My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Bonus Chapter: DAMIEN’S MATE 2

Melissa

I can’t believe it. The first guy I matched with on Tinder is nice, and for the third time this week, we are about to watch a movie together. I’m still not comfortable enough to show myself on the webcam, but tonight, I will get a chance to see Damien. He just bought a new laptop!

Me: Did you get the link?

Damien: Mhm, I will click on it in a moment. I’m trying to replace a good position for where to place my laptop.

I quickly type a flirty response.

Me: Is someone nervous about showing themselves on the webcam?

Seeing my message makes me proud of myself. Even though I’m shy in real life, I’m not afraid to tease Damien online. We have been talking every day for a week, and flirting with him comes naturally. Not without blushing, though.

Damien: Haha, a little bit.

Aww.

Damien is sweet, and I understand that he must be nervous. I don’t even dare to show my face on the webcam. All of my pictures on Tinder are of me wearing fancy dresses and makeup, and I look nearly as perfect without it. I also wear a fig in my pictures, when in reality, I’m bald. My hair just doesn’t grow on my head.

I’m so glad that it will only be Damien showing himself. I wonder if he really is as handsome as in his pictures?

When Damien calls me, I hold my breath in anticipation. I don’t have a webcam, so it will only be him showing himself, yet I’m nervous as I hesitantly press the ‘Accept’ button on the video call.

An image fills my screen, and my breath quickens. There he is, Damien. He is even more attractive in real life. His hair is silky and black, and his eyes are a piercing…red? There must be something wrong with his webcam. Either way, I feel my heart skip a beat as I take in his handsome features.

“Hello there,” his deep voice is silky smooth, and even though he can’t see me, he smiles. “How are you?”

Is it just me, or are his eyes glowing?

Hmm…

I stare at his image for a couple of seconds, and Damien tilts his head. He really is gorgeous, and I sigh, trying to ignore the redness of his eyes. Maybe it’s just a webcam glitch, I tell myself. I take a deep breath and try to act nonchalant.

“I’m good, thanks. How about you?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

“I’m good too. It’s nice to finally talk to you,” he says, his eyes flickering over my invisible form. “You have a lovely voice. Sad that I can’t see you, though. I bet you look just as stunning as you sound.”

I feel myself blushing at his words. Damien is definitely a smooth talker.

“Well, thank you.”

We chat for a few minutes, talking about our favorite movies and music. But the whole time, I can’t stop thinking about his red eyes. They seem to glow in the dim light of his room, which is absurd.

Eyes don’t glow.

Right?

After a few minutes, Damien and I are watching a horror movie together. But to be honest, I’m paying more attention to him than I am to the movie. He has such nice arms, and it shouldn’t be possible, but even his neck is beautiful.

He has a very prominent Adam’s apple—I like that. Damien is definitely out of my league. And even though I hate myself for it, it makes me wonder why he wastes time with me. A guy looking like him could have anyone…

Suddenly, there is a loud noise coming from the movie, and I witness Damien jump in fright. I have to stifle a laugh at that, but soon, I can no longer hold it in.

“Don’t tell me you’re a scaredy-cat,” I tease.

Damien flashes me a smile. “Don’t tell anyone, but yes. Jumpscares frighten me, and if we were watching this movie in the same room, I would definitely have you hold me.”

I blush at that, and let my eyes rake him up and down. Damien isn’t a small guy. He is muscular and downright mouthwatering. I wonder how tall he is?

I nervously wet my lips. “I doubt you would fit in my arms. You look like a big guy.”

Damien smirks at my statement. “Well, there’s only one way to replace out,” he says, inching closer to the camera. “I could show you just how big I am.”

I feel my face flush as I realize what he’s implying. Damien is definitely not shy, and I can’t deny that I’m intrigued by his confidence.

“Well…” I tug the front of my t-shirt, which I do when feeling antsy. “I guess we could meet up someday this week. You don’t live that far away.”

Damien smirks. “I would like that.”

Suddenly, there is a loud banging on my door, and I jump in fright. Damien looks just as surprised as I am.

“Are you expecting someone?” He asks.

I shake my head and lower the volume on my computer. I live in an apartment where only one person would visit me this late: my abusive ex-boyfriend. Damien knows about him, but he doesn’t know that Markus has been stalking me since I broke up with him.

I try to act casual, but my heart is pounding in my chest. “It’s probably just a neighbor,” I say, hoping that Damien can’t hear the fear in my voice.

But then the banging becomes more insistent, and I hear Markus’s voice. “Melissa, I know you’re in there! Open up!”

Damien’s eyes widen in shock, and he quickly sends me a message. “Are you okay?”

Since I can’t bring myself to reply I simply bite my lower l*p, and Damien quickly ends the call. I don’t know where he went, but the banging on my door becomes even more violent. I can hear Markus shouting profanities and threats, and I feel sick with fear.

