He’d already left home, so he never met his brother’s girlfriend, the one he wanted to be his mate one day. What had his brother said about her? She was an amazing girl who was orphaned and had to bring up her family by herself. But he’d gone and cheated on her when she couldn’t go to senior prom. Just like his father said he would. Don’t beat yourself up about it, son. The apple never falls far from the tree. It’s in your blood. His brother had hated himself for what he’d done, but with their father’s encouragement, he’d gotten over it, abandoned himself to a lifetime of breaking women’s hearts.
“You’re not making this easy for me!” Lauren said loudly.
He flinched. “I’m sorry. Some thoughts kind of got stirred up.”
“About not having a close family?” Immediately her voice was soft again, caring.
“Yes,” he lied.
“But you’ve got your clan. That’s what’s important.”
“That’s our plan. All sticking together.” He glanced at her quickly as she reached for her wine. It had to be a coincidence. A ton of teens must get cheated on around senior prom. Hormones raging, a lot of emotions, strict parents. “Did you grow up around here?”
“No. A county away.” She inclined her head approximately southwest. “Earlsfield. You know it?”
“Not really.” Another lie. He grew up there, and his father still lived there as far as he knew. His head started pounding, and suddenly he had to get away from this. Needed to be alone to think.
“Hey, I’m thinking I need to get back to the clan. Who knows what they might be doing to the cabins without me there. Thank you for cooking dinner for me. I appreciate it a lot. And you’re an amazing woman, Lauren. You deserve a special guy who’s going to give you loyalty and happiness.” He almost choked on the end of his sentence.
Before she could hate him any more than she already did, he got up and strode across the garden. When he discovered there was no exit, he vaulted over a low hedge and kept going until he found his truck on the street.
6
And they didn’t even get to have dessert. Lauren spun her wine glass around on the table. That Connor was one of the most complex guys she’d met in her life. He wanted her. He didn’t want her. Trouble, her friend Kristin would say. Guys who blow hot and cold just want to manipulate your feelings until you’re all screwed up and waiting on their affections like a puppy dog. But that wasn’t him. He seemed too serious, too straightforward to be like that.
It was more like something had crawled up his ass. But what? She ran through the whole evening. Was it because he figured out she’d never been with a guy before? Maybe he hated the way she was kissing him, and it turned him off. Well, she didn’t have a lot of experience. The way he was kissing her, though. Lord. She didn’t know it was possible to feel that worked up. She’d been right on the point of tearing his T-shirt off, out in the open, where the neighbors could’ve seen them. She giggled. So he doesn’t want a mate. Fine. But the way she felt right now, she might be willing to go for something in between.
The next day Lauren woke up an hour early and arrived in the office at seven-thirty a.m. For the past two days, she’d been trying to snoop around for anything relating to Connor’s land, but it was impossible with everyone there. She needed to be alone to have a proper look. She didn’t feel good about it, but by now, she was pretty damn sure that Errol had deliberately cheated the bears. Her hands trembling a little, she went through Errol’s filing cabinets and desk drawers. Then Derek’s. Nothing. No surprises there. Who kept anything sensitive on paper these days anyway?
She moved Errol’s mouse and glared in frustration at the screensaver of a flashy red Ferrari. How many password attempts did you get before you got locked out? She went over to her own computer and tested it. Three mistakes at least, then you had to wait until the screen locked itself again. She dredged up everything she knew about Errol—no wife, no kids. He was obsessed with penis extensions—uh, sporty cars. She tried out Ferrari, Porsche. No luck. His birthday? Nothing worked. But sometimes she wrote her password on a post-it note and stuck it under her keyboard. Bingo! Errol had done the same. His password was Iluvbigones. Seriously? She held her breath as she keyed it in and watched the computer come to life. She pointed the mouse to his inbox and clicked to open it, then she went to his sent messages and scanned the subject lines of the past two days’ emails. Land recovered said one. She opened it:
John,
Sorry once again for my shortsighted decision. I have recovered the land and assessed that the cabins currently occupying it are very suitable for being sold as individual units. In fact, our surveyor says that the build quality is exceptionally high. I hope this goes some way to redressing my earlier mistake, and I await your instructions,
Errol.
“That slimy toad-faced snake!” she muttered, then jumped at the sound of a metallic clunk behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Derek coming through the main door. Quickly she hit the key combination to lock the computer and skidded across the room into her own seat. Damn. What the hell is that little prick doing here so early? Never mind. She’d seen enough. Her gutless loser of a boss was planning on selling the cabins that Connor and his clan had made themselves, with the materials they’d paid for. This could not happen. But what could she do to prevent it from happening?
The entrance to the building clanged again, and someone with a heavy tread walked in. She slunk down in her seat as much as possible in the hope they wouldn’t see her above the cubicle divider. It was Errol, looking disgustingly pleased with himself.
“Derek! In nice and early. Good job!” He clapped his hands together. “We’ve got a busy day ahead of us. The ad’s going in the paper. I’m confident there’ll be some enquiries, so we’ve got to be ready to field them.”
