Page 39 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

P rom

Ivy

“Mom! Mom! Watch me! Are you watching? I’m going to do a cannonball!” Adrian said from the edge of the diving board.

I was sitting on the cement ledge on the other side of the pool, directly across from him.

“I’m watching,” I promised him, then shared a smile with Asher, who was still in the pool, treading water.

When our eyes met, the mating bond pulsed to life between us, making my mouth go dry. Asher’s tan, broad shoulders were a distracting sight, but I managed to tear my gaze away to watch our son jump into the pool.

It had been a little more than a week since we found out we won the Alpha King account. The first batch of our prototypes was almost ready for a test run. Damian and Asher were fighting over who would be the first to fly it.

It seemed like producing our product was the only thing that was going our way. There was still no sign of my mother, and we didn’t have a clue about who she was working with. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any attacks since the attempted poisoning, but everyone was on high alert.

Every day, I become even more worried about Adrian and Asher’s safety. When I thought about how my mom had tried to hurt Asher by cutting his brakes, it made my teeth grit with anger. Seeing Asher lying in that hospital bed after his accident was one of the scariest moments of my life.

Now, Asher swam up to me as our son hopped out of the pool to dive in again. My stomach swooped with desire as he neared me. Even though he didn’t touch me as he stood beside my legs that I had dipped into the pool, my body was overwhelmed with lust at the warmth radiating off of him.

My attraction and desire for him seemed to grow with each hour that passed.

Asher nodded at our son, who was walking onto the diving board. “We really do have a great kid, don’t we?” he said and crossed his arms.

The movement caused his elbow to touch my naked thigh, and I bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn’t groan out loud.

A secret smile crossed his face. Was he teasing me on purpose? He knew how easily my body reacted to his. Asher was well aware of how much he affected me and used it to his advantage.

“Dad! Dad! Watch me!” our son called.

“I’m watching, buddy!” he yelled, then turned his attention to our son, who was preparing for another dive.

Asher leaned against me slightly. His warm arm pressed against my leg. Asher’s body heat and the cool water lapping at my skin were enough to make me shudder.

The grin on Asher’s face deepened when he felt me shiver.

“That was a great dive, Adrian!” Asher called when our son’s head broke free of the pool’s surface.

“I’m only shivering because the water’s cold,” I murmured to Asher, who was still wearing a cocky grin on his face.

“Sure, you are, babe. Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night,” he whispered back, then pressed the side of his body against mine, before he dove under the water to swim toward our son.

A jolt went through me from his touch, and I couldn’t help the small grin that crossed my face.

My stomach was full of anticipation for tonight. This week, I’d been working with Damian to plan out Asher’s surprise. Yesterday, my brother came to me with even more ideas to make the night better. I was beyond excited to spend some much-needed alone time with Asher.

When the sun began to descend into the clouds and twilight was rapidly approaching, we managed to get Adrian out of the pool. That boy just loved to swim.

“Before we go, make sure you get all your cars to bring back to the room,” I told my son.

He nodded and gathered up all his toy cars, clutching them like they were the most valuable things in the world.

When we walked down the hallway to our hotel room, my legs were trembling with excitement. Damian met us outside our rooms, which was part of the plan, but he was holding a bouquet of a dozen red roses.

I stopped short when I saw the flowers. They were beautiful, but I wasn't sure how much Asher would like them…

I looked at my brother and raised my eyebrows, but he just grinned and handed the flowers to Asher.

Okay, what the hell was going on?

Asher turned to me. “Would you like to go on a date with me tonight, Ivy?” he asked with a giant grin and handed me the flowers.

My heart skipped a beat, and a giggle burst from my lips. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to go on a date with me tonight! I've been working with Damian to plan something…”

I trailed off when Asher looked toward my brother. “So have I,” he said.

A sly smile crossed Damian's face, and then he looked down at Adrian. “What do you say about hanging out with me for the night?” he asked.

“Yeah! I can show you the new bath toys Dad got me,” Adrian answered.

Asher and I said goodnight to our son. When we were left alone in the hallway, Asher grabbed my hand and pulled me flush against his body.

A low moan escaped my mouth when my breasts pressed against his hard muscles.

He was still shirtless from the pool, and my eyes greedily scanned his naked torso.

I could feel my nipples harden against him.

When Asher's gaze darkened, I knew that he'd felt it, too.

“I guess it's true what they say about great minds,” Asher murmured, wrapping one of his arms around my waist and caressing my face with his warm hand.

“What? That they plan the same dates?” I joked and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pressing myself even closer to him. A smile bloomed across my face when I caught sight of the beautiful bouquet that was still in my hands.

He chuckled, and then his expression grew serious when his eyes glanced at my lips. “I’ll be at your door in an hour,” he murmured and leaned in to press a soft kiss to my mouth.

Even though the kiss was pretty innocent, it made my pulse quicken.

“Make it forty-five minutes,” I said.

