The sound of the shower running confirmed she had a good five to ten minutes of a head start, but she pushed that thought away as quickly as it had come.
No, Kenzie had been a coward all her life, and she wasn’t going to ditch the first person she felt connected with and who saved her. Not because of life experiences.
It was time she took something for herself.
15
Bram came back into the kitchen less than ten minutes later, and damn did he look good in a pair of lounge pants and a T-shirt. She went to stand, but he shook his head and placed his hands on her shoulders to gently ease her back in the seat.
“Please, relax and let me fix you something to eat, okay?”
Kenzie looked up at him and nodded. For the next twenty minutes, Bram hovered over the stove. He didn’t force a conversation on her, and for that she was thankful. It was cute to see him going back and forth from the fridge to the stove to the sink.
He even hummed to himself on occasion, and she wondered if he was aware of that. When he set a heaping plate in front of her of eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns, her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. Her embarrassment intensified when Bram chuckled at hearing the sound.
“Milk, juice, or water? I don’t drink coffee, but I can always run into town and grab some if you’re going to go through withdrawals.”
Kenzie laughed out loud and shook her head. “I hate coffee actually.”
He slapped a hand on his chest and took a step back. Worry filled her at his sudden reaction.
“Beautiful, killer body, and my girl isn’t a coffee drinker. I hit the mate jackpot.” He gave her a wink, sat in the seat across from her, and started tearing into his own plate of food.
All Kenzie kept hearing in her head was Bram calling her “his girl.” It felt good to hear him say those two words, but at the same time so very bad.
She could see herself getting attached to him. Hell, she was already feeling lightheaded in his presence and couldn’t stop thinking about him in every way possible. When he noticed she wasn’t eating and could probably feel her stare, he lifted just his eyes to look at her.
“I know you’re hungry.” He gestured to the plate of food in front of her. “You need protein to help heal your wounds, and you’re gonna hurt a guy’s feelings by not eating what he cooked for you.” With one more wink, he went back to eating.
Kenzie picked up her fork, speared a chunk of scrambled eggs, and brought it to her mouth. He was gorgeous, and he could cook.
They ate in relative silence, but she could feel every time he looked up at her. It was like a physical touch, and she wondered if she was this aware of his every move because they were mates or if it was just because she had been sheltered so much that any kind of kindness and wanted attention made her more conscious of his actions. Once they were done eating, Bram pushed a full glass of orange juice toward her.
“Vitamin C and all that.” The corner of his mouth kicked up, and her heart rate did the same. “So drink it up.” What a pushy alpha bear, but Kenzie smiled nonetheless. Once she finished the juice, she leaned back in her seat, her belly full for the first time in as long as she could remember.
“So, how about we start at the beginning so I can get even more pissed at this asshole?”
Although Bram’s expression was serious and harsh, his soft words were phrased in a way he was trying to ease the situation.
Kenzie looked down at her empty plate and knew she just needed to get this over with. When it was all said and done, he would probably look at her differently, but of course that was to be expected. Who wanted a mate who was both mentally and physically scarred?
The best place to start was from the beginning, and so that is exactly what she did.
16
Bram forced himself to give Kenzie the time she needed to tell him what he wanted to know. He knew this had to be hard for her, could smell her emotions as if they were a fresh rainstorm. He took on a relaxed position against the back of his chair, yet he felt anything but. His bear was a manic fucker inside him, pacing and growling, wanting to lock her away and keep her safe while he exacted his vengeance on the panther.
He’d always felt this instability inside him, but being around Kenzie calmed the frantic need to deliver pain and receive it. But knowing what he was about to hear from Kenzie was probably filled with horrors, he felt the calmness dissipate and rage take its place. What he felt right now was like nothing he had ever encountered.
“My parents were mugged and shot right in front of me when I was ten. I ran away after that, because there was no way I wanted another family to raise me. I just couldn’t deal with any of that, so I took to the streets and lived like that for only a month before I knew I was going to die right there beside the filthy dumpsters.” Her throat worked when she swallowed.
Her cheeks heated, and her embarrassment smelled like a blooming flower.
She lifted her gaze to his, and his heart clenched at her dejected look. “That was how Rook found me, dirty and hungry but willing and ready to die. He took me into his home, lavished me with parental affection, and made sure I never wanted for anything, but I should have sensed none of that was genuine. I
