Clay's Hope (9 page)

“Zip it.” She grabbed some kind of silky
top. It had more material than the skirt.

She really meant to go. I sat up and started
to vent.

If you’re trying to make me jealous, it
worked. Put it down. You’re not going anywhere, especially wearing
any of that.

Of course, all she heard was barking. Still,
it felt good to actually say something to her.

She spun toward me, her eyes wide with
shock.

“What the hell, Clay? Cut it out.”

Like hell. You know you belong to me. I’m
trying to be patient but this is asking too much. You can’t go to
dinner with another man while feeding me dog food and making me
drink out of a bowl.

Rachel burst in without knocking, and the
man right behind her. I stood and yelled at both of them.

Get out and take your man-boy with you.

“What’s wrong?” Rachel asked, her gaze
bouncing between me and Gabby.

As if she didn’t know. I growled and barked
nonsense just because I was so pissed at the way things were
turning out.

“Nothing,” Gabby said, yelling over me.
“Just give me a few minutes to calm him down, okay?”

Calm me down? I stopped barking and glared
at the three of them. Gabby walked toward me with the clothes still
under one arm. I growled at them, and she faltered. A hint of fear
drifted to me, and I immediately felt guilty.

“Uh, I’m not so sure you should do that
right now,” Peter said.

I will jump off this bed and mark you if you
don’t leave now.

“Enough,” Gabby said forcefully, her voice
echoing in the small room.

I snapped my mouth closed but bared my teeth
at the man.

Gabby gave me a hard look, then turned
toward the pair.

“I’m fine. Thank you. Just give me a few
minutes to change.”

Once they left, shutting the door behind
them, Gabby closed her eyes and took a slow breath as if she were
the angry one. I couldn’t believe it.

When she turned to look at me, I glared at
her. Sure, I’d known she hadn’t wanted me here, but I thought she
understood our connection. I hadn’t been searching for a Mate. I
hadn’t wanted her any more than she’d wanted me. No, that wasn’t
quite true. I’d never hoped for a Mate because I thought it
impossible for someone like me. I had no pack, no family, no way to
offer protection and safety other than with my teeth and claws.
Just because I hadn’t hoped for a Mate didn’t mean I didn’t want
one. I wanted her. Badly. Why couldn’t she see that?

“Will you bite me if I sit next to you,
Clay?”

I snorted and the rest of my anger left me.
She was just as lost as I was. I needed to remember that. I sat
back down and waited.

“You know I don’t understand dog,
right?”

Which was a good thing.

“It’d be so much easier if you just told me
what was wrong.”

She finally turned to face me. When her gaze
met mine, I saw the turmoil there. I’d done that. Regret pounded at
me, and I wanted to shift so I could use my hand to cup her face
and try to erase the mess of emotions sparking in her gaze. I
wanted to kiss away any thought of meeting another man. How could
she not know what was wrong? I sighed and nudged the clothes she
still held.

“You don’t like the clothes or that I’m
going out?”

All of it, I thought with a nod.

“You don’t like both?”

I lay down on the mattress, glad we finally
understood each other.

“You’re really frustrating me, Clay.”

What?

She moved to get up, and I growled, nowhere
near ready to stop trying to communicate.

“Now, hold on...” She stood, turned, and put
her hands on her hips as she eyed me with annoyance.

“I’m trying here, Clay, and you’re not. So
stop growling at me. Got it? And so what if I go out? Do you trust
me so little? Have you not been paying attention? I’m not
comfortable around guys. It’s not as if I’m going to go out tonight
and come back with a boyfriend or something. So, just chill out
about your Claim, all right?”

So she did understand and meant to go
anyway? I growled in frustration.

“We’re not talking unMated males,” she said
softly. “They’re just men.”

I laughed in disbelief. Just men? All men,
whether werewolf or human, were a threat to the tenuous hold I had
on her.

I hopped off the bed and moved toward her.
She stepped back, worry in her gaze, and I felt ashamed again. I’d
done that. With my anger and impatience, I’d scared her.

“Sorry.”

I could hear she meant it. I should be the
one apologizing to her.