I quickly type out a message to Damien. “Please help me. I’m so scared.”

I don’t know what else to do. I’m trapped in my own apartment with an angry ex-boyfriend outside my door, and I feel panic rushing into my chest.

What should I do?

I wrap my blanket around me while my heart pounds against my ribcage like a caged animal trying to escape. Markus tests the door, and I whimper. I expect him to break the door at any given moment, but then I hear Damien’s voice.

“I think you should leave.”

My eyes widen. Is Damien really here, right outside my apartment?

“Who the f**k are you?” Markus asks.

There is a chuckle. “Someone you don’t want to mess with. Now, leave this building and never come back.”

I blink. There is something strange about Damien’s voice. It sounds almost hypnotic, and I gasp when I hear Markus respond to Damien’s order.

“Yes, I will never come back.”

What the heck? Since when is Markus this agreeable?! What did Damien do to him? Hypnotize him? Bribe him?

I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I can’t believe that Damien is here, saving me from Markus. I quickly type a message to him, thanking him for his help.

Me: Thank you so much, Damien. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

There is a pause, and then Damien replies outside my door. “Anything for you, Melissa.”

I feel my cheeks flush at his words. Anything for me? It’s not like we know each other that well. But then again, he did just save me from my abusive ex-boyfriend.

I take a deep breath and type out another message.

Me: Would you like to come in?

There is a longer pause this time, and I feel myself getting nervous. What if he doesn’t want to come in? Maybe he was just helping me out of a sense of duty, and now that Markus is gone, he wants to leave.

But then, Damien sends me a smiley face in our chat before typing out a longer message. In the corridor outside my door, I can hear him walking out of the apartment.

Damien: No, I don’t want to put you through more today. But if you ever need me again, don’t hesitate to write to me. I’m your friend, and I care about you, okay?

I smile.

Me: Thank you, Damien. You don’t know how much this means to me. You’re a true friend.

The day after I was saved by Damien, I’m sorting through the flowers at my job. I work in the supermarket, something I haven’t told Damien.

I wonder if he would recognize me if he wandered into this store? Probably not. I don’t wear makeup to work, and right now, I’m not wearing a wig. I am wearing a bandana headband, though. A red one.

As I’m busy arranging the bouquets, I hear a familiar voice behind me.

“Do you sell roses?”

I spin around, and there he is. Damien. My heart starts racing as I take him in. He looks even better in person, and I can’t believe that he is here at my workplace.

He is so tall. At least six-foot-five to my five-foot-two, and he is also unrealistically gorgeous with flawless-looking skin.

Holy s**t.

Is this really Damien?

I can’t peel my eyes off him. But while I’m admiring him, it doesn’t seem like he recognizes me in return. He is wearing a frown on his face, and his eyes look dull and bored as if he can’t get away from me fast enough. There is also this air of importance around him, and the way he holds himself up hints at someone who looks down on people.

He probably looks down at me, the short girl that works at the supermarket.

But I won’t let him intimidate me. I take a deep breath and try to compose myself, putting on my best customer service smile. “Yes, we do sell roses. What type are you looking for?”

Damien nods, but he doesn’t smile or say anything else. As we walk over to the roses, I notice that his eyes immediately land on the pink ones—my favorite color.

“Can you wrap these up for me?” He asks, his voice still sounding bored.

I nod, and as I pick up a bunch of pink roses, I hand him my most friendly smile. “Sure. Are these roses for someone special?”

Damien’s eyes flicker over to me, and I’m momentarily stunned by their intensity. His voice when he speaks is low and smooth, and it sends shivers down my spine.

“Yes, they are for someone special,” he says, his eyes never leaving mine.

I can’t help but blush at his words, and I suddenly feel like I’m in a romance novel. This is crazy—this man just saved me from my ex-boyfriend, and now he’s buying pink roses.

“How wonderful,” I start walking toward him, about to hand him the bouquet of roses, when I suddenly slip forward, and the flowers fly out of my hand. “No!”

I try to reach for the roses, but they land on the floor countless feet away, and I wince when another customer accidentally tramples over them.

Damien looks down at the ruined bouquet with a frown of disappointment. “How could they possibly let someone so clumsy work the flower desk?”

My heart sinks at his words. I feel like I’ve just been slapped in the face. I try to hold back my tears, but they start falling down my cheeks.

I don’t know why I’m so hurt. Maybe because I care about what Damien thinks? But in the meanwhile, Damien doesn’t know that I’m the same person he has been talking with. The same person he claimed to care about.

“I’m sorry,” I say softly, trying to compose myself. “I will clean this up and get you a new bouquet.”

But Damien just shakes his head. “No, it’s fine. I don’t have time for this. I have other places to be.”

And with that, he turns around and walks away. I stand there, feeling hurt and rejected. I can’t believe that the nice man who saved me from my abusive ex-boyfriend yesterday could be so callous and uncaring.

Does he treat all strangers like this?