Chapter 15
I waited in the car while Rob stopped at Were-Mart. For a Were to buy flea shampoo is kind of like a human buying hemorrhoid cream. Embarrassing. Personal. Humiliating. But people get hemorrhoids, and werewolves get fleas. So do weremice, but I've never had the pleasure until now.
Rob was a great sport. He bought the flea shampoo while I leaned my head out the window watching people come and go. People aren't inclined to pet animals outside of a Were-Mart. Can you imagine petting your neighbor? It's just not the polite thing to do.
After a few minutes, Rob returned with a brown bag which he threw in the back seat. “Well worth it if I get to keep you with me for the night.” Rob's not one to speak first and think later, but that statement came out a little more intimate than he'd planned and his cheeks turned rather pinkish.
I giggled, which must sound enough like laughter in a wolf because Rob started laughing, too.
The tricky part came with the actual shampooing. I wouldn't walk into Rob's house with fleas. I sat down on the stoop and no matter how many times he told me to come in, I shook my head and stayed put. It's hard to win an argument when the person you're arguing with isn't talking and isn't budging.
So Rob said, “What do you want me to do?”
I tossed my head in the direction of the brown bag hoping he'd guess.
“Shampoo outside? The water will be freezing.” He waited for me to change my mind. When I didn't he grabbed the shampoo bottle and followed me outside.
It's funny but the whole ride home, I was wondering how I was going to get the shampoo on. I wanted Rob to help me. And I didn't want to ask. I mean, shampooing for fleas is not at all attractive or sexy or anything like that. But it is intimate.
I never day dreamed about my first shower with Rob, which is probably just as well as it would have been a disappointment. After a line of shampoo along my back, I was lathered and sprayed. Neither Rob nor myself was comfortable with him touching the tummy area. We weren't that close yet. I wondered if we ever would be, and then reminded myself to stop thinking about it.
He avoided my hind areas. With my luck that's where all the fleas were hiding. As he lathered my back, Rob said, “Well, at least you'll have a funny story to tell your kids.”
I was glad to be in wolf form. Because I had no idea how to respond to that.
Then he turned on the hose.
And sprayed me.
I howled. Awooooooooooooooooo. It was so cold.
Rob's shirt was half tucked into his jeans and he shrugged, “I told you it would be cold. You can go in and take a warm shower if you'd like.”
He squirted me again with a spiteful grin.
Well, that was not at all sporting. I ran up really close to him and shook from head to toe, letting the cold water beading up on the tips of my fur splatter all over him. He wasn't dressed in real estate clothes today anyway, so I figured he was fair game.
With a laugh, he sprayed me back, which was terribly unfair since I had no hose or even a tiny little water pistol, but I used what I had and shook again, letting the water fly everywhere until he was soaked.
“Okay, you win.” Rob laughed, shutting off the water. He cocked his head and looked very wolfish when he said, “You know? I never realized how much fun you were.”
I might only have wolf teeth to smile with, but what he said went right to my heart, so I used my canines to full effect.
Nothing exciting happened that night. We didn't discover we were soul mates or anything. Rob picked out some movies for his home media system with the help of my veto votes, and we spent the evening watching movies. The television is a bit different as an animal. The colors look different and the sounds are sharper.
Rob didn't actually mention the fleas again, and I was able to forget for a while what happened.
Rob let me sleep in his play room, a room fully stocked for the times when his wolf was out to play.
Moon Struck: When Were & Howl Book 1 Page 15