“Honey, there are no hot guys in Hope Valley. I think we’ve established that,” Kristin said drily.
“Hey, things change. People move to other towns.”
“Uh huh. And in Hope Valley, everyone knows there’s someone new in town before they’ve even had time to empty out their U-Haul. Trust me, no eligible bachelors have arrived in town in the past several months!” Kristin continued.
“Well, people also come to the summer party from towns all over the county,” Lauren said. “It’s become quite a big deal in recent years.”
“Lauren, you’re a sweetheart, and I know you’re trying hard for us because you’re all loved up with Connor, but I’m not expecting to meet anyone there,” Melissa said, patting Lauren’s hand. “I feel like my marriage was my one shot at lasting happiness. It didn’t work out, after our stillbirth broke us up. I think I’m destined to be alone now, and I’m ok with that.” Dina glanced at Lauren, who shot her a look of exasperation. Dina grinned, painfully aware that she’d be saying the same type of thing if she didn’t have the Shiftr party to be excited about.
“I just want someone decent, you know,” Kristin said, breaking through a pause in the conversation. “I’m about ready to settle now.”
“No!” Lauren almost shouted. “You deserve someone as amazing as you are!”
“Babe, the chances of me being able to have kids is very small. If I can find a guy who doesn’t mind being childless, and is not a total slob, and treats me decently, well, maybe that’s all I’ve got a right to expect.”
“Ladies! Where did this lack-of-self-esteem avalanche come from?” Lauren said, looking appalled. “I thought me finding Connor would give you all hope that there are great guys out there. Now, no-one is going to settle or be an eternal spinster. We’re going to go to the ball, all looking amazing, and we’re going to have fun, and chat to lots of men. And I’m certain that, within six months, you’re all going to be with someone incredible. And I don’t want to hear any more negativity from any of you!” With that, she stalked over to the bar to get another drink.
The following week passed in a blur for Dina. She snuck onto the app a couple of times, checking her alerts. Each day, there were at least three more guys wanting to know if she could be their perfect match, but she was determined to hold off on replying before she’d been to the garden party. The sexy bear shifter was on her mind more often than not. The thought of his hot, naked torso turned her mind to mush. While she was teaching her elementary school classes, her mind was far away, concocting all kinds of fantasies about the things they could get up to together. Her ex-boyfriend hadn’t been very adventurous in bed, which had been a constant frustration to her. She was a red-blooded woman, with strong appetites and urges, and the sex drought she’d suffered since Trey dumped her had driven her half-crazy. She loved the thought of being dominated in bed; of being overpowered by a really big, strong guy, who was capable of pinning both her wrists in one hand, while he pleasured every part of her body. When she lay in bed alone, she imagined the bear-guy doing exactly this to her – holding her down and taking her roughly, while he gazed at her with those dark, fathomless pools of eyes.
Although she’d only seen his photo for a moment, his image was burned into her brain. It was weird – she usually had to meet someone a few times before she could recall every feature of their face. But she remembered him as if she knew him intimately. And she had the strangest sense that those brown eyes were calling to her, across space and time. She pictured them as tender and insistent, telling her that she was the one. But as she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, the thought gnawed at her that he would have thought she’d rejected him, and already gone onto someone else.
“Relax, Little Miss Stresshead!” Lauren said, answering Dina’s early morning call after one of those anxiety-ridden nights. “Even if he has started dating someone else, if you’re the one, it won’t matter. You’ll be his destined mate.”
Saturday came, and Lauren came over to Dina’s place to get ready for the garden party. They ate a bowl of pasta each.
“I know what you’re like – drinking too fast when you’re nervous – so we’ve got to line our stomachs first!” Lauren said. “Otherwise, Connor will be putting you over his shoulder and carrying you home before the party’s even started!”
“You’re right,” Dina said with a giggle, recalling all the times she’d got way, way too drunk at parties in an attempt to hide her nerves, and then ruined any chance of meeting a guy there. “But I think I’ve learned to pace myself now I’m in my thirties!” Lauren cocked an eyebrow.
“Let’s hope so, girl,” she said.
