Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Adaira) BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Hope Valley BBW online dating app romances Book 6) (3 page)

“It’s a great photo,” Tamika said gently. “But I think the guys would appreciate seeing you in a dress, if possible?” Adaira’s pretty face contorted with disgust.

“I suppose I might have one somewhere.” She scrolled back through her photos for a long time. “School reunion,” she said at last, tapping on a photo. She looked stunning. She was wearing a floor-length cherry-red velvet gown. It was an off-the-shoulder style, and the material was loose and floaty at the neckline, skimming above her full cleavage. The waist nipped in, and the skirt was pleated and flowing. Her flame-colored hair was loose and curling around her shoulders.

“That’s perfect!” Tamika exclaimed. “You look like a Scottish maiden from medieval times!” Adaira cackled.

“People kept calling me Queen Elizabeth the First all night, so I guess I did look like I was from another era.”

“I think the shifter guys will love this one.” Tamika reached over with a perfectly manicured finger and selected it, then tapped a couple more things.

“Ok, your profile is ready! You can add to it at any point though, of course. Now, all that remains is to answer the questions. I’d encourage you to be as honest with yourself as you can, as it will help the app create the best possible match for you.”

“Great, I love doing quizzes!” Adaira said, getting stuck right in.

Tamika took her own phone out and began to work through a slew of emails, while Adaira muttered to herself, answering questions, wondering aloud what her opinion truly was on that issue, going back and changing her mind.

At last she took a triumphant slug of her Bloody Mary.

“I’m done!” she exclaimed.

“Fantastic! Now the real fun begins. Ok, scroll here, and tap here, and you can see your matches.” Adaira followed Tamika’s directions.

“Woo hoo!” she said as her feed filled with an endless line of sexy thumbnails. “There’s
a lot
of guys here!”

“You can set a filter to only show guys who are an 80% match and above, if you like?” Tamika suggested.

“How about I set it at 90%?” Adaira moved a slider to the right.

“Sure.” Adaira glanced at Tamika.

“I mean, I want to do this properly. I don’t want to waste time dating guys who aren’t right for me.” Tamika grinned at her cousin. She wasn’t surprised that Adaira was approaching dating in the same way that she approached everything in her life – with enthusiasm, sense, and total commitment.

Adaira whooped.

“Oh my god! It says that there are 20 guys who are at least a 90% match with me. That’s incredible!”

“Amazing,” Tamika said, craning her neck to get a better look. “I’m not surprised you’ve got so many though. I think your exuberant, outdoorsy character is a great match with shifters.” Adaira tapped the first thumbnail and it opened to reveal a tall, lithe guy, with sinewy muscles and deeply tanned skin. He had cropped dark hair and an angular face. There was an intense expression in his brown eyes, and one corner of his lips curled up in a confident, slightly sly smile. He was wearing black jeans, and he had his hands on his hips, emphasizing the breadth of his torso.

“Wooh, he’s hot,” Adaira said. “He says he’s the leader of his pack. Does that mean he’s a werewolf?”

“Swipe left on his photo and find out.” Adaira swiped and the screen filled with an image of a large, black wolf, surrounded by other wolves. They were all looking up at him, and some of them were crouching low on the ground.

“He’s an alpha wolf, and doesn’t he like you to know it?” Tamika said.

“Sounds like he might be a little arrogant?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“What else does he say about himself? He’s a traditional wolf, who likes to protect his mate. He’s looking for a woman who’s keen to become part of his pack. Hmm, that’s not me.” Adaira shook her head. “He doesn’t sound right at all.” Tamika gave a little laugh.

“But he may not agree with you. Look – that little symbol right there means he’s sent you a message. Let’s see what it says.” She tapped it and the message opened.

Welcome to Shiftr. I think you and I might have just met our match. How about we meet for a date and find out if you’d like to come and live in my lair?

“Ugh, no thanks. The thought of living in a lair doesn’t appeal one bit,” Adaira said with a shudder. “I’ll tell him I’m not interested.” Tamika nodded.

