Page 59 of Bonding with the Beta

I chew my mouthful. “You’re wrong.”

“Wanna bet?”

My head tilts.

“Even if you still owe me five pounds.” He laughs.

“We agreed it would be ice cream.”

“Nope. You forced that on me.” He points at me.

“What are we betting?”

Kayden’s eyes glisten with amusement. “I bet it’ll be an unusual name. You bet that it’ll be a classic name.”

“Okay…” I trail off. “What do we win?”

His mouth swishes to one side as he thinks. “How about we up the stakes and say no money but whatever the other person wants?”

“What the other person wants?” I quirk a brow.

“Yup,” he says, looking smug. “You win, and you get whatever you want. If I win, I get what I want.”

My eyes roll. “Do I even want to know what you want?”

“Haven’t decided what I want yet.” He smirks. “But don’t worry, I’ll be brainstorming.”

I breathe through my nose and nod firmly. “Oh, you’re on.”

Kayden holds out his hand across the table, and I shake it with as much confidence as possible. “Prepare to lose,” he says cockily.

“I don’t lose,” I tug his hand closer to me.

“You’re cute when you’re competitive.”

I release his hand, and he continues to stare at me mischievously.

“You’re cute when you’re not talking.”

“Aww,” he huffs with a sarcastic smile. “You think I’m cute?”

“In the same way I find miniature frogs cute.”

“So, in an adorable way?”

“No, in a pathetic way.”

“You think I’m pathetically cute?”

“There is no winning with you, is there?”

Kayden’s eyes flare with something that makes my stomach flip. He’s grinning at me like a Cheshire cat, and I have no idea what I’ve said to get that sort of reaction.

“I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” he chimes.

I snort. “Not sure it was a compliment.”

“Oh, it was a compliment.” He winks.

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