Page 62 of Rejected By My Stepbrother Alpha
Why would Asher think I was dating Damian? Why would he think my biological brother was Adrian’s father? I paused as I thought about Damian, Asher, and my previous interactions from Asher's point of view. Of course, Damian and I never acted like a couple—gross—but it was possible Asher could mistake Damian's brotherly protectiveness as jealousy. Damian and I never told Asher we were siblings either. Also, Adrian and Damian had some physical similarities, even sharing the exact same color eyes.
Asher’s assumption was just one big, horrible misunderstanding.
But why wouldn't Asher even consider that Adrian was his son? If he was speculating about Damian, wouldn't it make sense to ask if Adrian was his, too? Was it possible that Asher honestly didn't remember our stolen night? If so, why not? Did he block it out because he found it morally wrong? Or was he too drunk to remember making love to me?
At least this answered one of the questions that had been forming in the back of my mind. Asher thinking that Damian and I were a couple explained why he was always hostile toward Damian.
Originally, I had written it off as Asher reacting to Damian’s icy behavior toward him. But now I knew Asher was jealous of…my brother. How absurd.
On their own accord, my lips twitched at the thought.
Asher gave me a strange look since he was still waiting for an answer to his question.
There was an ironic laugh forming inside my throat, but I swallowed it down.
I took a deep breath and met Asher’s eyes.
I opened my mouth, unsure what I was even going to say, when a nurse whom I'd seen at the front desk walked in.
“I'm sorry,” she said, not seeming at all apologetic. “Visiting hours are over.” She was looking at me pointedly and then at the door.
“Right.” I swallowed nervously and looked at Asher, whose eyes were pleading with mine to stay. “I'll talk to you later. Get some rest.” Iswallowed nervously and stood from the chair on shaking legs, and started to walk out of the room.
“Goodnight, Ivy,” Asher's deep voice called out.
Like always, my real name on his lips affected me like nothing else could. I shut my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Against my better judgment, I turned around and looked at Asher.
“Goodnight,” I whispered as his eyes burned into mine like he was trying to read my mind. “I'm glad you're all right.”
“I'd be better if you would stay,” Asher murmured, too low for the nurse to hear.
I quietly gasped. Every fiber of my being was begging me to stay by his side. But I knew that there were a lot of things for me to consider before I was alone with Asher again.
After a moment that seemed to last forever—yet no time at all—I tore my eyes away from his and left the room with a heavy heart and a mess of a mind.
Chapter 24
Highly Unlikely
Asher
When Ivy walked into my office, my heart nearly stopped. Her auburn hair was pin-straight, and she had on a cream-colored dress that hugged her curves the way I wanted to. Her plump lips were painted red to match her high heels, which made her toned legs even longer.
I’d been discharged from the hospital yesterday morning, but this woman was going to put me right back in there.
“Good morning,” she said in that alluring voice.
I sat there for a moment, staring at those red lips, wondering what they’d look like around my…
Get a grip!
I hadn't seen her since she snuck into my hospital room to see if I was all right. We'd left things with my unanswered question about Damian and her. I mostly slept yesterday after Healer Emery released me. Well, I tried to sleep. I tossed and turned in my bed that was freezing cold, imagining Ivy’s warm body was there beside me.
But it wasn’t just Ivy that I couldn’t stop thinking about.
When I’d given up on sleeping yesterday, I went into my study totry to get some work done. But I’d be in the middle of checking emails or reading a report when Adrian’s gap-toothed smile would pop into my mind.
As crazy as it sounded, talking with that little boy had been one of the highlights of my life. I’d displayed the card he’d made for me on my desk at home, and whenever I looked at it, my heart burst with joy. I couldn’t explain the bond there seemed to be between us. When Adrian said he wanted to be an Alpha like me when he grew up, I’d been rendered speechless with pride.
