She reached out and started to stroke my head and ears. I sighed and relaxed, enjoying her touch. At least she didn’t seem to be upset with me.

She looked out the window, and her misery grew stronger. I lifted my head, worried about her.

“I’m fine,” she said, meeting my gaze. “How are you doing?”

She was worried about me? With an ache growing in my chest, I pushed myself forward a bit so I could lay my head on her lap.

The door opened, and the unexpected sound made me flinch. I hadn’t even heard Rachel approaching. I hadn’t been listening because when I was around Gabby, all my senses belonged to her.

If Gabby noticed my reaction, she didn’t comment. Instead, she gave my ear one last caress and then released it so I could make room for Rachel.

As Rachel drove and they talked about ice cream, I struggled to think of what I could do next. Though I wanted Gabby to see me as a man, and more specifically her Mate, she was starting to see me as a companion. She was talking to me more.

We pulled into the driveway, and I jumped out just behind Gabby, not ready to give up the closeness we’d experienced in the car. When she went to her room, I reluctantly stayed with Rachel, half-listening to the woman’s babble about how I was such a good boy.

It didn’t take long for Gabby to reappear, dressed for bed.

“Where’s my chocolate?” she asked.

I could scent something off. She was still upset, and I moved to her side. She patted me gently.

Rachel handed over a small container of ice cream.

“I’m going to go change. Want to watch a movie or something?” Rachel stripped out of her shirt on her way to her bedroom, but I didn’t look. I wasn’t interested. I was too busy studying Gabby’s face as she took a small bite of ice cream.

She covered her ice cream with the lid and put it in the freezer.

“What do you think?” she asked, looking at me. “Stay up and watch a movie, or go to bed early? Lead the way.”

I turned and went to her room, hopping up on the bed.

“Rach, we’re just going to go to bed early. ‘K?” Gabby said from behind me.

“It’s okay. Go ahead. I won’t keep you up with a movie, will I?” I listened to Rachel flop on the couch and watched Gabby move to stand in our doorway.

“I’m so tired I doubt anything will keep me from sleeping.”

“‘K. Night, Hun. Thanks for going with me even if it did suck.”

“Don’t worry about it. Night.”

Gabby turned and closed the door. In the living room, a high-pitched, electronic squeal, a sound I’d grown used to, filled the air as Rachel turned on the TV.

Something in Gabby’s expression softened as she looked at me, and it suddenly hurt to breathe.

“Thanks, Clay,” she said, walking around the bed. She paused and bent over me. I held myself completely still and closed my eyes as I felt her lips on the top of my head. A noise escaped me, part pain, part need. She moved away too quickly and crawled under the covers. Her feet slid under my chest, seeking my warmth.

She didn’t realize how these simple gestures reassured me. Her small touches meant acceptance. I sighed. I had patience to see this courtship through until the end. But, the torture of it might kill me.

I waited until Rachel went to her room and the house quieted before I eased off the bed. I needed to go for a long run.

Outside, I left the yard, sticking to the shadows and avoiding houses with dogs. This wasn’t the first night I’d snuck out for a run. Sleeping in the same room with Gabby was as calming as it was stimulating. Her scent seeped into my senses while I slept, and I often woke physically uncomfortable. A run usually helped.

Toward the campus, a few of the houses thrummed with music and muted voices. I stopped to watch the males and females interact and hoped Gabby would never want to go to a party.

Chapter 9

It took longer than I’d intended to run off the steam from the evening’s events, and it was close to dawn when I let myself back in. Standing there naked in the kitchen, I heard Gabby softly call my name and smiled.

I shifted, went to her room, and jumped onto the mattress. She exhaled when I lay on her cold, roaming feet.

“Thanks.”

Yep. She needed me. I closed my eyes, content with that thought. Just as I started to drift off, she spoke.

“Hey, Clay. Wanna go get breakfast with me?”

Of course she wanted to go to breakfast after I’d stayed up all night. Not thinking clearly, I sighed and left the bed again.

“You could have said no,” she said with a soft laugh.

I watched her get out of bed, grab clothes, and walk to the bathroom.

As I stared after her, a thought occurred to me. She wanted to go to breakfast with me. That meant a restaurant. Restaurants didn’t allow dogs, which is how humans saw me. Did that mean she wanted me to be a man? I cursed to myself. I still didn’t have any damn clothes.

Refusing to lose an opportunity, I trotted to the back door and sat to wait.

She didn’t seem surprised to see me when she emerged.

“You up for a walk?” she quietly asked.

I still had fuzz between my ears because it took a minute to figure out what she was asking. Walk to breakfast or drive to breakfast. Before I could think of how to respond, she grabbed the leash, clipped it on, and then loosely wrapped it around my collar.

Curious as to why she wasn’t holding her end, I looked over at her.

“What? I’m following the law...you’re on a leash. Let’s go.”

She didn’t fool me. She knew she didn’t need to hold the leash because I wasn’t a dog. She was starting to see me as more. The thought chased away my need for sleep, and I stepped outside with her and stood near as she locked up.

We walked in the direction of the campus, close to the same route I’d taken, only this time on the main road. Everything seemed a little quieter now. I listened to her breathing and steady heartbeat as I scanned the shadows. I wasn’t worried about my kind as much as I was her kind.

We’d made it halfway to campus when I heard the faint scuff of shoes ahead.

“So what do you like for breakfast?” Gabby asked. “Oatmeal?”

I laughed as I scented the air. What was oatmeal? She smiled at me.

“Yeah, I was thinking you’re more a steak and eggs kinda guy.”

The faint musk of a man tickled my nose. Older. Not a threat.

“Who you talking to dar’lin?” he called as he stepped out from the shadows across the narrow street. His sudden appearance made Gabby’s heart race.

“My dog,” she called.

“Clay,” she whispered. “Can you bark mean?”

She was afraid, and she was coming to me for safety. I grinned and barked as she asked.

“Damn,” the man said, keeping pace with us on the opposite sidewalk. “That thing on a leash?”

“Yep, but there’s no holding him back. I’m safer letting him go, or he’d just drag me along.”

The man laughed. “I bet. Have a good morning.” The man turned at the next corner to walk around the block.

“You trust that?” Gabby said as she stared in the direction the man had disappeared.

I grunted in annoyance. He was a human. Did she really think so little of my ability to protect her?

“Me neither,” she said as if my grunt had been an agreement. “And thanks for warning me there was someone close by.”

Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on me, and I snorted.

I smelled the diner before I saw it. The scent of cooking meat set my mouth to salivating, and my stomach growled.

“Since they don’t allow dogs, I’ll go in and get our food for carryout,” Gabby said when we reached the diner.

Sitting near the door as she went inside, I watched her. The place was empty except for a woman walking around the tables so I wasn’t too worried.

The two spoke, and the woman wrote something down on a piece of paper that she then passed through a little window. Gabby remained inside for several minutes, until two white boxes appeared in the little window. The woman handed them to Gabby. Gabby turned, smiled at me through the door, and joined me outside.