Page 35 of Bonding with the Beta (Fated Souls #2)

35

KAYLEIGH

W hen I wake up, I feel like I’ve been mummified and kept asleep for years.

Kayden is still asleep beside me, his messy brown hair covering his forehead. I exhale a silent sigh and reach for my phone.

6:14 AM.

Shit. I’ve slept for over twelve hours.

I run a hand down my face and creep out of the bed as quietly as possible. I make my way down the hall to the bathroom I once shared with him and slip inside, pressing my back to the door.

My eyes ache from yesterday’s antics.

Even my sleep didn’t allow me to digest everything.

I turn on the large waterfall shower head. The hot water begins to steam up the room as I strip my clothes and climb in.

My mouth parts as I groan at the comfort and close my eyes, feeling somewhat relieved to have good water pressure for once. I stand for a while, unmoving. I don’t attempt to wash myself. I just stand there and let the water pour over my head.

There is a small squeak behind me, and I turn to find Kayden standing there stark naked. I don’t have time to say anything as he steps into the shower behind me, the water hitting his impressive chest.

He steps closer to me until my back hits the wall. The cold tiles burn into my heated skin. I shudder at the intensity of his eyes as he places one hand on the wall beside my head and the other on my cheek.

I hold my breath as he crowds over me, making me feel tiny in comparison.

Kayden’s eyes harden, watching me carefully. The air turns thick with tension, and I wish I turned the damn temperature down so I can breathe. His warm lips lower to graze my jaw, my heart thrashing outside my chest.

His mouth trails down my neck, moving agonisingly slow. My head tilts back against the wall as a whimper bursts through my lips at the gentle touch that makes me shudder with goosebumps.

“Tell me,” he whispers huskily against my skin before he places a firm kiss on my throat. “Tell me you don’t feel that.”

My eyes screw shut at his voice as he drops his hand from my cheek and laces his fingers through mine. I tremble as he kisses below my earlobe. “Tell me you feel nothing when I touch you.”

I squeeze my legs together at his deep voice and playful lips.

“Tell me that what we have isn’t special,” he murmurs, pressing his forehead against mine as my eyes open.

A soft smirk covers his mouth before he dips his head to the other side of my neck, lighting up my body like a Christmas tree. “Tell me,” he demands.

“I-I can’t,” I pant.

“Hmm?”

Those lips are torturing me now. Every slight movement against my skin has my head swimming in the clouds and my body answering his every touch.

“I can’t,” I repeat louder.

“Why?”

My core throbs as he nips the skin above my collarbone. The action is possessive and dominating, making my eyes water.

“Because I feel it,” I admit.

Kayden pulls back and places both hands flat on the wall behind me, trapping me between his arms. He smiles, and those gorgeous dimples make butterflies erupt in my stomach.

He takes my hand and pulls me from the wall before turning me around until I face the tiles. I brace my palms on the wall as my head rolls when he presses kisses to my bare back, sending me wild.

My skin burns, and it’s not from the water.

I close my eyes and drown in the sensation of Kayden completely pleasuring me in the most innocent of ways. I’m shivering in his hold as he takes his time, kissing every patch of skin.

His hand wraps around my waist, his large palm flattening against my stomach as he tugs me back into him. I twist my head, and our lips meet for a brief second. I’m breathless, and he hasn’t even kissed me.

My eyes move to his, and time stands still.

That look of raw honesty is lingering.

“I don’t need a matebond if I feel this alive with you,” he whispers against my lips.

My chest heaves at his declaration. I’m grateful his arm is wrapped around me because I’d turn to liquid and slip down the drain if not. He rotates me in his hold, pressing me against the wall, and lays his mouth over mine with a passion that makes my toes curl. A zap electrocutes my heart, and we mould into one.

Kayden strokes back my hair tenderly and studies my eyes as we lay together on the sofa. “Tell me what you’re thinking about.”

I purse my lips. “I’m meant to go home next week for the break, but I don’t think I want to.”

“Why?”

My shoulders raise. “It’s a lot to see my mum. She’s trying to convince me to spend time with her and her new partner, but I’m not interested. Does that make me a bad person?”

“No. When she cheated on your dad, she also hurt her relationship with you. I think it’s normal to feel that way,” he says, and it calms me.

“I see a lot of my dad’s sadness in myself. While my mother is off loving her new life with her new woman, my dad’s still heartbroken and wondering what went wrong. It reminds me of how I felt with Josh. I was a mess, then I’d see him around campus laughing and smiling. I don’t get how that’s fair. She reminds me too much of my own pain,” I confess.

He laces his fingers with mine. “Then don’t go home. You can stay here with me. You know that, right?”

“You do way too much for me already.”

“Having you stay here isn’t too much; if anything, I want you here. I want to spend time with you,” he says slowly.

My chest warms. “You’re too kind to me.”

“Your expectations for men are so low, Kayleigh. It makes me so angry to think how Josh treated you.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “You deserve someone who will be there for you when you need them. You deserve to feel appreciated and cared for and everything else in between. Never settle for less—you are worth so much more.”

My heart aches. I can’t take it. These intense feelings make me want to scream at the top of my lungs because I’ve never felt this intoxicated by emotions—especially good ones.

“How are you feeling after everything I told you yesterday?” he asks.

I pause. “The wolf stuff?”

Kayden nods.

“I don’t know if it’s completely sunk in that you’re a…wolf. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you. It changes nothing. I’m just surprised. I still think it could be some silly joke any second now.”

“I really didn’t know how to tell you,” he sighs. “I did say it would sound ridiculous. The only way I knew how was to show you.”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I wouldn’t have believed you otherwise.”

Kayden smooths his thumb across my knuckles. “You’ll learn more about this world, and soon, you won’t bat an eyelid at it.”

I snort. “Not sure about that.”

“Yet.” He smiles. “We’ll work this out. I promise.”

“Can I see your wolf again?”

“You want to see him?”

I nod. “This time without fainting.”

Kayden’s face lights up as he grins. He takes my hand and stands from the sofa before tugging me outside, and my heart races with anticipation.