“Um...” I wasn’t sure what to do. I hadn’t thought past getting rid of Scott.
Clay’s calm gaze made the nervous butterflies in my stomach worse. Silly, really, considering he watched me all the time as a dog. I took a breath and tried again.
“Did you want to do something since we’re both dressed up?”
He shrugged.
“You can talk to me, Clay,” I said with a little hope. I really began to wonder if he could speak. When he didn’t respond, I spoke again. “Okay, do you want to go out or stay in?”
He moved to the couch and sat in the middle, his choice clear. Stay in tonight.
I hesitated. The chair, set at an odd angle to the TV, gave you a sore neck if you tried to watch a movie from there. That meant I’d need to sit next to him to watch a movie. But I felt so exposed in a skirt and sleeveless shirt. I wasn’t sure if I could sit next to him for a full movie.
While I debated my options, he watched me closely.
“I’m going to go change,” I stammered. “I’ll be right back.”
I turned and made it one step before the back of my shirt snagged on something. Surprised, I looked over my shoulder and found Clay standing right behind me. He held a fold of my shirt between his thumb and forefinger. I could see the glint of his brown eyes behind the still damp strands of his hair. He tilted his head back toward the couch and gave a slight tug on my shirt. My stomach dropped, and I couldn’t tell if it was in a good way or a bad one.
When I hesitated, he gave another tug. I surrendered, turned back, and sat on the couch.
He padded over to the movies, made a selection I couldn’t see, and crouched to start it. It amazed me that he knew how to do that. Then again, he watched everything Rachel and I did. I wondered if anything escaped his notice.
He pressed play, stood, and walked toward me with fluid strides. I felt graceless in comparison. He settled next to me and watched the previews. I tried to focus on them, too, but couldn’t. Instead, I noticed our bare feet, the scratch on the wall next to the TV, his leg lightly pressed against mine, the sound of the water as it slowly dripped from the showerhead in the bathroom, his hands loosely resting on his lap. The long list of unimportant details would not let my mind settle.
It was midway through the movie when my mind calmed enough to notice we watched an action-comedy I’d wanted to see. I’d just mentioned it to Rachel this past week. She must have gotten it after that.
Slowly, I began to relax and enjoy the movie. I even laughed aloud at one point. Clay’s echoing chuckle startled me, but in a good way. So, he could do more than growl as a dog. His deep laugh sounded pleasant.
When the movie ended, I stood and went to put it away. It was still early, just about six.
“Do you want to watch another one?” I asked as I knelt to look at the movie selection. “I can throw in a pizza for us.”
When I heard nothing, which wasn’t unusual, I turned and saw a pile of folded clothes on the couch. But no Clay.
“Clay?”
I went in search of him, but he wasn’t in the house. In the living room, I glanced at the pile of clothes again. He had been so quiet I hadn’t heard a thing.
It took me a moment to think about using my second sight. Because of school and Clay’s presence at home, I’d fallen into patterns where I didn’t use it often. I felt safe enough that I didn’t need to use it. Still, I checked. He wasn’t anywhere in the immediate area, but I wasn’t too worried about it. He did occasionally leave my side, but he never stayed away for very long.
With a smile, I picked up his clothes and headed to my room. Good thing I took forever to pick a movie.
Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to watch the movie I had spotted just before Clay disappeared. I changed into some sweats and a tank top then scrounged around in the kitchen and found what I needed to make a big bowl of buttered popcorn.
Popcorn in hand, I headed for the TV. When I walked into the living room, Clay once again lay on the couch. I smiled at his familiar furry presence.
“There you are. Want some popcorn?”
I didn’t wait for an answer but went to the kitchen to get him his own bowl and split the popcorn between the two. In the living room, I set his bowl on the floor within his reach. Then, I curled into my end of the couch and tucked my feet under him. With my bowl balanced at my side, I reached for the remote.
I’d barely started the movie when he sighed gustily, repositioned himself, and laid his head on my curled legs. The heat of him relaxed me, and I settled in comfortably, content not to move him. I ate a piece of popcorn as I watched the intro. His head shifted on my leg, following the piece of popcorn. I absently took another piece and offered it to him. He gently ate it from my fingers. I offered him a few more pieces, not fully paying attention when he licked the back of my hand.
The second movie was more an action-suspense than comedy. Halfway through the movie, I’d abandoned my bowl of popcorn to the floor. One of my hands burrowed in the thick fur at Clay’s neck, and the other lightly worried his fuzzy ear. He didn’t seem to mind my grip as I stared at the screen. At a particularly suspenseful part, the front door opened. It scared me so badly that a strangled scream tore through the air. My scream. My heart pounded as both Rachel and Clay stared at me.
“And that’s why I don’t watch suspense movies,” I said to both of them once I could breathe again. Clay didn’t stop laughing for two minutes. Rachel laughed just as hard and thankfully didn’t notice Clay’s reaction.
Clay licked my exposed midriff then, finally, settled down.
I gently tugged on his ear. “Cut it out,” I scolded softly.
“So when did Clay leave? I thought he’d still be here after you said I shouldn’t hurry home.” Rachel kicked off her shoes and flopped sideways on the chair.
I turned off the movie to give her my full attention. “Nah, I turned my back, and he took off on me.” I patted Clay on the head, and he snorted. “It’s okay, though, I have my favorite guy here.” And I realized it was true. I liked no man better than I liked Clay in his fur. Sam used to take first place, but I still felt disappointed in him for not warning me about the last Introduction and about the possibility of Clay showing up at the back door.
“He was a little scary looking if you ask me,” Rachel said as she reached over to pet Clay. Turned away from her, he took the opportunity to arch a brow at me. I fought to keep my face straight.
“When I first met him, I told him he looked like a crazy man. I still think he’s crazy, but he’s also nice and dependable.” Clay heaved a sigh. It seemed werewolves didn’t like to be described as nice either.
“So does he ever act like Scott?”
“No way.” It came out so fast I had to pause and rethink it. Nope, I definitely spoke the truth. “Most guys talk about themselves to try to impress me, or they just act scary obsessive. Clay’s different. I don’t think I affect him like I do other guys.”
I looked away from both of them, thinking. At times, he showed his possessive streak—like when I’d gone on the double date—but he didn’t act obsessive. According to my reliable sources of werewolf lore, Clay did feel a strong pull for me, but it was dissimilar to what human men felt. His pull, the werewolf version, should make him territorial and controlling, but he never seemed affected by any of that. Yet, for some reason, he stayed.
“I think he just likes being with me,” I said. I noticed Clay looking up at me and met his gaze. Even when he wrecked the truck back at the Compound, he didn’t creep on me like most guys had. “And I’m grateful that I get to be normal around him.”
Rachel laughed at me. “You sound like you’re really serious about him. Why didn’t you talk about him before this? And why didn’t you say the dog had the same name? We could have changed it.”