“Hi, Peter,” Gabby said. “Nice to see you again, Scott. We were going to join you guys, but Clay just got off of work a little while ago and suggested he and I take advantage of the empty house tonight.”

A lie I would happily die to see come true.

I watched anger color Scott’s face.

“Isn’t Clay your dog?”

I didn’t care for his tone and narrowed my eyes at him.

“We named the dog after my boyfriend. It’s a bit of a joke. Clay, meet Peter and Scott, Rachel’s friends.”

Scott’s shoulders slumped at Gabby’s words. I wanted to gloat, but Gabby’s sudden remorse and anxiety worried me. Taking a risk, I lightly set my hand on the small of her back to comfort her. She didn’t flinch or move away. My mouth went dry and my throat closed at her acceptance of my touch. My breathing grew shallow, and I struggled to control my emotions...my need to turn her around and touch her face and hair.

“Peter, Rachel, I’m sorry to back out on you, too, but I think I’m going to head home,” Scott said, distracting me. “I’ve been fighting a cold all week.” He turned and left.

Rachel softly asked Peter to get her jacket and eyed Gabby.

“Are you sure you want to stay in?” she asked Gabby, as Peter helped her with her jacket.

I studied Peter. He was crazy about Rachel. I could see it in the way he looked at her and touched her, and I could smell it. If they were my kind, I would have surely scented a Claimed pair. How could he stand being apart from her each night?

“We’re sure,” Gabby said, waving them toward the door. “Don’t come home early.”

When the door closed behind them, she exhaled slowly and turned toward me. I reluctantly let my hand drop. She smiled at me nervously.

“Home free. Thank you, Clay.”

I put my hand back in my pocket and waited. Would she ask me to change back? Tell me to leave?

“Um...” She seemed just as uncertain as I was. She took a breath. “Did you want to do something since we’re both dressed up?”

She wasn’t going to send me away? I shrugged, trying not to show how happy she’d just made me. I didn’t want to ruin my chance to spend time with her in my skin.

“You can talk to me, Clay,” she said.

Oh, I wanted to. I wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked right now. And ask if I could touch her hair. But, I kept my mouth shut. She wasn’t ready. She’d run.

“Okay, do you want to go out or stay in?”

Stay in. I figured, deep down, she wanted that too. I moved to the couch and sat in the middle.

She hesitated then looked at the space available on each side of me. I loved watching the warm light in her soft brown eyes as she considered her options.

“I’m going to go change.” Her voice shook. “I’ll be right back.”

My heart stalled, and as she turned, I sprang from the couch. She couldn’t leave. If she did, she might not come back out of the room. I caught the back of her shirt between my thumb and finger. She froze and ever so slowly looked over her shoulder at me. I tilted my head at the couch.

Please don’t go, I thought.

Desperate, but trying hard not to show it, I gave her shirt another gentle tug.

She took a slow, deep breath and hesitantly moved back to the couch. I wanted to go sit by her, but I knew she’d probably bolt. I could smell her near panic. Walking to the TV, I tried to figure out what I could do to ease her uncertainty of me. I picked the comedy I’d borrowed from one of the neighbor’s homes. It was one Gabby had mentioned wanting to see.

I pressed play, stood, and walked toward the couch. She watched me closely, and I wanted to stand taller because of it.

Sitting next to her, I tried to focus on the previews. It was no good. I’d sat too close. Her scent wrapped around me, as usual, but her leg pressed lightly against mine. Despite two layers of material, it felt too much like skin on skin. My gut clenched with want.

It took half the movie for her to start to relax beside me. Then, she laughed at something. Though I stared at the TV, I had no idea what had just happened. I remained completely focused on her. But the sound of her amusement made me chuckle. I wanted to hear that sound every day of my life.

When the movie ended, she leaned forward to stand. The motion hitched up her skirt an innocent inch. Innocent or not, I knew I needed to calm down. As she moved to the TV, I shifted and slipped out of my clothes at the same time. Moving with the blurred speed that came natural to my kind, I folded the clothes neatly so she would know I appreciated her gift and set them on the couch. Then I left via the front door.

I ran fast and hard for ten minutes, covering miles before returning to the back porch. A hint of buttery saltiness drifted in the air, and I heard Gabby moving around within the kitchen. Changing directions, I went to the front. I opened the door and smelled popcorn. Quietly, I closed the door and settled onto the couch in my fur to wait for her.

She stepped into the room a moment later with a big bowl in her arms, spotted me, and smiled. She was happy to see me.

“There you are. Want some popcorn?”

She turned around and went back into the kitchen, got another bowl for me, and set it on the floor by the couch. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was seeing me as a dog or because there wasn’t much room left on the couch. Then she settled in next to me and curled her legs up to tuck her feet under me.

Why hadn’t she done this when I was a man? I sighed, moved closer, and laid my head on her legs. She’d asked me to change into my skin for her, I reminded myself. Our relationship was growing. She’d come to accept me in my fur. She’d do the same with my skin. But would it be in time? At the rate we were moving, her acceptance would come long after the six-month mark.

I only half watched the movie that played. Mostly I focused on her. What would it take to move things along?

She absently ate a piece of popcorn, and my heart skipped a beat. How could I react to her like this all the time, but she barely reacted to me at all? I couldn’t think like that. It wasn’t a fair comparison. Like she’d said in the beginning, she was human. She didn’t have the instincts I did. I needed to help her see I was meant to be the one for her.

She glanced at me as if sensing my regard and then smiled. She offered me a piece of her popcorn. I nipped it from her fingers. I wasn’t hungry. I just wanted a taste of her. My tongue barely swept against her finger, but she didn’t seem to mind. She ate another piece, then offered me one. The fourth time, I licked the back of her hand. It was a kiss, but would she know that?

The movie fully captured her attention, and she stopped eating and feeding me. I shifted my position, lying closer to her.

When the movie ended and she got up, I wanted to groan and pull her back. Sure, we slept in the same room every night and read side by side, but this had been actual snuggling; and I wanted more.

Instead of going to the kitchen with the bowl, she set it on the floor and moved to the TV to start another movie. I grinned. She’d liked it too, hadn’t she? The smile was well suppressed when she turned around and rejoined me.

The second movie was more action-suspense than comedy. Halfway through the movie, she’d dug one of her hands into the fur at my neck, and the other lightly worried one of my ears. She was nervous because of the movie, and I was turned on as hell.

The front door opened just then, and Gabby jumped—nearly yanking my ear off—and screamed. Yeah, that helped cool me down, as did Rachel’s stunned face.

“And that’s why I don’t watch suspense movies,” Gabby said, putting a hand to her heart. Rachel and I both started laughing.

Gabby was just so damn cute. I kissed her exposed stomach and settled down.

She gently tugged on my ear. “Cut it out,” she said softly.