Ethan Miller hated how his heart raced every time Alex Carter entered the room. His sister’s husband—or rather, his brother-in-law—was impossibly charming, impossibly handsome, and impossibly… distracting.
It had started subtly. A hand lingering on his shoulder when passing by. A protective arm brushing his back when they walked together. Every gesture claimed Ethan without words, and he felt it, even if he tried to ignore it.
Tonight, he couldn’t.
Lara had gone to a work event, leaving Ethan and Alex alone in the apartment. Alex leaned casually against the doorway, arms crossed, eyes sharp and calculating.
“You’re avoiding me,” Alex said, voice low, almost teasing—but there was an edge to it that made Ethan’s pulse spike.
“I’m not!” Ethan protested, though his voice wavered.
Alex stepped closer, filling the space between them, his presence overwhelming. “Really? Because it feels like you’ve been thinking about me all week.”
Ethan swallowed hard. “I—That’s not true!”
Alex smirked, his dark eyes unblinking. “You think you can lie to me? You can’t hide from me, Ethan. I’ll see every thought you try to keep private.”
Before Ethan could react, Alex reached out, brushing a hand against his jaw, fingers trailing to the back of his neck. The touch was electric, possessive. Ethan’s breath hitched.
“Alex…” he whispered, both a warning and a plea.
“I don’t want you to speak,” Alex said, pressing a finger to his lips. Then, without another word, he captured Ethan’s mouth with his own. The kiss was demanding, claiming, and yet there was a tenderness underneath the possessive heat.
Ethan’s body betrayed him instantly, leaning into Alex’s embrace, heart hammering, thoughts spinning. He knew it was wrong. Forbidden. But the way Alex held him—so close, so insistent—made it impossible to resist.
Alex pulled back slightly, just enough to let his forehead rest against Ethan’s. “You belong to me,” he murmured. “Even if the world says no, I won’t let you go.”
Ethan’s fingers trembled as they brushed against Alex’s chest. “But… my sister…”
“Shh,” Alex whispered, capturing his hand in his own. “No one has to know. Here, with me, it’s ours.”
Their hands tangled. Alex’s thumb brushed over the back of Ethan’s hand, over and over, possessively. Every small touch sent shivers down Ethan’s spine. The air between them was thick with desire, yet every motion, every glance, was carefully measured—dangerous, yet intimate.
Hours passed with stolen touches: a lingering hand on the lower back while passing through the living room, a deliberate brush of fingers along his forearm, a whisper of “Don’t forget you’re mine” in his ear. Ethan’s mind screamed caution, but his body screamed for more.
When they finally sat together on the couch, Alex leaned closer, his knee brushing Ethan’s. “I’ve wanted this for so long,” he confessed, voice low, almost a growl. “I’ve watched you, cared for you, and yes… desired you. And now, you’re mine, Ethan. Mine to tease, to protect, to… love.”
Ethan shivered, leaning closer. “I don’t know if I should…”
Alex’s hands cupped his face, tilting it up. “Don’t think. Just feel. Just be with me.”
And when their lips met again, it was a storm—possessive, slow, deliberate, and consuming. Every touch, every sigh, every heartbeat bound them tighter together. Forbidden though it was, neither could deny the magnetic pull between them, a passion too dangerous to name, too intense to resist.
In the quiet apartment, away from prying eyes, the brother-in-law and his sister’s younger brother discovered a love that was forbidden, obsessive, and entirely theirs—fiery, tender, and impossible to forget.
