Page 17 of Tiger Queen

It was overwhelming suddenly being in charge of so many animals. I felt the weight of responsibility press down on my shoulders with each one I observed. I was the only thing keeping them safe and healthy, now.

I loved every minute of it.

Once all the animals were fed and happy, I helped David clean up the food prep room thoroughly. We got down on our hands and knees to scrub the floor, first cleaning the fresh mess we had just made and then trying to get through the older levels.

Again, I was struck by how sexy he was. The muscles in his arms flexed wonderfully as he scrubbed the floor. There was a thin layer of five o’clock shadow on his face, and his skin glistened with sweat. It was tough not to stare.

He caught me looking. I quickly turned away.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“I was just wondering what you do for a living.”

David was quiet for a minute, like he knew I had been checking him out and was covering for it. “I own two Crossfit gyms in Richmond.”

“That makes sense. You look like you work out a lot.”

He stopped scrubbing and raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Shit. I could feel myself blushing. “You’re a fit guy, is all.”

He resumed cleaning. “I try to prioritize health in my life.”

“That’s good. Health is important.”

I winced as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Health is important? I bet I sounded like a ditsy blonde idiot. Guys normally didn’t have this effect on me.

Then again, most guys didn’t look like him.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to feed all the animals without you.”

“Didn’t you feed them yesterday?”

“Yeah, but I did it all wrong. I didn’t even add the vitamin supplements like you did. A few days of that and half the animals would probably be dead.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You would have to mistreat them for weeks to kill one of them. Probably.”

“That’s reassuring.”

I rose from the ground and stretched. Did his eyes flick toward my chest for a second? Maybe it was my imagination.

“Let’s go fill out that paperwork,” I said. “And get some lunch. What kind of food do you have around here?”

He got up and stretched his arms out. Now it was my turn to check him out. “The fridge in the visitor’s center is stocked with the best microwave burritos money can buy.”

“I’m easy to please.”

We washed our hands and arms in the big stainless steel sink set into the wall. His arm brushed against mine while we scrubbed the grime from underneath our fingernails. It felt like electricity shot through my body where our skin touched. I tried to pretend like it was no big deal. He looked like he was smirking as he dried off his hands, though.

When we reached the visitor’s center, David stopped dead in his tracks. “What is it?” I asked.

“You hear that?”

I listened. There was a rumbling car engine in the distance, drawing closer. It sounded like it was pulling into the parking lot outside.

“Sounds like someone doesn’t know you’re closed.”

David shook his head. “That’s not a customer.”

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