“Go for it.” Adaira wrote:

Thanks for your message. I appreciate your interest, but I’m not the girl for you. Good luck finding your match.

Tamika nodded her approval.

“Straight to the point. I like it.” Adaira frowned.

“Are you saying I’ve got as much subtlety as a brick through a window?” Tamika laughed.

“No, it’s a good thing. Shifters will appreciate you not messing them about.” A moment later, the werewolf sent her a sad-face smiley, and that was all.

“And on to the next,” Adaira said, scrolling through the feed. She clicked on every single thumbnail and read each guy’s profile.

“Talk about eye candy,” she muttered. “I feel like I’m at a male model gala. And the weirdest thing is, I could actually be with one of these guys. But my brain just won’t process it.” 

“Any animal preferences?” Tamika asked.

“I don’t know. Something feisty. Lions or tigers, maybe?”

“How about bears? They’re big guys, usually with plenty of meat on their bones. They’re very loyal and big-hearted, very outdoorsy, and often work with their hands, or in nature.”

“Sounds perfect,” Adaira said. “But I haven’t found any so far. They’ve all been wolves and big cats.” Just then, the thumbnails jumped around, rearranging themselves in her feed. 

“Ooh, that means a new member has just signed up who’s within your compatibility requirements!” Tamika said.

“Which one is he?” Adaira said, scrolling up and down.

“I think he’s right at the top!” Tamika exclaimed, with a little squeal.

“No, that’s the guy I just messaged.”

“Nuh-uh.” Tamika tapped on the thumbnail. “Ooh, he’s a hottie.” The screen of Adaira’s phone filled with a photo of an incredibly tall, very muscular guy. He had a deep, broad chest, rippling abs, and huge, bunched biceps. A scattering of dark hair ran all the way from his chest to the top button of his pants. He wasn’t as lean as the werewolf; he had some meat on his bones, which was very appealing to Adaira. He did look a little like the werewolf though, and Adaira could see why she’d confused them. His hair was the same color, but it was longer and tousled. He had golden-brown eyes, set far apart, and strongly-defined cheekbones. In short, he was a god. Adaira’s idea of absolute physical perfection. There was a slightly closed expression in his eyes, as if he didn’t enjoy being photographed, but she knew that feeling well.

“Let’s see what he says about himself,” she murmured, scrolling down to his profile. “He currently lives in the mountains, but he’s thinking of moving down to the valley. He loves hunting and fishing and hiking. He is self-sufficient, and lives off-grid.
Interesting
. He loves to read and play the bouzouki.
Quirky
. And he’s looking for that one special woman to be his mate. Wow, he sounds great.”

“And he’s a 99% match to you!” Tamika trilled.

“What?” Adaira gasped, taking a closer look.

“He’s practically perfect for you. Shiftr is never wrong about these matches. I think you’ve found your mate, Adaira!” Adaira clicked on his photo again and zoomed in on his face, then she swiped left and looked at his animal. It was a huge, golden brown bear, standing on its hind legs, with a kind of grumpy, pissed-off expression on its face.

“Blimey!” she exclaimed. “I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of him! Do you think he’s scary and bad tempered?”

“Noo, bears are usually sweethearts. Unless it’s the depths of winter, and they should be hibernating. Then they can get a little cranky. But I’m sure he’ll be a great partner. He doesn’t look mean, does he?” Adaira went back to his human pictures and looked at the close up of his face. He was mesmerizingly attractive.

“Shall I send him a message?” she said.

“Yes! Before someone else snaps him up. I’m sure he won’t be on there for long,” Tamika said.

“What do I say?”

“I always think something simple is good – just to get the ball rolling, so to speak.”

“How about, ‘I see you’re into hiking. Maybe you and I could do some beautiful wilderness treks together?’” Tamika raised an eyebrow.

“Or something comical works too, I suppose,” she said. Adaira typed the message out.

“Sent!” she said, with a flourish.

