But Clay hadn’t courted me. He just lived here in his fur. And sometimes cooked for me… And sometimes helped me with chores… And when he wasn’t around, I felt disappointed and missed him. My fearful expression slackened to one of stunned amazement. He had been courting me these last few months. Clever dog.
Not comfortable with simple contact to begin with, I naturally balked. Then I paused reconsidering my hesitancy. Yes, I’d held myself back from everyone. Contact meant an emotional connection, either for me, or for the other person. But Clay didn’t act like the rest. Not compulsively drawn to me.
Maybe I needed to stop treating him like the rest. Hadn’t I already started doing that? I’d sat next to him to watch movies, ate dinner with him and, yes, technically snuggled with him at night. At least, my feet did regularly. And I had to admit, I liked looking at him… the parts I could see. Thinking of that caused a blush. I sent another panicked look his direction, but he remained motionless.
But he didn’t ask for just a simple kiss. Our current relationship placed so many strings on it. Strings I’d never before had to deal with. It definitely took us one step closer to claiming in his book. As I thought of it, I realized my stance on claiming had subtlety shifted. I wouldn’t mind having Clay around indefinitely. We meshed well together. But there still existed aspects of a werewolf relationship I wasn’t ready for. Like biting his neck hard enough to break the skin and establish my Claim. That didn’t sound like something nice to do to someone you cared about.
Clay waited patiently for me to think over his request.
The man’s drive to claim his mate increased with each passing day, building to a compulsive need. There’d never been a courtship that lasted more than six months. Paul and Henry shared that tidbit with me long ago.
I calculated back and cringed. We’d just passed six months. He hadn’t pressed for anything from me in that entire time. I’d been so focused on school that I hadn’t given any thought to the Claiming stuff I’d learned other than to be glad he wasn’t pressing me.
I edged closer to the bed and touched my bottom lip, thinking. Was he struggling to hold back his aggressive side? Could that be why his canines were elongated more often than not? Had I put too much faith in his control? But the toughest question was… did I trust Clay? If I did give him what he asked for, would it be enough to satisfy him, or would he want more and then become unbearable to live with?
Glancing up at him, I considered my options, while he continued to watch me in silence. I really wanted to see his eyes again.
“I have some questions before we talk about my bribe and your price.” I crawled back upon the bed and sat back on my heels once I reached his side. “Will you try to answer my questions?”
He continued to watch me without answering.
Undeterred I asked, “Are you able to physically speak?”
After a brief hesitation, he nodded.
“Are you ever planning on talking to me?”
He smiled wide and nodded again.
I nervously noted his teeth were bigger than they’d been a minute ago. My stomach did a flip and I could feel the fading blush rekindle and spread across my face. “Clay, were you asking for a kiss?” I had to know for sure.
He nodded slowly, reaching out he twined his free right hand with mine. His thumb soothed the outside of my hand while he waited for me to decide what to do.
“Clay, I can’t even see your mouth to know where to kiss. I hope this bargain includes a shave.”
His whiskers twitched and I guessed he smiled. He appeared laidback, completely calm as if my answer didn’t affect him at all. It bolstered my courage.
I let go of his hand and leaned forward, bracing myself on his shoulders. I could see the glint of his eyes as he watched my slow descent. My stomach churned with nerves and anticipation. Despite my teasing comment, I found his lips without any problem, lightly touching mine to them. His warm breath fanned my face and I shifted to press closer. Something inside me melted a little.
Closing my eyes, I reached a hand up to gently brush against his face, exploring his brow, ear, and jaw. He changed the kiss by tilting his head slightly. His lips began to nibble at mine, slow and easy. My stomach dipped and my heart started to flutter with desire.
When I realized how easy it would be to keep kissing him, desire changed to panic. I pulled away and then gasped at the sight of the black eye I’d exposed.
Forgetting desire and panic, I cried, “What happened?” Then, thinking of Rachel dropped my voice to a whisper and I said, “I thought werewolves weren’t supposed to get hurt like this.”
Seeing his eyes again gave me a nice advantage. I easily read the frustration in them. Before he could try something else, I bounded off the bed again.