I sighed. “Several of the bills will. I use water, electricity, food, heat, cooling. Cable.”
“The internet and cable bill don’t increase if one more person watches television or surfs the internet. You’re not paying any ofthe household bills. I’ll cover those.” Clay turned and placed his glass in the sink. “We’ll need to discuss several other things, but I don’t wish to upset you further. I can already tell that you’re irritated. I understand, but you have to see it from my point. I’ve prepared to take care of my mate for some time, even if I didn’t realize it. The whole point is to make your life easier by spoiling you.”
I couldn’t tell you what that looked like because I’d worked for everything my entire life. “I don’t know, Clay. That’s a lot to take in all at once.”
“It is. Charlie doesn’t pay any of the bills at their house.”
I raised my eyebrows at that. Was that true? “You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes, because I wouldn’t lie to you. Same situation. Silver already had the house, household bills, and all of that fun adulting stuff. Charlie just moved in. The food bill went up a little, but even pregnant, Charlie doesn’t eat much when compared to Silver. The electric bill went up ten dollars a month. That’s it. It’s not like you being here is going to cause stress on my finances. I want to take care of you. There is a lot to talk about, but we don’t have to do it all right this very moment.”
I nodded slowly. He was right, of course. There was plenty of time.
“How about we watch a movie? Or a series? Is there anything you’ve been wanting to see?”
I shrugged. “Whatever you want to watch is fine with me,” I said. I could tell Clay was probably going to get insistent, but I honestly never took the time to watch anything. “I’m almost always at work. On the rare evening off, I’ll be busy doing laundry or shopping for my food. I couldn’t tell you the last time I watched a movie or a show. If there’s something you like to do in your free time, I’m happy to watch with you.”
Clay smiled, and when he held out his arm, I walked over to him and let him pull me close. It wasn’t as if I wasn’t attracted to the man. I absolutely was, and that was certainly something new. But was I ready to take that step that would put us in a position that we couldn’t take back? I knew that the first time we had sex, there was no way we wouldn’t claim one another. Was I ready for that so soon? Charlie had been, but that was Charlie, and he had his life more together than I did. For now, I’d let Clay lead me to the living room and find out what he liked to watch on TV.
Chapter Seven
Clay
“You know,” Silver said. I looked at my brother over the rim of the coffee cup I was drinking from. “I didn’t expect you to come in today. Maybe I should have, since I came in the next day.” Silver moved closer, his eyes suddenly narrowing. “You’re not claimed.”
I shook my head. “Still haven’t even kissed him,” I told him.
Silver’s expression showed pure shock. “I don’t understand. He spent the night at your place. You moved him in already.”
I nodded as I took another drink of coffee. “Yes. But his home life was shit, and his roommates were terrible. He is better off moving in with me while we get to know each other.”
Silver stared at me for a bit before shaking his head. “Tell me what’s really going on.”
I shrugged and took another drink of coffee. “Nothing to tell. He’s my mate, and he is in agreement about that. But we’re not rushing into claiming each other.”
Silver tilted his head, then shook it. “Something else is going on. I won’t push, but I’m here if you need advice about anything.”
I finished my coffee and turned to refill it. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin asking for advice. I’m taking things slow because that’s what Duncan needs. I’d do anything for him, and that includes spending the next however many nights tossing and turning.”
Silver winced. “Do you want me to ask Charlie if he knows what’s going on?”
I shook my head. “I know. Duncan is quite inexperienced, and we’re taking things slow because it’s what he needs. My gorilla very much wants to have him claimed already. I’m going to see how this week goes, but I might be crashing at Mica’s for a night or two just to be able to get some sleep.”
Silver shook his head. “You’re forgetting something.” I froze with my coffee cup halfway to my mouth again. “He’s living in your house. He’s an omega who is around his fated mate. How long do you think it’s going to take for him to go into heat? We both know that once he does, there’s no way you will be able to stay away from him.”
My hearing became muted and my breathing shallow. He wasn’t wrong. I’d not thought about that, and I was sure that neither had Duncan.
“You took time off to be with Charlie. How long before he did?”
“Charlie never really went into heat. Not that we noticed.” My brother cleared his throat. “We were incredibly active in the bedroom, and we think it stopped any heat before it could start.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what that meant. “All right. So if Duncan gets thrown into heat, I’m just in trouble and have to leave the house in a hurry. Got it.”
“Would you really leave your mate to have to deal with that alone?”
“Who would know how long we have?”
Silver shrugged. “You might try asking a clinic,” he suggested. “I couldn’t say for certain though, but I think it varies for each different species and person.”
