Gabby woke with a stretch, her feet bumping against my ribs. She'd done that often during the night, and I'd welcomed each nudge. Any contact was good contact. Apparently not this morning, though.

She sat up abruptly and glared at me.

"No," she whispered. "No dogs allowed on my bed."

I sighed, laid my head down, and closed my eyes. I'd hoped for a nicer morning.

"Seriously, Clay. Don't you think this is just a little inappropriate?"

Not in the least.

"Fine." She braced her hands on the headboard and tried to use her feet to push me off the bed. I opened one eye to watch her strain. I wanted to laugh at her efforts but didn't think she'd appreciate my humor.

She stopped and glared back at me. "If you shed all over my comforter, I'm locking my door at night." She got out of bed. "With an eyehook."

I lifted my head in surprise as she stomped from the room. Her threat didn't worry me. I could get past an eyehook. No, my surprise was that she'd just openly accepted me sleeping in the same bed. Granted, she'd been angry about it. Still, it was a sign she was already coming around. I wanted to grin and shout. Instead, I listened to Rachel ask if Gabby wanted coffee.

I perked up, ready to catch Gabby's answer.

"No. I'm more of a milk or orange juice person."

I listened to Gabby join Rachel in the kitchen. Should I join them? Had I given her enough time to cool down?

"Going to work?" Gabby asked.

"Yep. Sorry to leave you on your own so soon. I'll be back around five. If you need anything, just call my cell. If I don't answer, leave a message, and I'll get back to you," Rachel said. "Oh, when I went to bed, Clay whined at your door, so I let him in. Hope that was okay..."

There was a notable pause. See, I thought to Gabby. Rachel let me in. I hoped Gabby would let go of just a little of her anger.

"Yeah, that's fine," Gabby said.

I could hear the lie in her words.

"Have you thought of taking him to a vet?" Gabby asked.

I groaned and let my head drop to the bed, missing Rachel's answer. Going to the vet didn't bother me; Gabby's stab at revenge did. I felt our connection and knew she did too. How could she so completely ignore it?

"Talk to you tonight," Rachel said.

The back door closed, and I listened to Gabby walk toward me. I didn't move, just watched the doorway for her.

"First," she said as soon as she appeared, "I'd like to clarify that this does not qualify as getting to know each other. Second, you smell like wet dog. If you want to continue to sleep in my room, on my bed, you'll let Rachel give you a bath when she gets home."

I snorted. As if I'd let another woman touch me...more than she already had.

"Third, once I'm awake, you get out. I know what you are, and I am not changing in front of you."

I couldn't hold back my grin on that one. I hadn't even given changing a thought.

Not willing to give her a reason to bar me from her room, I hopped off the bed and gave her the privacy she wanted. Sitting just outside her door, I listened to her move around. Because of a rustling of material, I knew she made the bed. The sound of drawers opening and a zipper told me she was dressing. What would she want to do today now that we were alone? She obviously had getting to know each other on her mind.

The door opened, and she froze when she saw me.

"What are you doing?"

I thought it pretty obvious. Waiting.

She walked around me and went to the kitchen. I followed her and watched her grab a key. She moved to the door, and I trailed her. She stopped and looked at me.

"I'm going for a walk, and you're staying here," she said.

We'd never get to know one another that way. I growled my disagreement. There was no menace in it, but her scent turned sour with fear, anyway.

"Please don't do that. Unless you really are trying to scare me."

Frustrated, I stopped making the sound.

"And don't crab at me. I'm not the unlicensed dog without a leash. Do you want me to talk Rachel into buying a pink collar for you?"

Pink? Hell, yes. I chuckled, her threat only reminding me of her swimsuit. Rather than have a standoff that would only upset her more, I turned and walked into the living room. I'd let her have a head start and then follow her.

"See you later," she said from the door.

I watched her walk past the picture window. She never even looked back. I went to the back door, shifted my paw just enough to open it, then closed the door behind me and followed her at a distance.

The walk wasn't bad, but I didn't like the attention she received from the men she passed. I kept quiet about it and continued to watch from a healthy distance. Once she reached a cluster of brick buildings, she turned around. I darted behind a parked car and watched as she retraced her steps.

