A moment later, Errol yanked the door open and emerged, looking pinker than ever. He clapped his hands together, and a sea of faces peeked over their computer monitors.
“Gentlemen, ladies, I have an announcement to make—”
And just like that, the floor fell out from under her.
“College Boy. Seriously. It’s so goddamn unfair,” Lauren said. “He’s lazy, and he doesn’t know what he’s doing. I have to pick up after him all the time. But they promoted him over me, even though I’ve got way more experience.” She was sitting in Tamika’s office, squeezing her coffee mug so tight she was in danger of cracking it.
Tamika looked at her shrewdly, her eyes burning with indignation. “You mentioned your boss was a sexist a-hole. I suspect that’s a good fifty percent why he got the promotion.” She leaned forward and patted Lauren’s knee. “But for the last time, will you stop being down on yourself because you didn’t have the opportunity to go to college? Be angry, because this stinks. And because it’s not your fault at all. You’re amazing at your job. Way more than this Errol character deserves.”
“The sad part is that I know this. I should quit. Find a better boss. I just have this stupid thing that I need to stay and prove myself.”
“I know. And I can’t force you. But please think about it. You’ve got so many amazing abilities that are wasted on that department.”
Lauren groaned. “Something else has happened, which has made me want to stay in this stupid job a little longer.”
“What’s that?”
“You know the issue with the cabins I told you about? Well, I just found out that my moron of a boss went behind my back and had all of them boarded up. Like it wasn’t enough to give the bears an eviction notice. He had to throw them out of the place that they made themselves.”
“He really wants them out of there, huh?”
“Yup. And I’m starting to think that Errol lied to them. I went around today—”
“You went around?” Tamika gave a shiver. “Those bears must’ve been pretty mad.”
“They were. At first. But then Connor calmed down. Told the others I was his Shiftr date, and he kept me safe.”
Tamika’s eyes sparkled. “So things have gotten better since your, uh, first date?”
Lauren fixed Tamika with a hard look. “You know I only went on that date to help you out. There’s not going to be anything between me and Connor. But he’s a nice guy. He described the guy who sold them the land—who turned out to be none other than my pink-faced boss. Errol wanted rid of it when it was a trash heap, but as soon as he saw it could make him some money, he wanted to get his filthy paws on it again.”
Tamika shook her head. “What a scumbag. Those bears have worked so hard.”
“I’m not going to let him cheat them out of it,” Lauren said, voicing the thoughts that had been bubbling all day.
Tamika smiled encouragingly. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to try to find some evidence in the office. I don’t know what—just something that shows that Errol agreed to sell the land to the bears.”
“And then make it public?”
“Exactly!”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. You know I can get access to ninja technology skills.”
“Thanks. I will. Just as soon as I’ve put a plan together. Anyway, I think you were about to enlist my help for something?”
Tamika drew her lower lip into her mouth. “I need you to go on another date or two. But this time, with guys that the app has identified as your strongest matches.”
Lauren rolled her eyes.
“I just need to test out the algorithms. This is the most important part.”
“Okay, okay,” she replied with a dramatic sigh. “I guess you want to get your hands on my phone again.”
“I just need to perform an update.” Tamika took the phone and manually updated the app. “Now the profiles are going to include photos of the shifters in their human form, and when you hit order by best match, right here, you’ll get to see them in descending order.” She let out a squeal. “And it looks like you’ve got a ninety-nine percent match right here.”
“Lemme see that.” Lauren snatched the phone. Then it was her turn to scream. “Goddamn Connor. Again! Is this for real?”
“Ha!” Tamika scrutinized his photo. “Grrrr…he really is a hottie, isn’t he?”
Lauren narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Are you setting me up?”
“Of course not. It’s all the algorithm. It takes the chance element out of finding fated mates.”
“Fated what?”
“Shifters believe they have one mate in the world who is fated to be theirs. They’re willing to spend their whole lives looking for her.”
“So…you’re trying to tell me I’m Connor’s?”
Tamika did her annoyingly cute shrug thing. “Looks that way, honeybun.”
“No. No way. He’s probably got a bunch of equally good matches out there.”
Tamika nodded. “And that’s what I need to find out. Sooo, I need you to go on a date with him, and this time, instead of trying to kill each other, try to get to know each other. Open up. Talk about yourselves. Find out whether there is compatibility between you.”
“There isn’t.”
“I mean, theoretically.”
“You’re going to say the same thing to him.”
“Absolutely.”
Lauren groaned. “Okay. I can do this.”
Later that night while Lauren was lying in bed, flicking through a magazine and waiting until she got sleepy enough to switch off her bedside lamp, a message alert popped up on her phone.
We dating tomorrow?
Her lips parted in a grin. Looks that way, she typed back.
I’d invite you over to my place, but I’m kind of in a tight spot.
Her thumb hovered over the keypad. She wanted to tell him she had a plan to help him, but she didn’t want to get his hopes up. I know. Why don’t you come over to my place? I cook a mean lasagna, she offered instead.
