Page 16 of Bonding with the Beta (Fated Souls #2)

16

KAYDEN

S leep is for the weak.

Especially after having Kayleigh’s taste linger on my tongue. I toss and turn, knowing that she’s sleeping down the hall, and we are separated by this stupid wall.

She might not regret what we did, but something inside her is ticking in her brain—and not in a good way.

When the sun begins to rise, I crawl out of bed and grab myself a well-needed cup of coffee. Then I take Kayleigh’s keys, drive it to the garage, and make it back in time for breakfast.

To my surprise, the kitchen is full. Kayleigh and Ava are sitting talking at the island I fucked her over last night while Jaxon stands at the stove making eggs and bacon. Albie is in his high chair as Lucy prepares him a bottle.

“Oh, there you are, Kayden,” Ava chimes, and Kayleigh glances over at the mention of my name. “We didn’t see Kayleigh’s car. We assumed you already took it to the garage.”

“I did.”

Kayleigh’s cheeks are a perfect shade of pink. “What did they say?”

“They didn’t say much, but they probably won’t let me know until tomorrow.”

“Ugh.” She presses a hand to her forehead. “Fuck.”

Lucy turns around to face her. “Babies are present.”

“Oh.” She hunches her shoulders. “Sorry.”

“Does the kitchen smell weird to you guys?” Ava asks, and Kayleigh instantly looks down to her lap as if it’s the most interesting thing in the world.

Lucy hums and then nods. “Yeah, a little.”

“Nah.” I shrug and grab another cup of coffee. “Smells fine to me. Maybe it’s your pregnancy hormones.”

Ava narrows her eyes at me. “Don’t act like you know what a woman’s body goes through during pregnancy.”

Jaxon moves to the island and plates down food before turning to look at me, his eyes boring into my own with a stare that screams, I know what you did, and I’ll kill you for doing it in my private kitchen. I plead ignorance because I know he’ll have a thing or two to say about my infatuation with Kayleigh.

We sit and eat until Jaxon dismisses himself for Alpha duties and Lucy takes Albie outside. Ava sits at the counter and nurses her glass of water, eyes flicking between the pair of us.

“So, what are you going to do about your class?” Ava asks.

Kayleigh sighs. “Miss it, I guess.”

“No,” I say. “I said last night I’d drop you back. I know you don’t want to miss it.”

She blinks at me a couple of times, those blue eyes softening at my words. “It’s a long drive, Kayden. Honestly, you don’t have to do that for me. I can catch up at the end of the week.”

“It’s an hour.” I shrug. “And I’m happy to.”

“What about my car?”

“We’ll sort that out when it’s out of the garage and actually roadworthy.”

Kayleigh glances at Ava for reassurance.

“Go with him, Kay,” Ava says.

She chews on her lip for a moment and releases a breath. “Okay. Thanks.”

Kayleigh sits in the passenger seat of my car, her head turned towards the window and her knees drawn up to her chest. The journey has been mostly quiet. It’s clear she’s got a lot on her mind, and it probably has a lot to do with last night.

“Did you sleep well?” I ask.

Her blonde hair flicks over her shoulder as she looks over at me. “I slept okay. You?”

“Not great,” I admit as I rest my hand on the steering wheel and my elbow on the crevice of the window.

“Why?”

I tilt my head towards her and raise my brows. “Because I didn’t want you to go to bed and realise you regret what happened between us.”

Kayleigh sighs heavily. “I don’t regret it,” she whispers. “Things are complicated with me.”

“You can talk to me.”

“I’d rather not.” She averts her gaze.

My brows furrow. “Why?”

“Because my story’s boring.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Kayleigh closes her eyes. “Honestly, it’s not that important. I’ve just been…going through stuff.”

“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

My gaze moves from the road to her as she forces out a fake smile. “I’m better,” she admits. “I wasn’t very good at the start of the year, but I’m slowly finding my feet.”

If I wanted a time to be able to listen to her thoughts, it would be now. But all I hear is radio silence as if she’s shutting me out, even if she doesn’t know I have these abilities.

“Are you happy?” I ask.

Kayleigh’s lips open, and she stops before she says anything.

“I don’t know,” she rasps. “Is anyone ever truly happy?”

The raw honesty in her voice makes my heart tighten. I lean over the centre console and take her hand in mine, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. Her skin starts to heat beneath my palm.

“I don’t know what’s happened in your past, but you deserve to be happy,” I say, keeping my eyes on the road.

She laughs sadly. “Not sure if I deserve to be happy.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because I did something that proves I don’t want to be happy.”

Confusion hits me square in the chest. “What do you mean?”

Kayleigh pulls her hand away and shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. I really don’t want to have this conversation.”

“Okay.” I clear my throat and try not to let her see my concern. “What’s your favourite movie?”

“Huh?”

I smile at the switch in her voice.

“What’s your favourite movie? I want to know.”

“You’ll laugh at me,” she murmurs.

“No, I won’t.”

“I bet that you laugh.” She leans forward and holds out her hand. “Five pounds to me if you do.”

We pull up to a red light, and I shake her hand. “I won’t, so five pounds to me if I don’t.”

Kayleigh narrows her eyes at me. “Fine.” She presses her back into the chair again. “My favourite movie is Titanic.”

I blink once and then twice.

She points at my mouth. “Your lip quirked.”

“I didn’t laugh.” I hold up my hands in defence.

“You want to, though,” she scowls.

“Maybe.” I grin. “Why is that your favourite movie?”

Kayleigh tucks her legs back up to her chest again. “I don’t know; it just is.”

“What do you like about it?”

“The love story,” she admits. “Their love happened quick and ended even quicker, but in those moments they were together, it felt like lifetimes travelling through space. It made me think that love exists in infinite universes because I’m sure they found each other again. It’s sad, but I love how it makes me feel. I’d do anything to watch it for the first time again.”

My brows rise at her answer. “I mean, with an explanation like that, I can’t argue.”

“What’s your favourite movie?”

“Easy, Fight Club.”

She rolls her eyes. “Such a typical answer from a man.”

“What? It’s an incredible movie.”

“If you say so.”

I gawk at her. “You didn’t like it?”

“Found it boring.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep.”

“I’m going to pull up here, and I’m going to ask you to get out of my car,” I say playfully.

Kayleigh stares at me. “Yeah, sure. I’ll hitchhike back to campus.”

The thought of her hitchhiking with a stranger leaves a sour taste in my mouth. A wave of protectiveness catches me by surprise, and there is no protest from my wolf. “Hell no, blondie. It’s fine. We can agree to disagree.”

After another ten minutes, we pull into the car park at her accommodation. She unbuckles her seatbelt and smiles. “Thanks for the lift. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. What time is your class?”

“Not until four o’clock,” she says before checking the time on her phone.

It’s just past midday.

“Plenty of time then.”

Kayleigh’s eyes roam my body as she pops open the car door but hesitates before getting out.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“Do you want to grab some lunch before you head back? It’s on me. It’s the least I can do for your kindness that I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve.” Her voice shakes a little.

I try not to let the surprise show on my face. “Yeah.” I turn off the engine. “Sounds like a plan.”

Kayleigh’s chest relaxes. “Okay. Cool.”

She steps out of the car as I grab onto her wrist, and she whips around to face me. “You owe me five pounds, too,” I whisper with a wink. “I didn’t laugh.”

“Fine.” She places a hand on her hip. “How about lunch, and then I treat you to an overpriced ice cream after?”

“Mm.” I grin. “Deal.”