The NSO compound known as Reservation was located up north and it would be a long drive to visit it. “Do you go there often?” The heavy feeling in her chest at the concept of him being gone for months was unpleasant. It would mean she couldn’t see him if she wanted.

“I live at both places. It depends on where I’m needed most.”

“Oh.” She dropped her gaze to stare at her discarded food to hide the way that bit of news affected her. Long-distance relationships never worked, at least none that she knew of.

“Vanni?”

She stood. “I should get changed. I hope the sizes are right.” She crossed the room and lifted the garment bag. “Wow. It’s heavier than I expected.”

Smiley stood in her path when she turned and she almost stepped into him.

“What’s wrong?” He frowned.

“Nothing.” She schooled her features.

“Tell me the truth. What did I say that made you shut down that way?”

“I’m just nervous about the shopping trip.”

He leaned down a little. “You’re a bad liar.”

“I am nervous about leaving Homeland.” She held his gaze.

“What else is wrong?” He studied her closely. “You asked about Reservation. Does it frighten you? What have you heard about the Wild Zone? We don’t really feed our enemies to the tigers and lions we’ve rescued.”

“What? I’ve never heard that.”

“You were at the conference. Some of the protestors there were stating that.”

“I didn’t pay them any attention. That’s awful. I think it’s great that you guys have taken in animals other places would have killed. I read that story last year about the two grizzly bears some jerk had abused that were found half starved in cages on his property. The humane society had nowhere to house them since no zoos had room for them but the NSO offered to take them.”

“Gus and Pete.” He grinned. “They are doing well.”

She suddenly feared for his safety. “The story said they were in pretty bad shape.”

“They were mistreated. They took to freedom well. I was there when they arrived. Both have put on weight and are doing great.”

“That’s so cool.” Her admiration for him notched higher. “Isn’t it a bit dangerous though? I mean, I read they aren’t in cages anymore.”

“They don’t belong in them. Nothing can be happy locked behind bars. They’ve made friends with some of our residents and are pretty playful. Species take care of them.”

“You’ve played with them?”

He grinned. “You just have to watch the claws and teeth when they’re hungry. Pete loves to have his belly rubbed and Gus enjoys swimming in the river. I helped him learn how to fish.”

Her mouth hung open. Smiley chuckled and reached out, pushing it closed with his fingertip under her chin.

“I’ll introduce you to them if you want. I promise I’ll keep you safe. The Wild Zone residents have really done wonders to socialize them. They are learning to trust us.”

She recovered. “How do you teach a grizzly how to fish and why would you want to?”

“They were born in captivity so their instincts were denied. Bears are smart and they pick up what they see. It was just a matter of taking them to the river and showing them how to fish. They caught on quickly. The residents of the Wild Zone spend plenty of time with them.” He dropped his hand away from her. “You should get dressed. The store we plan to go to opens at eight and we need to assemble at Security to go over basics before we leave Homeland.”

“Basics?”

“Go over safety measures and timetables so we can control the situation. I believe our public relations team wants to speak to us too.”

“Okay. I’ll go get ready.”

“I’ll do the dishes.”

She stopped and watched him pick up her tray and stride to the kitchen. He was actually going to wash her plate and mug. It was sweet and reminded her again of how much he differed from the guys she’d dated. They would have expected her to do the chores.

She entered the bedroom and dropped the garment bag on the bed, still thinking about what he’d said regarding the bears. She pictured him standing half naked next to a river with two ferocious beasts, showing them how to fish.

“I’m apparently dating the bear whisperer,” she muttered, stunned but impressed.

* * * * *

Smiley hummed while he dried the dishes. He even wiped down the already-clean counters and then folded the wet towel over the holder. It was tough not to go into the bedroom but he didn’t want Vanni feeling as if she had no privacy. He repositioned the coffee table and fluffed the couch cushions. One glance around assured him the room looked tidy. He lifted his backpack and set it inside the closet to keep it out of sight in case it reminded her that he planned to move in.

She hadn’t thrown a fit when he’d mentioned bringing enough clothing to last for days. A female Species would have picked up his bag and tossed it out the front door, ordering him to fetch. She’d have slammed and locked the door with him on the other side of it to prevent him from returning. He grinned, grateful Vanni was human.

The soft sound of clicking drew his attention and he stared at Vanni when she paused at the end of the tile hallway. The button-down shirt she wore hugged her breasts and ribs. He had thought she’d look good in it but hadn’t known she would keep a few buttons open at the top to reveal a hint of cleavage. His gaze lowered to the black form-fitting skirt that fell to mid thigh. Her rounded hips were accented and it made him want to touch them. She was short but the heels made her legs appear longer than they really were.

“Does this look bad?”

His gaze jerked up to her face. She wore no makeup and had just brushed her hair into a ponytail. He shook his head.

“The skirt is kind of short and the shirt is a little tight. I tried to button it all the way up but it gaped open over my bra.”

“You look perfect.” The compliment brought color to her cheeks and it angered him a little. It was as if males rarely told her she was appealing, when they should. He wouldn’t make that mistake. “You’re beautiful, Vanni.”

Her hands clasped over her lower belly and she straightened her shoulders. “Thank you. That’s sweet to say.”

He stalked closer. “Not sweet.” His attention strayed to the vee of the shirt and he licked his lips. “None of my thoughts are.”

She stared at him. “I don’t understand.”

He gently gripped her hands, stilling their motion “You look sexy and I’d like nothing better than to remove those clothes from you. I would toss you over my shoulder to take you back to bed if an SUV wasn’t waiting outside. I’m going to do that later though. Expect it.”

That seemed to surprise her. “I’m not even wearing makeup. I mean, I look a lot better with it on.”

“No, you don’t. I prefer you just like this.”

Her gaze lowered to his mouth and he wanted to kiss her. He knew better. He’d end up following through and taking her to the bedroom. As tempting as it was, he didn’t need Justice, Fury or Jericho on his ass for ruining their plans to dispel the horrible rumors the church had started. He didn’t care what humans thought of him but they’d damaged Vanni’s reputation as well.

“We need to leave.”

She nodded and finally stopped staring at his mouth. “Okay.”

“It’s going to be fine. I won’t leave your side.”

“I trust you.”

A warm feeling settled in his belly. That was one hurdle down in the path to gaining her as a mate. “Good. I would pity the human who tried to harm you.”

Her eyes widened.

He just smiled. “You’re mine to protect and I won’t fail you.” He released her hands and stepped back, offering his arm the way he’d seen gentlemen do in films. “Allow me, beautiful. Let me escort you to the SUV.”

Vanni curled her fingers around his forearm. He wished he’d worn a short-sleeved shirt so he could enjoy her touch better. He liked skin-to-skin contact. He glanced down as they walked forward, getting a better view of her cleavage. His dick stirred at the thought of putting his mouth there later. It took effort to contain his desire enough to control his physical reactions. A raging hard-on would be noticeable.