Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Ryzard) BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Hope Valley BBW Dating App Romance Book 9)

by Ariana Hawkes

  Suddenly, a noise came from the adjoining room. He shushed his bear up and listened. She was standing right by the door. He could hear her fingernails grazing the wood. Quirky. Almost as if she’s listening for me. He fought the urge to leap to his feet, run over and try the door to see if it was open on her side too. Instead, he held his breath and waited. At last, she made a tiny sound of disappointment and walked away. Then he heard her go into the bathroom and turn the water on. Trying his best to ignore his sensitive bear hearing, he also headed to the shower.

  The bed wasn’t as comfy as sleeping in his bear form, but it was a close second. He settled onto the soft, fluffy pillows and prepared to drift off, but just as he was falling asleep, his ears pricked up again as an unignorable sound came from next door. There was a little sigh, followed by a moan, and then another, and he could just make out the sound of bed springs moving quickly. Is she doing what I think she’s doing? he wondered, a smile playing on his lips. He imagined her lying between her own white sheets, that sweet, deliciously curvy body unadorned, her thighs spread, and her elegant hand touching herself. The thought made him instantly rock hard. God, she’s so sexy. So curvy and petite. Never one to waste a good erection, he reached down and pulled his cock out of his boxers, and began to stroke himself as he listened to her sounds, imagining that he was the one making her feel like that. As his red-blooded bear took over, he forgot about how he was supposed to distrust her because she was a human, and gave free rein to his desires. He imagined how delicious her breasts would feel filling his hands, how incredible it would feel to be inside her. How she’d cry out when he mated her, how she’d ride him with fire in her eyes.

  There was the beginning of a cry, which was quickly stifled, and then silence. She came, he thought. And that was enough. He orgasmed too, wasting the seed that he wished so badly he could shoot inside her.

  The next morning, Braxton felt a little ashamed about what he’d done. But it’s not as if she’ll ever find out, he told himself. Still, that’s a new low for you, Braxton; masturbating over a human. On the other hand, it’d felt damn good. He hadn’t mated for a long, long time, and coming while thinking about a female that his bear was crazy about was a good enough substitute for now.

  As soon as he was fully awake, he called Xander and gave him an update. He’d already told him that he was going on an investigatory trip for a few days, and he said that the investigation was on track, but he didn’t mention Neve. He didn’t want his Alpha to know that he’d involved a human until a solution emerged.

  “Our next match is in five days, Braxton. We can’t have another situation like the one at Brooks. Give me your honest opinion – should we put it off?” Xander said. Braxton didn’t miss a beat.

  “No, things will be resolved by then, Xander. The culprit will be found and they’ll wish they’d never thought of doing anything like that.”

  “Okay. I trust you, Braxton. We’re all counting on you,” Xander said in his deep, booming voice, and Braxton glowed with pride that his Alpha was putting his faith in him. He wasn’t going to let him down. Everything had to be resolved in five days. Failure wasn’t an option.

  He listened hard, but couldn’t hear any sound from Neve’s room. She must be sleeping very quietly, he concluded. His belly was grumbling though, and his online map told him that there were no woods close enough for him to hunt in, so he went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.

  Fifteen minutes later, he was back. The buffet had been stressful, with humans milling around everywhere, pushing past each other to grab the food like a bunch of wolves, but the food was amazing and he’d had four helpings.

  There was a little sound coming from Neve’s room – a fast rhythmic tapping. He lifted his hand to knock on the adjacent door, then dropped it again. She’d come find him when she was ready. In another minute, the tapping stopped, and there was a knock on his room door. He pulled it open, and Neve was standing there, laptop tucked under her arm. She was wearing a cute dark gray v-neck shirt that clung to her curves, and a pair of soft black jeans. Her hair was loose and hung in damp waves, and her skin looked fresh from a good night’s sleep. She was wearing a pair of dark-green reading glasses that made her look smart and sexy, but the expression in her eyes was a disquieting mix of triumph and terror.