After they’d finished eating, they began to get ready. They put on some music to get them in a party mood, alternating between Lauren’s R’n’B favorites, and Dina’s taste in light rock. Dina rubbed camellia moisturizer all over her body, making her skin impossibly soft and smooth, and then she put on a matching lacy lingerie set, in the same mint-green shade as her dress. It was beautiful and expensive, and she’d bought it during the week to give her an extra confidence boost. She slipped her dress on over the top. She still wasn’t sure about the long, floaty skirt, but she did love the way it flared over her hips, and the nipped in waist. Her bra gave her boobs a nice lift, and the low v-neckline of the dress made her cleavage look amazing. She draped her favorite wrap over her shoulders. It had belonged to her grandmother, and was made of cream filigree lace.
She joined Lauren in the bathroom to do her make-up.
“You look stunning!” Lauren said, looking at Dina’s reflection in the mirror as she applied her eyeliner.
“You’re looking pretty hot yourself,” Dina said, eyeing her friend’s voluptuous figure in her tight pink dress. Lauren loved her curvy body and it showed; she always looked sensational.
Dina applied black liner and smoky gray eye shadow to her eyelids, to emphasize the greenness of her eyes. She added mascara, then picked up her favourite lipcolor and hesitated.
“Lipstick or not?” she asked.
“Not!” Lauren said. “You’ll scare any guys off who might be thinking about kissing you.” Dina giggled.
“Fair point, I guess.”
“How about this one?” Lauren said, picking up a pot of rose-pink gloss. “It’s so pretty.”
“Ok.” Dina slicked it on. It made her lips look extra full, and she completed the effect with a rose cream blush.
“Perfect!” Lauren said, in admiration. “Your eyes look kind of wicked, but your cheeks and lips have this fresh, kind of innocent look. It’s the ideal virgin/harlot combination!”
“Hey!” Dina exclaimed, and slapped her friend’s ass playfully.
They both stepped into killer heels – Dina in nude patent courts, and Lauren in black patent sandals – and walked into the bedroom to see themselves in the full-length mirror.
“Wooh! We’re two hot ladies,” Lauren exclaimed. Dina looked at her reflection more shyly. She looked pretty ok, she allowed herself to think. Before she could object, Lauren snapped a selfie of them together. “The before shot,” she said with a cackle. “Ok, let’s have one drink before we go, so we don’t go in cold.” She pulled a small bottle of tequila out of her purse. “Do you have soda, and lime?”
“Yes!” Dina said, striding over to the kitchen. She mixed up two drinks with ice. “I actually feel quite classy right now,” she commented, as they drank them sitting on high stools by the island in the kitchen.
“Well we princesses better call ourselves a carriage, if we don’t want to be late,” Lauren said, reaching for her phone, and tapping on a taxi app.
Chapter Three
The venue for the garden party was out in the hills, a 30-minute drive from downtown Hope Valley. As the taxi passed between two high, wrought iron gates and drove onto a private tree-lined avenue, Dina’s mouth fell open.
“What is this place?” she said.
“I don’t know,” Lauren replied. “But the person w
ho owns it sure seems to have a lot of money!” The avenue continued for maybe a quarter of a mile, before it swung to the left and a huge, elegant house came into view. The house was white, with three stories, and big marble columns on either side of the front door. It gleamed like a Grecian temple under the flawless blue sky. To the right of the house was a painted wooden sign, saying ‘Secret garden party this way’.
The girls stepped out of the taxi carefully, Dina catching up her loose skirt so it didn’t get tangled in the door, and they walked towards the sign. They were now close enough to see that there was a pathway running alongside the house. Lauren looked at Dina, her eyes full of excitement.
“Are you ready?” she asked. Dina let out a long breath.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said. They picked their way along the path, and when they reached the end, they stopped and stared at the amazing sight that greeted them.
There was a huge garden, full of palms and magnolia trees, with tables and chairs dotted here and there. A jazz band was playing in one corner, and in the other was a vast buffet table, groaning with food. Off to one side was a cocktail bar that looked like it had been lifted out of the 1920s, and in the final corner was a mini circus show, with acrobats and jugglers and fire-eaters. All the women were in pretty dresses, while the men were in tuxedos. Every guy that Dina glanced at was ridiculously, stunningly, good looking.
