Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (9 page)

Raven couldn’t stop smiling.

“I can’t believe he’s in Russellville” she said. “He went all that way to look for
me
! What does it mean when a guy goes on a wild goose chase like that, having no idea whether he’s going to find me or not?”

“I think it means he likes you a lot!” Caitlyn said with a grin.

“I just can’t wait to see him again. It’ll be so cool to get to know each other. Do you think I can trust the app, and that we are perfectly compatible?”

“Lauren seemed pretty confident.”

“And she and her husband seem really in love, at least from the way she talks about him,” Raven said, gazing dreamily at the soft, purple-hued sunset. Then she gasped and laid a hand on her stomach. “How’s he going to react when I tell him that I’m carrying his baby?”

“I think he’ll be happy,” Caitlyn replied. Raven looked into her eyes, trying to figure out whether she was being honest.

“Really? It’s going to be weird being on a first date with him and then going, hey, guess what? You’re the father of my unborn child.” Caitlyn giggled.

“It’ll be one of the more unusual things to say on a first date, I guess.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t tell him immediately. Have a few dates first, and feel him out a little. What I said earlier still stands. If we’re not compatible, I don’t want to have him in my life. I’d rather just be a single mom, and that’s it.”

“In that case, I’d say you should wait to find out whether he’s the right guy for you, and the right father for your baby.” Raven let out a long breath.

“Ok, I’ll do that.”

*

The next day Raven worked in the morning and had the afternoon off. She was so excited and nervous about the date with Timo that she couldn’t keep still. She cleaned the cabin from top to bottom, not that it needed it. And then she looked at some local apartment rental sites on the Internet. She and Caitlyn were happy living together for now, but it wouldn’t be long before they each wanted their own bedroom. She wanted to find somewhere in the national park, but all of the apartments seemed to be based in the town. She’d have another look later when she was more focused, she decided. She closed her laptop and headed out of the cabin to take a walk.

The woods were even more lovely than last time she walked there, so verdant and shady. She wished she knew the names of all the trees and bushes. She didn’t see another soul, and the only sounds were birdsong and her feet treading on the soft earth. She kept picturing Timo, wondering what he’d be wearing, whether he’d kiss her when they met. Whether he’d do more than that. The thought of him touching her again made her breath catch in her throat and her nipples stiffen. She longed to see that incredible torso again, to run her hands all over it, and cause him to make those deep growly noises of need.

The track she was walking on was long and almost straight, and right at the end was a shape that didn’t seem to belong to the surrounding foliage. She squinted at it as she came closer, shielding her eyes from the sun.
Is it an animal?
No, maybe it’s a bush with dead leaves.
As she came within 100 feet, it suddenly moved, bounding away in the opposite direction, and it was gone. She blinked hard.
What the hell?
Had she imagined it? Should she be scared that a large – scratch that – very large animal was running around in the woods. Probably. But, weirdly enough, she wasn’t at all scared. In fact, she felt peaceful, almost drawn to it. But there was no point being stupid. It could be a bear or a wild dog or something, and she could be putting herself in danger. She turned around and walked quickly, retracing her steps. Once she was back on the porch, she called Lauren.

“Are there any bears in the woods?” she asked. Lauren gave a little chuckle.  

“There are a few, here and there,” she said in a careless tone.

“Are they dangerous to humans?”

“No, not at all. They’re kind of tame in a way. If you ever run into one, don’t freak. There’s no way they’d hurt you. Why, have you seen one?”

“I’m not sure. I was walking in the middle of the forest and I saw something, something alive, in the distance. It was big and brown, and it wasn’t moving at first, but after a while it sauntered off.”

“It sure sounds like a bear,” Lauren said with a warm laugh. “He probably wanted to get acquainted.”

“And he’s not going to follow my scent to my cabin or something?”

“No, don’t worry. The bears in the park here are nothing like the ones you read about in the papers, I promise.”