Okay. I’ll be there. Send me your address.
She put her phone down on her nightstand. She was nervous at the thought of cooking for this guy. That was why her stomach felt like a butterfly colony right now. No other reason.
5
This was absolutely the last time he was going to meet Lauren, Connor thought as he drove his truck away from the forest in the direction of downtown Hope Valley. Seeing that woman was not good for him. He almost cancelled on her at the last minute, sensing his bear was barely under control. But he needed the money, now more than ever, since the Parks Department had screwed over the clan. And she said she might be able to help him. He had to do whatever he could to support his bears, even if that meant bringing him dangerously close to the edge.
Leaving the guys alone right now wasn’t a smart idea either. It had taken all his strength and skill to stop the rest of them from following Ryzard’s lead and breaking into the other cabins. They’d all spent the previous night packed into Ryzard’s cabin, and tempers were already frayed. But he was determined they weren’t going to be squatters again, living rough, scavenging on other people’s property. The cabins were theirs. He was going to get the metal barriers taken down and walk in through his front door like a man.
Connor used his phone to navigate to Lauren’s apartment through a grid of streets. He wasn’t a fan of towns with their narrow lanes and houses jammed close together, but Hope Valley was a pretty place. People were kind and welcoming to outsiders.
He pulled up in front of Lauren’s address—a small, plain, three-story apartment block. He climbed out, grabbed the questionnaire Tamika had given him and a bunch of wildflowers from the passenger seat, and walked up the short pathway to the front door.
Before he had a chance to ring the bell, the door opened and Lauren appeared. His breath caught in his throat. He was damned if she didn’t look prettier every time he sa
w her. That curvy little body was encased in a tight pink sweater and clinging jeans, and those full, dark-pink lips parted to greet him. His bear purred, longing for him to get his hands on that voluptuous body. She ran her hand through her hair, smoothing it, although it already looked cute as hell shaped around her face, sharp and vulnerable at the same time.
“I was starting to think you weren’t coming,” she said.
“Sorry. Just had to have some words with the clan before I left,” he mumbled. It was actually the wildflowers that had done it. He’d stopped in the forest and collected them, wanting to give her something. “And these are for you, to thank you for coming over yesterday.”
Her eyelashes fluttered. He noticed for the first time they were long and glossy black. And a glow rose up beneath her light-brown cheeks.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. Just, no one ever gave me flowers before.”
He frowned. “None of the guys you’ve dated?”
“Well…” She trailed off, and he knew enough about humans not to push her. “I was going to suggest we sit in the garden out back, but I’ll just put these in water first,” she said.
She held the entrance door open, so he figured she expected him to follow her. They walked up a flight of stairs and entered a small but tidy apartment, everything in its place. “It’s not much,” she said as they went through to the kitchen where a delicious meaty, tomatoey smell filled his nostrils.
“It looks real nice to me.”
She shot him a glance full of guilt. “I’ve been looking into some things at work, seeing if I can help you out. But it’s not easy.”
“I know. It’s your workplace, and you don’t want to lose your job.”
She turned her back to him while she reached into a cupboard for a vase. “Right,” she muttered. When she faced him again, there was something else in her expression.
“What is it?”
“Huh?”
“What else is making you unhappy, Lauren?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, nothing. Just…I didn’t get a promotion that I applied for. Some other guy got it, and I feel like I was the better candidate.”
“I bet you were.” Connor’s fists clenched instinctively. He didn’t know why he cared, but he hated the thought of her losing out. “Did they pick him because he was a guy?”
She blew out a puff of air that ruffled her side bangs. “Or because he had a fancy education. Who knows?”
He took a step closer and laid his big hand on her arm. “You should work where people appreciate you.”
She gazed up at him, her lips slightly parted, and her eyes very bright. He took another step, breathing in her sweet, heady scent. “You’re a good person, Lauren.” His bear urged him on. He’d never wanted anything in his life as much as he wanted to kiss her right now. Claim her mouth.
Those glossy eyelashes fluttered again, and her plump lips were inches away.
His jaw dipped toward her. No. He couldn’t do this. He froze, then straightened up again. If he kissed her, it’d all be over and they’d both be ruined. Because he knew he wouldn’t stop at a kiss.
Her brow furrowed, and she pressed her lips together. And now he felt like an asshole.
“That’s what Tamika tells me,” she said in a bright voice and carried on arranging the flowers. “Thank you. These are beautiful.”
“They kind of reminded me of you.”
“Really?” She laughed as if she didn’t believe him at all. But he was speaking from the heart. They were pink and blue, very vibrant.
Lauren bent down and opened the oven door. “Looks like the lasagna’s about ready.” She pulled out a delicious-looking dish. “There’s beer in the fridge, and apart from that, we’re good.”
He grabbed a beer, picked up the lasagna and followed her down the stairs and out to the garden.
There was a small patch of grass and in the middle sat a wooden table and two benches The table was set up with a salad bowl, plates, and some wine.
