Chapter 358: Too Relaxed

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Guys, quick one! If you want to see the old Kaden, move over to my other book, Offered to the Beastly Alpha. In today’s Chapters, you’ll definitely see a glimpse of the old Kaden.

Do excuse his behavior though.

Rebecca’s POV

​I stayed in the bathroom for another minute, staring at myself in the mirror and trying to convince my heart to calm down. It wasn’t working. Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered Kaden’s arm around my waist, the brief drop of his gaze, and the way he had looked at the ceiling as though his life depended on it.

​I quickly pulled his white shirt over my head before my thoughts could get any worse. The oversized shirt fell halfway down my thighs, carrying the familiar scent of cedarwood, mint, and Kaden. I rolled the sleeves up twice, gathered my dirty clothes from the floor, and finally opened the bathroom door.

​Kaden was standing near the leather couch, smoothing a blanket over it. He looked up when I stepped into the bedroom, and his eyes moved over me, remaining there for a second too long before he looked away.

​"I left the light on in the bathroom," I said quietly as I placed my dirty clothes near the door.

​"I’ll turn it off," Kaden replied, his voice completely level.

​He walked past me without another word, disappeared into the bathroom, and returned a moment later. Instead of coming toward the bed, he sat on the leather couch and picked up one of the documents resting on the small table beside it.

​I climbed onto his bed, pulled the thick duvet over my legs, and settled against the headboard. Neither of us mentioned what had happened or the fact that I had been completely naked in his arms less than five minutes ago.

​Kaden started reading while I stared at the wall. He turned a page, and I adjusted the blanket. Then he turned another page. The silence was beginning to annoy me.

​I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but that lasted approximately ten seconds. Every time I tried to relax, my mind returned to what had happened in the bathroom. Eventually, another thought pushed its way forward. Rola. Her excited face flashed through my mind as she told me about kissing Kaden for the first time. Then came the other part—her plan to finally have sex with him and take their relationship further.

​I opened my eyes and looked toward Kaden. He was still reading as though I wasn’t even there, and before common sense could stop me, the question left my mouth.

​"So why haven’t you slept with Rola yet?" I asked suddenly.

​Kaden didn’t answer immediately. His eyes remained on the document for several seconds before he finally lowered it and looked across the room at me. His expression was calm, almost unreadable.

​"I don’t have to discuss that with you, Rebecca," Kaden replied evenly.

​Heat immediately climbed into my face. "I’m just asking," I said defensively. "She’s clearly crazy about you, and she made it pretty obvious that she wants to take things further with you."

​Kaden closed the document and placed it beside him before leaning forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "Why do you care so much about whether I sleep with my girlfriend, Rebecca?" Kaden asked quietly.

​"I don’t care!" I snapped, sitting straighter against the headboard.

​"Then why are you asking?" Kaden questioned calmly.

​I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Kaden held my gaze for another second before giving me the answer himself.

​"Exactly," Kaden said quietly.

​Something about that one word irritated me more than it should have. "You know what? That’s exactly what annoys me about you," I snapped as I pushed the blanket away from my legs.

​A slight frown appeared on Kaden’s face. "What exactly am I doing?"

​"That," I replied, pointing at him. "Sitting there acting like none of this affects you."

​"What are you talking about?" Kaden asked, still frustratingly calm.

​"You fed me. You let me sleep in your bed. You just had your hands around me while I was completely naked, and now you’re sitting there reading documents like nothing happened," I said, my frustration growing with every word.

​For the first time, something shifted in Kaden’s expression, but his voice remained controlled. "I caught you because you were falling, Rebecca," Kaden reminded me.

​"I know why you caught me," I replied sharply.

​"Then what exactly is the problem?" Kaden asked.

​"The problem is that you act like none of it affected you!" I snapped.

​Kaden stared at me for a long moment before slowly standing from the couch. "You think seeing you like that didn’t affect me?" Kaden asked, his jaw tightening.

​My stomach twisted at the admission, but I immediately pushed the feeling away. "You have a girlfriend, Kaden," I reminded him sharply.

​"I’m aware of that," Kaden replied.

​"Then start acting like it," I snapped.

​His brows pulled together. "I looked away. I made sure you could stand, gave you the towel, and left the bathroom. What exactly would you have preferred I do?"

​"That’s not what I mean," I argued.

​"Then what do you mean?" Kaden asked.

​I stared at him, frustrated because I barely understood it myself. "You do all these things. You check my temperature, feed me, make sure I’m all right, and then you sit over there acting like none of it means anything."

​Kaden’s expression hardened slightly. "You nearly disappeared today, Rebecca."

​"I know what happened," I replied.

​"No, Rebecca," Kaden said, his voice becoming firmer. "You know what happened to you. You don’t know what happened from where I was standing."

​That stopped me. Kaden took a slow breath, and when he continued, some of the calmness had disappeared from his voice.

​"One second you were standing on that training field, and the next you were gone," Kaden said. "Then you kept appearing and disappearing around the palace while none of us knew where you would appear next. When you disappeared again, I thought they had you. I thought the tiger shifters had finally managed to pull you through that spell."

​"Kaden..." I whispered.

​"So yes, I care whether you’re all right," Kaden said firmly. "And yes, what happened in that bathroom affected me. But I won’t cross that line with you."

​His words made something twist inside me, and I hated that I couldn’t even explain why. Maybe it was because he was right. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He had caught me when I fell, looked away when he realized I was naked, and left the bathroom the moment he knew I was okay. He had kept his distance when he easily could have done the opposite.

​But maybe that was exactly what bothered me.

​Because somewhere deep inside, in a place I didn’t want to admit existed, a part of me had wanted him to cross that line.

​Kaden went silent for a moment, his eyes still on mine. Then he let out a slow breath and looked away.

​"Please stop asking me about Rola, Rebecca," he said quietly. "Just go to sleep."

​Something about how easily he dismissed the conversation irritated me all over again.

​"Fine! Go sleep with her, then!" I snapped.

​Kaden’s eyes narrowed, but I was already too angry to stop.

​"I mean it," I continued. "Go to Rola."

​"And you can go marry Melvin," Kaden shot back.

​I froze.

​I threw the duvet aside and climbed out of the bed, suddenly too irritated to remain sitting.