Shiftr_Swipe Left for Love_Connor & Lauren Page 12

  “Great!” Tamika clapped her hands together, and a cunning look came into her eyes. “Does this mean I can start organizing my first wedding?”

  Connor ground his teeth. The last thing he wanted to do was tell Tamika the whole sorry tale, but she had a right to know why things hadn’t worked out. “No, we’re not together,” he said.

  Tamika gaped. “But why on earth not?”

  “It’s kind of a long story. But the upshot is I can’t have a mate. I’m not all bear. I have some wolverine in my blood. Which means that I’ve got a tendency to be unfaithful.”

  “Wolverine, really?” Tamika wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t know bear shifters ever mated with other species. Guess I’ve got a lot to learn.”

  “I think it’s bullshit.” Frankie cut in. “Pardon my French. Our father always used it as an excuse for his cheating, but we’ve got no proof.”

  Tamika nodded slowly, thinking. “Interesting. And I think I know a way you can get proof, if you want it?”

  “I do,” Connor said immediately. “Just tell me what I have to do.”

  “It won’t be cheap, I’m afraid. But all you’ll need to do is provide a scientist friend of mine with a swab from the inside of your mouth.”

  Connor frowned. “I need a few days to get the money together.”

  Tamika waved her hand. “I can loan you the money, my dear. Sounds like time is of the essence.”

  It was a little after dark when Connor and Frankie arrived at Errol’s large ranch-style house on the outskirts of Hope Valley. They’d tracked him home from work the previous day, so they already knew how his property was laid out, and they’d noted the absence of any scent except for his own on the acreage surrounding his home. Frankie knocked on the front door while Connor hung back in the shadows.

  Frankie had been advocating shifting and taking him out, leaving his body in a forest far away, the apparent victim of a random bear attack. But Connor needed to hear him admit the truth.

  It was easier than they’d expected. As soon as he answered the door, they walked him into his house, turning the lights off, and when Connor shone a torch on his own face, revealing his identity, Errol promptly wet his pants.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” Connor said calmly. “I just want you to admit that you lied to everyone about selling the land to me.”

  “Okay—I did, I did!” Errol squeaked.

  Frankie stepped close to him and grabbed the back of his shirt collar. “Why did you do that?”

  Errol trembled violently, his teeth chattering. “Because I thought the land was worthless, but when you built the cabins on it, I realized I’d made a dumb deal.”

  Connor snarled. It was taking every ounce of his strength not to rip this weakling’s belly open.

  “My bosses were on my back, and I had to cover my ass,” Errol continued.

  “You need to cover a lot more than your ass now,” Frankie said, shaking him carelessly, but still hard enough to make his teeth rattle.

  “I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me. I’ll do anything!”

  “You’ll create a bill of sale, proving that the property belongs to me?” Connor said.

  “Yes, yes, of course. Whatever you say.”

  Frankie released Errol, and Connor produced a contract that he’d created with the help of some Internet research. Errol signed immediately.

  “And you’ll make a public announcement that you tried to cheat us out of the land?”

  Errol gasped. “It’ll ruin me!”

  Connor shook his head sadly. “You’re out of that job anyway. Think you can stay there after the way you scapegoated Lauren? Tomorrow, you’ll have her position returned to Hope Valley, and then you’ll resign. Do I make myself clear?”

  Errol shook his head, and Frankie jumped on him again, razor-sharp teeth poised to break through the weak human’s flesh.

  “If you don’t, we’ll come around again, and we won’t be so friendly next time.”

  Errol gave a kind of strangled shout.

  “You know we’re not normal guys, don’t you? And there’s a hell of a lot of us in this world. If you make one of us mad, you make us all mad. And Lauren is one of us,” Frankie said.

  Errol nodded rapidly, and Frankie released him. “I think our work is done here. But I expect to see that announcement in the papers tomorrow.”

  The brothers gave a snarl of disgust and walked out of Errol’s house, leaving him in a blubbering heap.

  “How did that feel?” Frankie said.

  “Pretty good actually,” Connor replied.

  The two of them got into Connor’s truck and drove back to the cabins.

  “I’m going to miss you, man,” Connor said.

  “Actually, you know that shed you’ll be building tomorrow to pay for the DNA test?”

  “Yup.” Connor threw his brother a curious glance.

  “I was thinking I could maybe stick around a couple of days, help you build it?”

  Connor’s heart leapt. “That’d be good,” he said in a serious tone.

  The following day, the news broke. Connor and Frankie were sitting in Rusty’s Bar, celebrating a hard day’s work, when the TV screens showed the local evening news. There was Errol, standing in front of a bunch of people and looking like he was about to piss his pants again, admitting he’d cheated some local residents out of property that was lawfully theirs, and that he was resigning from his position to atone for it. He’d be taking up a new position in Deerhead, while his colleague, Lauren Garcia, would be filling his role.

  Connor whooped. “We did it! I couldn’t have done it without you, Frankie.” They hugged each other hard, with plenty of backslapping.

