Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love
Lori
Hope Valley BBW online dating app romances
ARIANA HAWKES
Copyright ©2015 by Ariana Hawkes
All rights reserved.
This is a standalone, 50,500-word full-length HEA romance novel!
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A 4.5-star rated, comedy romance featuring one kickass roller derby chick, two scorching-hot Alphas, and the naughty nip that changed their lives forever.
The only thing missing from Aspen Richardson’s life is a man who will love her just the way she is. In the small town she calls home, bullies from the past remain, making her wonder if it's ever going to happen. But, things are about to change in a major way, as the secret Aspen’s parents have been keeping from her comes out…
“This book definitely needs to be added to your MUST read list – you will quickly fall in love with this steamy and fast paced story.”
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Contents
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
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A bonus story by Ariana Hawkes
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Chapter One
Lori had been driving forever, she was sure of it. She had always been sitting in her car, with her thirteen-month-old daughter, Nancy, in the baby seat behind her, as the road unrolled ahead of them. The windscreen wipers swished drearily, removing the relentless drizzle that had accompanied them for most of their journey. She’d crossed two states that day and her destination was still more than an hour away. It had been a terrible day. The second worst day of her life. And she had no idea that it was about to get a lot worse.
Thankfully, her little angel had slept most of the way, all snuggled up in her baby seat, and Lori had been alone with her thoughts. Her husband had left her – left her and Nancy. Had it all happened only yesterday? In a way, it seemed like a long time ago; so much had followed on from that awful, awful moment. But at the same time, the recollection was still a stab of pain in her stomach, sharp enough to make her retch.“No, no, no!” she’d screamed at the time, the awfulness too big to comprehend. Someone had sent her a pair of lace panties in the mail, size 4, and obviously worn. The note accompanying them said that their owner had been wearing them after Lori’s husband had fucked her. Lori gulped, swallowing down a knot of disgust. It continued:
As you can see, we didn’t use any protection, so I’m very much looking forward to a new delivery in eight months’ time. I hope it will have Robert’s lovely blue eyes.
Anyway, I wanted you to know that he tells me how great it is fucking someone as hot as me, after boning your elephant ass all those years.
Lots of love,
Kayleigh.
Lori had known it was true. Rob often told her she had an ‘elephant ass’. Angrily, she wiped a tear away as she drove. It was so unfair. Of course she’d put on weight when she’d had Nancy, but she’d never been small, and Rob had known that when he married her. And he was hardly svelte either. His beer gut was practically the same size as her pregnant belly. So, so unfair.
She’d confronted him about the panties and the message as soon as he’d got home that night, late, as always. And he’d just come out with it. He admitted that he’d been having an affair with Kayleigh since Lori was six months pregnant. Ever since sex had become too uncomfortable because of her bump, she realized with disgust. All those things suddenly made sense. That was why he’d missed all those pre-natal classes. Why he hadn’t been around to massage her feet and talk to her about the baby in the evenings. Why he’d arrived late for Nancy’s birth and almost missed it altogether. He’d claimed he was working late, of course. And she’d believed him. She slapped her forehead at her own dumbness. It was the oldest trick in the book. She just hadn’t wanted to believe that the person she loved and trusted, more than anyone else in the world, could treat her like that.
Then Rob had said that he wanted a divorce, and that he was planning to marry Kayleigh. When Lori told him he couldn’t have custody of Nancy, he said “fine”. He didn’t even want visitation rights. He said he was happy to have a new family, and forget about the old one. Like throwing away an old sweater. He’d sign anything she wanted to revoke his custody or visitation rights. The fact that he didn’t even want to fight to see Nancy had been the final, heart-breaking straw. She’d decided to leave Turnersville for good. It wasn’t her hometown; she’d moved there to be with Rob, and had left her family and close friends behind. She’d made a few friends over the years, but it was a pretty lonely town – big, open desert spaces, and few places to socialize and get to know new people.
So she was going back home, to the small town she loved. She’d packed Nancy’s stuff and a single suitcase for herself. She’d thrown some of her other things in boxes, thinking she’d have them shipped over at some point, but, in truth, she didn’t care if she never saw any of it again. Her whole adult life had been a sham, and she was very happy to leave it all behind her. The only good thing that had come of it was Nancy, and she had to stay strong for her. Lori glanced at her in the rear-view mirror. It was dark outside now, and she could barely make out her adorable baby features. She was the perfect baby. She was always sweet tempered and rarely cried. Lori felt so blessed to have her. Fortunately, her daughter looked a lot like her, with her large, violet eyes and snub nose, and nothing like Rob at all.