“This is real nice,” he said.
She smiled, pleased. “Guess I like feeding people.”
For a while, he forgot his manners and dove right in. Lauren was a great cook, and he told her so.
“Do you bears eat prepared food, or you usually catch your own?” she asked, watching him with curiosity.
“Both. If you call barbecuing prepared food. Cooking a bunch of meat over a fire is about as creative as we get. I’ve been planning a real kitchen in my cabin, though.”
“I always wanted to live in a cabin. I like the thought of being close to nature.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“I don’t know.” She laughed. “Guess I thought I might buy a place one day when I’ve saved enough.”
He liked it when she looked dreamy, propping her chin on her hand, all those thoughts flying around her smart brain. Any man would be lucky to have her as his mate. He imagined her in a cabin, couple of kids running around her feet. Husband standing beside her. Him. He was imagining himself standing beside her, his arm around her waist, looking at her adoringly. Hell.
“Why are you dating?” he blurted out.
She raised a questioning eyebrow.
“I mean, why aren’t you already mated?”
She sat up straight. “It’s not for me. I’ve got my brothers and sisters.”
“Are you close?”
She blew up her side bangs again. “My dad left when I was young, then my mom died when I was fourteen, and we were left with my grandma. She was real frail though, so I ended up bringing up all three of them. Chrissie, Eddie, and Nick. It was tough, but I loved taking care of them, watching them grow.”
“And now they’re grown?”
“Yup. Nick, the youngest, was ready to go out into the world when I was twenty-nine.”
Wow. A bolt of understanding hit him. “You spent your whole twenties caring for them.”
“I did.” She grinned and didn’t seem bitter or disappointed at all.
“I guess you never had a lot of time to yourself.”
She laughed. “Not a whole lot. But I wanted to make sure they grew up with opportunities.”
“No boyfriends?”
She pressed her lips together, spun her wine glass around on the table. “There was one in my teens.”
“Why didn’t he make you his mate?”
“He always got frustrated that I wasn’t free a lot because I was looking after the babies. Then I couldn’t make senior prom, and he went and hooked up with someone else.” She shrugged. “No one else chased me. I’m not the kind of girl that guys like.”
He clenched his fists under the table. What kind of asshole would treat her like that? He wanted to go find him and rip his dirty, cheating head off. He forced himself to remain in human mode, remain civilized. He stared at her. “That’s not true, Lauren. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
She stared back, her gaze naked, vulnerable. Very slowly he slid out of his seat, around the table, and sat down beside her. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.
A jolt of pure pleasure shot through him. Goddamn, her lips were soft, like ripe raspberries. When she didn’t pull away, he grew more confident, kissing her deeply, his cock hardening in his pants. She parted her lips, welcoming him in, and his tongue slid into her mouth, tasting her, feeling the incredible velvetiness of her tongue. His hands were clamped to his thighs, but when she gave a little moan, he lifted them up to roam over her body, caressing the full curves of her hips and her small waist. He wanted her like crazy. Wanted to spread those plump thighs and taste her before claiming her for his own. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, before burying his face between her big, round breasts. It was too much; he knew it was too much, but his bear was driving him on, pushing him to mate her. He slid his hands up, cupped her breasts, and he felt her nipples, hard beneath the fabric of her shirt. She made a small sound of need, and her hand slid beneath his T-shirt,
running across his bare abdomen. Fuck. That felt good. Too good. He’d had no idea it could feel so amazing to kiss a woman. In a moment he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. He pulled back.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t—can’t—”
“What?” Her eyes were big with surprise.
His nails dug into the bench, claws pushing through the ends of his fingers. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.” His got to his feet, bumping the table.
“But why?”
“You don’t understand.” He stepped over the bench, unsure where he was going, but desperate to escape until his raging erection had gone down and his bear stopped tearing up his insides.
“Connor!” Lauren grabbed his arm, squeezing hard with her small hands. “Come on. You kissed me! Like you meant it. What gives?”
“I-I’m not looking for a mate. And I can’t kiss you again.”
Her eyes drifted to his crotch where his jeans were tented with the giant bulge that wasn’t going anywhere. “O-kay.” She shook her head, as if she was trying to shake off a persistent wasp. “You’re right—I don’t understand. But anyway, we’re on an official date. We’re supposed to be finding out things about each other so we can fill out Tamika’s questionnaire. Sit down and speak to me.”
He nodded, then sat down on the opposite side of the table again. He needed more beer. He finished a glassful in a single gulp.
Lauren stared at him for a long time, as if she was trying to figure out whether he was crazy. At last, she cleared her throat. “Have you got brothers and sisters, too?’
“One brother. Younger. We’re not that close.”
“That’s a shame.”
Connor grunted. It was fine by him. His brother was as bad as his dad. After his mom died, he cut off contact with both of them, not wanting to be associated with any of that. Lauren was saying something else to him, but a single ugly thought was screaming across his brain. No. It couldn’t be the same girl. It wasn’t Lauren, surely?
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