Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 286: Breakfast in bed

Sunlight filtered into Jayden’s room through the curtains, painting stripes of gold across the duvet. Jessica stirred awake, her hand reaching out instinctively across the mattress to find the warmth she had fallen asleep against.

But her fingers found only empty sheets. The space beside her where Jayden should’ve been was empty.

Her eyes snapped open, clarity cutting through the fog of sleep. She sat up, pushing hair out of her face, the hangover a dull throb behind her eyes.

Jayden was really not there.

Panic fluttered in her chest. Had he left? Had last night been a mistake he couldn’t face? Was he regretting it?

Then, the bedroom door suddenly swung open.

Jessica flinched, instinctively pulling the blanket up to cover herself, her heart hammering.

But it was Jayden who walked in, balancing a wooden tray carefully in his hands. He kicked the door shut behind him with practiced ease, then turned toward the bed.

When he saw she was awake, his face broke into a genuine smile.

"Good morning," he said warmly.

Jessica blinked, still processing, her heart settling as relief washed over her. "Good... good morning," she managed, sitting up slowly and adjusting the blanket around herself.

Jayden crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed beside her, carefully placing the tray across her lap.

Jessica looked down and felt her breath catch.

On the tray sat a romantic spread: golden French toast dusted with powdered sugar and topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries, crispy bacon strips arranged artfully, fluffy scrambled eggs infused with herbs, and a small bowl of vanilla ice cream melting slightly at the edges, dotted with chocolate shavings. A glass of orange juice and a steaming mug of coffee completed the picture, steam curling lazily upward.

Jessica felt a smile tugging at her lips despite her confusion. "What’s all this?"

Jayden shrugged, his own smile widening. "Isn’t it obvious? I made you breakfast."

Jessica stared at him for a moment, then let out a soft, disbelieving laugh. "Wow. Breakfast in bed. That’s... new." She picked up the fork, still processing. "The Jayden I know isn’t this romantic."

"That was the old me," Jayden said, leaning back slightly and crossing his arms with mock seriousness. "This is the new me. And he’s very romantic."

Jessica laughed, the sound light and free. But then her eyes widened in sudden panic.

"Wait—" she lowered her voice to an urgent whisper, "—how did you explain this to everyone?" She gestured to the tray, then more broadly to the situation. "What did you tell them?"

"I didn’t tell them anything," Jayden assured her calmly.

Her eyes widened. "What?!"

"Relax, Jessica," Jayden said, his voice calm. "It’s 6am. Everyone is still asleep," he muttered. "I woke up before dawn and decided to make breakfast for everyone... but I made yours more special."

Jessica exhaled, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "Okay. Okay, good." But she still glanced at the door warily. "And you’re absolutely sure no one saw you come in here with this?"

Jayden chuckled. "Yes, Jessica. I’m sure," he replied.

Somewhat reassured, Jessica turned her attention back to the food. She picked up a piece of French toast with her fork, but then her eyes locked onto the ice cream.

Her face lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

"Oh my god, is that—" She grabbed the small bowl, cradling it like precious treasure. "Ice cream! Dad never lets me have this in the morning!"

Jayden grinned, watching her with fond amusement. "Well, I’m not Jacob," he said simply. "Go for it."

Jessica grinned at him, genuine warmth flooding through her chest. She took a spoonful of the ice cream, closing her eyes as the cold sweetness melted on her tongue.

When she opened her eyes again, Jayden was watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite read—soft, maybe a little sad, but mostly just... present.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For last night. This morning. Everything."

Jayden nodded, a small smile playing at his lips. Then he stood up, clearly intending to leave.

Jessica’s hand shot out, catching his arm. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Come and eat with me."

Jayden hesitated, shaking his head. "Nah, I really shouldn’t—"

"I said," Jessica interrupted, her voice taking on a firmer edge as her grip tightened around his arm, "come and eat with me."

Jayden froze. There was a menacing tone in Jessica’s voice that made his heart race. Her eyes narrowed playfully but with an intensity that made his pulse skip, and her fingers were locked around his forearm with surprising strength. One wrong move and she could probably dislocate his arm. Not that she would. Probably.

Jayden swallowed, a nervous laugh escaping him. "Okay, fine. You win," he said submissively. "I was starving anyway. Let’s eat."

Jessica’s expression immediately softened back into a smile as she released his arm. "Good choice."

Jayden sat back down, and they began eating together. Jessica attacked the French toast with enthusiasm, making appreciative sounds that made Jayden grin. They talked about nothing important—how Jacob always burned toast, how Tasha had once tried to make pancakes and somehow set off the smoke alarm, how the ice cream was definitely the best part of the meal.

For those few minutes, everything felt normal. Like they were just two people enjoying breakfast together.

Eventually, the plates were clean and the ice cream bowl was scraped bare. Jayden gathered everything back onto the tray and stood.

Jessica stood too, stretching her arms above her head. "I’d better get back to my room before Mom checks up and realizes I’m not there." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

She reached down and let the blanket that had been wrapped around her drop to the floor.

Jayden’s breath caught.

Jessica stood completely naked in the morning light streaming through the window, her body on full display. She bent down unselfconsciously to retrieve her nightgown from where it had been discarded the night before.

Jayden’s eyes traced the curves of her body involuntarily... the slope of her hips, the curve of her spine, the way the light played across her skin. He felt an instant, powerful surge of arousal kick him in the gut. Memories of the night before flooded his mind and his dick began to harden in his pants.

Jessica pulled the silky nightgown over her head and smoothed it down, then caught him staring. A mischievous smile played at her lips.

"See something you like, Starrk?" she teased.

Jayden cleared his throat, averting his gaze quickly. "I uh... you can’t just... do that..."

Jessica laughed, the sound bright and unguarded. "Relax. After last night, I think we’re past being shy around each other."

Jayden shook his head, but he was smiling too. "You’re unbelievable," he sighed.

"And you’re adorable," Jessica chuckled.

They walked to the door together. Jayden balanced the tray in one hand while opening the door with the other. They stepped into the hallway, and Jayden was just pulling the door closed behind them when—

"Jayden?"

He froze at the sound of Jessica’s voice. Something in her tone had changed—softer now, but more serious.

He turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

Jessica’s expression had lost its playfulness. She looked uncertain now, almost stern.

"Why did you hurt Cassandra?"