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He turned to me as we pulled onto the street. “Okay, I see why you wanted me to drive.”
“I love her, but holy shit.”
He looked at my lap with a smirk on his lips. “Cute bear.”
“Shut up.”
How was I supposed to be taken seriously as an adult? Mom didn’t care one bit about that. I was pretty sure she would never consider me an adult and I was not looking forward to a lifetime of being treated like her baby. I understood that whole thing about kids always being a parent’s baby, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
Sidney was quiet on the drive back to his place. I couldn’t help but stare at him. The sunlight on the drive teased out a thousand colors in his hair and I wanted to run my fingers through it. What gave him the right to be that pretty? Honestly, it was rude of the universe to make someone look like that.
I turned over the few facts about him that I knew. He was a middle child, but there hadn’t been any information about the siblings. Were any of them heat helpers? Were they anything like him? I had no siblings myself, but I had a decent amount of cousins who had the full spectrum of relationships with one another. Some looked nearly identical and some you would never know they were related. Some were best friends and some couldn’t stand each other.
“Can you tell me about your family?”
It wasn’t any of my business, but I didn’t know what else to talk to him about. At least this way I could get to know him better.
Sidney smiled over at me. “My parents have been married for about thirty years now. My older sister, Nicky, works as a librarian and my younger brother, Luca, is at college for communications right now. Did you have specific questions about them?”
“Not really. I was just curious. Are you close with them?”
“I love them to pieces, but no, not really. Nick went away to university when I was only fourteen, and while I adore Luca, I did the same to him when he was fifteen. I’ve been back for a few years, but that doesn’t erase the time apart. I’ve always said I would do anything for them if they asked. Mom loves to host family dinners to get us all together, though. It’s nice to see everyone even if I can’t attend them all that regularly with my job.”
“I guess I’m going to be making you skip one?”
“Definitely, but I don’t mind. Much more fun to be in bed with you than listening to Mom ask me when I’m going to find someone and give her grandbabies.”
I fought back the ridiculous thought that I could be that someone. That idea was definitely one of my wildest yet and the least tethered in reality. For one, I was a client, and for two, I was only nineteen. Even if he fell madly in love with me, there was zero chance of babies anytime soon.
I absolutely could not let my heart get tangled with this guy. That was a recipe for more heartbreak than I could take. This was just sex. I had never managed that before, but I was committed to managing it now.
Eventually, Sidney pulled into the garage of a tidy updated bungalow with blue siding. He opened the vehicle door for me and pulled my suitcase out of the back, lacing his fingers with mine to lead me inside.
I glanced around, rooted in the entryway. “Your place is weirdly clean. Why do you have so many blankets everywhere?”
“Nesting material.” He wheeled my suitcase down the hall and turned back, waiting for me to follow.
I kicked off my shoes and scampered after him.
“Bathroom is here—” He pointed as we walked. “—and the bedroom is at the end of the hall. If you don’t want to sleep in the same bed until your heat starts, that’s fine. I can sleep on the couch, but it’s generally better to have me close by. If it starts during the night, you won’t be able to come find me. You might be safe tonight with the medication you took, but definitely not beyond that.”
“Good to know.” I glanced around. His bedroom had a king-sized bed so there was plenty of space for everything my imagination might bring up. “I don’t mind sharing.”
“I’ll let you unpack while I get started on the grocery order. The plastic drawers are for guests.”
Guests.
I guess that’s one way to put it.
I unloaded my suitcase into the sterile drawer set, trying not to think about the seventeen others before me who had also used it. It would be hypocritical of me to be weird about it, but that didn’t stop me for a second. I didn’t care much about what other people did, but I wasn’t at all prepared for what I was about to do.
His bedroom smelled like heaven, at least to my new omega senses, and I followed the compulsion to drape myself face-first over the bed. Relaxation seeped into my bones.
He laughed softly when he returned and found me in that state. “Enjoying yourself?”
“I really wish I wasn’t.” I was so fucking comfortable.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed about anything. I’m very used to omega behaviors, and I think it’s cute.” He sat next to me with his phone out. “What do you want me to order? Pick anything you want, the more calorie-dense the better.”