After speaking to Lauren, Raven took a nap, waking when Caitlyn came back home. Then she started to get ready. She didn’t have a huge choice of date clothes. Since there was nowhere nice to go out in Russellville, she usually dressed down, like everybody else in that town. Eventually, she picked out a black wrap top, which flattered her full cleavage, and a black full skirt with roses on, which finished just below her knee. She matched it with black, ankle-strap heels.

“Sexy mama,” Caitlyn said from the bed. She was lying on her front, alternately giving Raven style advice and looking at her phone.

“Really?” Raven said.”

“Uh huh. Timo’s eyes are going to pop out when he sees you, girl!” Raven studied her reflection, her cheeks pinking a little.
I look sexy
, she told herself, and she tried hard to believe it. She eyed her figure critically, wondering how long it would be before she started to show, her belly growing big and tight. She could hardly wait, she realized, with a shock of pleasure.

“What are you so absorbed in, Caitlyn?” she asked, glancing at her through the reflection in her hand mirror as she applied her make-up.

“Just checking out a few guys on Shiftr!” Caitlyn said with a grin. “I think a couple of the other guys from the strip show are on here too. Like this one.” She held her phone out and Raven walked over and looked at a photo of a handsome guy with black hair and sparkling blue eyes.

“Yeah, he looks familiar.”

“And guess what? We’re a 97% match!”

“Cool! Send him a message.” Caitlyn dropped the phone on the bed.

“I don’t know. I’m old-fashioned, and I like the guy to make the first move. I think I’ll just keep checking out the eye candy for now.”

Raven went back to the mirror and finished applying black eyeliner and a slick of rose-colored lipstick.

“Ok, I’m ready, and Timo is due – right about now. Gosh, I wish I could have a drink to steady my nerves,” she said, as a swarm of butterflies came to life in her stomach.

“Relax, girl. You look amazing. You’re really good company. And this guy likes you so much that he’s traveled over half the US looking for you.” Raven laughed.

“That’s bit of an exaggeration, but thanks for the confidence boost anyway!” She walked over to the door of the cabin. “Come and join me outside while I wait for him?”

“Sure.” Caitlyn bounced off the bed and sat with her on the porch.

“He’s late,” Raven said, a few minutes later.

“Only by ten minutes.”

“Hmm.”

Another ten minutes passed and Raven’s stomach was in a knot.

“Maybe he got held up fighting a fire or something?”

“Wait. Let me check the app, in case he’s messaged me.” Raven tapped on the paw print icon. “Yup. He messaged me last night, asking if we could have the date at 9.30pm because he’s just found out that the bears are having their final show in Hope Valley tonight. But if I don’t want to eat so late, he says he’ll very happily not take part in the show and meet me as arranged. Damnit. Why didn’t I check my messages earlier, in case something like this came up?”

“Never mind. At least there’s a good reason why he’s not here. And you still get to see him tonight.”

“I guess. I’ll message him back to say it’s fine and I’ll meet him in the restaurant at 9.30.” While Raven was typing, Caitlyn was quiet, thinking.

“You know, I really wouldn’t mind seeing that show again,” she said, with a lazy smirk. Raven raised an eyebrow.

“You wouldn’t, huh?”

“Well you might be about to hook up with one of the sexiest men on the planet tonight, but all I’ve got is my Shiftr eye candy.” Raven got to her feet.

“Let’s go. We’d better get moving if we’re going to be in time to see the start of it.” With no hesitation, they rushed to Caitlyn’s car and jumped in.

The traffic was heavier than usual, and when they arrived at the town hall, the pounding music told them that the show had already started.

“Shit!” Caitlyn exclaimed. They rushed to the cash booth and paid their money. As they entered the hall, a waiter met them and showed them to seats. One of them was right on the end of the second row, and the other one was behind it. Raven took her seat and eagerly scanned the dancers.
There he is
. Her heart beat double time. Not that she could have missed him. To her eyes, he was the hottest of all the strippers, his muscles ripping and his hair flopping adorably onto his forehead.

