Page 28 of Bonding with the Beta (Fated Souls #2)

28

KAYDEN

I pull up outside Kayleigh’s university apartment, turn off the engine, and face her. A small smile plays on her lips as her lashes brush her cheek.

“Do you want to come in?” she offers quietly, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

A spear strikes my heart.

After a stern mindlink from Jaxon about needing me at home, I know I can’t let the pack down, not now he’s put me in charge. But leaving Kayleigh? That makes me feel like the worst person on this planet, especially after everything we experienced today.

“I’m sorry,” I say, resting my hand on the steering wheel. “I really, really want to, but I have something I need to do back home.”

“Oh–” Kayleigh’s voice hitches. “That’s okay.”

Her head ducks, hiding the disappointment on her face. She undoes her seatbelt, and a few strands of blonde hair fall in front of her face.

“Thanks for today,” she says, finally looking at me.

There is a slight reservation in her eyes, and I despise the way she’s waiting for me to change my mind. She pauses for another second, clearly unsure if I will kiss her goodbye, but she slips out of the car without a chance for me to.

“Bye,” she says, slams the door shut, and begins to leave.

“Fuck,” I curse to myself, knowing I’ve let her walk away.

God, you’re so stupid, Kayleigh. You scared him off.

She shakes her head to herself as she reaches the door to the block of apartments.

No. No. No. That is the last thing she did.

I drag my hand through my hair, my eyes burning into the back of her head.

He probably feels sorry for you.

She’s spiralling. And I’m letting her.

As she pushes her way through the doors, I undo my seatbelt and rip the keys from the ignition. “Fuck it,” I murmur and follow her.

Kayleigh shared something with me that was so incredibly deep and personal. Things that will probably be floating around her head all night, and I’m allowing it? No. I was raised to be better than that.

I’m not like her ex. I never will be.

Jaxon, I’m not going to be able to make it.

He’s going to fucking kill me. But right now, this is more important.

I jog across the car park and reach the building.

Kayden, are you serious? This is important. Jaxon’s voice booms through my head, his words harsh and punchy.

I’ve got to do something, okay? You can fill me in tomorrow.

It better be fucking important, he grumbles. And you better make it up to me.

I run up two flights of stairs to reach Kayleigh’s hallway. I turn left and watch as she places her keys into her door, her black oversized jumper barely covering her thighs. Her head turns to me as she hears my footsteps.

She blinks once and then twice. “Did I forget something?”

I take long strides to reach her. “Yeah,” I breathe out. “This.”

Her big blue eyes scan my body with curiosity until I grip her cheeks and press her against her dorm door. My lips collide with hers, and she lets out a tiny gasp as I cover her body with mine.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper against her lips.

She kisses me again, her tongue swiping across mine gently. Her fists tighten onto my T-shirt, holding me in place as I taste her perfect lips. I pull away ever so slightly.

“I’m sorry.” I hold her face, forcing her eyes to mine so she listens. “I shouldn’t have left you after what you told me. I should have stayed.”

Kayleigh’s lash line gathers with tears, and I lean down to twist the key to her door before stepping inside her room and shutting it with my foot.

I reach down under her jumper to hoist her up around my waist. She releases a shriek of surprise before winding her arms around my neck, her fingers tangling in the back of my hair.

I walk her towards her bed and place her down in the middle. She stares up at me with flushed skin and parted lips. My fingers press to her waist, shoving up the fabric of her jumper.

“Can I take this off?” I whisper.

Kayleigh lodges her lip between her teeth and nods. “Yes.”

I whip it from her body, leaving her in nothing but her underwear.

My chest heaves at the sight of her. Those dusty pink nipples staring back at me, begging for attention. I clench my jaw and force my eyes away before grabbing her foot and placing it on my chest as I slowly undo the laces to her trainers.

The sound of her heavy breathing echoes in my ears, but it’s nothing compared to my trembling heart. How was I about to leave her? Goddess, I need to be forgiven.

After tugging off both of her shoes, I kiss down the curve of her calves and across her thighs. She throws her head back against the bed and releases a shuddering breath, goosebumps littering her skin.

“I.” Kiss. “ Want.” Kiss. “ To.” Kiss. “Make.” Kiss. “You.” Kiss. “ Feel.” Kiss. “So.” Kiss “ Good.”

Her breathing hitches as I reach for her navy-blue lace underwear. My bottom lip grazes her belly button, her stomach rippling with each harsh breath as she arches her back off the bed.

