Craved By My Brother-In-Law

Dina “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The pastor’s voice boomed over the congregation, as everyone else cheered and clapped. He was sealing a vow that felt less like a blessing and more like an iron door slamming shut in my face. Down on the altar, under the warm glow of white orchids and the crystal chandeliers, my sister looked like an angel. Angela looked radiant, in fact. Her lace veil drifted over her shoulders, and her smile was bright enough to light up the entire cathedral. I sat in the third row with my knuckles turning white where I gripped my green dress. My seat should have been up there on that altar. Not here, where I was hidden among the crowd, watching my heart get ripped out of my chest and handed away on a silver platter. I loved Angela. I really did. Ever since I could remember, her happiness had been the unspoken law of our family, and I had spent years willingly upholding it. Seeing her cute, glowing face should have been enough to make me swallow the poison in my throat and smile back. But then I looked at the man standing beside her, Collin Malcolm, who stood tall, immaculate, and terrifyingly handsome in an expensive white tuxedo that broad-shouldered his way into dominance over the entire room. Collin wasn't a man who possessed a gentle kind of beauty, he had high-contrast, cut-glass features, a jawline carved from clenching too hard, and thick, dark hair swept back in a beautiful style. Even while he was dressed in his groom’s attire, he still looked like a man who owned the entire world without raising his voice. As he leaned down to place a kiss on my sister’s cheek, my chest caved in. I died a little more inside, the memory of his touch and his hands burning through my skin like acid. My mind dragged me backward, months away from the smell of guests’ perfume and wedding lilies, back to the sticky, bass-heavy speaker of Ground Bar. I had gone out with my friends for my college graduation. “Let's do a dare.” What came next was a stupid, alcohol-infused push from my college friends who thought I was a boring person. “Go talk to the dark horse at the corner booth,” they had teased. “Just five minutes.” I had walked up to him expecting his rejection. Instead, Collin Malcolm had looked at me with his deep, gray eyes that seemed to cut right through his cigar smoke. He had invited me into his hotel suite, ordering drinks we barely touched. What was supposed to be a foolish challenge turned into hours of effortless conversation. I hadn’t known who he was. To me, he was just a man speaking openly about his family’s expectations and the struggles no one else bothered to ask him about. I listened intently, and that night, in his penthouse suite, I gave him my first time. It wasn’t rushed. It was electric and unforgettable. The way his hands had held my waist, the gentleness of his voice in my ear, and the possessiveness in his eyes when he f****d me had became ingrained in my brain. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. I thought I’d never see him again. Until two weeks later. My father had called a sudden family dinner to make an announcement. Sitting at the long dining table, he proudly declared that Angela would be getting married soon to the man she was betrothed to. It was an old family alliance he sealed years ago. The news had caught me off guard because I didn't remember Angela ever mentioning being betrothed to anyone. But then again, I had been adopted into the family at ten years old. There were plenty of secrets, contracts, and promises predating my existence that I wasn't aware of. Then the front door had opened and Collin had walked into our dining room. My world tilted upside down and the floor dropped out from under my feet. As my father introduced him as Angela’s fiancé, Collin’s eyes moved toward me. For a split second, his cold expression faltered. His gaze told me everything I needed to know: he remembered every single second of that night and the initial attraction wasn't gone. “Dina, sweetie, are you crying?” Angela’s soft voice ruined my flashback. The ceremony had concluded, and the crowd was standing, applauding as the new couple turned to face the room. Angela was beaming, her hand wrapped tightly around Collin’s arm. “No, I'm just... just happy for you,” I choked out, forcing my lips into a smile as she stepped down from the altar to hug me. “You have to promise me you’ll start packing tonight,” Angela whispered in my ear, holding me tight. “I can’t manage that huge estate all by myself, Dina. You’re coming to live with us for the first few months to assist me. I won't take no for an answer.” I panicked as the words fluttered in my throat. “Angela, no... you two need your privacy. It’s your honeymoon phase, I shouldn't—” “Nonsense,” she cut in, drawing back with that sweet look she always gave me. “We’ve already prepared the guest suite for you. Collin agrees too. Right, darling?” I froze, my gaze reluctantly shifting up to Collin. He didn't answer right away. His eyes tracked down to where Angela was holding my hands, before rising back up to pin me in place. The look in his eyes was dark, hungry, and completely anything but brotherly warmth. It was the same look he had given me right before he took my clothes off in that penthouse room. “Of course,” Collin said, his baritone voice smooth as silk. “Dina will be... well taken care of under our roof.” A shiver ran down my spine. I knew I should refuse. I knew staying in that house would be playing with a blade pressed right against my throat. But Angela had always been impossible to say no to. She possessed a gentle, persuasive attitude that had governed my life since childhood. When we were younger, Angela had persuaded me to drop out of our private college track so the family budget could focus entirely on her degree. She had convinced me to walk away from my high school boyfriend because she claimed he was 'bad news' for our family image—only for me to find out later she simply liked him. She was used to taking, and I was used to giving up pieces of myself to keep the peace. I always let her win, I thought, watching her wrap her arm possessively around Collin’s waist. But as Collin’s eyes were fixed on my lips for a second too long, a thought took root in my chest. I didn't want to betray my sister. I loved her. But as I looked at the man who had claimed my body before he ever took her hand, I realized it was going to be impossible to let go.