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.