Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Duncan
Being mated to Clay was an experience. I had no idea what to expect going in, but it absolutely wasn’t having someone offer so much just hours after meeting me.
it quickly became obvious that Clay was ready for a mate.
He had admitted to me that wasn’t the case six months ago, but when his brother met Charlie, he and his gorilla had decided then that was what they wanted. He wasn’t lying.
After his knot had gone down and we were able to break apart, he took me into the shower to not only get cleaned up but also make good on his promise that we most certainly would utilize that bench.
Somehow, he managed to avoid knotting me, and after he quickly got us cleaned up and right off, he carried me to the bed, and I passed out.
Clay’s bed was just as comfortable as the one that I had slept in the night before, but his obviously scented of him and that made my panda incredibly happy. A sense of comfort and security that I had never felt before washed over me and I relaxed more than I had in a very long time.
I was a bit surprised at the time when I woke. I couldn’t say if it was because I had been so tired or the fact that I was surrounded by my mate’s scent or that he had completely worn me out sexually. No matter, Clay was there in bed with me and that is what really surprised me.
He’d been so incredibly sweet. He’d ordered what should have been enough food for six people, but we’d eaten all of it. Then he helped me move my things into his bedroom because as he’d pointed out, there was no reason to keep them in the other one since we were now mated.
He cheered me up when I read the message that my position at the tavern had been terminated.
I wasn’t all that surprised, but I was a little disappointed that they would let me go simply because I’d found my mate and needed a night off.
My boss at the zoo was incredibly understanding and I had been given two weeks off with base pay.
That was a relief, but Clay had done his best to help me realize that it didn’t matter if I worked one job or no jobs.
I hadn’t fully understood that until just now after we’d left the bank.
I was now on all of his accounts, and my shiny new cards would be arriving in the mail in the next seven to ten business days.
Not card. Cards. Plural. I would have a debit card from his account that was now a joint account, and I was added as an authorized user for his credit card through his bank as well as the one he had through another.
“You’re quiet. Is everything all right?”
I looked over at Clay. We were in his truck and on our way to have lunch. “Uh…I’m a bit overwhelmed I think.”
“Too much?” he asked. “I want to get things taken care of as soon as we can,” he told me. “I also want to ask you about other things as well, but I thought that maybe those would be best asked in private at home.”
I looked at Clay with wide eyes. “What? It’s private here. Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong last night?” I had thought everything was amazing, but I would. I had been very much a virgin until yesterday.
Clay stopped at a red light and shook his head. “No, and I’m messing things up. It’s not bad. I promise. But I also don’t wish to discuss what I want to talk to you about in the truck. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Clay sighed.
I reached over and placed my hand on his bicep and gave it a squeeze.
He looked at me and I smiled in return. “All right. We’ll talk about it at home.
Can we get spicy chicken?” I pointed over to the left.
“My favorite place is right there and they have the best Cajun fries.” I moaned.
“And mac ’n’ cheese. It’s baked, and so good. ”
Clay’s smile was huge. “Yeah, we can.”
I grinned back, and when the light changed, he drove through the intersection and then got into the middle turn lane. It could be a bit tricky to get into from this direction with as close as it was to an intersection, but something I’d already learned was that Clay wasn’t a timid driver.
He pulled into the parking lot and my stomach immediately let us know that it was time to eat. “Sorry,” Clay said. “I should have fed you before we went to the bank. I didn’t realize it was going to take that long though.”
“It’s okay,” I told him. I undid my seat belt and opened the door. I slid from the truck and met Clay at the back.
“Will you at least let me help you in? Open your door, then?”
“I didn’t mean anything by it. This is still new to me.” I reached out and touched his waist. I had found that I really liked touching Clay, and the best part was that he always welcomed it. “I’ll let you open my doors. I know you’re just doing it to show that you care and are taking care of me.”
Clay leaned down and gave me a quick kiss.
“That is very true. It’s not the end of the world if you open your own door, but I was raised to be a gentleman, and to do everything I could to spoil my mate.
And you, Duncan, are my adorable mate.” He kissed my nose and then took my hand.
