7. - Kayden -
Chapter seven
- Kayden -
A fter putting away his guns, knives and explosives, and spending a luxurious amount of time soaking in his own shower, scrubbing off the grit and blood, Kayden threw on a pair of low-hanging sweatpants and went to make himself a coffee.
When he got to the kitchen, he laughed at seeing his brother already behind the large centre island, pouring beans into the espresso machine, in matching sweatpants. Jason had also opted to remain shirtless for the afternoon. Kayden didn’t know if it was a twin trait or if it was just a habit that they usually ended up in the same clothes.
Jason turned to find his brother watching him. “Double espresso?”
“Sure.”
Kayden moved around the island to the large fridge and started pulling out some berries for a smoothie.
“I put some clothes on the bed for the girl,” Jason said offhandedly.
“Oh?” Any act of overt kindness was behaviour Jason usually reserved for those he cared about—which was virtually no one.
“Her clothes stunk.” Jason rolled his eyes.
“Mm-hmm.” Kayden just turned the tap on to wash the fruit .
“I did a preliminary run of the name she gave us. It’s the name of an American country singer. Also, the name of about a thousand other people. I’ll have to call Archie and get him to run a full profile.”
“She said people would come looking for her.” Kayden turned the tap off and leaned against the counter, his brother joining him.
“To be expected.”
“I don’t believe her.”
“No?”
“No. I think she’s homeless.”
“Well, she can stay here for now. I want to verify her real identity and name, get her profile, and then determine if anyone will actually miss her. Then we can figure out what to do with her and that interesting tidbit about her. So far, she’s blocked two for two. I will say it was really fucking nice to not hear Jenkin’s rambling thoughts about his wife and kids. I don’t think we’ve ever encountered someone that’s just constantly pining over his family. It’s so sweet that it’s nauseating.”
The thought of the silent elevator ride sent shivers down Kayden’s bare back. “God, I just want to go places without the fucking noise,” Kayden groaned.
“Well, don’t get too attached to the idea. We’ll probably have to kill her. She’s a wild one.”
“I can tame her.”
A small cough followed his bold statement.
Kayden and Jason startled.
They looked up to see Corey standing in the open space between the kitchen and the living room. She was indeed wearing Jason’s clothes—or rather, drowning in them. Jason’s grey sweatshirt fell to her mid-thigh, practically a dress, and she had either chosen not to put pants on, or Jason hadn’t given her any. Kayden’s eyes trailed up her long legs, bruised at the knees, to her breasts. Her nipples were showing through the fabric of the hoodie. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, soaking the material underneath, the rich colour muted from being wet.
The bruise on her cheek was a settled dark purple.
Kayden’s dick twitched in his pants at the sight of her standing bare-legged in their kitchen, in his brother’s clothes.
Jason muttered a curse under his breath and turned back to the espresso machine, flipping it on to pull the double Kayden had requested.
Kayden and Jason were not used to being snuck up on. The twins had never needed to pay attention to sounds in their environment with their ability, since people’s thoughts had always given away their approach. Perhaps they had become too reliant on it. Kayden couldn’t be sure how much Corey had overhead.
“You want coffee?” he offered her.
But Corey’s wide-eyed gaze fixated on Jason’s back—a violent red hypertrophic scar marring the skin from his right shoulder blade to his hip. Mottled skin surrounded it. Jason’s muscles rippled underneath the reddened skin as he worked the machine.
Kayden was used to the sight. The scar was the only physical feature differentiating them, aside from their fingerprints and retinas.
Jason turned back around with the espresso and caught the horrified look on Corey’s face. He just sneered at her, taking his own mug and stalking around the island.
“I’ll be in the gym,” he said to his brother, as he headed out of the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone.
“What happened to him?” Corey asked, shaking herself out of her daze.
“You’ll have to ask him that.”
Corey gave him a look that said that was the last thing on earth she’d ever do.
“Espresso?” Kayden offered his own cup this time.
“Sure.”
“How do you take it? ”
“What are the chances you have coconut milk?” she asked.
Kayden turned back to the fridge and got out the carton. He opened the freezer and took out an ice pack, too.
“You should ice that,” Kayden said, pushing the ice pack across the counter.
Corey pulled out a bar stool and sat down, pulling the espresso and milk towards her. She poured just a splash in the mug and brought it to her lips. She pulled in a big breath through her nose before drinking, seeming to savour the powerful aroma, her eyelids fluttering closed.
Kayden watched as she touched the ceramic to her full lips and sipped. The moan that followed was downright sinful, and Kayden wanted to hear it again.
“Good?” he asked her.
“It’s been a while.” That blush he liked so much was creeping back into her cheeks.
Kayden prowled around the island, eyes fixed on Corey as she sipped her coffee greedily. He could tell she was tracking his movements.
Kayden came up beside her and turned her face towards him.
A wicked smile pulled at Kayden’s lips as he watched her gulp.
He had no idea what she was thinking, and the thrill of that absolutely delighted him.
Kayden brushed his thumb over her bruised cheek, applying more pressure with each stroke. Her eyes hardened with a challenge. Kayden watched as her resolve to hide the pain crystalized.
He wanted to break it.
He pressed harder, and then harder still.
Finally, she jerked her head back.
Her eyes were watering.
Kayden licked his lips.
He grabbed the ice pack from the counter and brought it up to her wounded cheek, holding it there until her hand came up to take over .
She just looked up at him with those wide blue eyes. He started to count the freckles spattered across her face, but she turned away from him before he could finish.
Kayden went back to the sink to continue making his smoothie.
The scraping of the metal stool legs on the granite floor was the only sound he heard before Corey was gone from the kitchen. He flipped the blender on at the same time as Jason’s heavy metal music spilled out from their home gym.
Kayden didn’t even bother trying to hide the smile on his face. He hadn’t felt this excited in a long while, and a flurry of plans to keep her materialized in his mind’s eye.