My fingers wrap around her waist, and I nip at the lace material with my teeth.

“I want you to forget everything about him.” I make my way towards her hardened nipples. “And I want you to remember everything about this.”

She groans and latches onto my fingers, entwining our hands together as I force them down to the sheets. I swirl my tongue around her left nipple, and she grips my fingers tightly.

I peek up at her as I suck on her nipple, my teeth grazing over it softly as she whines and wriggles against the bed. I adore teasing her, knowing her body is craving my touch.

After a long moment, I pull away and take a second to admire her lying there in all her beauty. Her gaze darts to mine as I take her legs and flip her over onto her front.

My hands palm her ass, and I spread her legs until she’s on all fours at the head of the bed. “Kayden…” she murmurs, her voice suddenly sounding concerned.

“Trust me.” I kiss down the backs of her thighs. “Just trust me.”

Her body quivers with each peck. I loop my fingers into her underwear and gently tug them down her legs. She lifts her knees, and I remove them until they end up on the floor.

My hand wraps around her thigh, and I tug them as far apart as possible. Her fingers bunch into the sheets as she releases a soft whine.

Then I slip beneath her, placing my face directly below her spread pussy. My back is flush to the bed as I curl my fingers around her legs and pull her down onto my mouth. She instantly groans when my tongue flicks along her slit.

“F-fuck, Kayden,” she murmurs breathlessly.

The sound of my name erupting into the air makes me stupidly hard.

“Sit down, Kayleigh,” I order, and she whines, sinking an inch. “Good girl.”

I suck gently on her clit as she automatically grinds against my mouth. She sits up on her knees, and I stare up at her as she presses her hand to her breast and pinches her nipple.

Her pretty lips are parted as she takes long and deep breaths.

Her eyes are clamped shut, but I can’t take my eyes off her.

She’s out of this damn world.

My grip on her thighs tightens, and I move my tongue faster over her clit, devouring the taste of her and the way she coats my chin. Her hips grind down onto me, moving against my tongue in a slow but precise rhythm.

Kayleigh’s head tilts backwards, and she moans out loud. “Oh, fuck,” she hisses before leaning over the bed, one hand gripping onto the headboard.

I slip my hand behind her and position my finger at her entrance and slowly push inside, beginning to pump as she continues to ride my face like her damn life depended on it.

And I’m more than happy to be used for her desires, especially when she sounds and tastes like she does. I’d do this every day if it made her happy.

“Holy shit,” she screams and claps a hand over her mouth.

I reach up and snatch her hand back, pressing it to the bed beside my head instead.

“Kayden, you’re gonna make me come.”

My mouth focuses on her clit, sucking and licking with gentle pressure whilst my fingers pump inside of her slowly until her legs tremble around my head, and seconds later, she explodes.

“Oh, fuck!”

Her hips grind for a few more moments until she pushes herself up from the headboard and presses a hand to her forehead, catching her breath as her chest moves rapidly.

I remove my fingers and flip her down onto her back before tugging a blanket over her body. My eyes flick over her pink-tinted cheeks. I brush my fingers across her forehead, pushing back the strands of blonde hair collected there.

After a few moments, her eyes open, and I lean down, grazing my mouth over hers. She hums in surprise but eagerly kisses me back without hesitation. “You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted you to taste yourself on my tongue,” I whisper.

Kayleigh smiles against my lips and shakes her head. “You’re nasty.”

“Yeah…but you already knew that.”

She laughs unreservedly, despite her eyes falling tired, they’re big and bright. Her arms wrap around my neck and she tugs me into her, resting her head onto my chest as I place my hand against her bare waist.

“D-do you want to shower with me?” she asks gently. “I feel kinda gross.”

I twist my head to look down at her in surprise. “Yeah. I’ll shower with you.”

We stand up from the bed and walk towards her en-suite. I discard my clothes on the journey and step inside the abnormally small shower that perfectly sums up university accommodation.

“Yeah, it’s a little small,” she winces as she turns on the water. “We might not fit.”

I scoff. “Trust me, blondie. What other excuse do I need to get my hands on you?”

She rolls her eyes as she steps inside, and I follow after her. She’s right. It’s a tight fit, but that doesn’t stop me from reaching for the soap and lathering it between my hands before washing her body.

The sounds of her laughter echo around us as I touch her ticklish spots, and I grin, soaking in the way it makes my ears vibrate and my heart thump.