“Let me think, Clay.”

She sat on the bed, and I watched her think
for a moment.

“Can we compromise? I don’t want to spend
the entire year sitting at home with a possessive dog who won’t
talk to me.”

I resented that she’d called me a dog, but I
understood her point. If only she were ready to deal with me as a
man and potential Mate.

“What if we went somewhere dog friendly?
There’s a bar with cute little bistro tables on the sidewalk. If
you’re on your leash, you could come.”

Again with the dog reference. I turned
around and faced the door so she could change. If she was set on
going, I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight for a second.

“Is that a yes? I’m taking that as a yes. If
you turn around while I’m changing, I’m going to have you
neutered.”

I laughed at her threat. She was thinking of
my—the soft rustle of material distracted me. I swallowed hard. She
was changing. Right there behind me. A tremble raced down my spine.
I ached to shift.

A slight movement caught my attention. I
glanced up, and my world stopped. In the mirror, I watched her pull
her shirt over her head. The thing she wore underneath was like her
bathing suit but with slightly wider straps and in all white. Pure,
like her. I wanted to touch her so badly I shook with need. She
pulled a new top over her head, and suddenly, her gaze met mine in
the mirror.

Give me a sign, I thought, and I’ll change
into a man to touch you. Just one sign.

“Hope it was worth it,” she said. “You’re on
the couch tonight.”

That wasn’t what I’d hoped for.

She walked past me to open the door, and I
saw she already wore the short skirt. She looked amazing. Sexy. I
wanted to pull her back into the room and bar the door.

“All set, but can we change our plans?” she
asked as she stepped out. “I think Clay was freaking out because he
knows we’re leaving. He’s been left alone so much this week...”

Following closely behind Gabby, I didn’t
miss Peter’s doubtful look. Rachel made pity noises and came at me.
I narrowed my eyes at her, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“What if we went to that bar with the bistro
tables that you were telling me about?” Gabby asked.

“That’d be perfect. It’s still nice enough
out. Besides, I think this is the last week they do the outdoor
dining. We should go before it’s closed for the season.”

Peter spoke up. “Are you sure he will be
okay? He looked pretty aggressive in there.”

Aggressive? That was nothing. I was ready to
show him my teeth when Rachel’s hand stilled on my head. She looked
at Peter.

“He’s never done that before. I think Gabby
might be right. We’ve been leaving him alone a lot.”

See, even your woman wants me along.

“I even forgot to let him out this morning
before I left,” she said.

Why did she have to go there?

“Let me grab my shoes,” Gabby said. “I’ll
follow you guys in my car just in case I need to leave early.”

“I’ll let Scott know about the change in
plans,” Peter said.

It would be better if he didn’t tell Scott
about the change in plans. I hated Scott, and I didn’t even know
him. Somehow, I didn’t think biting him at first sight would win me
any points with Gabby.

“I’ll let Clay out.” Rachel got up and
started calling to me. I glanced at Gabby, giving her my best
is-she-serious look. Gabby’s gaze held no pity.

“You know the drill. Go do dog
business.”

Patience, I reminded myself as I stood and
left the room.

As soon as Rachel closed the door behind me,
I went to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. I
wished I had some clothes. If I did, I would’ve thrown them on and
went with Gabby like I was supposed to. What would she do? Probably
throw a fit. She was too willing to see me as a dog and not at all
willing to see me as a man.

I sighed and waited for her. She stepped out
a minute later, shaking her head at me. It seemed I was constantly
disappointing her. She opened the door and got in.

“You’re going to be seen doing stuff a dog
shouldn’t do.”

A dog. Yep, that’s how she saw me, and that
knowledge ate at me.

“That or someone’s going to call the cops
because a naked man keeps popping up in my backyard.”

And if I wasn’t a dog, I was still a crazy
man in her mind. I suppressed a defeated sigh. Couldn’t she give me
some hope?

“You okay?”

I looked at her, wondering if she could see
my pain.

“Fine,” she sighed when I didn’t speak. “No
growling, no biting, no barking. Pretty much no anything but acting
like a passive, well-behaved dog.” As she spoke, she backed out of
the driveway and turned onto the street to follow Peter’s car.

