Chapter 5

"So this is the kitchen. Wine?" He asked as they strolled past a floor to ceiling, dark wooden wine rack.

"Uhm, sure. Red, if you don't mind." He pulled a bottle off the rack and turned to grab a corkscrew. Willow glanced around at his home.

After dinner, he'd insisted on giving her a tour, stating that he probably wouldn't have time in the next few days. They'd finished their drinks and headed over, Will feeling a stab of anticipation. She'd seen the homes her male friends lived in and worried about what she might be agreeing to. Pizza boxes usually littered the floors, garbage overflowing its bins, and dirty clothes were often strewn about the entire house.

Clean's house matched his callsign, every counter was free of clutter and crumbs. His furnishings, while not new, were well kept and tidy. A few pieces spoke of his good taste in simple, classic elements. The wine rack, for instance, was a sturdy affair finished in a dark mahogany color. It was full from top to bottom with a range of simple table wines up to rare vintages Willow had only heard of in magazines. By the time, he returned with two full glasses she was certain she could live here.

She took a sip, "Hmm. Nice. Gnarly Roots Merlot?"

"Wow, good call."

"Snuck a peak at the label, it's one of my favorites."

"Well, there's about half a case left in the basement." He sipped and motioned for her to follow him through the rest of the house. "Living room, dining room," he pointed out as they wandered down the hallway, "office. This would be your bathroom," he flipped the light switch.

The room was a soft, buttery yellow with cream tile. To some people yellow might seem like an odd choice but, as Willow took in the large frosted windows, she knew it would make for a cheerful shower in the morning.

"This would be your bedroom," Clean told her as he flipped the switch to the room across the hall. The walls were a deep hunter green accented by light oak trim. Willow stepped into the room, taking in the large bay windows and queen sized bed decorated with a hunter and cream quilt.

"The closet?" She asked as she stepped up to the door.

"Yes. It's got a few of my uniforms in there right now but I can move those to the office." She nodded and pulled the door open. While not a clothes horse, she appreciated the walk in closet for all the varied uniforms they had.

"I think you've got yourself a deal here, mister," she told him with a smile.

"Sounds good. I'll grab a copy of the key for you." He glanced at his watch. "Good grief, it's almost eleven already."

"Really?" She checked her own watch. "Whoa. Uhm, rather than make you drive round trip to drop me off and come back, I can just crash in here tonight. I mean, if that's cool?"

"Might as well, you'll probably move in tomorrow anyway. Allows me a little more sleep too." He paused, looking slightly uncomfortable and embarrassed. "Uhm, how long until the next full moon?"

"Not for another nine days. Oh," she paused shocked by the question and his forethought. "Uhm, I take it you spent some time around your brother close to a full moon?" She blushed.

"Yeah," Clean looked down and scuffed his toe against the carpet, "he was a little hard to control on those nights. He'd find some girl at a bar and next thing I know, I'm in the parking lot watching my truck rocking. Little bastard never even made it home."

"Well, I'm not that bad. I mean, I can control myself, but I'm not unaware of what you're talking about." She looked at him until her stare brought his eyes up, "I promise, I'll stay in my room tonight if that's what you're worried about."

The flush on Clean's cheeks extended past the collar of his shirt and up past his eyebrows. "Yeah, cool. I mean, you know, we just met and all. It could just make things awkward. You know. At work."

Willow held his glaze a moment longer, just long enough for the Wolf to cringe for challenging a superior, then she broke out into a fit of giggles. Clean's flush deepened as she waved her hand at him still overcome by laughter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sir! The look, on your face!" She said when she finally calmed down. "I'm not some sex crazed nutcase just because it's a full moon." She smiled at him.

"Oh?" Clean gave her a disbelieving look.

"Yes," she smiled at him again. "Look, men love stories of nymphos, I think that one or two of us," she put a hand on her chest to indicate female werewolves, "have given the rest a bad rep. And men want to believe the stories they hear."

"So my brother?"

"Was a college-aged, red-blooded, American male. I'd guess his antics would have been similar even if he wasn't a lycanthrope."

"Hmm," he stared hard at the wall beside Willow. "I guess my brother and I ... I mean, the age difference, he was six year younger than me, you know. I guess I kind of forgot what it was like being in college." Clean rubbed his arm uncomfortably.

Willow quirked an eyebrow and looked at him closely again. "This really bothers you, doesn't it?"

"Well, I'm just not used to talking about sex so openly with someone I don't know all that well. Especially a female subordinate."

"Ahh and now we're back to why you want to dump me on someone a little more suitable."

Clean gave her a panicked look. She looked at him searchingly.

"You don't want to get in trouble with the boss so you have to take me on as a paw-pal but knowing how paw-pals work, you also know where this is likely to end up, which will also annoy the boss?" She asked.

He nodded dropping his eyes from her again. Inside, the Wolf read it as a sign of submission. Willow rolled her shoulders. His words didn't make her uncomfortable but having a superior acting like a subordinate to the Wolf made things more complicated.

"Ok stop." Clean's head snapped up. "This is going really badly right now. You're body language is driving the Wolf nuts. Do you realize that you're mimicking submissive behavior right now? Geez, even if we don't sleep together how am I supposed to follow you if you keep acting like a scolded pup?"