“Yes. I’m sorry, Vanni. It had nothing to do with us not trusting you. It’s just that you were sleeping so peacefully that I refused to wake you. The clothing you brought with you obviously wasn’t to your shape. I know you live with another female so I gave one of our males the shirt you wore to enable him to recognize your scent. He identified your clothing for the team and they recorded the sizes. A male who works with our public relations team had a shop open afterhours and he picked out something for you. I hope it is to your liking.”
Her gaze drifted to the bag across the room and then to Smiley. He frowned.
“Are you angry? They secured your home afterward and did no damage. Our public relations people wanted to buy you a new outfit to wear today when we take you to buy new clothing. It gives us a reason to show everyone we’re together. I saw no reason for them to take your possessions from your home without your permission.”
“I’m just kind of surprised. That seems like a lot of work when you could have just asked my size.”
“We get things done. You needed the sleep and I handled the situation. I also ordered personal products for you, like the ones you keep in your home. They will be delivered today.”
“Personal products?”
He smiled. “Your bathing products. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash and even the deodorant and toothpaste you prefer.”
“Okay.” It seemed a bit much but she couldn’t really complain since he’d said they hadn’t damaged anything. It was actually very thoughtful. “Thank you.”
He grinned. “I chose the outfit from the ones they selected. They brought a few. I hope you don’t mind. Someone will send the rest over later if you wish but I’m taking you shopping today. I thought you’d like to pick out your own style.”“I don’t mind.” It had to beat anything Mable had chosen for her when she’d been imprisoned at Gregory’s vacation home. “Have you eaten?” She indicated that he could share her meal.
“I ate. Thank you.”
“What time did you leave?”
“Around four a.m. I thought I’d be back sooner but it took time to go to Security to collect your bag and pack my own things. I brought enough to last a few days and I can get more when I run out.”
She managed to keep her mouth from dropping open. It did sound as if he planned to stay with her the entire time she was at Homeland. It wasn’t a bad thing in her mind. It was actually comforting and wonderful knowing she wouldn’t be alone.
“Please eat your food, Vanni. You’ll need your strength.”
She was glad she didn’t have food in her mouth when his gaze dropped to her breasts and a hungry look narrowed his beautiful eyes. His implications were clear.
He glanced up and smiled. “Are you ready to go shopping today and get harassed by humans with cameras?”
“I guess so.”
“Don’t worry. No one will get too close. I’m going to protect you and we’ll have a few teams backing us up. Justice didn’t notify anyone of our plan so it will take the media some time to assemble wherever we go.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
“Good. Humans use social networks when they see us and upload photos. The press arrives soon afterward. We’ll be in and out before they can get too many vans out there and set up to shoot video. We do this all the time.”
“You have to face that every time you go shopping?”
“We don’t usually buy our clothing in the out world. It’s mostly online but we do have outings we can’t avoid sometimes. It’s not as bad up at Reservation because there aren’t a lot of hotels or motels to house the reporters who hound our people. The humans who live in the nearby town aren’t too welcoming of the press so there’s less to deal with. Here at Homeland it can get pretty bad, fast.”
She finished most of her breakfast though her appetite was gone. Her brief dealings with the media circus outside her apartment wasn’t a fond memory. “I don’t think anyone really likes reporters.”
“The humans who live by Reservation are friends of ours. They won’t tolerate protestors either.” He grinned. “I like Sheriff Cooper. He asks for our help often and arrests anyone who causes Species trouble.”
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.