  When they’d finished their beers, they went back to the cabins and cooked up a big barbecue to celebrate the good news. All the guys liked Frankie, and he was soon laughing and exchanging stories with them. Connor did his best to join in, but his heart was a little heavy, and when the bears were tucking into roasted meat and beers, he withdrew from the party and sat at a distance. He was so glad he’d done something good for Lauren, as well as getting their homes back. But she should be here, in his arms, celebrating with him, discussing their dreams for the future. Instead, he’d never see her again. And the thought almost ripped him in two.

  On the other side of town, Lauren was celebrating with Kristin and Tamika, drinking raspberry mojitos at Kristin’s place. She laughed with the other two as Kristin replayed the footage of Errol’s confession again and again. But inside, she was stunned. Her things were packed and she was ready to leave Hope Valley, but now this? She was going to head the department, totally leap-frogging the position that Errol had previously refused to give her. But she’d still be living in the same town as Connor.

  “He really got what was coming to him, didn’t he?” Tamika said.

  “Such an abrupt turnaround as well,” Kristin said. “I wonder what really happened.”

  When Lauren didn’t engage in the conversation, Kristin and Tamika’s eyes met over her head.

  “You just need some time, honey,” Kristin said, rubbing her shoulder. “It’s all a big shock.”

  “I guess,” she muttered. “Anyway, I’m sure glad I won’t be moving far away from you ladies.”

  The next morning, Connor and Frankie went to their father’s house to secure it and make sure nothing was going to sit and rot in there. An icy shudder crept along Connor’s spine as he walked across the threshold. He hadn’t been inside for many years, but the smell of the place was horribly familiar. Memories of his father flooded back—his drunkenness, the crude, ugly things he used to say to justify his failure to be a decent man.

  And much further back were the memories of his mother. Crying at the kitchen table after yet another woman had called her up and boasted about having sex with their father.

  “This place disgusts me,” he spat.

  “Me too,” Frankie replied.

  They emptied out the fridge and took out the trash
. Just as they were locking up, Connor remembered something. He ran upstairs and looked under his childhood bed. It was still there. He pulled out the old box and brought it with him. Then they locked the door for what Connor hoped would be the last time.

  As they were driving back to Hope Valley, Tamika called. “I’ve got some interesting news for you boys. Can I come over?”

  “Sure thing. See you in half an hour,” Connor replied. He asked Frankie a minute later, “Interesting means good, right?”

  “I reckon so.”

  Tamika beat them to the cabins, and when they arrived, she was sitting on the porch steps. She waved a piece of paper at them as they approached. “You’ll be happy to know you’re full-blood brothers. Annnd, you’re all bear shifter. There’s nothing else in the mix!”

  “What?” Connor grabbed the paper from her. It didn’t make a lot of sense to him except for the pie chart at the bottom that showed their species mix was 100% one species, and 0% of another. He frowned. “So that’s it? There’s no wolverine in there at all?”

  “The test is capable of identifying species DNA to point-oh-one percent so, no. My friend categorically says not.”

  Suddenly, Connor’s eyes stung, in a way they hadn’t since he was very small, and he pinched hard at the bridge of his nose.

  “This is—it’s incredible.”

  “He was lying to us all these years,” Frankie said, staring at the results. “Just like I thought.” He turned to Connor. “Now, what are you doing to drop this bad-blood shit once and for all?”

  But Connor was already gone, sprinting toward his truck.

  15

  Lauren sat in her apartment, gazing miserably at the boxes that she was failing to unpack. She was supposed to be in work, but she’d called in and requested a couple of personal days, which Errol had granted her willingly. He was probably glad to avoid the humiliation of seeing her again. A night’s sleep hadn’t refreshed her much, and she’d had no more enthusiasm for starting her new position. Being with Connor had given her a glimpse into a completely different life—a husband, children, a home full of fun and laughter—and then it had been snatched away.

  Sure, she was going to be Parks Manager—finally a position that reflected her skills and abilities, and her working environment would improve a lot. And she could now afford a new apartment with the pay rise she’d be getting. But life would essentially be the same. Waking up alone every day, not having anyone to protect her and snuggle with her, to share her heart with. The world felt like a very gray place.

  Pull yourself together, she told herself. This wasn’t her. She was a survivor. A survivor who deserved a blueberry muffin and a caramel macchiato.

  She got up and grabbed her car keys. Then she put them down again. Okay, she deserved a treat, as long as she walked to pick it up.

  She put on a pair of sneakers and headed out of the apartment and down her street in the direction of Gino’s café.

  Less than ten minutes later, she wished she’d stayed home with a bowl of oatmeal instead.

  She turned a corner onto the main street and came face to face with Connor. He caught sight of her at the same time. “Lauren! I’ve been looking for you all over town. Please listen to me!” he exclaimed, bounding over to her, waving a piece of paper.

  She stopped dead. “Connor, I can’t do this. I’m real happy you got the cabins back, but—”

  “Just read this, please?”

  She didn’t want to see the paper he was thrusting at her. But something about him—his big, beseeching eyes, so full of naked hope—convinced her to take it from him. She scanned it, not understanding.

  “What am I looking at?”

