Page 27 of Bonding with the Beta (Fated Souls #2)

27

KAYLEIGH

“ T hat’ll be ￡48.98, please,” the woman at the drive-through window says as she fumbles with the card machine.

I gawk at the price. Kayden pretty much ordered the entire restaurant.

“Let me pay,” I say, digging around my bag for my card.

Kayden’s eyes lock with mine, and he pushes my hands away. “It’s okay. I’ve got it.”

I frown. “No, really. Let me pay.”

“Like I’m going to let you pay, Kayleigh,” he snorts and rests his elbow on the edge of the car before tapping his card onto the machine when she presents it. “Thanks.”

My hands drop back against my lap. “You really didn’t have to do that.”

He glances at me tenderly. “I wanted to. Let me do this one thing.”

I let out a huff and give him a curt nod. “Thank you.”

We collect our food and Kayden drives down the road before parking at the top of a hill that overlooks the entirety of Stonebridge. It’s a breathtaking view, especially with the sun setting along the horizon.

Kayden pops his car door open and takes the food and drinks from my hand. “Come on.” He gestures his head towards the door, and I follow his lead.

We walk around the edge of his car before he taps the hood, instructing me to take a seat. I quirk an eyebrow in surprise. “You’re allowing me to sit on your car?”

“You’re worth it.” He grins before placing the food down on the hood, taking my waist in his hands.

Then I’m being hoisted up onto the edge with ease before he joins me.

My heart flutters as our knees brush, and he starts digging through the bag, opens a box of nuggets, and hands them over to me. I smile softly. “How did you know I like chicken nuggets?”

He scoffs. “Who doesn’t love chicken nuggets?”

That’s true.

“Did you get sauce?” I ask, digging through the paper bag.

Kayden hums. “Barbeque and sweet chilli.”

“Thank goodness,” I exhale. “I can’t believe you almost ordered the entire menu.”

“Didn’t want you to leave hungry and unsatisfied, you see.” He grins.

We sit and eat in silence for a few moments, my gaze gliding across the incredible view. The tightness in my chest that consumed me earlier is starting to disappear, and I’m relieved Kayden didn’t leave when I told him to go.

He was right. I expected it from him because Josh would have been the first out of the door after I showed my true emotions. He’d get annoyed and say I was too erratic to deal with and that it was useless trying to talk to me.

But Kayden didn’t leave. He stayed, listened, and he…

I close my eyes at the warmth that coddles my heart.

“You know you can talk to me about things, don’t you?” His voice startles me.

The straw to my drink rests against my lips as I turn to look at him and his meaningful gaze. I nod once. “Yes,” I whisper. “Although it’s not easy for me. I’m used to my feelings being invalidated and pushed to the side.”

Kayden’s jaw tightens at my words, and his eyes flick down to my lips as I move the straw between my teeth. “What you told me today must have taken a lot of courage, and I never want you to think that you can’t talk to me about things,” he says with honesty bleeding through his words. “I’m here to listen to you. I want to listen.”

“I know, Kayden, thank you,” I say quietly. “I get really ashamed when I think about what I did. People are dying all the time, people who want to live, and I tried to—” I release an uncomfortable sigh. “What I did was stupid because I want to live.”

He takes my fingers between his and rests them on his thick thigh. “I hope you have a good support system around you.”

A shiver rushes down my spine when he touches me. Only ever so slightly, but it’s there and intense. I purse my lips for a second. “The only people who really know about it are Evie, my parents, and the therapist the hospital told me to speak to after what happened.”

Kayden squeezes my fingers affectionately. “Never keep things bottled up, okay?”

“Okay.” I nod once.

I bite my burger and close my eyes as the sun hits my face. Despite the cool breeze whipping against me, the warmth of Kayden’s hand melts me.

“You’ve treated me better than him, and you’re not even my boyfriend,” I blurt.

His brown eyes lock onto mine as the corner of his lips twitch. “Not yet.” My throat bobs at his brashness. “It’s not hard to treat someone with respect, blondie,” he says after a few moments. “Boyfriend or not. You deserve someone a million times better who will treat you with kindness and love.”

I drop my gaze. “I suppose it’s hard trying to convince myself of that.”

“Besides, I bet he’s nowhere near as good in bed as I am,” he says, a glint of amusement sparks in his eyes. I stare back at him, and his expression drops. “Shit, that was a joke and definitely the wrong thing to say.”

My mouth twitches as I push his shoulder gently, and he laughs in relief.

“You are,” I say, which catches him by surprise. “If you really wanted to know.”

Sex with Josh was the equivalent of a wet lettuce.

Sex with Kayden? It’s out of this damn world.

Kayden flashes me a cocky grin before taking a sip of his drink. “Interesting.”

“When we sleep together, it’s different,” I admit before wrapping my arms around my legs loosely.

“What do you mean?”

“You care about my pleasure just as much as your own, if not more,” I confess, my cheeks burning at the realisation of my words.

Kayden barks out a brief laugh. “Well, of course I do. That’s what sex is about.”

“Yeah, well, he didn’t,” I sigh. “Barely any foreplay. Sex would always be about him and how he liked it. I went along with it because—well, I was stupid, of course.”