  “Good. You’re awake,” she said, pushing past him and striding into the room.

  “What is it?” he said, alarmed by her purposefulness. She sat down on the edge of his bed, on the still-rumpled sheets, opened her laptop and took a deep breath.

  “You’re not going to like this,” she said. “I’ve found out the name of the person, or company, who’s behind all this.”

  “Who?” he said eagerly. She pointed at an entry on a web page. And as he read it, his heart sank.

  10

  Braxton yelled and his bear roared, all at the same time, which was enough to make Neve leap across the bed and hide herself behind a large pillow.

  “No! He wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t!” he bellowed. He jerked his head around and stared at her. “Are you sure? Maybe you made a mistake.” She shook her head vigorously, gripping the pillow tight.

  “No, I’m sorry. There’s no mistake.” He looked at her, finally registering that he’d scared the hell out of her.

  “I’m sorry, Neve. I didn’t mean to be aggressive. I’m just a little freaked out. I won’t hurt you, I promise.” Slowly, she crept from the top of the bed and returned to her laptop.

  “I hate that this is the truth, as much as you do. But the owner is registered right here,” she said. Maximus Silvester LLC. It was undeniably right there in print.

  “Xander’s own brother? He’s trying to take down the entire clan?” Braxton murmured, more to himself than to her.

  “There’s an address registered,” Neve said in a small voice, not at all sure that Braxton wasn’t about to shift and take her head off in a fit of anger.

  “Let me see.” He snatched the laptop from her.

  “It wasn’t easy to find.”

  “It’s nothing I recognize,” he said in a tight voice.

  “It’s not clan territory I take it?”

  “Of course not,” he snapped. “No bear would ever reveal the location of clan territory on the internet.” And then he looked at her again and his expression softened.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled again.

  “I understand,” she said. Which didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified. “But why would Maximus try to hurt the clan?” she asked cautiously. Braxton let out a long breath, then he gave her a hard look that made the hairs on her arms stand up.

  “I don’t think I can tell you,” he said at last. She laid a hand on his forearm. It was an unthinking gesture, and the skin-on-skin contact was electrifying. But if he felt it too, he didn’t react.

  “Braxton, please remember, attorney-client privilege. If I’m going to help you, I need to understand the dynamics of the clan.”

  Braxton stood up abruptly and paced around the room, looking a lot like the bear he was.

  At last he stopped and stood right in front of her, twitching with emotion.

  “Maximus isn’t living in clan territory at the moment. There was a leadership contest, and he tried to sabotage Xander by doing something that put the clan in danger. When the clan found out, he left for his own safety.” Neve sucked her lower lip in, knowing that she had to choose her words carefully.

  “So if he’s endangered the clan once, isn’t there a good chance he’d do it again?”

  “No!” he almost shouted, and she scooted away from him again. Then, to her surprise, he crumpled onto the bed and put his head in his hands.

  “Xander doesn’t believe that he’d do something like this,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “But you do?”

  “I think it’s not impossible. And the proof is right there.” He jabbed a finger toward her laptop. “God. Xander will be destroyed by this news. He can’t find out abo
ut it. I’ve got to sort it out by myself somehow.” As he spoke, his fists clenched. Neve looked at his face, which had become broader, his teeth sharper.

  “Braxton, you’d better not tell me anything more, as I strongly suspect you’re not referring to finding a legal solution. And attorney-client privilege doesn’t cover expression of intent to kill.” He stared down at the floor.

  “You’re right, Neve. This is no longer a legal issue. Thank you for your help. You’ve helped me find who’s responsible, and your work here is done.” He got up, went over to his nightstand and picked up his pocketbook. He counted out a huge wad of cash and handed it to her.

  “This will cover the rate we agreed.” Numbly she took the money and dropped it on the bed next to her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go find Maximus, before he does any more damage.” He made a step toward her, and she saw the hunger in his eyes, knowing exactly what would happen next.

