Shiftr_Swipe Left for Love_Connor & Lauren Read online

  Instead of replying, Tamika handed her the phone. “Okay, it’s all good to go. Your potential matches appear here.” She pointed at the screen with a pale pink fingertip. “And you scroll down to see more profiles.”

  “Why aren’t there any photos of these guys?”

  “Because I need you to find matches based on the app’s algorithms instead of what’s pleasing your eye, my dear. So—swipe left to see their animal sides, right if you don’t want to see them again, and start entering your personal profile right here.”

  “Okay. I’ll do this.” Lauren fixed Tamika with her fiercest stare. “But just because you’re my friend and I love you.”

  2

  Connor sat on his porch steps in the late afternoon shadows, cooling off with a beer. That feisty lady rocking up all aggressive and threatening had killed his enthusiasm for working on his new cabin. He didn’t think she’d be back, though. She looked good and scared when she left. Hopefully she’d find that bozo who sold them the land, and he’d straighten it all out. Explain that the clan had bought the land fair and square, and it was now their territory.

  Connor had been roaming for a long time, never staying in any one place long enough to call it a home. Sleeping in places people had abandoned. Always on his guard. He’d picked up the other bears along the way—mostly wanderers like him, some troubled, broken. But they’d come together and become a clan, and he was damn proud of them. And now, at long last, they’d found a permanent home. And paid for it. Okay, the price was a joke. But the Parks manager had said they’d be doing him a favor. It was an eyesore, and his boss had been on his back to deal with it, but he didn’t have the budget. As long as Connor and his clan agreed to clean it up, it was theirs.

  And now this little firecracker of a human had come along and tried to kick them out. There was no way in hell that was going to happen.

  He ground his teeth at the thought. Something sat heavy in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t feel good about having scared her. She was tiny. And she smelled good. Sweet, like honey nectar. And she had big, pretty black eyes and those nice, ripe curves that some human women were blessed with. But when she accused him of lying, his bear had been about ready to bust out of him.

  “What’s happening, bro?” Logan called, appearing from around the side of the house and bounding up the steps to sit beside him.

  “Nothing much,” he said tersely. He wasn’t about to bother the clan with the crap that had just happened. He was the leader, and it was his job to take care of things like that. Finding this land was the best thing that had happened to some of them, and he wasn’t about to dampen their spirits. “Just finishing work for the day and trying to find the energy to get started on our, uh, other work. There’s a beer over there if you want one.”

  Logan grabbed one of the beers that sat in an old bucket of well water. There was a power supply to the old cabins that they’d demolished, but they didn’t have a refrigerator yet. With a sigh, Connor retrieved his cell phone from where he’d left it on the deck. All the bears had one now. The eccentric lady who’d come around a few days earlier offering to pay them to go on a dating site had also given free phones to the five of the nine bears who’d never owned one before.

  A rumble escaped his lips as he tapped on the orange paw print app and watched it open. He and the clan were supposed to test it by using it for real. Which had gotten most of them as excited as a bunch of dogs with two dicks. But not him. He’d only agreed because they needed the money so bad. If he was going to get the clan civilized, it was going to cost some, and that money wasn’t going to come out of thin air. Truth was, that pretty lady with the big hair and funny way of talking had turned up like an angel from heaven. She’d paid half the money up front and told them she’d pay the rest when they’d been on at least three dates.

  Logan had owned a phone for a long time, and he took it out of his pocket and started tapping and scrolling on the screen with irritating deftness.

  “Logie, can you go call all the guys here? I want to make sure I’m the only one who doesn’t know what the hell I’m doing with this damn thing,” Connor said.

  “Sure thing, dude,” Logan replied, continuing to stare at his phone as he got to his feet.

  While he was gone, Connor got to work on the app, going through all the pesky questions it was asking him, until at last he was done. It went into “processing” mode for a couple of minutes, and at last a string of matches came up. “I’ll be damned,” he muttered. There were no photos of the females, only descriptions of hobbies and character traits. And that was fine with him because he wasn’t looking. He’d just invite three of his matches on a date. He’d treat them nice, but that was all. No kissing, no handholding. And then he’d report back, pick up the money, and run. He clicked on the top profile.

