AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We used to have apartments at the barn, which had been a petting zoo at one time and will be again in a couple weeks. We outgrew the apartments in the barn since it wasn’t big enough. I’m up on the second floor, you’re on the first.”
“What about my neighbors?”
“The one next to you is empty; a couple lived there but they just moved away. It’s really quiet and safe back here.”
“It would have to be with those high walls,” she mused as she got out of the truck.
He joined her and they walked to her apartment. He unlocked it with a key. “Once we get you into the security system, you can use a keycard to unlock this door and get anywhere in the park you need to be.”
“Like to the security office to see you?”
He grinned and opened the door. “Hell, yes. But that door is unlocked whenever the park is open.”
“Still, it’s good to know I can see you whenever I want.”
He showed her the apartment, which was fully furnished with a couch and coffee table, a small kitchen table, and a queen bed in the master bedroom. The spare bedroom was empty save for a desk and chair.
“The TV has satellite and all the streaming services; they’re logged in with the park’s account so you don’t have to pay for anything. Utilities included, of course, and there’s linens too.” He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, breathing out a silent sigh of relief at the stocked shelves.
“Wow, what’s all that?” she asked peering around him. He stepped aside so she could see.
“I asked the cafeteria staff to stock the fridge for you. There’s coffee pods and sugar in the cabinet with the mugs. Anything you need or want, you just have to let me know and I can get it for you.”
She gave him a curious look. “I can do my own shopping.”
He hadn’t really gone grocery shopping in a long time. Hell, he couldn’t remember going in the last year. He was so used to having the bears who ran the food for the park handle things. He hardly ever cooked for himself anyway.
“Of course you can, it’s just a nice thing our people like to do.”
She hummed. “Well, far be it from me to stand in the way of people being nice.”
He shut the door with a smile. “Would you like me to take you home? It’s kind of late since we got a late start with my work schedule.”
“I thought you were going to show me your place?”
Was that a coy sound in her tone? She gave him a flirty smile, her brows raising slightly.
“I’d love to.”
He just wished he could show her his real home, in the small house under the park where the lions lived. It was just the right size for them to start a life together, with three bedrooms and room to expand if they needed to.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the future. His lion had wanted to mate and mark her the moment she’d stepped foot in the security office. It was all he could do to stop from purring whenever they touched.
After locking up the apartment, they walked up the outside stairs and down the walkway to the apartment he’d been given. He’d managed to grab clothes, toiletries, and a bag of snacks and supplies to make it look like he actually lived there. He wasn’t sure how long it would take to gain Rhomi’s love and trust, so he was planning to hunker down in the apartment for as long as it took.
He unlocked the door with the keypad and held it open for her.
This apartment was done up in grays, from the light gray couch to the dark gray comforter in the master bedroom. Even the towels in the bathroom were gray.
“Looks just like mine,” she said. She turned in a slow circle, saw some framed photos and went to look at them. “Who are these people?”
“My friends, they all work here.” He joined her. “That’s Tarquin, you met him and his wife earlier.” He pointed to the rest of the males in the photo. “That’s August, he’s a mechanic. That’s Javan, he works the security office and you met him, and that’s Alfie, he works at the safari.”
“I always thought that would be really cool,” she said.
“What would?”
“To go on the safari tour.”
