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“You’ll be surprised with what I’ve done with the place.” I can’t keep the pride from my voice, because all the willpower I have is being directed at controlling my urge to touch him and gaze into his amber eyes.
“I won’t be surprised.” His voice is so deep it rumbles right through me. “I come here every night when I can’t sleep. I’ve watched every step of the remodel through your plate glass window. The pinks and blues you painted the place attract the eye.”
“You didn’t need to sneak out every night to know what colors I painted the place. My hair was frosted with them.”
“Yes. I kept my eye on you in the dining hall, even though Slater forbade it.”
I stop walking and turn to him. My tummy swoops with excitement when I gaze up at him. We’ve known each other such a short time it’s hard to believe I’m so attracted to him.
“So that’s what happened.”
“No talking, no helping, no sitting together, no messages through others, not even any eye contact. He made it very clear. Even threatened to put me back with the others if I violated any of those rules.”
“The others?”
“The twenty males in this program are the most advanced of us. Many others are still more… Well, they call them bestial. They’re kept in a barracks on the south edge of the acreage.”
“So, I wonder why the Colonel relented.” From what Noble just said, he was adamant we stay apart.
“You called him out in front of the group. He would have to go on the record that he didn’t want the sexes mixing. I doubt that would go over well. Every male in the barracks is half in love with one of you females by now.”
“Well, two points for me.”
Chapter Fourteen
Noble
I take a deep breath, searching for Jenna’s essence over the lingering smell of paint and floor adhesive as we finish our tour of the bakery which is still under construction.
Jenna seems fascinated with the way my nostrils quiver as I take in her scent. She cocks her head and bites her bottom lip, making no secret she’s assessing me. When she gives me a shy smile, my heart beats faster. She’s looking at me like I’m the most important person in her world.
"Let's get out of here," I suggest. "I'd love to show you around."
She smiles in agreement, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear as she wipes her dusty hands on her khakis and heads toward the door.
We step outside onto Main Street and head toward the surrounding forest.
“I don’t want to jinx it, but I wonder why Watson and Barton aren’t here,” she says as we slip between the Main Street buildings toward the woods that abut the buildings. “Maybe it’s the Colonel’s way of apologizing for unfairly keeping us apart.”
The moment we’re in the shade of the tall trees and away from prying eyes, I ease closer to her as we walk toward our destination, a secluded lake tucked away in the nearby woods.
The sun is touching the horizon, painting everything around us in shades of orange and pink as if the world changed color right before our eyes. Walking side by side, we pick our way through overgrown brush and last year’s fallen leaves until we reach our destination.
I discovered it shortly after they deemed us rehabilitated enough to allow us freedom to roam within the property’s bounds.
We’re not allowed to leave the perimeter, which is enclosed by a tall fence topped with electrified razor wire. They told us it was to prevent anyone from accessing the property without authorization, but we know we are still in a prison, just a larger one.
With all my animal DNA, they couldn’t expect me to stay in the barracks all night, could they?
I prowled the property by the dim light of the moon, loving the freedom of being alone in nature, no matter what time of day it was. My nose led me to this, a pristine lake surrounded by lush trees that provide shelter from prying eyes.
“It’s lovely.” Jenna’s voice lilts. I never noticed how musical her words can be. Maybe they’re only this way when she’s happy and relaxed.
I never thought of giving the lake a name before, but I consider naming it Lake Jenna. No. That’s silly. It might embarrass her.
“We should name it.” I suggest this casually, gripping her hand as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. I hope she has no idea how my heart lurches in my chest with just this innocent connection of flesh and fur.
I help her to the shoreline, then we sit on an old log watching ripples form on top of its glassy surface as fish jump out every now and then seeking food. The fish are ravenous at dusk, I’ve discovered it’s the perfect time of day to be here.