“Oh. My. God!” Dina breathed. “Is this place real?”
“Pinch me, I think I’m dreaming,” Lauren said at the same time.
As they stepped onto the immaculately-clipped lawn, a man walked over with a tray of champagne glasses.
“Drink, ladies?” he asked. He had a narrow, handsome face, with something sly in his expression that made Dina think of a fox. Lauren snatched two glasses immediately.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Are these men all shifters?” Dina whispered when the guy had walked away.
“Yup,” Lauren replied, looking around. “And what fine specimens they are. Not that I’m looking, of course; Connor’s all the man I’ll ever need.” As they walked into the center of the garden, they could hear the jazz band playing, and they were bathed in the sunlight of a beautiful summer’s day. Dina tried not to stare too obviously at the men all around them, but she couldn’t get her head around the fact that they were all half animal. And not only that, but they were insanely hot. She was practically salivating. Seeing such sexy men on the app had almost been too much for her; seeing them in the flesh was on a whole other level.
Just then, a woman in a shimmering golden dress ran over to them, tottering on incredibly high heels.
“Lauren, darling!” she exclaimed, taking Lauren by the shoulders and kissing her on both cheeks. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to greet you at the entrance. I just got caught up with so many people!” She turned to Dina. “And you must be Dina.” She also kissed Dina, while Dina stood there, too stunned to move. “I’m Tamika, and I’m so glad you’ve made it here tonight! Lauren told me all about that delicious man you found on Shiftr, and I can tell you that I’m pretty sure he’s here tonight. All but two of the local shifters responded to my invite, saying they were coming.”
“That’s great,” Dina said, a little shyly. Tamika’s effervescent personality had knocked her off balance a little. She was a beautiful woman in her mid-forties, with long, caramel-colored hair, carefully arranged into waves, and long, muscular, tanned legs. Her dress was a simple shift style, but it looked stunning on her generous curves, and she wore bold, statement jewellery, set with jade stones. She spoke in a booming voice with a foreign accent. “Where are you from?” Dina blurted out.
“I’m from England, darling,” Tamika said with a smile. “I grew up in London, but an American werewolf caught my heart ten years ago, and brought me over here. I’ve lived in the US ever since. Just recently, I started thinking about all the lonely shifters out there who are desperate to meet curvy girls like us, and the idea for the app just popped into my head!”
“It’s amazing what you’re doing,” Dina said, gazing around the garden.
“Thank you, darling. I very much hope you find the bear you’re looking for. Please come and find me if he hasn’t emerged from the shadows by the end of the night!” Tamika said. And, with that, she was off, greeting the next group of people.
“She’s quite something!” Dina whispered to Lauren.
“She is,” Lauren replied with a grin. “I’ve heard that she belongs to the English aristocracy or something, and she’s a millionaire, so she produces the app for free, just to bring curvy girls and shifters together.”
“That’s so sweet,” Dina replied. “Oh, hey, isn’t that Connor?” By the time she’d finished her sentence, the tall, stocky figure of Connor was right in front of them.
“Hey, baby!” Lauren yelled, throwing her arms around him. He kissed her on the lips, tenderly stroking the bare flesh of her upper arms. Dina was entranced. She loved the way Connor treated Lauren, like she was the only girl in the world. Eventually, they pulled away from each other, and Connor turned towards Dina with a big grin.
“Sorry, Dina, I forgot my manners! It’s great to see you!” he said, and pulled her into a hug that almost knocked the breath out of her. Fleetingly, she wondered if that was how it would feel to be held by the bear-guy.
When he released her, she registered how handsome he looked in his crisp white shirt and bow tie. She was used to seeing him in a t-shirt and ripped jeans.
“How are you?” he asked her, a warm smile lighting his eyes.
“A little nervous,” she admitted.
“Don’t be. You’re not going to have a hard time finding your mate, trust me,” he said, squeezing her hand. “Now, would you ladies like to come over and meet my clan?” He nodded to an area of the garden where a group of well-built, dark-haired guys were gathered.