  “Braxton –” she started to say, but her words were cut off by his lips. Pressing against hers. It took a couple of seconds for her brain to catch up to the fact that he was kissing her, by which time her body was already experiencing blissful sensations. His lips were so soft, pillowing against her own, and the touch of his tongue made her dizzy. She inhaled the spicy, exciting scent of him as his hands went around her waist, pulling her close, holding her against his rippling abs. She laid her hands on his upper arms, tracing her fingers over his bulging biceps, as she’d been yearning to for she didn’t know how long. He tangled a hand in her hair and his stubble lightly grazed her cheek as his mouth became more and more urgent.

  Too soon, he pulled away, turned, and hurtled down the corridor. All she could do was stand and watch him go, her lips burning and a throbbing ache between her thighs. I had no idea that kissing could feel like that, she thought. She’d wanted it to go on forever. And the feel of those big strong arms around her. Finally she understood what it was to feel protected. If only fleetingly. She stumbled back onto the bed and sat down. He likes me? But I’m a human. And he hates humans. And now he’s gone. He’d kissed her in a way that made her feel like her soul was flowing from her lips, and now he’d disappeared without a word, haring off after Maximus. She was more confused than ever, and her brain’s processing capability was currently at the level of a raccoon. She wanted to lie back on his bed, where he’d been sleeping all night, and inhale his scent while thinking about that kiss. But something else was niggling at her mind.

  A few minutes later, she figured out what it was: what if Maximus wasn’t behind it, but someone was trying very hard to make it look like he was? Braxton was going to go after him, which would be just what the real culprit wanted.

  “Oh my god, I’ve got to call him,” she muttered, rushing back into her own room.

  His phone rang and rang, but there was a corresponding ringing sound coming from next door. Shit. He left his phone here. She paused to think. Braxton doesn’t know where Maximus is. But I just gave him the registered address of the person who bought the advertising. That must be where he’s gone. I have to go after him and make sure he doesn’t do something he’s going to regret. She picked up Braxton’s phone, quickly gathered her things and checked out of the hotel.

  In her car, she programmed the address into the satnav.

  “You will reach your destination in two hours, twenty-seven minutes,” the computerized voice informed her. Amazing. She looked over her shoulder at her heavily-loaded car. Braxton has a sports car, she recalled. Something aggressive and very fast looking. And I have this heap of junk. Am I crazy? “But do I have a choice?” she muttered. I’ve got myself into this, and I’m not about to quit until I’ve helped Braxton and the Broken Hill Bears as much as I can. She began to drive along the narrow, mountainous roads as fast as she was safely able to.

  The land gradually flattened out into wide plains. It was beautiful, and she wished she had time to enjoy it, but all she could think about was getting Braxton before he got to Maximus. In the last 45 minutes of the journey, the road climbed again, and a dark, jagged-topped mountain swung into view. Fifteen minutes before she reached her destination, she stopped the car and picked up her phone. She wanted to find out what kind of place she was about to drive into. She looked up the address in the search engine. There was no information on the first page, or the second. Her frustration growing, she kept flipping. Finally, on the fifth page, there was a name: Blackhearts MC. “A motorcycle club?” she muttered. Unease began to gather in her mind like storm clouds. Maybe it was nothing to a bear shifter, but to a human like her, these places were bad news. You’re just going to find Braxton and speak to him, she reminded herself. It’s not like you’re about to walk into the middle of the place by yourself.

  Starting the car up again, she drove grimly toward the destination. She pulled up a few yards from the end, and parked the car on the side of the road, sensing that it wouldn’t be wise to get so close. Then she got out of the car and walked to the address.

