Page 29 of Bonding with the Beta

Craig needed a friend to get shit-faced with? I scowl heavily at my phone, my body trembling as my blood boils beneath my skin.

I want to scream.

I want to throw my phone across the room.

Instead, I turn it off, hide under my covers, and force myself to sleep.

I grablunch at the cafeteria after one of the worst lectures of my life. I take a few items from the heated rack and head to the cashier before a large arm wraps around my waist and a nose is pressed into my neck.

My body freezes. I’d recognise that aftershave anywhere.

“I’ve been texting you all morning, baby,” Josh murmurs into my skin.

I grit my teeth.

“What’s wrong?”

My nostrils flare as I turn to face him, his arms dropping from my body. “What’s wrong?” I ask in disbelief. “You bailed on our date so you could get drunk with Craig. I saw it all on Jessica’s story. You said Craig needed you, so you decided to party?”

Josh closes his eyes and runs a hand down his face. “Craig was upset about something that happened at home, so I said I’d help take his mind off it.”

My eyes narrow. “By getting drunk? That would have surely made him worse.”

“You weren’t there.” He scowls. “So, you wouldn’t know.”

“No,” I grumble. “I was standing outside the restaurant in the freezing cold waiting for you.”

Josh’s handsome face softens, and I despise when he does that—it’s as if he can see right through my soul. “Baby, I’m sorry,” he whispers and cups my cheek. “I promise to make it up to you. I know that was our night.”

My gaze flicks between his, and when his thumb swipes across my cheekbone, I melt into his touch a little. “I looked really cute,” I murmur. “You missed out.”

He groans and closes his eyes. “You’re right. I did. Come have lunch with me?”

“Fine,” I whisper before paying for my food and allowing him to take my hand as he guides us through the courtyard.

As we walk past the benches, I can’t help but feel some people’s eyes on me as they whisper and point not so subtly in my direction. I clear my throat and ignore their glances.

They have no reason to be staring and talking about me. Right?

“Come on,babe. Just for thirty minutes,” Josh hums in my ear as he tugs on my arm.

I glance up at him and stab my pen into my notebook. His dark brown eyes are pleading with me, but if I don’t finish this now, I’ll lose my flow. “I need to do this reading for class. I said I needed to study.”

He groans, rolling his eyes. I frown as he walks back over to my bed, jumping on it. My pillows fall on the floor, but he doesn’t make an effort to pick them back up. “You work all the time. It’s annoying.”

My eyes narrow at him. “I told you I was studying.” I throw my hand up in disbelief. “You still came round. I wanted to see you last night and the night before, but you said you were busy.”

“Because I was,” he shoots back coldly.

“Sorry, I have a really important assignment for class. We aren’t spending thousands of pounds for nothing, Josh. I need to do well.”

He scoffs, and it makes my jaw grind. “That’s not what I mean. We haven’t had sex in forever, Kayleigh.”

I’ll admit my stress levels have been through the roof, and as I drown in coursework, the last thing on my mind is sex. I might be more inclined if he took me out for dinner or suggested a walk, but our date nights ended months ago. Now, it’s bedroom hangouts, where he mostly sits on his phone anyway and begs me for sex after doing the bare minimum.

I feel like I can’t win.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper and tell myself to lighten up. Maybe some intimate time might help the pressure I’m putting on myself. “I’ve been neck-deep in work. But once I’ve done this reading, I’m all yours.”

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