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Chapter Ten

Charlie

There was definitely something about having a sexy gorilla shifter as your mate. You could finally get to experience shower sex, and then, after eating delicious chocolate cake, sex against the wall in his bedroom.

I passed out after that, and Silver must have cleaned me up because we were currently in his freshly made bed. If the light coming in through the open blinds was any indication, it was morning. Mid-morning. But that wasn’t what had woken me. I’d heard a noise.

“Shit,” Silver mumbled seconds before his bedroom door was pushed open.

“All right. Fess up. We smell…oh shit.”

I had just pulled the blanket up over my head when the words died off. Silver was up and out of bed, growling, and if that wasn’t sexy, I didn’t know what was. I heard the door shut somewhat forcefully, and I took that opportunity to toss the blanket back and then make a mad dash for the bathroom.

I didn’t know if it was appropriate for me to just hop in the shower when it wasn’t technically my place, and it was obvious that Silver had company, and I’d bet anything that it was at least some of his brothers.

How would Silver feel about his newly claimed mate being in the shower while his brothers were downstairs?

Not sure what to do, I opted to go to the toilet and take care of business there.

I knew it would take time to get used to doing things of this nature around Silver, but I was glad he wasn’t here for things.

I’d finished and was washing my hands and wondering if he had a spare toothbrush I could have when he returned.

He was naked, and it was then that I realized that he’d most likely taken off after his brother or brothers like that.

“Sorry about that,” Silver said while rubbing the back of his neck.

“That’s all right. I have a sister; I know how siblings can be.”

“Yeah. I’ve taken my key back from both of them and warned them to let the other two know that I want my keys back. I’ll be getting my spare from Ma as well.”

I know my eyes widened. I loved Sam, but she didn’t have a key to my cottage. I guess that was an extreme difference between our two families.

“Sam doesn’t have a key to my place, so we wouldn’t have to worry about her just showing up. But yeah, I don’t think you’d fit into my place all that well.”

Silver moved closer and ran his fingers down the side of my face.

“No, I wouldn’t. We are going to need to figure out the logistics of where we’re planning on living though.

I need to have you near me. Not just because I want to hold you at night while sleeping either.

My gorilla isn’t going to want you too far out of our sight for a little while. ”

I opened my mouth to complain, but Silver seemed to already know what I was going to say because he cut me off.

“I am not going to have issues with you going to work. I won’t even have a problem with you hanging out with friends. But my gorilla will not like it if you are sleeping at your place and I’m here.”

“Oh.” I glanced around the gorgeous bathroom. “I mean, it’s not like it would be such a hardship to have to stay here,” I told him. It truly wouldn’t. I knew we were going to have an adjustment period, but we were mates, and hopefully, that meant we would be able to work things out easily enough.

“You are more than welcome to move in here with me. We can start today if you’d like, but that’s completely up to you.”

Was he for real? “Yeah,” I said without thinking. That was obviously the absolute correct answer for Silver because immediately, his face lit up, and he seemed to spring into action.

“Did you want to shower first? I know I don’t have anything here that will fit you, but I’m more than happy to give you a pair of my sweats and a T-shirt.”

I wrinkled my nose. Not because I didn’t want to wear Silver’s clothes. I was sure that when I was heavily pregnant with his baby…I froze at that thought. Oh. That’s right. I was an omega, and he was an alpha. I was going to end up pregnant. We had talked about this. Hadn’t we?

“Is that so horrid of a thought?”

I blinked and looked up at my mate. “What?” What he’d asked registered. “Oh no. I was actually wondering if you had a toothbrush I could use. I’d really like to brush my teeth? I fell asleep last night before I could, and I don’t have anything here.”

Silver stared at me for a long moment, his darker eyes boring into me. “Yeah, I have spare toothbrushes. New toothpaste, too, if you don’t want to use mine.” Silver cleared his throat. “But after everything last night, I’d think you wouldn’t have an issue with using my toothpaste.”