  Fun, social, loves cracking jokes and helping friends and family out, the personality section said. He shrugged. Sounded like a fine woman if he was looking. He went to the send private message button, tapped it, and typed out a reply:

  I’d like to invite you on a date. Please let me know when is good for you? I suggest meeting at— He went through his notes and found the café Tamika had recommended as a good place for a first date. Gino’s Café. He frowned. That wasn’t going to fly. If he was going to have to do small-talk with a stranger—a human, female stranger—beer would need to be involved. He deleted it and wrote Rusty’s Bar instead.

  A lot of rumbling and raucous laughter told him the clan had arrived. Logan, Ryzard, Olsen, Ryder, Dalton, Leigh, Niall, and Timo. His ragtag family. Unlike him, most of them couldn’t wait to get started, and they pushed their phones at him and Logan with a hundred questions. Just then, Connor’s phone beeped with an incoming message.

  If you think I’m going on a date with you when you haven’t even tried to get to know me, then you’re sadly mistaken, mister! it said. Sheesh.

  He let off a low whistle. “Guess the lady has a point,” he muttered to himself.

  He flicked through his emoticons and sent her a bunch of flowers. Sorry, ma’am, I’m not real good with this app, and I like everything I’ve read about you already, so I guess I got ahead of myself.

  You’re excused, came the reply, a few minutes later. But you’d better be ready to make up for it. And I’m not a girl who impresses easy!!

  Connor’s lip curled. This was a whole lot more than he’d bargained for. Wooing women wasn’t his forte. If he’d known that was involved, he would’ve turned Tamika down flat.

  We bears aren’t known for our finesse, he wrote.

  Well you’d better step up to the plate, buster.

  His forehead furrowed. Was this chick for real? Maybe you just can’t handle a big growly bear.

  You might be right. I’ve never met a bear before. Maybe I should be checking out the big cats instead.

  His bear let off a snarl, started nudging against his skin. The mere idea of coming second to any other species was enough to put it in fighting mode. Connor shushed it up. He was done. This woman was getting right under his furry hide.

  Run off with a kitty if you like, lady. It’ll be your loss.

  He jammed the phone in his back pocket.

  But as he was getting up to join the others, it vibrated.

  I’m sorry. I’m not usually so spiky. I had a bad day today…

  Connor blew a long breath out. You and me both, lady.

  Can we start over?

  A smile tugged at Connor’s lips. If you play nice.

  My friends say I’m a nice person. I actually don’t date much…

  Me either.

  If the offer of a date’s still open, I’d like to take you up on it.

  His smile stretched into a grin. I think I can find you a slot in my diary tomorrow night.

  At Rusty’s Bar?

  Sure thing. Know where to find it?

  Nope.

  He sent her a map pin.

  How will I recognize you?

  Connor fr
owned. Good question. I’m a big guy. Brown hair. Shit, that described half the guys who drank at Rusty’s. He ran through the clothes he owned, which didn’t take long. I’ll be in a dark blue T-shirt and blue jeans.

  I’ll be in pink. I don’t know what yet, but I wear a lot of pink.

  You’ll sure stick out like a sore thumb in there.

  ??? Does that mean I should wear something different?

  No, pink’s good. His cock twitched. He couldn’t imagine this hellcat in girly pink. It was an intriguing combination.

  “Hey, Connor!” Ryzard yelled, sliding into him with a bump. “Whatcha doin’?”

  Connor shook his head in exasperation. Ryzard always had to know where he was, what he was doing. When he last took a piss. “Having a rare half-second to myself, dude,” he replied, then turned back to the phone.

  Hey, I’ve gotta go—my clan needs me. I’ll see you tomorrow. Round 8?

  Perfect. See you then.

