Page 5 of Bonding with the Beta

I merely nod as he shoves his hands into his jeans pockets. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Kayden rolls his tongue across his lip slowly. “Those two can be very intense sometimes.”

“Huh?”

“Ava and Jaxon,” he states. “You should try living with them. It’s sickening.”

“Oh.” I laugh hesitantly. “Yeah, they’re lucky to have each other.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He bends down an inch.

From this angle, I get a whiff of his aftershave. I lower my head and take a step back. My head is swimming. I suck in another sharp breath of air and force a nod. “Yeah, sorry. The alcohol has gone straight to my head.”

The corners of his mouth twitch up. “Don’t worry.” He shrugs. “If I had it my way, I’d be three bottles deep, but Ava warned me to stay away from alcohol after I made an absolute idiot out of myself at the last party.”

His words ease me a fraction, and I settle into my shoes. “Bad?”

Kayden snorts. “Bad is an understatement. Apparently, I almost set the kitchen on fire, and then I started trying on Lucy’s bikinis and dresses. It was a messy night.”

“Wow.” I chuckle. “I would have died to see that.”

“Ava has it on her phone,” he grumbles under his breath and rubs a hand across his jaw. “I told her to delete it, but I know she didn’t.”

I smile. “She seems really happy.”

“The happiest.” He nods in agreement. “They both are. The baby was a bit of a surprise.”

“A bit? I almost fell out of my chair when she told me she was pregnant.”

Kayden’s eyes sparkle golden in the sunlight. “They’ll be great parents, though.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it.”

“So, you go to Stonebridge University?”

I bite down on my lip and nod. “Yeah, I do.”

“What do you study?”

He takes a step closer, and my back hits the edge of the garden chair. Heat prickles my neck, and it has nothing to do with the sun.

“Uh…” I pause. “I study sociology.”

“Damn,” he sounds impressed, but little does he know I am sleep-deprived and half-delirious from endless coursework. “You’re intelligent then?”

I scoff quietly. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“What year are you in?”

“My second.”

“Impressive.”

“What do you do?”

Kayden leans back against the chair and folds his arms over his chest. It takes everything in me not to look down at his obvious bulging muscles. That T-shirt is like a second skin. I can almost see every ridge and curve of muscle beneath the fabric.

“I have my own business,” he states.

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