I left the apartment complex, and it didn’t take long to be pulling into the fast-food place where I’d picked him up. “I’ll wait for you, and you can follow me to the house,” I told him.
Duncan nodded, and after he slid from the truck and into his car, I waited for him to start it and get everything situated. I got the thumbs-up from him, and after I backed out of the spot and pulled forward a bit, he quickly followed. It took only twenty-five minutes to get back to the house, and after I parked in the driveway, I quickly slid from the truck. Duncan pulled up at the curb, but I waved him up to park beside me.
“Are you sure?” Duncan asked after rolling the window down.
I nodded, but internally, I sighed. Baby steps. It was all new, and the first step had been accomplished. My mate was here at the house with me. That was the first obstacle.
I put the bag in the basket, and after pulling everything out of the back seat of the truck, I used my shoulder to close the door. I smiled as Duncan pulled a few things out of the back cargo area of his car. A quick look showed a few more things, and although it still wasn’t a lot, it was more than he’d had in just his room.
“Welcome home,” I said with a smile before I started walking toward the open garage door.
“Yeah. That’s…that might take a bit.”
I nodded, but Duncan was walking beside me, so that was reassuring. “I can understand that. We’re taking things at your pace. Right now, you can move into one of the upstairs bedrooms if that’s what’s most comfortable for you. There are no expectations of any sort other than to be respectful.” Duncan opened the door connecting to the house, and I nodded at him. “And please don’t trash the place. Not that I think you would,” I added. The room he shared with Mark seemed neatly organized.
“I won’t do that,” Duncan said.
“Can you push the button on the wall there?” I indicated the garage door button, and when Duncan pushed it, the door started closing. He then opened the interior door, and I let him step in first. We were immediately in the laundry room, and Duncan looked at me with wide eyes.
“It’ll be so nice to not have to go to the laundromat to do laundry.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Yeah. Did the apartment not have a washer and dryer?” I knew some did, but some didn’t. “Or even one at the complex?”
“They did, but there were only two washers and two dryers for each building, and with ten units in each building, they were always busy. And I mean always.”
I was so thankful for the house and the fact that I never had to live in an apartment like that. “Well, you can do laundry any time of the day or night now,” I told him. Since the door to the laundry room was almost always left open, I walked on through, and we were in the kitchen. “This is obviously the kitchen. It’s open twenty-four seven, and you are welcome to anything in it. Let me set this stuff down, and you can do the same, and then I can give you a tour.” My gorilla was immensely pleased with the fact that our mate was here, and I couldn’t help but agree. Duncan’s life was about to change, and I hoped that he felt that it was for the better because I had every intention of spoiling him as much as he absolutely would allow.
Chapter Six
Duncan
We all knew what fairy tales were. Even kids who grew up in the “system” watched them in the group homes when they were younger. I felt as if I was in one. Clay’s house was…nice. It wasn’t a castle by any means, but it was just…nice. And clean. And quiet. It smelled clean. Like the subtle scent of cleanliness.
The furniture all matched, it was neatly situated in the rooms, and I really felt out of place. My car, despite how reassuring Clay tried to be, was definitely out of place in the driveway. Clay didn’t seem to mind though. He was all smiles and as friendly as could be. He genuinely wanted me here, and that made all the difference.
I couldn’t explain why I’d been matched with Clay, but I had. He’d shown me on his phone, and yep, that was me. It wasn’t just a “somewhat” match either. No, we were match-matched, and I knew what that meant, and it was a bit terrifying.
“I know we just ate and had lots of tea, but did you want something to drink? Water? Coffee? Soda? Milk? Juice?”
I chuckled. “Water would be great,” I told him. “Can we talk for a bit?” I asked as Clay opened the fridge and pulled out a pair of water bottles.
“Absolutely. I was hoping we would. I think it’s important to be open to discussion when getting to know someone.” Clay handed me one of the bottles and then placed his hand gently on my back. “Did you want to sit inside in the AC or go out back and enjoy the breeze?”
I was a bit torn but thought that maybe inside would be better. “Maybe on your couch? It looked comfortable.” It looked like the perfect spot to take a nap, actually. In either form.
Clay smiled down at me, and we walked to the living room, where the couch and TV were. He gestured for me to sit, and I picked the middle because although I wasn’t ready to be claimed, I knew that Clay would appreciate the fact that I chose the spot where he would be sitting directly beside me no matter where he sat.
“Have I done something to make you feel uncomfortable?” Clay asked after sitting.
I was taking a drink and quickly stopped to shake my head. “No. I just…I’m not sure how to say this, so I’ll just be blunt,” I told him. “I’ve never done anything with anyone.” Hopefully, he would pick up on what I meant. “That’s not actually true,” I added. “When I was like thirteen, I kissed Becky Spencer at a school dance. I didn’t yet know about shifters and what the line on my stomach meant.” I shrugged. “I wasn’t really interested in her anyway, but all of my friends were pushing me to kiss her. I did. It was…a peck.” I finally looked up, and I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t the look of raw hunger in Clay’s eyes.
“You’ve never… You’re twenty-five.”
I nodded. “I’m also awkward. I’m a shifter. I’m not an exciting one, and I spend all of my time working and don’t have time to date. I’ve never really been interested in hooking upjust because, so I haven’t.” I shrugged again. I had never really desired to be with someone that way. Maybe it was because I was always exhausted from working every spare moment I could. But I needed to save funds so I could afford even a tiny place of my own one day.
“All right,” Clay said. “Umm…” He suddenly stood up, walked over to the sliding door, and looked outside.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I figured it was probably Jake or Chris. I knew they were going to be upset that I up and moved out. I also needed to let Mark know that I was gone now. He was going to be moving soon enough, but I knew he probably would move out now that I was effectively gone. I needed to go to the leasing office, though, and let them know that I was out of the place so I didn’t get stuck with a massive bill when Jake and Chris decided to trash it before they moved out.
