
Eva’s head snapped up, her face flushing a deep, brilliant crimson. "You don't know that!"
"I do," I said, the words coming out before I could stop them. "When Julian lived here, and the nights you stayed over... I never heard a sound. Not a single gasp. Not a name called out and you were right down the hall from me.”
I leaned in until I was breathing her air, my eyes locked on hers. "If you spent a night with me in a room, Eva, the neighbors would never forget my name."
She choked on her drink, coughing as she tried to regain her composure. I didn't give her the chance.
"You have no idea how bad you have me, do you?" I asked. "I know you like your coffee with way too much cream and no sugar. I know you wear that specific shade of forest green because it makes your skin pop. I know your favorite color is actually silver, even though you wear gold to match Olandria."
I reached out and took her palms in mine, pulling them toward my chest so she could feel the heat of my skin. "I’ve spent months watching Julian ignore you while I sat in the next room, counting the minutes until you left because the tension of being near you was becoming unbearable."
I leaned in, resting my forehead against hers, my eyes closing as I inhaled the scent of her. "You have me wrapped around your fingers, Eva. You always have. And you don’t even know it."
I felt her shudder. I took a sharp, labored breath and stood up, intending to put some distance between us before I lost my mind completely. If I stayed any longer, I wasn’t sure I would be able to walk away from her.
I had only taken one step when I felt a tiny, tentative pressure on my hand.
Eva had reached out, her pinky finger intertwining with mine, holding me back. I turned around, my heart hammering against my ribs. She let go of my hand without a word and began walking toward the stairs that led to my bedroom.
I followed her, my boots heavy on the tiles. When I entered the room, she was already there, closing the door behind me. I’ve never been nervous around a woman in my life, but looking at her now, I felt like a teenage boy again.
Eva walked toward me, her eyes burning with a sudden, fierce clarity. She stood on her tiptoes, her small hands coming up to cup my face.
"Show me," she whispered, her breath hot against my lips. "Show me how to make the neighbors know your name."
- Writer
