Page 20 of Bonding with the Beta

“Sorry, have I missed something?” Ava points a finger between us.

“No,” I state.

“Yes,” Kayden says at the same time.

She presses a hand to her forehead and exhales a breath. “My pregnancy brain cannot keep up with this. Kayden, are you being a dick?”

Kayden drops her a quick wink, which earns him a slap on the arm from Jaxon as he meets him by the stove. “I’m kidding. Chill.”

“Don’t tell a pregnant woman to chill, Kayden. I might murder you.”

Jaxon nods in agreement. “I’d listen to her.”

Ava’s eyes flick back to mine. “But your stay here was okay?”

“Yeah.” I nod immediately. “It was nice. The bed was super comfy.”

“Sorry you had to share a bathroom with Kayden.” She winces. “I didn’t want to put you halfway across the house.”

I shake my head once. “It’s okay. I survived.”

“I didn’t,” Kayden murmurs as he places his lips on the rim of a mug.

We both shoot him a look, and I glare beneath my lashes.

“Because when I went in there this morning, I found a pair of underwear you so graciously left on my bathroom floor.”

My entire face bursts into flames. Ava snorts but quickly tries to recover. Kayden’s eyes glimmer mischievously as he continues to smirk like a cunning asshole. I bite down on my jaw and tell myself not to react irrationally.

“You can keep them if you want,” I respond calmly. “I heard they go for a lot on eBay.”

Kayden’s expression stretches into a look of amusement.

“Or if you have some weird fetish for women’s worn underwear,” I snap. “It’s probably been a while since you got laid if they’re affecting you that much.”

He snorts. “Jesus, am I that predictable? Don’t worry, I’ll keep them in my collection.”

“Ew, guys.” Ava waves a hand in front of her face. I suddenly realise that we’re not the only ones in the kitchen. “Can you stop? You’re gonna make me throw up.”

Thankfully, Jaxon starts placing plates of food on the island. I smile and cover my mortified expression, thanking him as best I can despite the fact that my appetite has plummeted after our conversation.

I dig in and slump in relief when Kayden asks about their date night, taking the limelight off us. I sit and listen silently,piercing the food with my fork and eating small portions until I feel somewhat human again.

“I’ll clean up,” I offer as I jump down from the stool. I need to make myself useful somehow. “Thanks for breakfast, Jaxon. It was delicious.”

“You’re more than welcome, Kayleigh.” He smiles. “Av, the new crib came this morning.”

Ava claps with excitement. “It did?”

“Yeah.” He smiles and kisses the top of her head. “I’ll go and build it after we’ve cleaned up.”

“I’ve got it,” I dismiss them. “Honestly, it’s good with me.”

Kayden stands and clears his throat. “I’ll help.”

Ava and Jaxon leave the kitchen as she squeals with eagerness. I smile at them and bury the plates in the sink, rinsing them off with water before Kayden places them in the dishwasher.

We don’t say anything to each other, probably because there isn’t anything to say. My palms begin to sweat, and I ignore the thumping of my pulse in my neck when his arm brushes mine every so often.

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