She stopped at a store and reemerged carrying several bags. They looked heavy, and I wished I could help her. Based on all our previous interactions, I knew how she would respond. Negatively. So, I watched her struggle until we were a block from home, then I darted through the backyards to arrive before her.

I lay on the porch and listened to her steps as she shuffled up the drive.

"Nice to know you can let yourself out," she said as she passed me. She nudged open the door and kicked it closed behind her before I even stood.

I barked loudly and watched her through the door as her shoulders fell in a sigh. But she turned and let me in.

"What? Can't let yourself back in?"

She went to the table and reached into one of the bags.

"Look what I got you." She pulled out a small bag of dog food.

I gave a playful growl, hoping it wouldn't scare her again.

"You want to look like a normal dog don't you? Well...as normal as a dog your size can look, anyway." She set the bag of food on the floor next to my bowl of water, which I refused to look at, and went back to unpacking.

"These are for you," she said, holding up soap and a toothbrush. "You have two choices. You can use them when Rachel's gone, or you can wait until she's back, and I'm sure she'd be happy to help you."

She really thought I smelled? I'd thought she'd said it just because I'd annoyed her. Embarrassed, I stood and left the kitchen. As soon as I cleared the arch, I shifted into a man and walked into the bathroom. I knew how to shower. I'd used a bathroom at the Compound.

A startled yelp told me Gabby had followed me. My lips twitched. Serves her right. A bar of soap and toothbrush clattered to the floor a second before the door slammed shut.

"You could have waited until I put the stuff in there," her muffled voice came through the door.

I bent, picked up the soap, and set the toothbrush on the counter. Then I turned on the shower. I knew better than to step right in, so I waited a minute for it to heat up. It only took one cold spray for a guy to learn his lesson.

Standing under the water, I went to work with the soap. I bathed regularly but always as a wolf. Perhaps that made a difference? It hurt a little to know she didn't like my natural scent, and I reminded myself I wasn't dealing with one of my kind. The rules changed with a human. I knew that. All of us knew the rules.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

"I have a towel for you," she said, her words muffled by the door. "If you're still in the shower, I can open the door and toss it on the toilet seat. Okay?"

The water was still running, where else would I be?

"Okay, I'm coming in."

The door slowly opened. I listened to her throw the towel on the toilet and waited for the door to close again.

"My toothpaste is the one marked with the pink nail polish on the cap. I'll let you use it as long as you promise not to squeeze the tube from the middle."

I was already taking a shower, and she was setting rules about squeezing from the middle of the tube? Cupping my hands together, I gathered a good amount of water and tossed it over the curtain. The woman was cold, cruel, and picky. And I still wanted her.

She squeaked.

"You're cleaning that up."

Finally, the door closed.

I sighed and went back to scrubbing. I washed my hair twice and sniffed myself. I reeked like the soap she'd given me. Hopefully she liked the smell. I turned off the water, pulled back the curtain, and reached for the towel.

After drying, I picked up her tube of paste and correctly squeezed it from the end. Then, I scrubbed my teeth until I foamed like a rabid dog. Rinsing, I wondered what she'd have me doing next.

I set the toothbrush back on the counter, tossed the towel to the floor, opened the door, and shifted to my fur.

She sat on the couch with a book raised high enough to block her view. I couldn't help but laugh. What was she so afraid of?

Padding across the room, I waited for her to look at me. She didn't. I hopped up on the couch.

"Don't get too comfortable," she said, relaxing her hold on the book. "I don't know Rachel's rules about pets on the furniture."

She shifted her position, curling her legs under her, then leaned over to sniff me.

My heart stopped, and I held myself still. She'd moved toward me. She'd wanted to sniff me. The embarrassment over her request that I bathe left, and I waited for her reaction.

"Much better," she said, straightening.

Approval. I wanted to laugh and hug her. Instead, I watched her. Did she realize what she'd just done?