“Don’t say that.” He shakes his head. “You’re not stupid.”

I press my lips together.

“I don’t know why he’d never want to make you come and watch you orgasm. It’s truly something,” he states with confidence, and my entire body erupts into flames until I’m ash.

My shoulders raise in a shrug. “He said it was a chore to do anything for a woman because they take so long to finish. I remember suggesting I sit on his face and do all the work, but he kicked off and said it would still be long for him, then proceeded to say sex is about the man's pleasure, and that wouldn’t bring him any.”

Kayden stares back at me as if he’s about to commit a murder. “He actually said that to you after you asked to sit on his face?”

I nod, suddenly feeling flushed. What was I thinking voicing this out loud?

“Fucking hell,” he rasps. “That man should have felt honoured.”

My brows raise. “Honoured?”

“Blondie,” he takes my cup from my hand and sips on my straw, not breaking eye contact, “you can sit on my face anytime.”

My breathing hitches as I study his lips and how they rest against the straw in a teasing manner. “G–” my voice betrays me. “Good to know.”

Kayden grins as his eyes roam the blush rising across my neck.

We finish the rest of our food as the sun starts to set, and Kayden’s hand finds mine again, entwining them together perfectly as they rest in his lap. I attempt to hide my smile, but it’s impossible. Instead, I glance out at the peaceful view and remind myself to be grateful for this moment.

My head automatically falls onto Kayden’s shoulder, and he shuffles closer. We sit like this for a long moment, and I inhale deep breaths to wash out the emotions of today.

Kayden’s thumb grazes the back of my hand, and I turn my head to look at him. I exhale a quiet gasp when our noses brush. The sun highlights the left side of his face, carving him out like a God. His brown eyes sparkle in the light with golden flecks splashed across his irises. My lips part as I become mesmerised.

His lips quirk into a boyish smile. “What?”

“I think you’re gorgeous,” I admit, my eyes wandering down to his plump lips for a split second.

Then his face breaks out into the most breathtaking grin, dimples and all—completely proving me right. I cannot take my eyes off him, realising how everything feels better with him around.

His hand cups my cheek, and he draws me in closer. My heart feels like it’s about to detonate. I whimper when his lips brush over mine ever so slightly. He doesn’t kiss me. He teases me, and I can’t breathe or function right now.

I watch his eyes trail down to my lips. “Kayden—” I exhale quietly.

He takes my face between his hands completely before he presses his lips to mine with full force. An explosion erupts in my chest. It’s slow and sweet. I grip onto his wrists as we melt into one another. He holds me with devotion, and I crumble in his hands.

Kayden pulls back a centimetre only to widen the kiss and slip his tongue into my mouth. When it connects with my own, I suppress the urge to moan. He caresses my lips gently and passionately until I shudder against him, relieved I’m sitting down; otherwise, I’d be on the floor.

His teeth graze my bottom lip, nipping gently at the skin, and those butterflies multiply as tears of pleasure swim behind my eyes. My entire body turns numb at his touch, and I pant when he slowly begins to pull away.

A breath bursts from my chest. I look away, unable to take the intensity of his gaze, but it’s no use. He tilts my chin to meet his eyes, and I quiver.

“Your heart is going crazy,” he murmurs against my lips.

I attempt to say something, but instead, I force a shy smile.

“You’re more nervous to kiss me than you are to have sex with me?” he asks, tilting my head so he can run circles behind my ear.

“Yes.”

“Fuck,” he curses into my skin. “You are so adorable.”

Then he kisses me again, knocking all of the air from my lungs with one smooth motion. My fingers twist into his T-shirt, holding onto him for dear life as he guides the kiss and presses his chest flush against mine.

I kiss him harder, claiming his bottom lip, and when he groans into my mouth, I whimper at the sound. My head spins as he consumes my every last thought. Soon, there will be nothing left of me; he would have annihilated my entire existence from the ferocity of our kiss.

Kayden kisses me like he needs air to breathe.

He clutches the back of my head, and eventually, we slow to a stop, our mouths parting and our eyes meeting. I watch him as he pulls back for a moment, studying me with a slow grin before he sobers.

His brows pinch together as if he’s deep in thought.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

Kayden snaps out of his trance and shakes his head. “Nothing,” he says a little too quickly. “We should probably get you home, hmm?”

I stare back at him, wondering what happened in the last five seconds to go from kissing the shit out of each other to rushing me home. I try to cover the disappointment that threatens to show on my face, but it’s proving difficult.

My wobbly legs hit the floor as I jump down from the hood of his car. I walk to the passenger side with my head hung low, my thoughts moving a million miles a second, trying to figure out what I did wrong.

“Kay.” He reaches for me and latches onto my wrist.

I turn as his body engulfs me into a hug. My head is buried against his chest, and I secretly inhale his scent and wish this embrace could go on forever. Every bone in my body relaxes at his touch, and I clamp my eyes shut, not wanting to leave.

“Thank you,” I rasp, clinging onto his T-shirt. “For caring about me.”

“I’ll always care about you, blondie.”

And just like that, my heart turns to mush.