He put his lips right next to my ear. “Eager?” he whispered, his warm breath making me shiver.

“I’m eager for you to see what I have planned,” I countered.

“Me too, baby,” he whispered.

With anticipation curling low in my belly, I pressed one more kiss to his lips and then walked into my room.

Forty minutes later, I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup.

For tonight, I had picked out a dark red dress that hugged my curves in all the right places.

The dress showcased my breasts, hips, and legs.

There was silt up the side that displayed the pale skin of my thigh.

After drying my hair, it had a slight wave to it, so I left it natural.

I'd chosen to go with minimal eye makeup but put on a bold red lipstick.

I knew that it would drive Asher wild. When I was ready, I snapped a quick picture and sent it to Maeve.

I hadn't had a chance to update her on everything going on, but I wanted to make time to talk to her soon.

My look was completed with my grandma's silver necklace.

When a knock sounded on my door, my heart beat with excitement. Eagerly, I swung the door open, and my mouth dropped when I saw Asher.

Holy shit.

It should be illegal to be this handsome. Asher had styled his light-brown hair into artfully messy curls. He was wearing a classic fitted black suit and had chosen to wear the same maroon tie from the day of our presentation.

His hazel eyes roamed over my body, sparking with desire. “You look…gorgeous,” he murmured and reached for me.

Asher's strong arms slid around my waist, and I went into his warm embrace happily.

I playfully tugged on his tie. “How did you know I was going to wear a maroon-colored dress? Do you have cameras in my room?” I teased.

“Don't give me any ideas,” he said and leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek.

We held hands as we rode the elevator to the top floor.

Tonight, this entire floor would be empty except for us.

The staff had been told not to come up here.

Damian had coordinated with them to help set it up earlier today.

I was happy that we figured out a way that Asher and I could stay close to Adrian, but be able to spend some time alone, just for one night.

“It feels like we are going to a more grown-up version of prom,” I said to Asher as the elevator doors opened.

The keycard was waiting for us at the door to the largest suite on this floor on top of a pile of red rose petals.

“The keycard on top of the rose petals was my idea,” Asher said when he reached down to pick it up.

I giggled as he unlocked the door.

When the room was revealed, I let out a quiet gasp.

The first thing I noticed was that the room was covered in vases of red and white roses. They were on top of the grand piano, the wooden entertainment center, and in front of the crackling fireplace.

“I'm guessing that was your idea, too,” I said breathlessly as I walked into the giant room, staring around in amazement .

Asher came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. My legs trembled when he pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head.

For the next few minutes, we walked around the room, pointing out the things that we had chosen for tonight.

On the dining room table with all of our favorite foods under silver domes.

Asher remembered that my favorite dish was pasta carbonara.

I made sure that there would be a pepperoni pizza for him because he had told me that was what he would choose if he could only eat one thing for the rest of his life.

“There’s slices of key lime pie in the fridge,” I told him with a smile.

“What about Adrian? Did you ask room service to bring one to his room?” Asher asked.

My heart warmed, and I squeezed his hand. “Of course.”

Asher uncorked the chilled white wine that he had chosen and poured us two glasses. Soft music played from the speakers. I told Damian to pick anything but classical music.

As we sat down to eat, I couldn’t stop looking around at the romantic setting that we’d created. A lump developed in my throat as Asher handed me the basket of freshly baked buttered bread. This night was even more special because we had planned it for each other.

As we ate, Asher asked to hear stories about Adrian’s childhood. I told him about how he had learned to swim when he was only two years old and had loved the water ever since. And when he said his first word, which was “momma”, I started to cry, so his next word was “sad”.

While we were eating dessert, Asher reached over and grabbed my hand, making my stomach swoop.

“I’m so grateful that I get to spend time with you. This night is straight out of my wildest fantasies.” Asher said and rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. “Have I mentioned how absolutely ravishing you look tonight?”

I giggled and put my fork down on my plate. “You may have mentioned it once or twice. But that doesn't mean that I'm tired of hearing it.” I smirked and winked.

Asher took my other hand in his and leaned across the table until he was inches away from me.

My laughter stopped at the passionate spark that showed in his eyes.

“Well, in that case, let me just say that you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. I'm so lucky to have you all to myself tonight,” Asher murmured and glanced down at my lips.

I shivered at his words and warm touch.

“You really know how to romance a girl,” I said and let out a shaky laugh.

“No, only you, Ivy. I only know how to romance you.”

His sentence made me breathless, and I picked up my fork, continuing to eat because I was afraid of the intense emotions his words made me feel.

We were quiet for a few moments as we finished our dessert.

After we were done eating, we stood by the large glass window and looked down at the quiet forest below us. Asher took both of my hands in his, and the mood between us changed. He looked right into my eyes and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

The serious expression on his face made my heart race. It was beating so hard that he could probably feel it against his own chest.

“Ivy, I want to talk about us.”