Page 22 of August

She was going to point out that he’d literally just seen her before she walked over to Lexy’s, but instead, she accepted the compliment with a smile and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for the flowers, you look really good too.”

“Hey, do you two have a picture of yourselves yet? It’ll be awesome to mark the occasion,” Dani said.

“On it,” Adriana said. She took out her phone and snapped a few pictures of them, then texted them to Ginny.

“Thanks so much for everything,” Ginny said to the females. “Let me know when the girls’ day is scheduled.”

“Girls’ night for sure,” Dani said.

“You bet we will. Have fun you two,” Lori said.

August lowered on one knee and said, “Climb on and I’ll swing us down.”

“Are you serious?” she asked.

“It’s what the males do for their females sometimes,” he said. “I promise I won’t drop you.”

“Oh gosh, I hadn’t even thought of that.” She laughed. Feeling a little silly, but loving how sweet he was, she climbed onto his back and hooked her arm across his chest, gripping the flowers in her other hand. “Definitely don’t drop me.”

“I promise.” He rose to his feet and said, “Hold on, sweetheart.”

A moment later, he leaped for a branch and she let out an eep! as he swung them from one branch to the next, crossing from Lexy and Win’s home to theirs, then down the branches as far as he could go before dropping gracefully to the padded floor.

“That was amazing!”

“I’m glad you liked it.” He dropped to one knee and she climbed from his back. “That was fun for me too. I’ve never carried someone before.”

“I’m glad I could be the first.”

“So I’ve got a fun night planned for us. The park is totally empty and security will be out on patrols as usual. Are you ready for our first date?”

“One hundred percent.”

He gave her a little bow and offered her his arm, and then they walked toward the door that led to the gorilla paddock.

Her soulmate…she was definitely falling for him.

How could she not?

He was her knight in shining armor, her furry defender, her sweet protector.

It turned out the best thing that had ever happened to her was getting captured by those asshole human animal hoarders. Without them, she might have just run forever and never known how sweet it was to call someone soulmate.

August had pulled out all the stops for their first date. He’d asked advice from his mated friends and band members, including the females who’d given him great tips on how to make the night memorable.

He was definitely falling for his soulmate.

She wasn’t just gorgeous, she called to every part of him. Her strength and her heart, her sense of humor and her sweet smile. He’d been wishing he’d find his soulmate since he was old enough to know what that was, and now that he had her, he wanted her to know just how damn special she was to him.

Even though they’d only been together for two days, he was still falling hard for her. He figured it was the way of soulmates, because their beasts were already in tune and knew they were meant to be together, so it was just a matter of their human sides catching up.

They walked up the stairs to the maintenance shed in the gorilla paddock. He paused before he lifted the door in the ceiling above them.

“It’s safe for us out here, I just want you to know that. The paddock has been cleared and the patrols are running on the outside of the walls as well now, so no one is getting in the park tonight. Or any other night.”

She nodded. “I trust you.”

“That means the world to me.”

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