I was grinning as we walked across the parking lot and smiled at him again when he held the door open for me.
Immediately my nose was hit with all the wonderful scents of Cajun chicken and fries and my stomach growled again. I was hungry, which wasn’t unusual, but eating out two days in a row wasn’t normal for me. I usually had to watch my funds closely and budget tightly.
“What are you getting?”
“I get the number one, spicy. I get it large, so I get two sides. Cajun fries and mac ’n’ cheese.”
“That sounds good. I was thinking possibly that and adding another sandwich.” Clay looked at me with excitement. “Do you want to get some chicken as well? Do you like bone-in chicken?”
“I don’t mind it. This is usually a treat for me, so the sandwich meal is good.”
Clay gave me a look and I knew what it meant.
We were getting extra chicken. I wasn’t going to say no because I absolutely didn’t mind.
But I also didn’t want to order more food than I could actually eat.
We ordered our food, Clay adding a four-piece chicken to the order, and then sat to wait for it to be ready.
“I’m glad you suggested here. I want you to be comfortable with things like this.”
“I know. And I’ll try. But it’s been a day, Clay.”
He grinned. “True. I apologize,” he said. “At times, patience escapes me, and I tend to get a bit pushy. We can slow down, take things gradual going forward, and see where we come out at in the future.
I tilted my head, wondering if that was truly what he wanted. I didn’t think so. I could talk to him through our bond, but even with his help, I’d not been able to read his thoughts yet. Maybe he wasn’t sharing them with me and that was why.
Our food was brought out and I smiled up at the lady. “Thank you.”
“Yes. This smells amazing,” Clay added. He wasn’t wrong. It did. But I’d not ever had bad food at this location. The one over near my apartment? Yeah, you just didn’t go there unless you wanted horrible food.
“Enjoy your meal,” she said and then walked off.
Immediately, I opened my mac ’n’ cheese and took a bite. I closed my eyes and just barely kept from moaning. I opened them while chewing and found Clay staring intently at me. “I didn’t moan,” I said through our bond.
“Not audibly. But you did through the bond, and it had the effect on me that you would expect. I know what your moans sound like when I’m sucking on you. And when I’m filling you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s messed up in all ways,” I said.
“Not really,” Clay responded. “I’ll quite happily do those things just as soon as we get home.”
I had to take several deep breaths. Now I wasn’t hungry for food. How was that even possible?
Clay reached across the table and took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I apologize,” he said quietly. “I’ll behave, but I truly will do all of those things once we get home if you wish.”
I glanced around, and although the place wasn’t packed, it wasn’t empty either.
“Now I’m struggling to eat my food because all of a sudden, I want sex with you.
All the time.” Clay tilted his head and stared at me.
He leaned closer and moved the food to the side.
I noticed he took a deep breath and I shook my head.
“I’m not in heat. And I don’t feel like it’s starting.
I just…want you again. And that’s really new because I’ve never really been all that interested before. ”
Clay grinned. “Well, I do apologize for mentioning it. The last thing I intended was for you to have issues with eating. I did want you to know that I very much am willing. At any time. Literally.”
I smiled and shook my head. I picked up a fry and ate it. “Well, when we get home, we’ll see. You said you wanted to talk about something.”
Clay was suddenly more serious. “Yes. We’ll talk about that when we get home. It’s nothing bad, but I do wish to discuss a certain thing with you.”
I was going to do my best to not focus on that.
He said it wasn’t anything negative, so I was going to trust him in that.
I picked up another fry and ate it. I focused on eating my food, and once I started, my hunger returned.
The other need was still there, but I had no doubt that Clay would be more than happy to take care of that once we got home.
That was still odd sounding in my mind. I knew it was my home too now.
And when I was younger and first found out about shifters and that I was one, I’d often dreamed about finding my mate and living in a nice place with him.
Then reality of being an omega shifter in the foster care system came crashing down and I spent more time than I cared to admit thinking I was a freak like they’d told me.
I was different. And maybe if I’d been an alpha, or even a larger-species omega, I wouldn’t have been treated nearly as bad as I was.