“He’s online right now,” Tamika said excitedly. Adaira put the phone down on the table and they stared at it, waiting.

“Shall we have some coffee?”

“Oh, yes please.” Tamika called Brett and asked him to bring them a French press.

They kept waiting, and waiting, but there was no reply.

“That’s it then,” Adaira said dismissively, pushing her phone away, but as she did, a message alert flashed up. Tamika let out a little scream.

“What does it say?” Adaira read it out:

Hi there, beautiful. I was just about to message you as soon as I saw your lovely profile, but you beat me to it. I’d absolutely love to do some wilderness treks with you, or treks in the national park. But, in the meantime, I’d really love to take you out for drinks, and maybe dinner, so we can get to know each other a little better.

Please let me know if I can have that pleasure?

“He’s very charming, isn’t he?” Tamika said.

“Like every woman’s dream. I’ll say yes, right? There’s no point playing it cool?”

“None,” Tamika agreed. “You don’t need to play games with shifters. They’re very direct, so it confuses them and makes them think they can’t trust you.”

“Christ, I wish human men were like that. I used to find it so confusing when I was dating guys, and had to make out I wasn’t that interested. If you like someone, you should tell them. That’s what I believe.”

“And that’s what shifters believe too,” Tamika said.

“Ok, I’ll write this: ‘You absolutely can. I’d love to go for drinks and dinner.’ – Oh, hold on. I have to be at the university all of next week, enrolling and meeting everybody. So I’ll tell him I can’t meet until next weekend. ‘I’m free next Friday and Saturday, so let me know if either of these work for you? Love, Adaira.’”

“Perfect.”

There was another long wait.

“Bears are often not the best with technology,” Tamika said.

“Must be hard typing with those huge paws,” Adaira said, with a wicked grin.

“So, give me the lowdown.” She leaned forward, conspiratorially. “What’s it really like sleeping with a guy who’s half animal?” Tamika’s eyes were lit with a wicked glint.

“It’s like the best sex you can imagine. Times ten. They’re so wild, but so considerate. And totally insatiable. If you mate with a shifter, you can expect to be having
a lot
of sex!” Adaira grinned.

“It’s been so long for me that I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like, so anything would be an improvement. But yeah, I could deal with insatiable. I feel pretty equal to it.”

“They often like to mate outdoors too,” Tamika continued. “That’s how they feel most themselves.” Adaira groaned.

“That’s only my greatest fantasy. Can you imagine, deep in the woods, far from civilization, on a blanket, or maybe against a tree?”

“I don’t need to imagine it,” Tamika said with a smirk. “Each one of the pups was conceived outdoors, actually. It was very important for Kyle that it happened that way. He said that he even though we live in town, he wanted them to retain their wildness, and that was the best way of ensuring that it was part of their DNA.”

“Fantastic!” Adaira said with a dirty laugh. “I think I need to rethink my expectations of sex.”

“Nothing you’ve done before will prepare you for being with a shifter,” Tamika said solemnly.

The phone lit up with a message alert:

Friday is perfect, Adaira. How does the Downtown Bar and Grill sound?

“What’s it like?” Adaira asked Tamika.

“One of the better restaurants in town. Quite chic actually. And very meat-focused.”

“Excellent!” She replied to the message, saying the day and place were perfect. He got back to her fast.

Great! I’ll very much look forward to seeing you there, and getting to know all about you!

Until Friday, then.

Yours,

Leigh.

Adaira whooped, got out of her chair and danced around the balcony.

“I’ve got a date! With a hot guy! Who’s supposed to be my perfect match!” she announced, to no-one in particular, then she flung her arms around Tamika from behind and squeezed her tight.

“Steady on, darling, I’m still digesting,” Tamika said with a laugh. “But I’m so happy for you!”

Leigh was sitting on a couch, looking stunned, while Lauren, Connor, Dalton and Niall danced around the room, singing ‘Reclusive Bear’s got a da-ate, Reclusive Bear’s got a da-ate!’ They high-fived each other, then came over and high-fived Leigh as well.