The weather was worsening. The drizzle had turned into rain, heavy enough to bounce off the tarmac and show up white in the car’s headlights. And there was an ominous rumble, far in the distance. Great. Just what I need, she thought. Nancy had only experienced one storm before in her short lifetime, and it had terrified her. Afterwards, she’d been awake screaming for the entire night. Maybe it would pass. The satnav said she had 45 minutes of driving left. Maybe I’ll just miss the storm. She couldn’t wait to arrive at her sister’s place and get Nancy tucked up in bed, and have a good old chat with a hot mug of cocoa. Her sister said she had a brand new place, with plenty of space for them to stay. She seemed different lately – much softer and more welcoming. And she had a new boyfriend too, who she couldn’t stop talking about. Lori was just grateful that she was willing to take them in at such short notice. She’d barely slept the night before, and she was so exhausted that she could’ve slept on a park bench right about now. If she didn’t have Nancy to worry about.
The wind was starting to whip up, blowing the trees and hedges on either side of the road. The rumble of thunder came again, and again, each time with increasing frequency. Lori had the fleeting sense that she and Nancy were alone in the world. Cars passed on the other side of the road from time to time, and occasionally, she was overtaken, red taillights quickly fading into the blackness ahead. But the people inside could have been fro
m another planet. She imagined they were all indifferent to her and her suffering. If she broke down, would they stop to help, or would they glide on, oblivious?
She jumped as a bolt of lightning seared across the sky and hit the ground, not very far away. It sounded like the heavens were being torn in two. She cowered in the car, as if that would do any good, and flashed a glance at Nancy over her shoulder. She’d stirred, and was making little sucking noises, but she didn’t wake up. The rain was pelting down in sheets now. Lori slowed right up. And this was probably what saved her, as she rounded a blind bend and ploughed straight into the back of another car. Then there was another, far bigger smash from somewhere behind her, the airbag deployed and she lost consciousness.
When she awoke again, her head was pounding and there was yelling and tapping all around her. Nancy! She snapped out of her confusion and looked behind her. Nancy was crying, but she wasn’t obviously hurt. Lori unfastened her seatbelt and tried to scramble up, but something was preventing her from moving her legs. Instead, she stretched her hand out and felt at Nancy’s tiny limbs.
“Shush, baby, it’s ok, it’s ok.” She was barely aware that she was speaking, but Nancy quickly stopped crying, and regarded her calmly with those big violet eyes. She’s ok. She must be fine. She wouldn’t just stop crying like that if she was hurt. Lori let out a sigh of relief. Then she looked around. The car was kind of caved in all over. The airbag in front of her made it hard to move. But why couldn’t she move her legs? Oh, god! Have they been crushed? She wiggled her toes. They moved; she could feel them. She willed herself to move the muscles in her calves and her knees and her thighs. She could feel everything. Her left calf was hurting quite a lot, but she didn’t think it was anything serious. There was banging and shouting going on all around her. It had been going on for a while, she realized. A face was pressed up to the window, yelling something, but she couldn’t make out their words. She pressed her ear to the glass.
“Try to open the door!” a man was yelling. Of course! Everything had been happening in slow motion. She tried the handle. Nothing. “Try the other side!” Still nothing. She went to touch the switch for the window, but the man hammered on the window and shook his finger no. It looked like car’s electrics were dead anyway. What the hell had happened? She peered through the windshield, but the glass was splintered and she couldn’t see much of anything. There was the taillight of another car visible, and in her rear-view mirror, she could make out a white light. She’d been in a car crash. She’d hit another car from behind. There had been no time to stop. She’d gone around a bend in the road, and there it was. Had another car hit her from behind? It seemed like it, but she couldn’t be sure. She was so disorientated. The banging on her windows hadn’t stopped; people were urging her to get out of the car, but couldn’t they see that she was trapped?
The sound of sirens rose up from far away and quickly became much louder. She watched out of the window as three fire trucks pulled up, red and huge, and men in helmets immediately began to spill out. It was then that she started to panic. Did they think that her car was going to catch on fire? She looked at Nancy again and burst into tears. She wasn’t scared for herself, only for her precious child. Her nostrils were burning with an acrid scent. Gasoline? She began to hammer on the window.
“Help me!” she screamed, over and over. The firefighters were running everywhere, carrying hoses. Why aren’t they helping me? Nancy began to cry again. It was a sound of fear. She was freaked out by her mom screaming. Lori was panting; she couldn’t catch her breath. Was the air in the car running out? Oh god!
At last, a fireman ran over to her car and pressed his face up to the window.
“Are you hurt?” he yelled. She shook her head. “Can you feel your toes?” She nodded. “Are you bleeding?” she shook her head and shrugged. She didn’t think so, but it was hard to tell. “Listen to me carefully. I’m going to cut you out of the car by removing the door. It’s going to be noisy, but we won’t hurt you. All you’ve got to do is keep very still. Don’t move any part of your body. Do you understand?” She nodded frantically.
“I’ve got a baby in the back,” she yelled. The fireman peered through the window at Nancy and gave Lori the thumbs up sign. And then the high-pitched scream of metal cutting through metal began. It was a hideous noise that seemed to go on forever, cutting right into her soul. Sparks flew everywhere, and she could make out the look of grim determination on the firefighter’s perspiring face.
At last, the door moved a little, and cold air streamed into the car. A deep, masculine voice shouted, “Keep very still, ma’am, and shout out if you feel any discomfort in your legs!”
“Ok!” she yelled back. She stretched an arm behind her and held Nancy’s hand. Her baby was whimpering in fear.
“We’ll be out very soon, sweetheart,” she said, having no idea if that was true or not. The smell of gasoline was even stronger now, making her dizzy. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her life and the life of her child were in the hands of this stranger.
There was a loud creaking as pieces of metal were torn apart, and then she felt a pressure being moved away from her legs.
“Easy,” the firefighter muttered. He was pulling the car door by hand. “Is that ok, ma’am?”
“Yes!” she replied. More and more of the door was pulled away. And then it was gone. The man dumped it on the ground. Then he reached in, stabbed the airbag with a knife and shone a torch on her legs.
“I think you’re fine, but you’re going to have to pull your legs out sideways. Can you do that?”
“I think so.” She did as he indicated, sliding them along the crushed dashboard until they reached the door. He held his hand out and she clung onto it and placed one foot outside the car, and then the other. She leaned on him heavily as she stood up, still unsure if her legs were going to support her. They did. She was standing up. “Nancy!” she turned back to the car to pull her out, but the firefighter dragged her back.
“Let me,” he said, and he dived into the car, unfastened the baby seat, and took Nancy in his arms. “Now, run!” he yelled. He took Lori’s hand and ran with her and Nancy onto the other side of the road.
“It’s going to blow!” someone screamed. A second later, there was a huge boom! and a cloud of fire shot out from her car and erupted into the night sky. The firefighters were ready with their hoses, and in seconds, the fire was out. Lori’s legs were no longer capable of holding her up, and she crumpled onto the wet ground, staring at the charred remains of her car in disbelief.
“Come on,” the firefighter said, and he handed Nancy to one of his colleagues and lifted Lori off the ground. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and began to guide her. “We need to get you and your baby checked out now,” he said. He had a gentle, protective way about him, and it shattered whatever had been holding her together so far. She broke out into long, heartrending sobs. “Shh, it’s ok. Everything’s going to be fine. You and your daughter are safe now. We got you out of the car, and that’s the main thing.” He rubbed her shoulder soothingly. She noticed that he’d removed the glove from that hand, and she could feel the heat coming off his skin. He was so tall that she fitted right under his arm. She wished for a crazy moment that he’d wrap his arms around her and take all of her pain away. He led her to the ambulance and the staff helped her inside. They checked Nancy out and said she seemed fine, but they wanted to take them both to the hospital to make sure that there were no internal injuries. Lori had a bad cut running the length of her left calf. The ambulance technician cleaned it up and put butterfly stitches on it.
“How are the people in the other cars?” she asked him as he worked, scared to ask, but needing to know.
“They’ll be fine,” he said. “Cuts, bruises and some whiplash, but nothing serious, thank goodness. It’s you we were worried about. The firefighters knew the car was going to blow. In fact, they’d been ordered by the boss to stand off, but Bruno there disobeyed orders and cut y
ou out.” Lori stared at him in shock.
“Oh my god!” she exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears again. “He knew he was risking his life to save us, but he still went ahead and did it. I can’t believe it.”
“He’s a pretty amazing guy,” the paramedic said. Lori looked for him through the still smoky air, and spotted him working at moving the burned out cars off the road.
“Would you mind calling him over, if he has a moment. I just really want to thank him?” she said.
“Sure.”
A few moments later, the firefighter came to see her.
“How are you both doing, ma’am?” he asked. She noticed that he had startling eyes – narrow, with pale blue irises that darkened towards the edges. He was also very handsome, with strong, rugged features. His tanned skin was coated with sweat and dirt.
“Nancy seems to be fine, and I’m much better,” she said. He broke into a smile, his teeth gleaming white against his skin.
“That’s very good to hear. She’s a tough cookie,” he said. His voice was pleasantly low and rumbly.
“Bruno, thank you so much for saving my baby’s life, and my own. I can never thank you enough.” He shrugged, embarrassed.
“Just doing my job, ma’am,” he said gruffly.
“No, I’ve heard that you went way above the call of duty, and put your life in danger to save us. I’ll never forget that,” she said, and stopped talking. If she said anything more, she’d start crying yet again.
“There was no way I was going to leave the two of you in the car,” he said, touching the edge of his helmet. “Now, I’m so glad to hear that you’re doing well, but, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to work.”
“Of course. Thank you so much again,” Lori said. She watched as he strode back to the heaps of twisted metal at the side of the road. He was so rugged and masculine, yet there was a hint of something gentle and protective at the same time. Whoever his wife was, she was one lucky lady.
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Lori) BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Hope Valley BBW Dating App Romance Book 5) Page 1