2. Stepbrothers

JULIAN

The drive back to the city was a blur of neon streetlights and freezing rain. I gripped the steering wheel of my beat-up sedan, trying to focus through the haze in my head. I needed to think about the draft. I needed to think about my mother.

She had sacrificed everything for me. After my father walked out when I was barely a year old, she had worked double shifts at a diner just to afford my first pair of hockey skates. Every bruise I took, every hour I spent grinding on the ice, was to repay her. To finally give her the life she deserved.

I pulled into the valet of Le Petit Château, an upscale restaurant in the heart of the city's wealthiest district. The valet attendant looked at my rusted car with disdain, but I ignored him, tossing the keys and heading inside.

Tonight was supposed to be a celebration. My mother had been seeing someone serious for the past year, a wealthy businessman she met while working at a high-end catering event. I had never met the man; my brutal hockey schedule and grueling university classes kept me too busy. But my mother had sounded so giddy, so happy on the phone that I couldn't refuse the dinner invitation.

The maitre d' led me to a private dining room at the back of the restaurant.

When I pushed the heavy oak doors open, I froze.

My mother sat at the table, looking radiant. She wore a beautiful silk dress, and her face was flushed with joy. Beside her sat a distinguished older man with silver hair at his temples and an expensive, tailored suit. He carried himself with quiet authority.

"Julian!" she gasped, standing up and rushing over to pull me into a tight embrace. She smelled of her favorite vanilla perfume. "You made it! How are your ribs? I saw that awful hit on the broadcast."

"I'm fine, Mom," I murmured, returning the hug, though my eyes stayed on the man at the table.

"Julian," my mother said, pulling back, her eyes shining with happy tears. She held up her left hand. A massive diamond ring caught the chandelier light, flanked by a simple platinum wedding band. "I know this is incredibly sudden... but Richard and I eloped this morning. We went to the courthouse. We’re married."

I felt the ground shift under me. "Married?" I repeated, the word unfamiliar on my tongue. I looked at the man.

Richard stood up, extending a firm, well-manicured hand. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Julian. Your mother hasn't stopped talking about you. I know this is a shock, but I love her very much. I intend to take care of you both. In fact, I've already purchased a large estate near your university. We'll all be living under one roof."

I shook his hand mechanically. "Thank you, sir. I... I just want my mother to be happy."

"I am, sweetheart," she beamed. "And there's more good news! Richard has a son your age. He couldn't make the courthouse ceremony this morning because of a game, but he's here now to celebrate."

"Yes," Richard chuckled, clapping me on the shoulder. "He's quite the hockey player himself. Since my firm is relocating my family to this side of the state, I had him transfer to your university. Starting Monday, you boys will be teammates. I think you'll have a lot in common."

A slow, creeping dread tightened in my chest.

No.

The heavy oak door behind me clicked open. Footsteps, slow and deliberate, moved into the private dining room. The scent of wintergreen and expensive cologne filled the space, hitting me before I even turned around.

"Sorry I'm late, Dad," a low, gravelly voice drawled. "Traffic was a nightmare."

I turned slowly, my blood running cold.

Standing in the doorway, wearing a crisp black button-down shirt that hugged his broad chest, was Kael Sterling.

His eyes locked onto mine. The smirk that had been forming on his lips disappeared, replaced by clear shock. For three long seconds, neither of us moved. The silence stretched, tight and fragile.

Then, slowly, the shock in his dark eyes faded.

In its place came something darker. Sharper. Possessive.

"Well," he murmured, his voice dropping lower as his eyes moved down the length of my body. "Isn't this going to be fun... stepbrother."