“Great effort, team!” Lauren said, flopping down next to Leigh. She tapped his knee. “Leigh, this is really good news! You’re acting like someone stole your bouzouki. You’ve got a date! With a really beautiful, curvy girl! She’s from Scotland! She loves nature! Shiftr says she’s a perfect match for you!” Leigh sighed. 

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just worried about this whole dating thing. I never eat in restaurants, never mind the kind of place you take a girl to. And it don’t feel right, all you folks agreeing to pay for me, when I haven’t earned it.”

“Come on, bro, we’ve had this,” Connor said sternly. “How many times have you come down from the mountain and helped us work on our cabins, and not expected anything in return? You usually wind up doing the work of two bears as well.”

“I guess,” Leigh replied, not looking any happier. “I don’t know. And my profile – you guys writing that I was planning on moving to the forest. I feel like I was putting a lie out there, because it’s never gonna happen.”

“Leigh, listen to me,” Lauren said. “There aren’t too many women who’d be happy living up there in the kind of isolation that you’ve created for yourself. Maybe you’re happy like that, but maybe when you meet the right girl, she’ll show you there’s more to life. You never know until you try. This Adaira sounds like she loves the outdoors, so I’m sure she’s not going to be a fussy, stay-at-home type.” He nodded, hearing what she was saying, even if he didn’t agree with it.

“But what are her and me going to talk about when we go on this date?” he demanded. Lauren grinned.

“Stuff! Whatever comes into your mind. Tell her all about your love of reading and music. And ask her all about herself. Girls love that. She comes from another country, so I’m sure there’ll be a lot you can think of.”

“Maybe I should make a list of questions to ask?” Lauren pressed her lips together, stifling a laugh.

“Maybe that would help – if you make the list in advance, so you can keep it in mind if you get stuck for something to say. Just don’t go bringing it to the restaurant with you!” At the mention of the word ‘restaurant’, Leigh’s brow furrowed.

“I don’t know how to act in a restaurant neither,” he said. Lauren thought for a moment.

“Ok, this is what we’re going to do. Tonight, before you go out drinking with the boys, we’re going to set up the table like we’re in a nice restaurant, with napkins and wine glasses and silverware, and we’ll have dinner together, and give you any pointers that you need. How about that?” Leigh’s eyes lit up.

“You’d do that for me?”

“Of course, it’s nothing. Anything to help you find the mate of your dreams,” she said.

“Thanks, Lauren, and thanks guys,” Leigh said. “I sure owe you one.”

Connor sat down on the other side of him.

“So, the date’s on Friday – you’re going to stay with us until then, right?” he said. Leigh shook his head.

“No. I need to go back home. I’ll leave when I’ve had a few hours’ sleep tonight.”

“But it’ll take you the best part of a day to get up there, and another day to come back down here. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’ve got to get back,” Leigh said firmly. Connor gave up, he knew him too well to try to argue. 

*

That afternoon, Lauren set up silverware for three courses on their huge wooden dining table, made by Connor from the trunk of a single tree. She also put out wine glasses, water glasses, and napkins.

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” Leigh said gruffly, sitting down at his place.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Lauren said, bringing three starter dishes to the table. “I love eating, I love cooking, and I love keeping Connor and his clan fed.”

She served mini rabbit burgers on a bed of mashed potato, with baby gem lettuce from Dalton’s vegetable garden. As Leigh looked at the food and the silverware, an expression of absolute panic passed across his features.

“What do I do with this?” he demanded. Lauren laughed kindly.

“You just take your silverware, starting with the set on the outside, and eat it as you would any other plate of food. But before that, you might want to take your napkin, unfold it and lay it on your lap. It’s good at catching any crumbs,” she finished with a wink. Connor uncorked a bottle of red wine and poured it into the wine glasses, and filled the water glasses from a jug. Leigh lifted his wine glass and sniffed it suspiciously. His nose wrinkled.

