When I returned, she had two plates on the table. She already sat at one side. My gut clenched. Our first real meal together.

I sat across from her, kept my eyes on my plate, and dug in. I nearly groaned. The bacon was loose just as I liked it, the eggs runny, and the potatoes crisp with bacon grease. I used my napkin often, worried I would have a yolk trail in my beard; Gabby liked me clean.

“What are the chances of trimming that beard?” Gabby asked.

I slowly wiped my mouth as I tried to figure out why she was asking. If she didn’t like it, she would have asked about shaving it off. She’d said trim. Did she still think I looked like a crazy man? No, she’d told Rachel that was her first impression of me, not the current one. I decided to be honest about the reason behind the beard. It hid things, like my smiles when she was around...and my teeth.

Pulling my lips back, I flashed my smile at her. She froze for a second, her fork suspended in midair, and I detected a hint of fear. I closed my lips to hide my elongated canines and focused on my food again.

“Do they stay like that all the time?” she asked.

I debated if I should answer. She’d been afraid just seeing them. But she was asking questions. About me. Getting to know me. I wanted that. We needed it. But how could I explain why my teeth were big without scaring her more?

Taking my last bite, I stood and moved to the sink while I tried to decide if I should answer her question.

Abandoning her food, she followed me and leaned against the counter. Though I didn’t look at her, I knew she was still studying me.

“Is this something you don’t want to talk about?”

I shrugged.

“Is it something I need to guess, or can you explain it to me?”

She really wanted to know.

I glanced at her, wondering how I could explain it. My teeth were always out around her. It was worse when she gave me signs that she was starting to like me. Care for me. Her interest in me really hit hard. How could I show her that her nearness was the influence? The answer was crazy simple—show her that she could make it even more pronounced.

Slowly washing my plate and fork, I considered how she would react if I scented her, nose to skin. She moved away from the sink to grab her dishes. I went to the stove and washed that while I debated her possible reactions. There was only one way to know for sure.

I returned to the sink where she rinsed her plate. Her calm posture reassured me. Setting the washrag aside, I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms as I waited for her to finish.

We stood just a few inches apart, and when she turned to me, I could see the gold flecks in her light brown eyes. We watched each other for several moments. Her eyes dipped to my chest, and I saw her interest again. If she kept this up, I’d need to leave and lose a perfect opportunity to get closer. Yeah, not going to happen.

I uncrossed my arms and leaned toward her. Panic filled the air, and she froze. I inhaled, reminding myself I needed to be careful. I shook my head, trying to tell her not to worry, and pulled back.

Her throat moved with a hard swallow.

“You’re trying to explain the teeth, right?” Fear still laced her words.

I nodded.

She studied me again, and slowly, the panic faded and interest returned. She took a deep breath.

“It’s okay then. Go ahead, explain. I’ll behave,” she said.

I grinned and knew she’d caught me when her gaze dropped to my mouth. Maybe I needed a bigger beard.

Carefully, I leaned forward again. She didn’t flinch away, and her scent remained clear of fear. As I neared, my teeth grew in anticipation. If she were my kind, I would bite her neck, Claim her, and end the waiting. But she wasn’t my kind. She needed to bite me.

I didn’t stop my approach until my nose almost touched her skin. Then, I inhaled deeply. Ah, what she did to me. I gripped the counter to steady myself and hoped she didn’t notice.

She stiffened as I exhaled, and her pulse spiked. Even with fear flooding her, her scent called to me. I inhaled once more and lifted my head, exhaling as I went.

I was inches from her lips and so tempted. Would she still run? Had I given her enough time?

No. Her eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty. She still didn’t trust that we were meant to be together.

I pulled back my lips, finishing what I’d started...an explanation for the beard.

She studied me, and slowly her pulse calmed.

“So, when you’re around me, they’re worse? I guess that means they’re like that all the time.”

I shrugged and took a step back.

A car pulled into the driveway, distracting Gabby. She left the kitchen in a rush. I sighed and quickly stripped out of the clothes, knowing our time was over. For now.

When Rachel walked through the door, I was in my fur and the clothes were in a neat pile on the chair.

Rachel smiled at me, petted my head, then caught sight of the clothes as Gabby walked into the room.

“Is there someone here?”

“Clay stopped by and fixed the sink. He figured he would leave a change of clothes because of last night,” Gabby said.

Her smooth lies amazed me. I was glad I could hear the skip in her pulse to detect them because without it, there was nothing to give her away.

“Really? The sink’s working? And for free?” Rachel moved to the sink to test it.

Gabby shrugged and grabbed the clothes, leaving me to deal with Rachel’s good mood. When Rachel was happy, I endured hugs, kisses on the top of the head, and excessive petting. Done with her affectionate praise, she finally released me; and I shook off the feeling of her.

One of these days, Rachel’s fondling would bother Gabby.

Chapter 12

Monday, after Gabby and Rachel left, I went to Gabby’s room to look for my clothes. Most of them were in her bottom dresser drawer. She even had the flannel shirt in there for me. I brought it to my nose and inhaled. Her scent was all over it.

Dressed like a man, I went to the basement and grabbed my wallet from where I’d hidden it after the washing machine incident. My fake ID wouldn’t do much for an official job, but I had the feeling Dale’s offer hadn’t been official anyway.

With my wallet in my pocket, I left the house and settled in for the long walk to South Mitchell.

The garage was easy to find and looked better than most I’d seen back home. The square block building was painted white, but age and weather had dulled its pristine effect. Still, the place looked neat. A stack of four tires just outside the door held a sale sign. Four diagonally parked cars took up the space against the right side of the building, and a small fenced area hugged the left side. Two large bay doors stood open; in one bay, the floor lift had a car jacked into the air.

Dale was standing under the car and looked at me as I walked into the bay.

“Can I help you?” he said.

I nodded. “Gabby sent me. Said you had an opening for her boyfriend.”

For a moment, Dale looked at me blankly, then a grin split his face. I’d expected guilt or denial, not amusement.

“I didn’t think she’d actually send someone.”

She hadn’t, but I kept that to myself.

“I’m Dale,” he said, coming over to me. He offered his hand, and I shook it.

“Clay.”

“I’ll be honest; I’m not looking for full-time help. This time of year, everyone starts remembering oil changes and winter tires. Once that’s over, I’ll be fine on my own.”

I couldn’t believe my luck. At best, I’d hoped he’d be able to point me to a shop that was hiring so I could use his name as a chance to get in somewhere.

“I’ll work for cash whenever you need me,” I said. I already knew that working for cash meant no need for my ID.

Dale considered me for a minute. “Cash?”

I nodded.

“This could work out,” he said with a smile. “What experience do you have?”