  “What a feisty piece of work,” he muttered as he got to his feet and gave Ryzard his attention. But for some reason his bear had started purring and wouldn’t quit.

  Lauren stripped off her office clothes and hit the shower after another crappy day at work. She’d had a meeting with her boss, Errol, about the land that was under an eviction order. He’d denied that it had been sold to anyone. There’s been development plans in the works for a long time. And he was irate she hadn’t handed over the eviction notice. That spineless asshole. Like he wouldn’t have done the same thing in her shoes. And he was about a foot taller than she was, with a belly you could bounce a baby off.

  She’d been as mad as hell all afternoon, and not at all in the mood for this not-date, but as the scorching water hit her, she forced herself to calm down, think positive. She had to do her best for Tamika. Tamika was doing a good thing, developing this app for free to give shifters and curvy girls the chance to find a mate. Besides, the text conversation last night had piqued her curiosity. It’ll be kind of interesting to see what this growly bear’s like in the flesh, she mused as she toweled dry and pulled on a pale pink lingerie set, navy jeans, and a fuchsia pink V-neck shirt. She slid her small feet into a pair of pink patent heels and grabbed a pink purse before eyeing her reflection. Always curvier than she wanted to be, but she was okay with that. She knew she wasn’t a girl that guys went crazy for, and she never expected to find a husband. But she had three younger siblings who counted on her, and that was enough.

  “Okay, let’s do this,” she muttered, and walked out of the small, cluttered apartment she rented downtown. She got into her car and set her sat nav to the map pin Connor had given her, a thirty-minute drive away, then headed out of town in the direction of the national forest. She would’ve preferred to have met someplace in Hope Valley, which had plenty of bars among its lively streets. She’d been living in the town for the past seven years, and she never got tired of the pretty red-brick buildings and tree-lined roads, and the views of the low mountains that surrounded it were something else. She guessed Connor felt more comfortable meeting closer to the forest, though. Perhaps Rusty’s was a shifter bar where he hung out a lot. As she passed the city limits, the thought of walking into a bar full of shifters didn’t make her at all nervous. Not one bit.

  Connor whistled as he swung his battered old pickup into the parking lot of Rusty’s. The brown and tan truck was a piece of shit except for the off-road tires. Things were going well. By the time his clan had gone to bed last night, all of them had gotten a profile on the dating app. All except for Leigh and Ryzard, but they were special cases. Some of the guys were already chatting to girls, and they were full of enthusiasm. It made Connor’s spirits lift. He was doing his best to hold the clan together, but it wasn’t easy since they had such different characters, all with their own hurts and shattered backgrounds. If they had mates, though, that would be a different story. They’d settle and their cubs would bond with each other. He knew in his heart that was the key.

  And there had been no sign of that meddling human and her eviction notices. Hopefully that was the last he’d seen of her. All day he’d been tense, not working on the cabins, waiting for her to come around again, but now the tightness in his gut was easing, and he was looking forward to getting back to building again, making sure each of the bears had a home of their own.

  He was early for the date. He was a bear who liked to be prepared for things. He scanned the room, but there were no human females in the bar. Good. He picked out a table that gave him a vantage point of the entrance, pulled out a seat, and sat down.

  After the server, a narrow-faced fox shifter, brought him a beer, he pulled out the questionnaire that Tamika, the app designer, had left him, wanting to have the questions in his head so he knew what to focus on.

  He tried hard to concentrate, but his bear was restless, fretting and pacing, eager to meet his date. It’s not a date, he told it. It’s work. But it ignored him, pushing at his skin, bringing his cock to life. A thought struck him and he froze, beer half way to his lips—what if she thinks it’s a date? What if we seem like a good match? It didn’t matter. He wasn’t looking for a mate. And he wasn’t at all curious to find out whether that feisty chick looked as sexy as she sounded.