Once we’re both clean, Kayleigh steps out and wraps her body in a fluffy towel. I follow shortly after her.

“Do you need to go? Or–” She clears her throat as she rummages for clothes. “Do you want to stay?

“I want to stay,” I say.

A wash of relief covers her face, but she presses a hand to her cheek in an attempt to hide it. She tugs an oversized T-shirt over her head and slips on a pair of underwear before waltzing to the bed.

I quickly towel-dry my hair and face the bed. Kayleigh’s eyes wander from my chest to my shoulders to my arms and back again. The smirk that covers my lips is inevitable when she looks at me with hungry eyes.

“How often do you work out?” she asks before wrapping her wet hair up into a messy bun.

“Five times a week.”

She gawks at me. “That’s why it looks like your body is carved by God.”

I chuckle.

“I wish I had the motivation to work out,” she sighs as she rests a hand on top of her wet hair. “I have zero time to sleep, let alone exercise.”

“You can come work out with me,” I offer.

She snorts quietly. “Yeah, right.”

“What’s funny about that?”

Her eyes scan me for a long moment. “Like I’m gonna exercise with you when you’ve got a body like that, and I’ve got a body that’s?—”

“Perfect?”

“No.” She narrows her eyes at me. “That’s not what I was going to say.”

“Well, that’s a shame because that’s what I think.”

Kayleigh’s throat visibly tenses as I tug on my boxers and walk towards her bed, flopping down beside her with ease. I cup the side of her head when she says nothing, but I can see something whizzing past her eyes.

“I wish you didn’t talk so low about yourself,” I murmur.

Warmth spreads down my arm as she presses further into my touch.

She’s not pushing me away.

“I’m working on it,” she says calmly.

I drag my tongue across my bottom lip as my gaze snags on her nose ring that sits perfectly against her skin. “When did you get your nose pierced?”

“When I was sixteen.” She smiles, her hand automatically moving to touch it. “My mum went crazy. She doesn’t really like piercings.”

“Why? I think it’s super fucking hot.”

Kayleigh shrugs with a small smile. “Not sure. She always said I should be myself, not push myself to be someone I’m not. But then I got my nose pierced, and she actively despised it. I told her I can always take it out; it’s not like a tattoo. She doesn’t mind it now, though. It’s grown on her.”

“I love it on you,” I admit.

I never knew I had a thing for nose piercings, but my attraction to Kayleigh bypasses the roof and goes straight through it.

“Thanks.” Her eyes glimmer. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

“Sounds good. Pick whatever. I’m easy.”

Kayleigh laughs sceptically. “Remember when I told you my favourite movie?”

I bite down on my jaw. “Yeah…on the other hand, maybe not.”

“It’s a good movie,” she defends.

I snort. “Yeah, if you’re eighty and in need of a good cry.”

She reaches for her laptop and opens it before picking an easy-going movie we’ve both seen. She snuggles back into the pillows but is stiff as a board. I glance at her out of the corner of my eye.

Something is wrong.

My knee gently rocks into hers, and I let it rest there for a moment, a spark of fire trailing down my leg and into my chest. I smile and tilt my head at an angle, but Kayleigh’s eyes are trained on the screen so hard that I know she’s not even watching.

Just cuddle him, Kayleigh.

He literally had his head between your legs.

Press your hand to his leg. Anything.

I swipe a hand over my mouth to stop myself from grinning at her adorable thoughts. I feel bad for intruding, but I physically cannot stop them.

My hand snakes across the bed, and I take her hand in mine, tugging her fingers as those blue eyes ping to mine.

“Come here,” I murmur softly, beckoning my head towards myself.

Her fingers lace through mine as I take her waist in my arm, lifting her over the laptop and against my body. Our legs tangle with the sheets, and she releases a long breath of alleviation when her head rests on my chest.

My arm secures around her back, the other still latched onto hers. I slow my breathing to feel the way her heart thrums against mine, and I smile, feeling content with her here in my arms.

After what she told me about her ex-boyfriend, I need to tell her who I really am. He lied to her and manipulated her, and I will never do the same. If I don’t tell her about my wolf and everything in my world, I fear I might push her away forever.

I kiss her forehead delicately. When the time is right, I’ll tell her.

Jaxon might have needed me tonight, but Kayleigh needed me more.

I’m starting to realise not many people have shown up for her.

And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.