“Sure thing, boss!” Derek replied in his irritatingly nasal tone. “So we’re saying viewings are starting in a week’s time?”
“Yup. Should be plenty of time to get those rednecks outta there.”
Lauren’s mouth fell open. It was all true. Those assholes. How could they do that to someone? Then she gave a small smile. Rednecks. She thought about how wild and mad the bears had been when they got locked out of their cabins. And that was when they were in their human forms. Errol and his sycophantic crew had no idea what they were dealing with. She didn’t know a whole lot about Connor, but she had the sense that he’d tear the cabins down before he let anyone sell them off. But what then? The clan would be homeless again. All their hard work and money wasted.
Errol and Derek drifted off to the kitchen, and she took the opportunity to make it look like she’d just arrived. When they returned, she was standing at her desk, pretending to look for something in her purse.
“Ah, Lauren! Up and at ’em, bright and early!”
She cringed inwardly. “Hello, Errol.”
“I’m glad you’re here before the rest get in since I wanted to give you a very special task.”
“Okay.” She sat down on her desk chair and regarded him levelly.
“I want you to return to the land in the forest and take a little look around, check that the terms of the eviction notice are being upheld. Take some photos for me.”
She sucked in a breath. “Errol, last time I spoke to the occupants, they were very insistent they had been sold the land. By someone who matches your description.”
Errol’s face instantly turned the shade of an overripe tomato, and he started to breathe fast. Then he scrubbed at his forehead with his palm. “Lauren, my dear. You and I both know you were very fortunate to have gotten this position. And I hope very much you are able to keep it. Am I making myself clear?”
Lauren stared at him, cold hatred and burning shame mingling in her heart. With a gigantic effort, she reined them both in until they became a hard, heavy ball she felt like she needed to cough up. “Yes, Errol. Crystal clear.”
A slimy smile stretched across his face. “Good, good. I’d like you to
report back to me by midday.”
“Just one thing—last time I paid the cabins a visit to issue the eviction notice, the occupants, a bunch of real big guys, weren’t too happy to see me.”
“Ah.” He paused. Then he ran his eye deliberately over her curves. “You’ll be fine. Just use your womanly charms,” he said and followed up with a lascivious wink that connected directly with her gag reflex.
She got up and left the office right away. That piece of garbage! she fumed as she got into her car. He’d even put her into danger’s way to further his own ends. He wasn’t even human. But it would be an insult to animals to call him an animal. And then she thought of Connor. Half man, half animal, but a decent guy, no matter what issues he had. The kind of decency someone like Errol wouldn’t be able recognize if it bit him on the ass.
She sat in her car and stared blankly out of the window, tapping her nails on the steering wheel. She couldn’t deal with this situation by herself. She needed help. Ideally from a lawyer. But she didn’t know anybody. But…she did know the next best thing. She picked up her phone and made a call, detailing the situation.
Then she began the half-hour drive to the forest.
Adrenaline prickled in her stomach as she pulled up in front of the cabins. I shouldn’t be this worked up to see Connor again. But his kiss was still burning on her lips, and she felt like there was unfinished business between them.
There was no sign of him. No sign of the other bears either. She blew out a long breath. She hadn’t considered this scenario. She stepped out of the car cautiously. If any of the bears appeared, she’d just tell them she was here to see Connor. Hopefully they thought she was still dating him.
She listened hard as she walked up the pathway to Connor’s cabin. But the only thing she could hear was the chirping of birds. The place seemed to be deserted, which only added to the sad sight of the boarded-up cabins. She had to get this fixed, get Connor’s home back. He deserved that. She walked a circuit of the porch, gazing at the workmanship. She didn’t understand why he didn’t want to find a mate. He’d be such a good husband and father. A pang hit her, right in the gut. She shook herself, pulled her phone out and, very reluctantly, took some photos.
As she was finishing up, an alert on her phone sounded. It was from Shiftr. And when she saw it was a message from Connor, her heart leapt into her mouth.
Can you come meet me on highway 637, junction with Earlsfield Road.
“Huh?” she muttered. “What does he want from me?”
Actually I’m at your place now, she replied.
Why?
My boss sent me.
Come meet me on the highway.
She raised an eyebrow. Can’t you come back here?
No, I need you here. It’s important.
She sighed and opened her maps app. I can be there in 30 minutes.
See you then.
“Why exactly did I agree to this?” she said to herself as she drove back down the bumpy track, away from the cabins and in the direction of the highway.
A half hour later, she arrived at the obscure spot. There was nothing there. She looked around as she pulled onto the shoulder. Just a grassy verge backed by trees and a couple of billboards.
Connor appeared from somewhere in the trees, striding toward her. He was wearing a slightly torn gray T-shirt and paint-splattered jeans, but he still looked as sexy as hell. She got out of the car, her lips unconsciously curving at the sight of him. But when she saw the fury in his eyes, her smile died away.
He stopped a couple of feet from her and jabbed an index finger toward the sky. “What the hell is this?” She followed the trajectory of his finger until she was looking at one of the billboards. It featured a high-res photo of a very attractive wood cabin, surrounded by what looked like a photo-shopped garden.