“Let’s have a toast,” Connor said. “Here’s to Leigh setting up a date with his perfect match on Shiftr!” They all clinked glasses, Leigh touching his so gingerly against the others that he barely made contact. He lifted the glass and took a sip. And then he spat it out, all over Connor’s white t-shirt. Connor glanced down at the large red stain.

“Thanks, dude!” he said, with an easy laugh. Leigh’s face was frozen in horror.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry!” he said at last. “I had no idea that was going to happen. It’s just – that was the worst thing I ever tasted! How can you guys drink that?” Connor stripped his t-shirt off, dumped it in a washing up bowl, and turned the cold tap on.

“It’s not so bad when you get used to it,” he said with a grin.

“I’m really sorry,” Leigh said again, looking miserable.

“Don’t you worry, the t-shirt will be fine,” Lauren said, patting his hand.

“Do I have to drink that stuff? Can’t I just have beer in the restaurant?” Leigh said in a tone of desperation.

“Of course you can. Maybe order something in a bottle though, rather than draught. Does that work?” Leigh nodded gratefully. Connor took a beer out of the fridge and put it in front of him.

“There you go, bro,” he said.

“Thanks. Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Let me see.” Lauren thought for a moment. “Try not to talk with your mouth full. And eat with your mouth shut. Wipe your mouth with your napkin, not with the back of your hand. When you’ve finished eating, put your knife and fork together. Don’t go to the bathroom during courses; wait for the space in between. If you want to be really romantic, you could pull the lady’s chair out for her as she sits down, and let her give her order to the server first,” She placed a thoughtful finger on her lip. “Hmm, I think that’s it.”

“Ok,” Leigh said nodding seriously. “I think I got it.”

“But above all, just be yourself. She’s bound to love you for that.”

They finished the first course, and Leigh put his silverware together neatly. Lauren nodded her approval. Connor put a grill pan on the stove and flash-fried three t-bone steaks, so they were nice and rare, and he dished them up with vegetables that had been roasting in the oven and baked potatoes with plenty of butter. Leigh’s eyes filled with delight.

“I wish I could cook as good as this, Lauren,” he said.

“Ah, it’s pretty easy. And if you lived a little closer to us, I could teach you,” she said in a wheedling tone. Leigh grunted. Good as the food was, it wasn’t enough to give up his peace and solitude. Lauren flashed Connor a secret smile. She was working on Leigh, drop, by drop, by drop. So, hopefully, by the time he realized he needed a mate, he’d also realize that he needed to come and live in the forest with the rest of them.

The entrée was followed by a huge chocolate cake dessert.

“Not my work, I’m afraid,” Lauren said. “I do like to bake, but I was a little pushed for time today.” 

“No problem at all,” Leigh said, digging in happily.

After dinner, he disappeared into the woods.

“What’s he up to?” Lauren asked Connor.

“Probably running off that incredible banquet that you just cooked for him,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulder and kissing her on the cheek.

Leigh hurtled back in a little later, carrying a giant wildflower bouquet that he’d picked himself, and handed it to Lauren, blushing.

“Aw, Leigh, thank you so much, they’re beautiful,” she said, bringing them inside and putting them in a vase. “If you make gestures like that for Adaira, she’ll be in love with you before you can say
mates
.”

“Yeah?” Leigh said, looking pleased. 

*

That night, Leigh went into town with Dalton, Niall, Timo and Frankie – all the single bears of the clan. It was a public holiday the next day, so Hope Valley was lively, and they went on a mini-crawl of four bars, finishing up at The Black Aces rock bar, which stayed open late. Everywhere they went, girls stared at Leigh. He was so big and tall, and he had those eye-catching looks. But at the same time, he had a demeanor that made even the boldest girl feel nervous to approach him. He was too shy to talk to girls and they were too scared to speak to him. So, while the reactions he got initially stirred up the envy of the other guys, they were the ones who ended up chatting to girls, while Leigh stood by himself, glaring moodily around the room.

