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Joey caught my eye across the table and smiled. “Ethan, my story isn’t that different from yours. I also came into the family for less than respectable reasons.” He glanced over at his mate and smiled. “And I couldn’t be happier. Sometimes things just work out the way they’re supposed to.”
I felt Orsino’s heavy stare on the side of my face, but I didn’t have the guts to look at him. Did he think this situation would end up being for the best, or was he already regretting his rash decision to bring me into his home?
“Thanks.” I cleared my throat and found a little more strength as I addressed the entire table. “I know this is a little unusual, but I appreciate that you’ve all been so nice to me.”
The alpha on the other side of Jeremiah spoke up. “Don’t worry, kid. Some of us were definitely not welcomed in the family at first, and now I’m one of the favorites. You’ll be just fine.”
Jeremiah rolled his eyes as he leaned against his mate. “Ignore Felik. I don’t know if favorite is the right word.”
There were chuckles around the table but it was obvious Felik was, in fact, one of the favorites.
I didn’t expect to be in that camp at any point in the future, but on the bright side, there were no more secrets I had to try to keep straight.
There was a prix fixe menu of six courses, so at least I didn’t have to figure out what to order. But I was unsure how to start with so many forks and weird knife things. I wasn’t even sure which water glass was mine, so I waited until Jeremiah and Orsino each took a drink out of theirs, and then I reached for the glass in between.
That was pretty much par for the course for the rest of my night. Stalling just a few seconds behind everyone else as they dug into their food so I could watch them select the right utensil and hold it in the right direction. I’d never considered myself to be uncouth, but I’d never really been to a formal restaurant before, and even though I was in a pair of slacks and a button-down, I felt underdressed at this table that seemed like it was set for royalty.
Fortunately, the food all tasted damn good. I didn’t usually have a big appetite, but I was starving after missing lunch to run around in search of cash, so I cleaned every plate that was put in front of me. Even the ones that I had no clue what they contained.
Connor was on the other side of Joey and waggled his eyebrows when I caught his eye. “Carbo-loading, huh? Good move.”
I smiled and shook my head as I kept my eyes down. But it got me wondering. What would happen when we got back to the house? Would Orsino claim me and get what he paid for, or was he uninterested in anything beyond keeping me alive?
Apparently sensing my mood change, his hand landed on the back of my neck and he cupped it. “Everything okay?”
I turned toward him and smiled. “Yeah, just full. I think I ate too much.”
He patted his flat belly and leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, this shit is good. Gonna have to spend a few more hours in the gym tomorrow.”
I was a little soft around the middle and tried not to indulge in such heavy meals very often, but now that I knew he was calorie-conscious, I’d have to be extra diligent about watching my weight. “Yeah, me too.”
Chapter 6
Orsino
Back at the house, I said good night to everybody and grabbed Ethan’s hand, almost dragging him up the stairs to my bedroom suite. There was plenty of catcalling and teasing behind us, but I ignored them all.
Ethan was a fucking virgin, so I couldn’t just plow into him like I would have with any other omega I hooked up with. I promised him that he wouldn’t become part of the harem and made it clear to everyone that he was mine and mine alone.
But I had no idea what that actually meant for us.
My suite was large with a sitting room, some workout equipment I used when I didn’t feel like going down to the shared gym, a spacious bathroom, and my bedroom. There was plenty of room for two people, but the space suddenly felt tiny and suffocating once I closed the door behind us.
“So, do you have something I can sleep in?” Ethan asked quietly.
“Yeah, of course. And we’ll go get your stuff tomorrow. At least, your most important stuff. The big stuff, we’ll worry about later.”
He nodded as he watched me walk into the closet. I expected him to follow me, but he stayed just a few feet away from the front door while I hunted down the smallest T-shirt I could find and some cotton shorts.
“You can come in.” I went to Ethan and reached for his hand, and then I walked him back toward the bedroom. “This is our bedroom.” I released his hand and waved to the closet. “And our closet. I’ll make room for your stuff tomorrow. Actually, there’s probably plenty of room in there now. I don’t have a lot of clothes. I basically have four or five outfits I wear on rotation.”
“Okay, thank you.” His hands were clasped in front of his waist, probably to keep them from shaking.
I stood in front of Ethan and placed my hands on his biceps, holding him in place. “I know this is scary for you, and it’ll take some time for us to get used to everything… But for tonight, we’ll just get you settled and go to sleep.” I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
He looked at me, and I could see the confusion on his face. “Just sleep?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t want your first time to feel forced or like you’re with a stranger. You do have some choices in this matter.” I cleared my throat and sucked in a deep breath. “And if you don’t want to do anything at all, we can figure out a way for you to pay off your father’s debt with actual cash.”
