Chapter 28 The Way He Goes (II)
Kristen's POV
The way he popped that question makes my mouth part and no words come out.
There's a deep stare exchange between the two of us, until I turn away and start looking for my things, with the sheet covers still hiding my nakedness from his penetrating gaze.
"What are you doing, Kristen?" Calhoun nears my side when he sees me holding my clothes.
"I need to go."
"I'm not stopping you, but you need to just calm down for a second. I'll take you home."
"I don't need you to take me home, I'll go by myself," I'm being stubborn and persistent right now even though I won't know my way back.
Calhoun doesn't say anything else, he just stands back and bites into his fist as he looks at me.
My throat works as my eyes do once over at his body. He's super hot and big in all the right places.
The way he treated me last night would've clouded my mind if we aren't in a tight position right now.
Turning away from him, I let the sheet covers slip off my body so I can put on my clothes.
He's seen my body before, but knowing he's watching me dress up makes my breathing get hitched up in my throat.
I slip my bra on and try to wear my shirt when my arm gets stuck because I wore it the wrong way.
Not wanting to call the man behind me for help, I keep struggling, hating myself at the same time for feeling this way about him even when I don't want to.
'You want to not want me,' his words from last night play in my head, and a frustrated groan leaves my mouth.
"Slow down," once again he's on my side, this time his hands are helping me fix the shirt.
I let Calhoun help me with the shirt and when he pulls away, I am biting down on my bottom lip.
"Relax, Kristen. It's not the end of the world, if anyone should take any blame, then it should be me."
"But why does it have to do with me of all people? I don't know how to go about with things because I've been living with this guilt eating inside of me, whenever I see her. We never had a good relationship from the onset because she had me when she
was barely sixteen, but it doesn't mean she deserves any of this," I'm almost out of breath right now.
Calhoun doesn't say anything else, he pulls me into a quick hug and kisses me lightly on the head.
I let him hug me for some time until I eventually pull away.
"I'll take you home, but first I'll need to speak with your mom," He says.
"What will you tell her when she asks where we've been?" I tip my head and glance at him curiously.
"I told you not to worry, Kristen," he reassures me quietly.
Sighing, I rub the side of my arm.
My mind is filled up with worries right now, but I can't help but admire this man in front of me.
Alpha Calhoun looks so undeniably good this morning.
"Do you want me to make you anything?" Jamming his fist into his palm, he makes this inquiry.
"Like what?" I blink in confusion.
"Food, your stomach has been gnawing for the past ten minutes," he smirks.
"Oh," my cheeks flush in embarrassment as my hands move to my stomach.
He just asked if he could cook for me.
But on the contrary, staying here and eating doesn't settle well with me, when mom is probably throwing a tantrum back home. What will Bruce even tell her? She's called me seventeen times, and I wonder how many calls Calhoun missed from her.
The said person slips into sweats and leaves the room.
I am tempted to stay back and remain seated on the bed.
But I find myself following him into the kitchen because I'm scared I'll die of guilt if I'm left alone.
I watch Calhoun go through the cupboards in the kitchen and start settling things on the kitchen island.
"You're here to give me a hand?" He asks when he sees me standing at the door.
"Just to watch, I'm terrible at cooking," I fumble with my seemingly sweaty hands.
Calhoun looks at me for a second and nods with his lips thinned, then he puts a transparent bowl on the island.
"Maybe I could help with the eggs," I offer because it's obvious he's going to make an egg sandwich.
"Fine," Calhoun place the crate of eggs on the island.
Leaving the entrance, I near the kitchen island and stare at the eggs.
Do I even know how to crack eggs?
Calhoun is already washing the vegetables, chopping them on the board like a professional chef.
I pick one egg, knock it with my fist, and put it in the bowl.
When Calhoun looks at me, his mouth parts and then he blinks.
"That's a whole lot of eggshells," his broad shoulders shake along with him as he chuckles, "maybe we should fry and eat them like that. Great combo wouldn't it be?" He raises a brow in mockery.
And I'm left wondering if this was how Mom was drawn to him. If she fell in love with his charm, because he's unlike other ruthless Alphas who barely even make a joke.
"I'll pick them," I reply.
"No, I'll just throw it away," he grabs the bowl and tosses the mess I just made into the trash bin.
Then he cracks the eggs so smoothly that a piece of shell isn't even found in the bowl.
"You're a genius," I commend him.
"It's just eggs, Kristen, nothing special about cracking them," Calhoun chuckles to himself as he stirs with a spatula.
"I tend to burn down the kitchen when I try to make breakfast. It's just bread, jam, and coffee. Works fine for me," my chin is propped in my palm with my elbow resting on the island.
Calhoun doesn't say anything else. He just stops stirring the eggs and looks at me with a serious gaze.
"What?" I ask.
"I wonder how it was for you, living all by yourself."
"At least I understood that mom needed to be away for her job."
Hearing the mention of my mom makes Calhoun continue stirring, it's obvious he doesn't want to talk about her.
"There was the time when I was seventeen and had no money for my tuition fees. I filled out a form from your foundation and my eleventh-grade tuition fees were paid," I blurt out.
"Really?" Calhoun looks at me in surprise.
Nodding, rest my elbows on the island.
"I never looked up the internet to find you, I just heard about you. God, Alpha Calhoun, you were the talk of town. Name on everyone's lips, they commended you for your good deeds."
"I'm just astonished that four years ago, I helped you through the system I created, and now we're mates."
His last four words replays in my head until I shake it off and try to switch topic.
"When you reject me..."
"I'm never rejecting you, Kristen." He interrupts me
Oh god, there's an impending argument once more, something I don't want to partake in.
But the way he sounded makes warmth spread through my chest.
He's staring at me right now with all seriousness and it looks like he has more things to say.
"Maybe that night we met at the club was a sign for me to end things with your mother."
"How can you even say that?"
"Have you ever wondered why the moon goddess made us mates on the night before my wedding?"
Okay, this shuts me up for good because there's some truth in it.
Why were we made mates? Things wouldn't have been this rocky if I wasn't my mother's daughter. If Calhoun leaves her for me, she'll hate me forever.
"I agree things kicked off so fast between us and I've known Natalie for eight months. It's one of the many reasons I want to know more about you, Kristen," Calhoun blurts out after letting a slice of silence pass.