  He sipped his beer, went back to his questions. Then a noise made him look up—a mixture of bear rumbles and big cat purrs—a collective sound of curiosity. There was a woman in pink walking through the bar, looking around uncertainly. She was short, voluptuous, and, holy hell—it was her! No.

  He scrubbed at his eyes with his fists. This couldn’t be right. That damn woman from the Parks Department? He stood up, knocking the table and making some of his beer slosh out of the glass. She stopped in front of him and her eyes widened in shock.

  “You again,” he said. “Looking for someone?”

  “I—uh—” Her eyes scanned his T-shirt.

  “You have a date.”

  “Yes. No. I was just looking for a friend.” She started to back away, and he picked up a faint scent of fear.

  His bear rumbled. “Was that really you on the app yesterday?”

  She stopped dead. “Was that really you?”

  “I wouldn’t hurt you, you know.”

  “Then why did I feel like you were about to tear me apart yesterday?”

  “Because I was mad. Because I bought that land fair and square, and I’ve been trying to build a livelihood with my clan, and you were fixing to ruin it.”

  She raised her hand and pointed at him with an index finger. “There’s no purchase agreement. There’s no evidence that you bought it. I was just doing my job. Acting on the information I received.”

  “I told you there was a verbal agreement.”

  “I’m sorry but that doesn’t hold water.”

  He shook his head hard. Her voice was loud. But so was his. He let off a snarl. “I’m a bear. We take honor and responsibility very seriously.”

  She trembled a little, but stood her ground. “That sounds crazy to me. You go to a store, buy a soda, you get a receipt. Buy a whole chunk of land, and surely you would ask for a big ol’ receipt?”

  He sighed. “The land was derelict. It was full of junk. Car wrecks, rotted armchairs, bags of trash. The guy said he was grateful we were fixing it up.”

  The little human’s lips drew into a tight O, as if something had crossed her mind.

  “Can you give me your word that you’re going to leave us bears to live in peace now?”

  She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, but the order to leave the land still stands. I’m going to need you gone in the next six days, as per the notice I attempted to give you.”

  “Over my dead body!” he roared, taking a step forward.

  She danced backward, the bitter scent of her fear now filling his nostrils. “It’s not my decision. I’m just doing what my boss tells me,” she said in a shaky voice.

  He stopped. Shit. I can’t act like this. She’s going to piss her pants in a minute. “Don’
t worry. I’m going now,” he said, and he strode away from her in a big arc, past hordes of gawking shifters, and out through the bar’s heavy saloon doors.

  Connor tore out of the parking lot with a squeal of tires and kept going until he reached a clearing. His skin was burning and his joints crunching. His bear was fighting to get out of him, but he held it in. He needed to think. He couldn’t believe it. He should’ve guessed his feisty date and the woman who was going to stuff up everything for him and the clan were one and the same. But all his bear wanted was to get its paws on her hot little curves. My dating match. Un-fucking-believable. More like my fucking nemesis. Never had he felt so conflicted in his life. She’d looked hot as all hell, black hair framing her face and wide, big brown eyes, standing her ground even though she was trembling with fear. He wanted to tear her apart. He wanted to protect her. It was all too confusing. He couldn’t keep his bear in any longer, and he barely had time to jump out of his truck before it burst through his skin, shredding his clothes.

  3

  Connor didn’t say anything to the bears when he got home. The last thing he needed was for them to get all riled up. That was a recipe for chaos. Instead, he snuck off to bed early and lay awake with his thoughts. He’d been dumb to think the problem would just go away. And even dumber not to have gotten a receipt from the guy who sold him the land. He hated the fact that the sassy, little human was right. What was he thinking? He let off a snarl. He was thinking like a bear when he needed to think like a human. You live in their world, you’ve got to live by their rules.

  All night long, he tossed and turned on his bed in the middle of his brand-new bedroom. He didn’t want to live in the human world with their lies and weird laws. And he was starting to regret agreeing to the dating app thing, encouraging the clan to find human mates. What the hell was the point of it anyway? They weren’t even going to get to settle in Hope Valley.