They were performing the same routine as the time before, and she watched the familiar moves with increasing anticipation. By the time Timo had stripped down to his underwear, she became aware that her panties were a little damp, and that there was an ache blossoming deep inside her, that could only be eased by one thing. She stared at him transfixed, imaging that taut body on top of her, his chocolate brown eyes, like pools of lust, gazing right into hers.

She was so deep in her daydream that the intermission took her by surprise.

“Go find him!” Caitlyn hissed, turning around in her seat to face her.

“No! He’s probably busy having a pep talk or something. But I have got a better idea,” she said with a grin.

“What?”

“Let me see if it works out first.”

“Ok,” Caitlyn replied, disappointed, but the sight of a gorgeous waiter carrying a tray of margaritas soon distracted her.

Raven and Caitlyn enjoyed watching all the other women in the hall discussing the strippers, as they recalled how stunned they’d been the first time they’d seen the show. Little did the audience know that the men were about to reveal even more of themselves.

The curtains opened for the second half and all ten strippers leapt onto the stage dressed in firefighter uniforms. Raven couldn’t take her eyes off Timo, drinking in every move, every flex of his muscles. The strippers pulled their overalls down, and then off completely, leaving them in their white underpants. The audience cheered loudly. Four of the guys withdrew to the back of the stage, while the others came forward, balancing right on the edge, looking out at the crowd. Raven was pretty sure that Timo couldn’t see her; the lights focused on the stage were incredibly bright, and must’ve made it hard to see anything beyond them.

As the guys leapt off the stage and landed on the ground, the audience whooped and shrieked. Raven kept her eyes on Timo. He seemed to be heading toward the right hand side of the seats.
No, left
, she willed. He stopped, tilted his square, masculine jaw, and seemed to sniff. And then he looked right at her, and an incredible smile broke across his face. As he strode toward her, she stood up. In a second, he was on her, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her into a kiss that left her breathless.

“Raven,” he said in his growly voice, drawing back and gazing at her tenderly. He stroked her cheek with a callused fingertip, sending shivers down her spine. “You’re here! I’m so sorry. I got your message just as I was going on stage. I thought you didn’t reply earlier because you were pissed at me.”

“I didn’t see it, silly – at least, not until you stood me up and I decided to check to see if there was some issue.”

“You don’t get Shiftr alerts?” She shrugged.

“I guess not. I’m pretty new to the app, and I haven’t got it all figured out yet.”

“Damn. I’m such a flaky bear sometimes.” He said, eyes full of sorrow.

“You’re forgiven,” she said. “As long as you do one thing for me.”

“Anything you desire. What is it?”

“Take me up on stage again, and show everyone that I’m yours.” He gave a grin of pure delight.

“With pleasure,” he said, and he swept her up in his arms and carried her onto the stage, like a princess. Whistles and whispers followed in their wake. “Who’s that girl?” the girls in the audience were saying. No-one else was being carried like that. Timo took her right to the middle of the stage and set her down. And then he began to dance around her. Raven forgot all about the audience. All she was aware of was his body, of the strength contained within his muscles; of the way his velvety skin brushed hers from time to time. His hands lightly resting on her hips. She was becoming more and more heated, and she was sure that her cheeks were glowing. At last, he whispered the words she’d been waiting to hear.

“I’m going to tip you back now. Just relax and let yourself fall.” She looped her hands around his neck and gazed into his eyes as he took her weight in his arms and leaned her way back, until the ends of her hair brushed the stage. And then he kissed her again, deeply, passionately, his mouth warm and sensuous. It felt like a kiss that would never end. She reached up and stroked the light stubble covering his jaw, inhaled his outdoorsy, masculine smell, and she felt heady with desire for him. The audience erupted into clapping and cheering. When Timo finally let her go, and she stood up again, there were whoops and whistles.