My Hockey Alpha Stepbrother

Chapter 4

Ellen

After my foot is patched, Oscar drives me home from the pack doctor. He fusses over me the entire way, and I’m reminded of why I’m with him: he is very protective of me. He is a sweet guy - I should have never been having erotic dreams about Christian. I’m such a slut.

Once we are at my place, Oscar walks inside the living room. There is no sign of Christian, but once I hear music coming from upstairs, I just assume that he brought a girl home. He never did that in the past, but I guess times have changed. It might be that Jennifer...or Jenny. Whatever her name was. It’s not important.

I look at Oscar. “Do you want something to eat? I was going to cook bacon for myself.”

He smiles and says, “Sure,” instead of, “Oh, honey, you’re injured - let me do it.” which pisses me off already. In the car, he was acting like spraining my ankle was terrible for me. A really bad accident. Am I a b***h for just thinking he could prepare our snacks and bacon tonight? Ugh. Whatever. I offered, so I might as well go through with it.

I open the fridge and preheat the pan while searching for the perfect song on my phone to cook food to.

“I can’t believe your boyfriend is making you cook even though you’re injured.”

My eyes find the ones belonging to Christian right away. He is standing in the doorway, looking slightly irritated by the fact I’m cooking.

I smile at him. “I’m not handicapped.”

“No, but you should be resting,” he says before coming over and picking me up into his arms like it’s freaking nothing.

It frustrates me.

“Put me down!”

He chuckles deeply. His mischievous and lopsided smile sends a wave of fizzy romantic bubbles through my entire body. Even my heart is pounding like a drum.

“You’re so stubborn,” he places me in one of the chairs and steals the spatula from my fingers. “I will be taking that, darling.”

My eyes narrow. “You’re stealing my job?”

He doesn’t turn around and walks straight up the stove with that muscular ass and back facing me. “Of course. You’re injured - you should be spoiled.”

“What is going on here?” Oscar asks as he steps inside of the kitchen.

“Oh, nothing much. I’m just taking care of your girlfriend here since she shouldn’t be jumping around on her foot. You want me to cook for you too?” Christian asks, still giving the food all of his attention.

Oscar doesn’t know how to respond to that. He dumbly sits down in front of me, and we both watch Christian cook. He is wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. The look suits him and brings my focus to his lean, muscular arms.

Did hockey do that to him?

Oscar looks away awkwardly as soon as he realizes who is the bigger man in the kitchen, but I can’t take my eyes off of Christian.

It’s a curse.

I try to focus on something else, anything else, but my thoughts keep drifting back to him. I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to run my fingers down his chiseled abs or to feel his strong hands on my body.

But I can’t do that. I’m with Oscar, and I shouldn’t be having these thoughts about Christian. It’s wrong. And yet, I can’t stop myself.

As Christian finishes cooking, he turns around and looks at me with those piercing blue eyes. “Is there anything else you need?”

I shake my head, unable to find my voice.

“Alright then. I will be heading back to my room,” he says, his voice low and husky. “I cooked for the both of you, but it really should have been your job, Oscar.”

Oscar doesn’t respond this time either, something which seems to satisfy Christian. He smirks as he walks away, and I can’t help but feel a sense of longing. I want him. I need him. But I can’t have him. It’s wrong.

Oscar clears his throat awkwardly, bringing me back to reality. “So, uh, are you feeling any better?”

I nod absentmindedly, still lost in my thoughts about Christian.

“Great. Well, I should probably be heading out,” he says, getting up from the table.

I blink in confusion. “Aren’t you going to finish your food? Christian is really great at cooking.”

A look of anger mixed with insecurity washes over Oscar’s face. He isn’t an ugly man, but there is a blush spreading over his face up to his ears, and it’s making him look...furious, I guess?

“Something the matter?” I ask.

“Yes,” Oscar glares at me. “Why is Christian so possessive of you? Whenever I’m trying to have a good time with you, he is always there to ruin the day.”

I’m a bit taken aback by his tone. “Are you jealous?”

It shouldn’t be possible, but his face turns even redder to the point he looks like a firetruck. “No! Of course, I’m not jealous. Why would I be jealous?”

I arch an eyebrow. I want to tell Oscar that he is acting like he is jealous, but I don’t want to create any drama. Oscar’s pride is obviously already shattered - that’s why he is trying to leave. He rather go home than eat the food that his enemy(Christian) prepared.

“No reason,” I say and tilt my head. “So, are you really going home? I just thought we were going to watch a movie together and that you were staying the night. Didn’t you say you wanted to drive me to school tomorrow?”

Oscar’s lips twitch. Not in an “I want to laugh kind of way, but more like he is holding back something mean to say. I can see it in his eyes. He is mad at me, so very mad. Anger is ticking against his jaw and everything.

“I don’t know,” he finally mutters. “I’m just...” An exasperated sigh leaves his lips. “It feels like he is coming between us lately.”

“Coming between us?” I roll my eyes. “Please. He is my brother - he is just being annoying and protective of me, but it’s not like he is a love interest.”

Oscar pouts. “You promise it’s just brotherly instincts?”

I beam at him. “Yeah. You have nothing to worry about. Christian is just my stupid older sibling.”

“Okay,” Oscar visibly relaxes and slumps his shoulders. “So, what movie do you want to watch?”

I brighten up at that. “How about the new Disney one?”

Oscar scrunches his nose. “How about we watch something for actual grownups instead?”

I feel a little wounded that he thinks I’m childish for liking Disney movies since they are my favorite, but it’s nothing that keeps me frowning for too long.

“Alright,” I chirp. “Then how about you pick a movie?”

He grins at me. “Excellent idea.”

We head to my room and watch a movie before falling asleep. I feel safe in Oscar’s arms, but when I close my eyes, it’s not Oscar that I dream about. It’s Christian, and he smiles like a movie star the second he sees me in the same bar as last night.

“You’re back,” he says.

I glare at him. “Why do I keep dreaming about you?”

His smile only widens. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s because you’re supposed to be with me, Ellen. Not Oscar. Me. Only me.”

“If that’s the case, then why isn’t there a mate bond between us, huh?”

The smile on his face fades when I ask him that question, and his face grows more serious. “I can’t answer that question. This is only a dream.”

I blink. “That...that makes no sense. Why the heck can’t you answer that question but every other question?!”

He chuckles. “You’re funny.”

“And you’re infuriating!” I bark. “Just tell me why there isn’t a mate bond between us!”

Instead of answering my question, Christian averts his eyes and stares into the distance. “You need to ask how your parents died. The truth needs to come out.”

That makes me pause. What he is saying makes zero sense. My parents died in a car accident - why would I ask Christian how they died?!

“You...you make no sense!” I growl.

Christian sighs and gives me a sad smile. “I know, Ellen. I know that I make no sense, but...just ask me for the truth, okay? You need to know, or we could never possibly move on from what happened.”

I stare at him in disbelief. “This is the strangest dream that I’ve ever had. You’re speaking in riddles...”

Another chuckle. “Do you want to go back to kissing me again instead?”

My face burns with embarrassment thinking back to the kiss I shared with Christian in my last dream, and Christian laughs at my reaction before he starts disappearing. It seems that our time is up, but before he vanishes into thin air, he whispers, “Ask me for the truth - you need to know what happened, Ellen.”

And then the dream is over. I wake up in my bed next to Oscar, more confused than ever before.

What the heck did that dream mean?!