“I’m really nervous about this and don’t
want to worry about you, too.”

So she’d guessed my plan to bite Scott? I
heaved a sigh and looked out the window.

For the next few minutes, she just
drove.

“Clay, you should know...men make me
uncomfortable because of the way they act around me.”

I turned to watch her.

“They usually start flirting or ask me on a
date. Most girls would be flattered, but if you really pay
attention, there’s something unnatural about it. It’s like they
can’t help themselves. And sometimes, after I tell them no enough,
they walk away with...I don’t know...a look. Like they’ve been
caught doing something they’re ashamed of. I just want to try for
normal tonight, okay? It’ll be hard enough being in a public place.
You’ll see. I just need to know you’re not going to make it any
harder on me.”

She’d just told me men wouldn’t leave her
alone, then wanted a promise that I wouldn’t react? Yeah, right. I
went back to looking out the window, already knowing I’d do as she
asked...because she’d asked.

She reached out and ran a hand lightly over
my shoulder. My tension and anger left me with that single touch.
She was my world. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
Except give her up.

“Does it bother you when I pet you?”

Fear that she’d stop kept me from laughing.
Instead, I curled up as tight as possible and shifted my position
to lay my head in her lap. She laughed, a quiet husky sound that
made me want to wrap my arms around her.

Too soon she pulled into a parking spot, and
I had to sit up again. The calm I’d gained quickly fled. We were
here so Rachel and her new friend could introduce Gabby to another
man. I wanted to bare my teeth, but Gabby’s increasing worry
stopped me. She didn’t want to be here, either. She’d said as
much.

She snapped the leash on me and opened her
door. I followed her out and stayed close to her side as we
walked.

While Gabby talked to Rachel and the
man-boy, I scanned ahead, looking for the man they meant Gabby to
meet. He was hard to miss. As over groomed as a poodle, he stood
near a table. I glanced at Gabby. She wouldn’t be interested in
that. Would she? She had remarked on my smell and seemed to like me
better right after I groomed.

Gabby’s step hitched the slightest bit as
she noticed the man. Was that a sign of interest? Jealousy balled
in my stomach. The man’s smile changed as he caught sight of
Gabby.

I could feel my hackles rising and tried to
calm down. A light touch, Gabby’s hand on my back, soothed me, and
I managed to walk to the table without growling.

“Scott, this is Gabby,” Peter said.

“A pretty name you don’t hear often,” Scott
said, pulling out a chair for her.

His smooth words annoyed me. Gabby hesitated
to sit in the chair he offered. Good girl.

“Would you mind if we switched spots,
Scott?” she asked. “That way our dog won’t be so close to people
walking by. He’s very friendly, but big. I don’t want anyone to be
intimidated by him.”

“No problem,” he said, pulling out his own
chair for her.

I moved with her; and as she sat, I lay
between her chair and Scott’s, making sure to push his chair
further away. And, there I stayed through all Scott’s annoying
attempts to hit on Gabby. He wasn’t obvious about it, just small
little remarks like the comment about her name. I did my best to
ignore it. After all, I was between them, and his words couldn’t
actually touch her.

Yet, the longer I stayed at her feet, the
more I resented the man at the table. It should have been me.

“Why not have a drink with us, Gabby?” Scott
asked.

Gabby shifted slightly in her chair. “I’m a
bit younger than the rest of you.”

“Really? How old are you?”

“Eighteen. I’m not much of a soda drinker
either, so water works. How much longer until you graduate?”

I almost picked my head up. Why had she
asked that? Was she actually interested?

“It depends on how far I want to go. Peter
told me he declared his major freshman year and has never changed.
I, on the other hand, have changed twice. I like what I’m learning
now, so I hope I won’t change it again, but you never know. What
about you?”

“I’m going for massage therapy. So, I won’t
be here as long as the rest of you.”

“Massage therapy? I hear they ask for
volunteers to come in for those classes. If you ever need someone
to practice on, let me know. I’d be happy to come in.”