Chapter 6
Seneca took off his boots and settled on the couch. After staring at the ceiling and listening to the water turn on in the room Sunny was in, he picked up his phone and scrolled mindlessly to avoid thinking about her in the shower.
It was tough, though.
Because she was beautiful, and he one hundred percent wished he was with her.
Dark blond hair, bright blue eyes, and killer curves.
And she smelled amazing. Like sunshine and sugar.
He understood her wanting to keep away from physical stuff right now, because while they were soulmates, they were virtual strangers. An hour chatting about their lives over dinner didn’t make them besties who knew every little thing.
That would come in time.
And she’d also been tossed aside by people who were supposed to take care of her, so she’d had her life turned upside down and lost her adopted family.
He didn’t mind sleeping on the couch. Everything else would come in good time. He was just so damn glad she was there.
When he got tired of doom-scrolling, he put the phone on the coffee table and closed his eyes, trying not to hyperfocus on every little noise coming from Sunny’s room.
But then he heard a squeak as her door opened and the soft creak of the floor as she walked into the family room.
“Are you awake?” she whispered.
He rose onto his elbows and looked toward the hall where she stood, fidgeting with the edge of her tank top. “Yeah. Are you okay?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Me either.”
“Could I… join you?”
“Sure.”
He was going to sit up so she could sit next to him, but before he could situate himself, she stretched out next to him, her back against his chest and her sweet scent in his nose.
He gently laid his arm over her waist and adjusted one of the pillows under his head.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” she said with a low voice. “But I knew if I asked you to join me in the bedroom that I’d want to do more than sleep. I thought being in the bedroom alone would help, but my tigress is being really noisy.”
He chuckled. “My bear is too. I think it’s just what happens with soulmates. I promise I’d keep my hands to myself if you just wanted to sleep.”
“That’s the problem. I don’t want you to keep your hands to yourself. I think it’s my human side that’s trying to put the brakes on. My tigress would like to get naked with you right now.”
He chuckled and kissed her bare shoulder and she shivered.
“We don’t have to rush into anything,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens.”
She made an agreeing noise that morphed into a yawn.
“You’re so warm.”
“It’s my bear.”
“Maybe it’s just you. Warm and protective. I can’t remember ever feeling so safe.”
He smiled. They didn’t talk anymore after that, both comfortable in the silence, and in no time, he fell asleep to her deep breathing, content to have his soulmate in his arms.
* * *
He woke in the morning with Sunny curled against him. Morning light was just starting to filter in through the blinds. He loved how perfectly she fit against him. She stirred and murmured a good morning.
He kissed the juncture of her neck and shoulder, where her tank top had slipped to the side.
She turned over to face him, her hand slipping up under his shirt and her fingers splaying over his skin. Tilting her face to his for a kiss, he pressed his lips to hers, his bear making appreciative noises that made his chest rumble.
She smiled at him, her eyes drifting closed as she snuggled a little deeper into his arms. “I slept really well.”
“Me too.”
“I didn’t think it was possible to get a good rest on a couch. But I’m sure it had more to do with how comfortable I feel with you.”
His bear chuffed in happiness.
“I’m glad you slept well.”
“Do we have any plans today?”
“Since I’m off work, I thought we could have breakfast in the employee cafeteria and then I can give you the park tour. And if you’d like, I could arrange a date for us. I’ll have to clear it with security and get an escort, but we could go to dinner.”
“That would be great.” She kissed him and sat up, stretching with a squeak. “I’m going to get dressed. Did you want to use the shower?”
“I don’t have any clean clothes to change into. I need to head to my place, but I want to talk to my dad first.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
She stood up and stretched again, and he caught a glimpse of her belly and his bear growled softly.
She walked away after giving him a soft smile, and he lifted his phone from the coffee table. Sending a text to his dad, he asked, Can I bring Sunny down to my place? I need to shower and change.
After a few moments, his dad responded, Yes, you can bring her down.
The alphas talked last night after you left with her, and we decided that since you’re soulmates and you’ve both acknowledged it, that she can be underground in our private living area, but she can’t have any codes or go anywhere in the park alone until after you’ve mated her and we’ve had a chance to get to know her.
Seneca was surprised. He’d thought they would want to wait longer to allow her to know the truth of the park shifters’ living arrangements. But he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Understood. I’m going to reach out to security to get an escort for a date tonight.
Sounds good.
He opened a chat with Jupiter, who agreed to arrange an escort so that Seneca and Sunny would be in an unmarked park SUV, and a security team of two males would follow to look for trouble. While they hadn’t had any issues lately, their people never went anywhere alone or took safety for granted.
He couldn’t wait for their date. He wanted to show her how happy he was that she was in his life.
By the time Sunny walked out of the bedroom wearing shorts and a pale green top, he’d made a reservation for dinner and grabbed an energy drink from the fridge.
“Do you like coffee in the morning?” he asked.
“Iced coffee, yes,” she said. “Vanilla or caramel.”
“We can get you an iced coffee in the cafeteria. Have a seat, sweetheart. I need to tell you something.”
Her eyes went wide as she sat on the couch. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, definitely. But I’m going to share some information with you that’s very private and can’t be shared with anyone.”
“I don’t have anyone to talk to except you and your friends,” she pointed out.
“I know, I’m just phrasing it this way so you know how important it is that we don’t talk about this sort of thing in the open.”
“Of course. What’s up?”
“I told you that I had a place of my own with the other shifters who live and work in the park, but what I didn’t tell you last night is the location.
When I talked to my dad just a little while ago, he said that the alphas agreed that I could show you where our people live.
All the doors have security codes and it’s very safe, but only the people who live and work here have the codes.
So I can’t share the codes with you until after you and I are mated and our people have had a chance to get to know you better. ”
“I understand. So where is this place?”
“Underground.”
Her eyes went wide. “Seriously?”
“Yep.” He told her about the underground living areas for each shifter group and the marketplace, with the shops, offices, and cafeteria.
“Most everyone eats at the market, but the employee cafeteria where I took you last night is also kept well stocked for staff meals. We’ll go there now and I’ll take you underground.
Like Jupiter said last night, you can’t go anywhere alone, but I’m excited to show you my place. Which is now our place.”
She beamed at him. “I’m excited to see it too. Should I bring my bag? I didn’t unpack.”
“That’s a great idea.”
She hurried to the bedroom and came back with her bag. “I didn’t have time to pack much, so I’m glad that the bathroom here was stocked with toiletries.”
“We can get you whatever you need.”
He opened the door and held it for her, then grabbed her bag to carry it.
“I don’t have a lot of money. I spent most of it on gas driving here.”
“Don’t worry about that at all. It’s all covered, I promise.”
They walked across the park and into the employee cafeteria, using the stairwell to head underground to his home in the bears’ private living area, which was decorated with dark carpeting and walls painted to look like the forest. His home was a two-bedroom ranch.
“Oh wow, this place is amazing,” she said, looking around as they crossed the wide room to his home.
“I’m glad you like it. Each group has their own living area. All the codes are different, so no other group has our codes, and vice versa.”
“Your people really take security seriously.”
“Lots of precious people are down here,” he said with a smile.
He opened the door to his house and shut the door behind them. “I’m going to grab a shower, and then we can get breakfast in the marketplace. Make yourself at home.”
She nodded and he walked away, planning to take the fastest shower possible so he could get back to his soulmate.
As soon as the water was hot, he stripped and stepped under the spray, reaching for the shampoo. And that’s when he heard Sunny’s voice.
“Room for one more?”