  She turned the final corner and a dilapidated clapboard building came into view. It was painted in peeling black gloss, with faded signage reading “Blackhearts MC” hanging over the front entrance. Braxton was nowhere to be seen, but she spotted his car, parked to the far side of the building. “What now?” she murmured. I can’t just stand here. As much as sense told her not to get any closer, she knew that she was going to go into the building and see if Braxton was there. She wasn’t brave, and her knees felt weak as she strode toward the front door, trying to trick herself into being confident.

  Heavy metal music blared from inside the building as she walked down the rough pathway that led to the front door. It was an intimidating door, also painted black, and with no kind of handle, but a series of locks ran down the left hand side, and it was edged in studded metal plating. She pressed her hand against it, and to her surprise, it gave a little. She pressed harder, and it swung open on heavy hinges. A hot, airless odor of smoke, stake beer and marijuana rushed into her face. Wrinkling her nose, she opened her mouth to call out, but quickly thought better of it. Maybe it would be better if people didn’t know she was there. Her pulse beat fast as she stepped through the door and let it go behind her, plunging her into gloom. She was in a dark passageway, and the music pounded from a door in front of her. She knocked on the door, but her small fist made no sound at all. Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle, and the door opened. And then her eyes opened very wide at the sight that greeted her.

  Braxton was standing in the middle of the room, his massive arms lifted, the muscles popping and veins standing out in thick cords, and in each hand was the throat of a biker. Two big, hulking men, each in the classic uniform of leathers, greasy bandanas and tattoos. In normal circumstances, they would’ve intimidated the hell out of her, but right now, they looked terrified. The face of the guy on the left was going purple and the eyes of both were bulging and bloodshot.

  “Where’s Maximus?” Braxton was yelling, his voice far louder than the pounding music.

  “I keep telling you, man – I don’t know any Maximus,” the purple-faced guy croaked.

  “Don’t lie to me!” Braxton thundered.

  “Braxton!” Neve yelled. He turned his head toward her and released the men at the same time. They collapsed onto the ground, coughing and gasping for breath, hands clutching the bases of their throats.

  “Neve? What are you doing here?” he said, his handsome face creased with a frown.

  “I came looking for you because I have something important to say to you. I don’t think Maximus is responsible. I think someone might be impersonating him, to make it look like his work,” she said in a rush. Braxton glanced over his shoulder at the two bikers, who were lying in a miserable heap.

  “I was starting to think that they were telling the truth,” he said. “If they’re lying, they put up a pretty good fight.”

  “I don’t think they’re lying,” Neve said, looking at them worriedly. She dreaded to think what wo
uld’ve happened if she hadn’t walked in. “Do you mind if I ask them a question?” Braxton raised his hands.

  “Be my guest.”

  “Okay. I just need one minute to prepare it.” She sat at a table in the corner of the room and took her phone out of her pocket. Then she scrolled to one of her favorite websites, copied an image and used her photo app to crop around it carefully.

  She walked over to the men cautiously. As she did, Braxton gave a long, low warning growl that was pure bear. A shiver ran down her spine, and she was very glad that she wasn’t in his bad books.

  “Do you recognize any of these men?” she asked, showing them the screen of her phone. A light came on in the eyes of each.

  “If I tell you, he’s not going to do anything to us, is he?” the one on the right rasped.

  “No, he’ll let you go,” she said, more confidently than she felt. “Just tell me the truth, and you’ll be fine.” The biker extended a trembling finger.

  “I know him and him,” he said, pointing to two faces in a group photo.

  “And you?” she said, angling the phone so only one of them could see it at a time.

  “I know him and him,” the other one choked out, pointing out the same faces.

  “How do you know them?”

  “We did some work for them. Our man, Gizmo, set up some internet technology or something,” the first one said.

  “What kind of technology?”

  “I dunno. He’s the tech nerd. We just take the money.” She stepped back.

  “Can we go outside for a moment?” she said to Braxton. He nodded.

  “Sure.” Then he pointed at the bikers.

  “If either of you move a muscle while I’m gone, I’m going to take you apart and feed you to my clan. You understand?” Their heads bobbed in panicked nods.