“Your clan?” Dina asked. Connor laughed.
“Sorry, I forget people aren’t used to shifter language. It means something like my extended family.” They walked over to the group together. On the way over, a waiter appeared at their elbow with a tray of delicious-looking canapés, and Dina and Lauren grabbed one each.
As they arrived, all eight men turned around to greet them, and Dina was shocked to see approval and desire in the eyes that lingered over her body.
“This is Ryzard, Olsen, Bruno, Dalton, Frankie, Leigh, Niall, and Timo,” Connor said. “Guys, this is Dina.” They sweetly shook hands with her, one at a time, and she felt herself blushing as she met their intense gazes. Connor frowned. “Someone’s missing though. Where’s Logie?”
“He’s on a mission,” Bruno said with a laugh. One edge of Connor’s lips curled up.
“What kind of a mission?”
“He said he found this amazing woman on Shiftr,” Frankie cut in. “She seemed to like him too, but then she disappeared, and he couldn’t find her on the site anymore.”
“He’s been really cut up about it all week, because he’s sure they were perfect for each other. So he’s desperately hoping she’ll be at the party today,” Ryzard explained.
“He says he’d never forgive himself if she was here and he didn’t manage to find her,” Dalton added. Dina was totally charmed by the way they spoke, each picking up where the other one left off. But there was another, far more dramatic thought racing through her mind. She shot a glance at Lauren and saw that she was thinking the same thing.
“What does this Logan look like?” Lauren asked. The bears looked at each other and rubbed the backs of their heads.
“Pretty much like us?” Niall mumbled, confused.
“I mean, does he have black hair, or brown? Is he tall or average? What color are his eyes?” Lauren said. They looked relieved.
“Black hair!” Timo said triumphantly. “And he’s real tall, maybe the tallest out of all of us.”
“And his eyes?” The bears shuffled around.
“We don’t know,” Co
nnor said with a laugh. “It’s a guy thing. I can tell you they’re not blue, but apart from that, I wouldn’t have a clue.” He shrugged helplessly. “Why are you asking, anyway?”
“Oh, no reason,” Lauren said. “Dina and I just need to use the little girls’ room. Could you point us in the right direction, Connor?”
Lauren dragged Dina off to a quiet spot under a tree, far from the others.
“Did you hear that?” she hissed. “He’s here! He’s looking for you! How amazing is that?” Dina looked excited and terrified all at the same time.
“What if he doesn’t like me when he sees me?”
“Please! Girl, you’ve never looked prettier, and you look better in the flesh than in your photos anyway.” Lauren put a finger on her lip. “Now, what should we do – should we wait for him to find you, or should we be a little more pro-active?”
They began to wander around the garden together, focusing their attention on any guy walking around by himself. Every guy they saw was either too blond, too short, or not stocky enough. Then, right on the opposite side of the garden from where Connor and his friends were gathered, there was a man with his back to them. He was about 40 feet away, and Dina could see that he was taller than most of the men there.
“Turn around,” she muttered under her breath. Incredibly, as she spoke, he did turn his head, as if looking for something. Dina clutched Lauren’s arm as he turned to face them.
“Oh my god, it’s him!” she hissed. There he was. Black hair, a hint of a beard, and six foot five inches of dense muscle, packed into a sexy tux.
“Are you sure?” Lauren said. “I can’t even make out his features from this far away.
“Yes. I’m sure,” she said. The man’s gaze focused in on her, and a dazzling smile broke across his rugged features. He strode across the grass, and in an instant, he was standing in front of them. His deep brown eyes locked with Dina’s, and she restrained a gasp. He was absolutely gorgeous, but it was more than that: she had the weirdest sense that they were being magnetically drawn together. He took a step closer, and held out his hand. Dazed, she stretched out her hand too, and he engulfed it in his. His whole hand was rough and callused, and she found herself wondering how it would feel running all over her body.
Bear Home for Christmas: BBW Holiday Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (Christmas Bear Shifter Romance Book 1) Page 12