She turned back to her book, oblivious, and I wanted to growl in frustration. After a while, I calmed down and started reading over her shoulder. That was one human thing my father had insisted I learn. Their words. I needed to know them, speak them, and read them to keep myself safe.

So I sat beside her for hours, reading until her stomach rumbled.

She stood, and I hoped like hell she wouldn't pour me a bowl of dog food. If she did, I'd change in front of her again and raid the fridge for myself. As she walked past the bathroom, she paused and stared down at my towel.

"Next time, fold it over the edge of the tub," she said.

If I had hands, I would have run them through my hair. The only thing I'd done right since arriving was using soap. It was depressing.

She went to the kitchen and started putting together two sandwiches. I stayed out of her way but watched her closely. Each deliberate move held a subtle grace that highlighted her calm beauty. Though I told myself I watched her to learn more about it, the truth was that I just liked to watch her. Seeing her soothed me.

"I'm guessing your bowl of dog food will always be full," she said as she set a plate with a sandwich on the floor.

I glanced at the sandwich she'd made for me. The simple meal meant she was continuing to acknowledge the man within me. She sat at the table, completely unaware that she'd given me hope again. I ate my sandwich in two bites.

"So, we have a week before my classes start up. What's your plan?"

Plan? I tilted my head to study her.

"Did you want to try to enroll in any classes? Study anything?"

The only thing I wanted to study was her. I lay down and stared at my plate. So far, the information I'd gathered didn't amount to much.

"Okay...well, if you change your mind, let me know."

She washed our dishes then went back to reading. I waited for her to get comfortable then joined her on the couch. She didn't seem to mind when I leaned against her and read over her shoulder. In fact, when she read, she didn't seem to notice me at all.

Was that a good thing or a bad thing? For now, I figured it was good. If she didn't notice me, she couldn't object to me. Later, well, I hoped with enough time she wouldn't want to ignore me.

* * * *

Several hours and another dry ham sandwich later, I stood by my bowl. It was in line of sight of the couch, and I was thirsty. But thirsty enough to drink from the bowl where Gabby would see? I wasn't sure.

Outside, I heard a car pull into the driveway. A door opened. Steps thumped on the deck. Then the door swung open, and Rachel swept in. She threw her keys on the counter, and her eyes zeroed in on me. This couldn't be good.

In her left hand, she held a collar and a leash.

Hell, no.

Rachel knelt in front of me with a smile. I narrowed my eyes at her, and when she tried to wrap her arms around my neck, I dodged.

"Come on," she said softly, trying to wrangle me.

I kept moving.

"Just hold still."

Not likely, woman.

She heaved a sigh and sat back on her heels to stare at me.

I'd been kicked out, ignored, poorly fed—two sandwiches were a snack in my mind—told I stunk, and now Rachel wanted to collar me. Not happening.

"This is a joke," she said.

Gabby laughed from the doorway, surprising me. I glanced at her and saw her amusement. When Rachel tried again, I ducked under her arms. Gabby grinned wider and met my gaze.

"Here." She held out her hand to Rachel. "I'll try."

"Good luck," Rachel said with a chuckle as she got off her knees and handed over the collar.

I watched Gabby closely as she approached.

"It was the biggest collar they had," Rachel said. "I don't even know if it fits. He wouldn't let me get close enough."

Gabby knelt in front of me, still clearly amused.

"Clay, if you want to be able to go anywhere with us, you need a collar we can clip a leash on. Not just the twine you have holding your tag around your neck."

Did that mean she wouldn't try to leave me behind again? I was still debating if I could put up with a collar when she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. I held still and closed my eyes. She could do whatever she wanted as long as she kept touching me. Her light movement brushed over my fur, and I barely held back a shiver.

"At least it's not pink," she said with a pat, and I realized she'd already removed my tags and collared me.

She stood quickly and turned away.

"Hey, I wouldn't do that to him," Rachel said with a laugh. "No pink for our man. I don't know why he sat still for you and not me."

Rachel came toward me and bent to kiss the top of my head. I sighed.

"He's moody," Gabby said, meeting my gaze.

Me? Moody? I gazed after her as she left the kitchen. Would I ever understand her?