Shiftr Swipe Left for Love (Hope Valley BBW Online Dating App Romance #5)(10)

“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?”