  “It’s a DNA test. It proves I don’t have wolverine genes. I’m not genetically programmed to be a cheater. My dad was lying to me all this time.”

  Lauren stared at him. “Wow,” she murmured, short of anything else to say. “That was a mean thing to do to you boys.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m kind of over Dad being mean now. He had a lot of issues. I’m just glad to get the truth at last. That wolverine thing—I felt like it was hanging over my head all my life. Like a curse or something.”

  “And now it’s gone.”

  “It’s gone.” A look of wonder came into his eyes. “It’s gone,” he repeated two times more. “I don’t have to hate myself anymore for something I never did. Or even wanted to do.” He clapped his hand over his mouth. “God.”

  “Connor, it’s okay.”

  He stared at the ground, his face contorted with emotion.

  “Come on.” She wrapped her hand around his big, muscly forearm and led him off the main street into a quiet alleyway. He blew out a forceful breath, squared his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why it suddenly got me like this.”

  She continued to stroke his forearm. “Because at first you were excited to have the proof. But now you’re realizing how much of your life this lie has taken away from you,” she said. Then she froze. “And that’s my story, too.”

  Connor looked at her sadly. “That’s because our stories are intertwined. One man broke us. Because of his own self-hatred and selfishness.”

  “But then we came together again,” she said softly, standing close enough to him that she had to tilt her head back to see his face.

  His eyes went soft. “I want to show you something. Can I?”

  “Sure…,” she said uncertainly.

  “It’s in my car, though. Could you wait in the park while I go get it?”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Lauren walked to the park and sat on the bench that she and Frankie had shared a few days earlier, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She’d forgotten her hurt, and her heart had gone out to him. How could it not? He’d been so wounded by his father. He hadn’t been cheated on like Lauren, and he hadn’t had to live with the burden of being a cheater like Frankie, but he’d spent his life convinced there was evil inside him because somebody else had made him believe it was true. And that was just as bad.

  Connor was back, running at full pelt toward her, but when he came to a stop, he wasn’t at all out of breath. He was looking especially sexy today in a white T-shirt that matched the whiteness of his teeth, sleeves rolled high above the bulges of his biceps, and battered blue jeans hanging low on his hips.

  He was carrying an old candy tin, spotted with rust. He sat down beside her, laid it on his lap, and opened it. It contained a stack of old photos. He took them out, straightened them into a neat pile, and leaned in close.

  At the sight of the first one, she gave a little cry. “Is it—? No, it can’t be.” She took the old polaroid with yellowing edges and held it up to the light.

  He nodded. “It’s you. I’d recognize those mischievous eyes anywhere. You haven’t changed a lot.”

  She gasped. “I must be about seven or something. Am I sitting on your mom’s lap?”

  “Yes,” he said, eyes dancing.

  “And who’s this handsome guy in the corner of the room?”

  He laughed. “I sure wish I could remember this moment, but I look like I was pretty fascinated with you.” It was undoubtedly Connor. His features had changed a lot since he’d developed into a man, but that good-natured smile was the same, as was the light and curiosity in his big brown eyes.

  “Oh, Connor. You always liked me. Even when I was a little kid, being watched by your mom.”

  “I did.” His face was inches from hers. “Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me? To understand that I didn’t hide the truth about my brother for selfish reasons?”

  In answer, she held his chin very gently between finger and thumb and pressed her lips to his.

  “You’re forgiven,” she said, when they parted breathlessly, some minutes later. Her body was thrumming with desire and emotion.

  Connor pressed his forehead against hers and continued to look into her eyes. “I’ll never let you down. I’ll neve
r cheat on you. You know that, right? I’m a bear, and once a bear is mated, it’s for life.”

  “I know that,” she said, and there wasn’t a trace of doubt in her words. “I just have one question now.”

  “What’s that?”

  “When do we mate?”

  He let off a soft growl that thrilled her all the way to her toes. “Just as soon as I get you home,” he said.

  They went back to the cabins. It was farther than her apartment, but it felt right to be there. He kept his hand on her thigh as he drove them, the warmth of his fingers seeping through her pantyhose. She willed him to go higher and higher, but he stopped a couple of inches from the apex of her thighs, teasing her maddeningly. By the time he pulled up, she was panting, desperate for his touch.

  A few of the guys were hanging around, but at a low rumble from him, they disappeared, and he and Lauren ran inside, laughing.

  “How do you get more sexy every time I see you?” he murmured, unfastening the buttons on her shirt.

  “I try, Connor, I try,” she replied jokingly as she tugged his T-shirt over his abs. This time she wasn’t shy about him seeing her body. She trusted that he desired her just the way she was. Shirt, pantyhose, skirt, bra, and panties came off, and she lay back on the bed, propping herself on her elbows as she watched him take off his pants. When his cock came springing out, she bit her lip. It was the first time she’d had a really good look at it, and it still seemed too big to fit inside her. But she knew it wasn’t. And so did her pussy, which was soaking wet and burning for him to take her.

  He took a step toward her, then knelt on the bed between her parted thighs. His eyes were lit with a mixture of lust and love. It was heady, and every part of her tingled with anticipation.