Unleashing My Boyfriend's Brother Desires

Coffee

I am not entirely sure why, but I spend far too much time in the mirror this morning. The remaining bruises look awful and I try my best to cover them with enough foundation, but not too much, since I hated the feeling of it...

Alexander promised me to come back before lunchtime, so we could decide on a pose and lay down a base before lunch. It was surprising how easy going he was about this whole thing, while I felt like a giddy schoolgirl. I didn't want to know if it was because I was offered the chance to use the king of the country as a model, or because it was none other but Alexander: the man who had made it clear more than once that he did not like having me around.

I wasn't quite sure what made him change his mind, or maybe he was doing it out of pity, or trying to make sure I was going to take any legal action against Max or...

Just as I spiral down into my messy thoughts, I hear the front door open and close.

My heart skips a beat and my eyes shot back to my own reflection. Excessive... that's how I felt about my make-up.

Before I can hear footsteps, I grab a tissue and start cleaning my face off of any make-up.

Despite paying attention to the sounds around me, I don't really hear Alexander making his way up the stairs, so when I open my eyes again and look in the mirror, and spot none other but Alexander, leaning against the doorframe, with his arms crossed on his chest, looking right at me, I let out a short yelp and jump right out of my chair, heart beating a mile a minute.

A half amused smile curls on the man's lips and my heart squeezes tightly in my chest with embarrassment and - I am not entirely sure what it was, but it felt like when that new substitute teacher, who's closer to you in age than the real teacher, finally notices you and you can feel that blush creep straight from the bottom of your heart, all the way to your cheeks...

"I'll be in your studio." the man hums, his voice low, but not rasp or filled without any sort of judgy edge to it.

I don't have the time to answer, or say anything, as he turns around and starts walking away while I am still dumb struck by the whole interaction.

Alone again, I sink in front of my vanity once more, my back turned to the mirror, my face still towards the door, still somehow expecting him to come back. But he doesn't, and I am offered the chance to snap back to reality.

When I muster the courage and gather myself, I make my way to my workshop. Of course, Alexander is already there, but he doesn't seem to notice me right away.

So I stop in the entryway and watch him.

He is quietly getting things ready. He pulled the stool he had sat on in front of the cana and right now, he was setting a few things on the coffee table I had near the easel. I smell coffee, I smell freshly baked pastries and I feel unworthy of such a treatment. I've had clients pose for me. I had countless commissions for portraits but none felt as intimidating as the man who had just brought me coffee and pastries.

As if he could read my mind, blue eyes trail up to me and meet my gaze.

A shadow of a smile crosses his lips and for some reasons, his eyes darken lightly while he remains in that leaned in over the coffee table position, his hand still on the cup of coffee.

We share a silent, almost tense moment, before he greets me again.

"Good morning." he hums, his voice a little sing- songy.

"Morning." I answer in the same tune as I rush inside, looking anywhere but directly at him.

I can feel his eyes on me and right now, I feel like I am being preyed on. It was not the same kind of feeling as when I first started going out with Max. Alexander had this kind of predatory gaze and I always felt intimidated by it, and Max kind of copied it. Sultry eyes, hooded by mystery and darkened by unreadable thoughts.

Usually, I felt that his eyes were filled with disgust, but this time, it almost felt playful. Or maybe it was just in my head and I was misreading the room-

I sink into my seat and hide behind the canvas.

"Alright , let's-"

"How about we start with coffee?" Alexander interrupts me, and when I look up, I notice him leaning over the easel, looking down at me over the canvas I used as shelter, offering me a to go cup.

Uf-

I want to not take this too personal. I want to not consider this flirting. I want to think this is just a nice gesture and that this was only the way Alexander was. But I was certain he wasn't! He was cold, he was distant, he was a man that was still hung up over his late wife. Why was he like this all of a sudden? What did I suddenly do to earn his attention?

The only explanation was that he did all this out of pity and I shouldn't look too much into it.

I offer him a faint smile and nod.

"That sounds good too." I hum and take the cup from him.

"Good." He mutters, his voice low and gruff, making the hair on the back of my head stand up.

I take a moment to catch a hold on myself before dragging the stool across from his, so we would not have the easel serve as a wall.

I take a long sip from my coffee and watch as he sinks into his seat, doing the same, his eyes trailing slowly from the coffee table towards me.

I don't why I feel so awkward right now. Maybe it was the difference in size, in power.. or maybe it was the fact that once more I realised how handsome he was. How he was ripped right out of a history book pages...

He had this timeless class about him. About the way his beard was trimmed and his hair was styled. If he wouldn't blink, I might have speculated he was some sort of eons old vampire, and that the color of his eyes had been dulled by time, because their hue was far too pretty to be the color he had been born with.

I don't remember him with fully colored hair. Ever since I met him, his hair had been peppered with gray strands, which felt like they never grew in number.

Max, on the other hand, had this childish beauty towards him. Hid features were softer, his eyes a pale blue, and he always shaved clean. If he had anything to shave... his hair was a pale brown and really, I always thought Alexander was the odd one out in their family. I was certain that Max was a copycat of their mother... and for the longest time, I thought Alexander inherited their father... but I don't think the man had anything close to his son...

I suck in a slow breath and get ready to say something, but the doorbell rings and breaks the silence of the house.

"I'll get that-" I rush to say, setting the cup down and rushing out of the room, somehow happy that I was offered the chance to walk away from the strange and awkward tension.

I rush to the front door and don't hesitate to open it, despite not really expe2cting any guests.

The door opens and I feel the color drain from my cheeks.

"Hey-" Max hums, his face serene, a shy smile curled on his lips.