There was a live band in The Black Aces, and they stayed until 2am. Afterwards, Leigh snuck back to Connor and Lauren’s cabin and slept for a few hours. At first light, he gathered up the things he had to take to his cabin – a couple of books, a new blanket, some food, and a backpack full of beers – and began the long, lonely trek back up the mountain.

His head was bursting with everything that had happened over the past few days. It was as if his quiet, simple life had been put on fast-forward, and a year’s worth of new experiences had been crammed into a single weekend. He was dying to get back to his cabin and decompress, all by himself. His shiny new phone was in his back pocket. He was a little terrified of it. Using his old phone to make calls had been bad enough, but this one was connected to the Internet –
whatever that was
. It was the thing that had enabled him to find Adaira, but he didn’t know much more than that. Adaira. Every time he thought about her, so many emotions charged through his body that he thought he’d burst. She was the most beautiful, perfect-looking creature he’d ever seen in his entire life. When he’d first looked at her photo, he felt dizzy, as if his veins were charged with electricity, and his bear had let out an unrestrained roar. It told him that she was his mate, and it urged him on to meet her, to mate with her. But his human instinct told him he couldn’t have her. She was too small, too perfect for him. He’d crush her with his huge body.
What if I can’t control my bear around her?
he’d thought, with a burst of panic. His bear wasn’t used to being around eligible women. The night before, when he’d been in the bars, it had taken all of his self-control to keep it subdued.
What if he didn’t understand her emotions, and acted inappropriately around her?
He wasn’t used to talking to girls either. Except for Lauren. But talking to her was a bit like talking to one of the guys. She was very kind and made him feel at ease.
If I could find a mate like her, maybe things could work
. He tried to recall exactly what Adaira’s profile had said. She seemed like the kind of girl he could get along with. She seemed very direct, and she said she loved hiking and being outdoors. He thought about her long, auburn hair. He’d never seen hair that color before. It was like a forest fire. He thought about it trailing over his body, caressing his skin with feather-light touches, and a burst of desire traveled all the way to his groin. His bear roared, and, since he was deep in the wilderness, he didn’t restrain it. The sound echoed around the mountains, and he grinned, pleased with himself.

Leigh climbed all day, pausing to quench his thirst from mountain streams on the way. Gradually, the landscape changed from deciduous trees, to the dark green foliage of alpine trees, until he began to approach the top of the tree line, which is where he had his home. He ran the final mile home, desperate to drop his things off and shift. His bear yowled in joy as it raced around the woods, filling its nostrils with the well-loved smells of home, and hunting until it had satisfied its fierce hunger.

That night, Leigh flung himself onto his familiar hard mattress, sighing contentedly. Before he went to sleep, he opened Shiftr, and gazed at Adaira’s photos again, passion and fear mingled in his heart.

*

In the days that followed, Leigh settled back into his quiet, safe life in the mountains, and meeting up with Adaira began to feel more and more unreal, as if he’d dreamed the entire thing. The bright lights of his phone began to make him feel anxious, and he switched it off and hid it under his bed. He looked forward to the date with great apprehension.

When he awoke on Friday morning, a weight sat heavy in his stomach. He was now dreading the date. “
Why do I need a mate anyway?”
he muttered, kicking at the side of his solidly built bed. “
I’m happy up here by myself, in my own company. A mate will just ruin things.”
He picked up his phone and switched it on. It had 20% charge left. He plugged in one of the three portable chargers he took to Hope Valley every time he visited and charged up while he was there. He could just cancel the date. Say he was sick. Why not? He tapped on the orange paw print icon of Shiftr and scrolled to Adaira’s photo again. He tapped the little message icon. As he began to write the first word of a sentence that would inform Adaira he could no longer make it, his bear gave a fearsome snarl.
Don’t you dare cancel
, it meant. Leigh sighed loudly and deleted the message.
But, wait – it looks like Adaira has messaged me
. He tapped to open her message: