by Lola Kidd
That would be his last choice resort. Ray hoped that Nate could help bring Abe around before it came to that. He didn’t want to have to lie to his brother. That didn’t seem like a healthy way to start a relationship. He had waited this long so he could wait another day or two before signing up with the mail-order bride service.
Chapter Three
Lizzy looked at the happy women entering the gym. They were both carrying water bottles and wearing skin tight workout clothes. A very muscular and attractive man was the next to enter.
She had been sitting outside Heath’s Gym for the last hour. The gym was in a strip mall and had a huge parking lot that was always full. It had the best reviews of all the gyms in town and came recommended by everyone Lizzy knew. All her girlfriends had assured her that Heath’s was friendly to all body types but she was doubtful. In the hour she’d been outside, she hadn’t seen anymore who looked like her.
She was waiting for just one out of shape person to show up before she went inside. The last thing she wanted was to join a gym that only catered to gym rats who lived on protein powder and baked chicken. At least if she saw someone like her, she would be a little more comfortable huffing and puffing on a treadmill. If she was the only overweight and out of shape person there, she would be so embarrassed. She could take being the biggest girl there but to be surrounded by only slim women with six packs and men with biceps the size of her head, that would be too much.
She’d had that problem before and in the end, she’d just stop going to the gym. It was a huge waste of money since she had to pay a fee to terminate her contract early. Lizzy wasn’t going to make that mistake again. She thought about calling one of her friends. She knew that Macy went three days a week. Maybe she would join today and then come back to work out with a friend. That would be much safer. Kira was still trying to “lose her baby weight.” That was the official word but Lizzy knew that Kira just enjoyed working out. Which was just crazy to her. According to Kira, doing the elliptical while she watched TV at the gym was the most peaceful part of her day.
The only problem with that plan was that Kira wasn’t really trying to lose weight and Lizzy wanted to drop a few pounds and tone up. That was why she wanted a trainer. Heath’s was supposed to have some great trainers, too. You got six free sessions when you signed up for a membership. Lizzy figured that would be more than enough to get her on the right track and then she could start doing cardio with Kira. She’d had a whole planned made up in her mind.
She had been so excited to get started but now she was paralyzed with fear in her car. It was her own fault too. Kira had offered to come with her while she signed up but Lizzy had turned her down. Lizzy hadn’t wanted to bother her friend and it seemed silly to need a friend to sign up for the gym. And also, even though her friends weren’t all skinny, most of them were in shape. Emma own a dance studio for goodness sake. She found it hard to believe that any of them would be intimated by the women at the gym.
They also all had handsome shifter husbands. Lizzy sighed. She was never going to get anywhere at this rate. The longer she sat outside, the worse she made herself feel. All she could think about was how terrible going to the gym was going to be since everyone else who went was clearly already inshape.
Seeing other people effortlessly moving their bodies while she sweat from every pore was demoralizing. She knew for some people it was inspiring to see an inshape person. It made them realize what was possible. Lizzy wasn’t one of those people.
There was a knock at her window starling her from her dark thoughts. She put her hand over her heart in shock. She had been so focused on watching people enter the gym she hadn’t noticed a man walking up to her car.
“Are you ok?” He was speaking loudly so she could hear him even with her window rolled up. He didn’t look menacing and they were in a full parking lot but she didn’t know this man. She tapped the button quickly to be sure her door was locked.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“You sure?” He asked doubtful. “I’ve been parked in my car on the phone for ten minutes and you’ve been here the whole time. If you’re having some kind of car trouble, I can help.”
“No car trouble. I’m fine.”
He pulled at the black lanyard around his neck and produced an ID badge. “I work at the gym. I’m not some crazy parking lot guy, I swear.”
“That’s exactly the kind of thing a crazy parking lot man would say,” Lizzy joked. The only thing that was crazy about this guy was how crazy hot he was. She’d seen more than a few muscular men in the last half hour. This guy topped them all. He was all sinews and bulging muscles. Yet he wasn’t too big. His skin wasn’t stretched taunt to contain him. Looking into deep blue eyes, she was almost tempted to roll down the window to talk to him. He did look familiar the longer she started at him.
“I’m Abe,” he said smiling.
“I’m Lizzy,” she said after a moments hesitation. It wasn’t like he could kill her just because he knew her name. There was danger talking to him through a closed window with her door locked.
“Nice to meet you Lizzy. Can I ask why you’re sitting out here if you aren’t having car trouble.”
“Just trying to decide if I want to go inside or not.”
“Are you a member?”
“Not yet.”
“I may be a bit biased but I would say that you definitely want to go inside. You don’t have to sign up or anything. You can just take a look around if you want and leave. No pressure.”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure I even want to join the gym. I’ve had no luck in the past.”
“But all those other gyms were garbage.” Abe crouch down to look at her better through the window. “I’ve worked here for six years and this place is the best. We have a ten day trial period and if you’re still not sure, you can do a month-to-month contract. It’s not that much more expensive for one person. You’re not signing up with your boyfriend or anything right?”
“Nope just me.”
“Right. Just checking. It’s cheaper if you have two people but you still won’t regret signing up. Just give us a try and I think you’ll like it. I can even show you around myself right now if you come inside.”
Lizzy considered. He was a good sales man. She was tempted to get out and go inside with him. “I don’t think so. I think I need to think about it a little more.”
“That’s fair. I need to go inside now but if you need anything come and ask for me. I work Monday through Friday in the afternoons.”
She nodded. “Ok. Thanks for all the information.”
“Anytime.”
He waved bye and walked into the gym. Lizzy waited until he was inside to start her car up. She couldn’t help but smile as she turned out of the parking lot. She’d forgotten about the nicest part of going to the gym. There were a ton of hot, single guys there.
She might not be brave enough to talk to them now but in a few months who knows what could happen. She was going to look at the women’s gym that was one town over for now. It would be a drive to get there but she had a feeling she would be more comfortable at a place without any men right now.
Abe was very attractive and she was sure everyone at Heath’s was very nice. But a gym like that, and a guy like Abe, weren’t meant for a girl like her.
Chapter Four
Ray was dragging his feet today. He was ready for a nice long nap in the backyard but it would have to wait. He still needed to cut the grass before his work day was done. He and Abe took turns doing their most hated outdoor task. Most of the things around they house they split by preference. Ray did all the laundry and dusting but didn’t mind. He hated loading the dishwasher or washing dishes but Abe had happily took over those chores. Mowing the law was a task neither of them liked.
Just thinking about having to run the mower around the yard made him cranky. After a long day at work, he still had to wait to rest. And he’d barely gotten any sleep the night before. He was thinking abo
ut different ways to convince Abe to sign up for LK Brides. He had text his friend Bob who knew Nate so he could get Nate’s number. He had text Nate to ask him to talk up LK Brides to Abe. Maybe one more big push from their friends would help.
In the end, it seemed like his best bet was to go against his brother’s wishes. It seemed like a drastic step and Ray wasn’t ready to go there yet. But if no one could convince Abe, he couldn’t see any other option. But it was out of his hands for now. He had done all he could do and he could only wait and see how it shook out.
At the moment, he needed to get some caffeine. He needed something to put a little pep in his step for the rest of the afternoon. He was going to order the biggest cup of coffee to could get at the small shop in town. As he opened the door, he yawned. Someone bumped into his chest hard.
“Oh!”
He felt the cold liquid hit his pants before he opened his eyes again. There was a small wet spot on his leg where some of the coffee hit him. Most of the iced liquid was on his shoes and two muffins had rolled to a stop behind the women who had hit him. She was staring at him wide eyed and red faced.
“I’m so sorry,” she stammered before he could say anything. Her face got even redder as she dabbed at the spot on his pants with the napkin she was holding. “I’m so clumsy. I should have been watching where I was going.”
“It’s my fault.” He put his hand on her wrist to stop her clumsy cleaning up. “I yawned and had my eyes closed. Please, let me replace what I just ruined.”
He gave her his most charming smile. This girl was gorgeous. Her skin was tan and there was a sprinkling of freckles on her nose. Her brown eyes were framed by giant eye lashes and she had a pouty full mouth. A mouth that was begging to be kissed. He was sure he’d seen her around town before but he couldn’t remember where. There was no way he could have missed someone with a body like hers.
She had the perfect body. Soft and curvy. He could spend all day looking at her ass in those tight jeans. He hoped he wasn’t leering. He didn’t want to be creepy but it was hard to keep his eyes off her. If he couldn’t control himself, he was never going to be able to talk with him or convince her to go out with him. Well, him and his brother but he would cross that bridge when he got there.
Suddenly, he wasn’t so annoyed about having to mow the grass. His jaguar didn’t care if they had to mow a football field. It was a good day. The universe clearly loved him. It looked like he wasn’t going to have to sign up for LK Brides at all. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself but his jaguar was interested in this woman and wanted to find out more about her.
She looked at him and did a double take. Her brow furrowed. “Are you following me?”
“Excuse me?”
She took a step back looking worried. “You said you had to work.”
Ray laughed. “Wrong one. That was my probably my brother Abe.”
She looked skeptical so he took out his phone. He was going to kick his brother’s butt if he’d made a bad impression on this woman already. He showed her a picture of him and Abe from a wedding. “See. Twins. I’m not some creep following you around town I swear.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Your brother was just assuring me he wasn’t a creep not half an hour ago.”
“I guess we’re both worried about making a bad impression. Can I buy you that coffee now?”
“You really don’t have to do that. It was my fault. I was the one with my eyes wide open when I ran into you.”
“I insist. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to treat a beautiful woman to anything.”
She gave him a small smile. “Well if you insist.”
“I’m Ray by the way,” he said as they walked up the counter.
“Lizzy Below.”
“And how do you know my brother Lizzy?”
“I don’t,” she said. “I was sitting in the gym parking lot and he thought something was wrong. He introduced himself and offered me help.”
So his brother had been nice. And she had met him that very day. That was one hell of a coincidence.
“Go ahead,” he told her at the counter. She ordered a medium iced coffee and two blueberry muffins. He got himself an extra large iced coffee and paid for them both. “Sorry about all that.”
She shook her head. “No problem. It was very nice of you to buy my stuff. You didn’t have to.”
“I did.” Ray held the door open for her. “So do you go to Heath Gym?”
“No. I don’t really work out. I was thinking about getting a membership. Do you go to the gym.”
“Not often. Abe’s the gym guy but I work out on occasion.”
She made a noise and rolled her eyes. “So you’re saying you have a body like that without working out? Don’t tell me, you must be a shifter.”
“I am. Jaguar.”
“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever met a jaguar before.”
“Probably not. We’re pretty rare around here. Most of our kind prefer a milder climate.”
“But not you two?”
“We do but Maple Creek is our home. We were born here and we don’t plan on ever leaving. You must be new to town. I know I’ve never seen you around town before. I wouldn’t forget a beautiful face.”
She brushed her hair behind her ear. “I don’t think we’ve met. I own the Candy Shack. You might have seen one of my ads for the shop.”
“Of course! You did the favors for one of my friends weddings, Macy and Jack. They were really good candy. I can’t believe you can make all that stuff. You’re really talented.”
“Thanks.” She looked him in the eye and smiled. “You should come by the shop some time. I’m doing Labor Day Licorice until the end of the month.”
“Sounds good! I’ll definitely stop in.”
She raised her cup in his direction. “Thanks for the coffee again.”
“No problem. Great meeting you.”
“You too. Hope to see you again soon.”
It took all his restraint to walk back to his car when she went in the opposite direction. He couldn’t wait until Abe got off work. He wondered what his brother thought of Miss Below. She was exactly their type and his jaguar had gone wild when they met. He knew that it couldn’t be a coincidence that they’d both met her the same day. Maybe they weren’t going to need LK Brides after all.
Chapter Five
It had been a long day at the shop. As Lizzy sat down with her favorite wine and her laptop, she rubbed the sore muscles in her neck. She was going to check her emails one more time before getting in the shower and heading to bed. She didn’t think there was going to be anything interesting but she had forgotten to check one last time before leaving work.
The first email she saw made her slam her laptop shut in shock. She giggled nervously to herself. It wasn’t like anyone could see her through the screen. It was just so surprising that she hadn’t known what else to do.
She opened it again and the same email greeted her. It was from Ray, the hot jaguar shifter she’d met earlier that day. She had no idea how he’d gotten her email but she was curious to see what he had to say.
“You have got to be kidding me.” She whispered to herself. She had to read the short email twice before she could believe it. He was asking her out. But it wasn’t just a date with him. It would also be with his twin brother Abe. He explained that they were looking for someone to complete their alpha triad. She had heard of this kind of thing among shifters before but she’d never thought about doing it herself. She never thought guys like the twins would be interested in her. They were gorgeous!
She’d been on LK Brides for so long and never gotten any matches. She had assumed that shifters weren’t interested in her or that she wasn’t compatible with one. Now, there wasn’t just one but two shifters looking to date her. It was a bit hard to swallow. It was almost too good to be true. She would have to think about it.
Lizzy kept checking her emails and was shocked to discover she had another surprising email. Thi
s one was from none other than LK Brides. She had a match. She had to check to make sure it wasn’t a joke or an email sent to the wrong person. When she was sure that it was for her, she had to down her wine glass.
She had a match. Unbelievable! Her profile didn’t even have pictures on it anymore. She had thought about shutting down her account until she had pictures to add but hadn’t gotten around to doing that yet. But it didn’t matter. She had a match now. But did she want to see it? She had just been asked out by two real life hotties. Wouldn’t it be bad form to accept a date from the twins once she had a match from LK Brides?
Lizzy finished her glass of wine before coming to her decision. She was going to look at the LK match before emailing Ray back. If she had a match that was better than 98%, she would ask the twins for a raincheck and pursue her LK match. If the match was less than 98%, she would try dating them both. After all, her LK match might not even live near her. She hadn’t been picky about geography in her profile. She was willing to have a long distance relationship if it meant finding her soulmate.
It was only a date with the twins too. She could be emailing with someone while also testing the waters with the twins. It wasn’t like one date was accepting a marriage proposal. She might not even like them. With that in mind, she checked her match on the website.
It was 99%. Lizzy got her final shock of the night when she went to check out her matches profile. It was the twins!
This was all too much. She shut her laptop and started getting ready for bed. The universe wasn’t playing around with her tonight. The same men she’d been matched with had asked her out after meeting her for two minutes that very same day. It was too much to be a coincidence. She didn’t need anymore signs. She was supposed to date the twins. Maybe even marry them.
After seeing all those awful things about her online, it felt great to know that she was matched with people as attractive as the twins. It was an instant boost to her self esteem. It might be silly but Lizzy couldn’t wait until she could post a picture of herself with her two hunky boyfriends. It wasn’t that hard to picture herself with the two of them. The thought of being squished between those two hard body made her shiver.