He was right, of course. His mouth had been all over my body. And mine had been many places on his. Why was I worrying about using a toothbrush? I sighed.

“Sorry. You’re right, of course. I?—”

“No,” Silver said as he gently covered my mouth again with a few fingers.

“I do not mind giving you a new toothbrush. The comment wasn’t about that.

Just the toothpaste. It does touch my mouth, which until last night had touched others.

Then again, so has yours. But that’s not what we were talking about.

” Silver pinched the bridge of his nose.

I reached up and pulled his fingers off my mouth, and when he looked at me, I shook my head.

“I understand the frustration. I honestly wouldn’t have an issue with using your toothbrush.

I had no way of knowing if you would have a problem with that.

” I sighed again. “Look,” I said, giving his wrist a gentle squeeze.

“We don’t know one another very well. We have a lot to do when it comes to learning the ins and outs of each other.

But I think we’re acting like two complete strangers instead of a newly mated couple.

” I groaned and closed my eyes. “Well, we are strangers. Ugh.” I was just frustrating myself.

“How about this,” Silver said. He leaned down, kissed my forehead, and then reached for a drawer in the middle of his massive double-sink vanity.

“Here is a toothbrush for you,” he said as he set it on the counter.

“Here’s a new toothpaste as well.” It joined the toothbrush on the counter.

“I don’t have a holder for you for things, but we can go shopping and get you stuff.

Or you are more than welcome to bring any and all of your things over here as soon as you’re ready.

” Silver looked back at me. “You’re still willing to move in here?

We can go hunting, but I had thought the bathroom did it for you. ”

I couldn’t help it; I started laughing. We were absolutely ridiculous this morning. We were both naked, we’d been abruptly woken by at least two of his brothers, and we were making a conversation about toothbrushes more difficult than it ever needed to be. What was wrong with us?

Silver stood up, and after staring at me laughing like a loon for several seconds, he finally raised an eyebrow. It took several more moments for me to get myself under control, but when I did, I had to fan myself a bit because my eyes were watering.

“Whoo.” I cleared my throat, and after another moment or two, I finally got myself under control.

“I’m sorry,” I said for starters. “It’s just that we’re being absolutely ridiculous.

We’re both naked, we’ve just claimed one another last night, and we’re having way too difficult of a conversation for first thing in the morning before coffee. ”

Silver’s smile was slow to come, but when it did, I knew I wanted to see it as often as I could. “You’re right. Let’s brush our teeth, put on at least some pants, and then we’ll go have breakfast. Did you want to eat here or go out on our way to yours so we can pick up some of your things?”

I was about to say here but then caught on to what he’d said.

Smooth. He was suave at how he worked that in there.

And now I was torn. I wanted nothing more than to be seen out with such a sexy man.

My mate was sexy! But I also wanted to spend the morning holed up in his gorgeous house.

But if we stayed here, it would be more difficult to pull myself away later when I needed to go home and pack at least an overnight bag.

“You make things difficult,” I said in frustration as I picked up the toothbrush and put toothpaste on it.

“What? How?” Silver asked as he did the same.

I looked at my mate and shook my head. “Because I want nothing more than to spend the day with you here at your gorgeous house. But I need to go home and get clothes. But also because you’re you, and you are undeniably sexy as sin, and I want to go out and be seen with you with me.

” I sighed. “There’s just no winning, actually.

I know I need to go home to my sad little cottage and get ready to get back to reality tomorrow.

” Silver stood there staring at me, but I just went about brushing my teeth. I needed to do that at a minimum.

I tried not to let Silver know I was aware he was still staring at me instead of brushing his own teeth.

When I finished, I rinsed, spit, and then set the toothbrush down on the counter.

My mate was still staring at me like something unexpected had happened.

“Sorry about that. I’ll clean the counter later if you want me to. ”

Silver blinked and shook his head. “No. I don’t. Just go get dressed,” he said a bit gruffly.