Page 7 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

T he Light of Day

Ivy

Oh. My. Goddess.

In the early morning light coming from the window, I gazed at Asher’s handsome sleeping face. Like a lightning bolt, memories from last night struck me and filled my head to the brim until it was aching even more.

Finding Asher drunk outside of his room, sitting on the bed with him, my stepbrother leaning in and kissing me, undressing in front of him, his hot mouth all over my body, kissing me, licking me, doing things to me that I couldn’t have imagined in my craziest fantasies …

And finally, Asher making love to me.

Holy shit. I actually slept with him last night.

I’d lost my virginity to my stepbrother.

My mind spun as I tried to wrap my head around this fact. My stomach flipped when I remembered we hadn’t used protection. Oh no, what if someone had seen us going into the same room…

But all my fears and doubts faded away when Asher’s arms tightened around me.

Why was I overthinking this?

My biggest fantasy came true last night. I should be enjoying the afterglow.

With a happy sigh, I rested my head back on his warm chest and shut my eyes. As I recalled what Asher and I had done in this bed last night, I trailed my hands down my body, remembering where Asher’s hands had been—my cheek, my breasts, my stomach, my hips…

I shivered as I thought about the dirty words he'd said to me when his strong hands explored my body. I pictured Asher’s heat-filled gaze as his fingers were pumping inside my warm center.

The feeling of him entering me, of being filled by Asher.

His sweaty body pressed against mine as we both climaxed .

Oh my…

Desire for my stepbrother flooded through my body. We had already had sex once. Why not a second time? Why not now?

I shivered, and my fingers twitched toward him. Should I wake him up? My body was screaming at me to kiss him and see if he wanted to make love again.

A jolt of excitement went down my spine as I leaned down to kiss him.

I stopped myself when I was only half an inch away from his lips. I pulled away when a chilling thought crossed my mind.

What if Asher regrets sleeping with me?

What if I woke him and he rejected me? What if he only slept with me because he’d been drunk and would have had sex with anyone who had helped him inside his hotel room and sat on his bed?

What if, in the light of day, Asher didn’t want me anymore? Could my fragile confidence really handle that?

I was torn as I stared down at Asher. What if he opened his eyes and there was regret on his face when he saw who he had spent the night with ?

My body was screaming at me to stay snuggled against him and press kisses against his chest, neck, and finally, his soft yet strong lips…

But the rational side of me was telling me to go back to my room, take a shower, and gather my thoughts.

Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to see each other again for the first time while we were in bed and naked. Wouldn’t that be awkward? Maybe it would be better once we were both dressed and had time to process what happened.

I was torn. Which side of myself should I listen to? My rational or emotional side?

My rational side won out when I remembered the fact that I didn’t shower or brush my teeth last night. And it would be nice to have a few moments to myself to get my thoughts in order.

Slowly, I rolled off of him and stood from the bed. When our bodies were no longer touching, my entire being screamed in protest.

I gave myself one more moment to gaze at Asher’s sleeping face. His light-brown hair was mussed, and his long, black eyelashes were fluttering slightly.

I slipped my dress back on, only managing to get the zipper halfway up. The fancy garment felt strange against my overly sensitive skin.

I collected my purse, and the bobby pins from the floor, slipping them into my bag. I allowed one last look at Asher, who was still fast asleep. Was he dreaming about last night? I knew I was going to fantasize about our first night spent together for years to come.

Thankfully, I didn't run into anyone in the hallway as I rushed to my room.

My bathroom mirror confirmed that I looked like a real mess.

My auburn hair was tangled and knotted. I hadn't taken off my makeup, and now it was smudged and caked onto my face.

I groaned and started the shower. While it was warming up, I caught my reflection in the mirror again.

A grin crossed my face as I thought about last night.

Losing my virginity had been everything I dreamed of and more. Last night, Asher and I had not only connected physically but also emotionally. We did not just have sex last night. We had made love. I hoped that Asher felt the same emotional connection between us that I had felt last night.

Once the mirror began to steam up, I carefully stepped into the shower. As I squeezed strawberry-scented body wash onto the palm of my hand, I wondered if there was any way that Asher and I could have a future together.

Maybe if we moved away to another kingdom where no one knew us?

I wouldn’t miss my mom, but I knew that Asher would miss his dad.

There had to be a way. The kind of connection we had was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.

Could he be my Fated Mate? The one person in this world that the Moon Goddess had destined for me ?

My thoughts stayed on Asher as I blow-dried my hair, brushed my teeth, chugged two bottles of water, and dressed in black sweatpants and a pink shirt. Once my hair was dry, I braided it.

Should I knock on Asher’s door now that I felt ready to see him? My stomach was growling. Maybe we could go to a diner for some greasy food—that would be good for his hangover—and we could talk about the future.

A sharp, high scream interrupted my thoughts. Someone was yelling in a panicked voice. I couldn’t tell what they were saying because they were in the hallway, and the voice was muffled.

But it sounded like my mother.

My head whipped to the side, and my stomach dropped.

I threw my door open and rushed into the hallway.

“Ivy!” my mom yelled when she spotted me.

She was wearing a hotel robe, and her eyes were wild with panic.

“What’s wrong, mom?” I asked, then winced as she gripped my shoulders tightly.

“You need to call the pack healer! I couldn’t find my cell phone. Russell has had another heart attack!”