Shiftr Swipe Left for Love (Hope Valley BBW Online Dating App Romance #5)(11)

“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,” Connor 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.

“I’m Logan,” he said, in a deep, rumbling voice that made her quiver from head to toe.

“Dina,” she replied, her voice an octave higher than usual.

“We met briefly online,” he said.

“I know,” she replied, with a giggle. Idiot. She’d planned to come across as mysterious and sexy, but she was so stunned by his good looks that she was acting like a teenager. He frowned, as if uncertain how he should phrase his next sentence.

“You’re even more beautiful than your photos. I appreciate that you think I’m not your type, which is why I couldn’t find you on the app after you received my message. But when we first made contact, I felt so strongly that we were a match. When I saw your photo, it was like a bolt of electricity was connecting your phone with mine.” He laughed, embarrassed. Then he paused, frowning adorably, before he began to speak again. “So I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to give it another chance. Maybe we could hang out today, and get to know each other a little?”

“It was a mistake – “ Dina started to say, but she was cut off by Lauren giving a little scream.

“Oh my god, I’m such a klutz!” Lauren exclaimed. Dina’s head snapped to the side, and she saw that her friend had spilled her drink down the front of her dress. “Goodness. I’d better go to the restroom and fix this,” she said, grabbing Dina by the hand and beginning to run. “I’m sorry, Logan, it was nice to meet you. We’ll catch you later!” she called over her shoulder.

“Oh no, you’ve ruined your dress,” Dina said, as they reached the restroom.