Page 16 of Dating His Brother

“Sorry, Daws. Not gonna happen,” she scowled, crossing her arms.

“Fine then. Neither friend nor boyfriend. But that doesn’t have to mean I’m a foe either. Why don’t you stop by my studio some time? Whether you want to admit it or not, that’s two of my paintings I’ve caught you admiring so far. I bet I have more you’d like. Hell, I’d even give you one as a gift. Besides, you have to come see that portrait I did of you.”

“Portrait!?” she stomped her foot. “I told you I didn’t want you to do my portrait! How did you…”

I cut her off, handing her a piece of paper with my address scribbled on it. “Just come and see it for yourself.”

“You have got to be the most irritating, persistent pest I have ever met in my life,” she said in a shrill, infuriated tone.

“And yet…you haven’t walked away,” I teased, leaning in dangerously close to her ear. I caught a delicious whiff of her strawberry-scented hair and jasmine perfume. It shot straight between my legs, making me half-hard with one sniff. God, I wanted to smell her all over me.

“That date of yours must be awfully boring,” I decided out loud, still walking circles around her and talking in hushed tones like we kept some kind of scandalous secret between us. “Maybe you’re hoping he won’t come back from getting you that drink…That you’re free now. And then what will you do? Because I’m afraid I’m far too busy here to run off to the pub with you again. As you’ve pointed out, prestigious galleries like this are nothing like selling your junk on the street corner.”

She burned her eyes into me with a catty smile. “Actually, my date is only just now getting started. We’re on our way to dinner, but apparently his brother is showing some work here tonight. Neither of us were particularly thrilled about coming here, but he had to make an appearance, for family’s sake.”

“Sounds like a real stand-up guy,” I scoffed.

“He is. In fact, here he comes now.” She smiled over my shoulder.

“Where?” I asked, spinning on my heels.

That’s when I sawmy own brotherwalking over with two glasses of wine in hand. My worst fear came true when he handed one to Isabella and slid his arm around her back. He eyed me up and down. “Dawson, there you are. Just what, may I ask, are you doing with my date?”

“Yourdate?” I laughed nervously.

“You two know each other?” Izzy’s face dropped as well. “Is he friends with your brother or something?”

“Heismy brother,” Richard told her. “How do you know him?”

“Oh, uh…I, uh…” she stammered as her cheeks turned bright red.

“We met in the arts district,” I told him. “I was begging her to let me paint her portrait.”

“Can’t say I blame you,” Richard grinned at her in a way that made my stomach turn. “I think she’s the perfect muse. I hope you don’t mind, I plan on keeping her to myself though. You really should sit for Daws some time though. I may not be a huge fan of art, but I know a good portrait when I see one. Hell, he’s even done one of me for my office. A few of the other partners have mentioned wanting to commission him as well.”

“Really…” Izzy murmured, looking so surprised I thought she might faint.

“Well, well, well,” I clicked my tongue, watching the two of them together. “So you’re the lucky guy who walked away from that ball with a date with Isabella Landson herself? My own brother.”

“I didn’t realize you were at the ball,” Rich’s brow furrowed.

“A friend dragged me along,” I shrugged. “But you’re right. It’s not my typical scene.”

“Ah,” he nodded.

A horrible, heavy, awkward silence sank down over the three of us like a dark cloud. While I was running into Isabella all over town, she had also managed to run into my brother and was now dating him. Just my luck.

It did little to curb my interest in her, unfortunately.

9

Isabella

Every time I was confronted with the unwanted feelings a run-in with Dawson stirred up inside, it felt like a nightmare and a dirty fantasy coming true all at once. Some part of me wanted him, physically at least. That much was clear by the warm tingling that rose up from my core when his voice vibrated through me.

But seeing him and my date standing side by side, now knowing they were brothers? That was pure nightmare. No part of me was enjoying it. But Dawson sure seemed to be, judging by the twisted gleam in his eyes.

“I see your work is selling tonight. Thank goodness for that,” Richard commented, eyeing the red dots that were quickly spreading around the title cards hung under Dawson’s surrounding paintings.

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