Wyndham’s Real Estate is proud to present a collection of brand-new cabins, finished to the highest specifications, and located in our beautiful national forest. Starting price $149,999. Call for details.
Her stomach lurched, and her mouth fell open.
“I’ll tell you what it is!” he roared. “It’s someone trying to sell my own damn cabin that I built myself!”
“It is,” she said weakly, wondering how the hell they’d managed to take the photos. It must’ve been when they went to board up all the windows and doors. Those assholes. Beyond belief.
“Did you know about this?” Connor demanded.
“Yes—” she began.
“What?” He spun so his face was inches from hers.
She opened her mouth to speak, but his rage trapped the words in her throat.
“We had a good time on our date last night,” he roared. “I liked you. I mean, it wasn’t a real date. I don’t like you like that. But I thought you were a good person. And now I find out you knew about these assholes selling the cabins and you didn’t even tell me. I can’t believe I was so wrong about you!” He gripped his head between his hands, so hard his fingers went white.
Lauren stared at him, too stung to mask the horror that she knew would be showing on her face. He doesn’t like me like that. It wasn’t because he had some issues or anything else. He just wasn’t into her. Maybe she had pushed him for a kiss, her sex signals blatant. He got turned on, probably because it doesn’t take a whole lot to get a bear horny. But he didn’t like it.
“You haven’t got anything to say?”
She forced her emotions back under control, stuffing them deep inside her as she’d done many times before. Staying strong for the good of someone else. “I only just found out. I didn’t know anything about these ads, though,” she said in a much calmer tone than she felt.
“What were you doing at the cabins just now?”
She sighed. “My boss told me to go over and take some photos. Report back on the situation.”
“Yeah. Sounds about right.”
She stayed silent, her throat spasming with emotion.
“I’m going to tear these damn cabins down,” he spat. “There’s no way your boss is going to profit from this. I sent the guys off someplace because I was worried they were going to kill somebody. But I’ll get them back now, bust everything apart, and bring all that junk back. Leave it looking how it was when we found it.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it. She was about done here. She’d already put her ass on the line, and he still didn’t trust her. Right now she wanted to turn her back on him and never see him again.
“Good luck with that,” she said. “And please remember that this whole thing could’ve been avoided if you’d had the sense to ask for a bill of sale.”
She turned on her heel and stalked back to her car.
7
Connor drove too fast on his way back to the forest. He shouldn’t have left the cabins unprotected for so long. He’d sent the guys off to scout out some rock caves deep in the forest that could potentially be used as temporary homes. It was more to keep them out of harm’s way than because he genuinely thought it’d be a good plan to live in caves. But then he’d had to run an errand himself, which was when he saw the billboard. He’d been so furious he’d started to shift right away, and he’d only had time to pull over and strip before his bear burst out of him.
He was already feeling bad about being so hard on Lauren. But he couldn’t trust her. She had known about the sale and didn’t tell him. And she’d been at the cabin taking more goddamn photos. Guess she was hoping the cabins would get sold, and he and the bears would limp off quietly.
His claws dug into the steering wheel. In truth, the person he was most mad at was himself. Lauren was right. The whole thing could’ve been avoided if he’d forced that puny human to write him a receipt. He let off a roar of pure frustration. He wasn’t human enough to deal with this. That was the problem. And now that he’d scared Lauren off, there was no-one to help him fix it.
He turned off the road that ran alongside the forest and onto the rough track that led home. A
s he pulled up in front of the cabins and got out, something hit him hard from behind. He went down, crashing to the ground under the force of a heavy weight. He scrabbled at the earth, trying to flip over.
“Shift!” a thick, aggressive voice roared in his ear.
“Ryzard!” he yelled. “Get the hell off me.”
Ryzard loosened his grip enough to enable him to turn onto his back. He glared up at his clan mate. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m challenging you for leadership!” Ryzard bellowed.
Connor dug his hands into Ryzard’s shoulders, pushing him away until he had enough clearance to land a punch to the side of his head. Ryzard’s head snapped back, and Connor levered himself up. Both men stood, facing each other, poised for battle. Connor’s bear was tearing him up, desperate to sink his teeth into Ryzard’s flesh. “What? Are you kidding me? You can barely organize your furry ass out of bed in the mornings.”
“Me and the guys have been talking.”
“Who exactly?”
“Niall and Ryder. You’re not leading us well, Connor. I reckon I can do a better job.”
Connor snorted, unable to believe his ears. “After all I’ve done for you, you ungrateful half-breed!” His bear ripped out of him, and he flew at Ryzard, claws out and teeth gnashing.
They fought hard, not stopping until each bear was bloodied and they were caught in a deadlock. Connor delivered the final blow, slashing Ryzard across the muzzle. It was a mean move, and not something he ever thought he’d do to a clan member, but he couldn’t take being challenged.
Ryzard yelped and wrapped his paws around his nose.
Connor shifted back. He winced as the injuries Ryzard had inflicted started to burn much worse on his human skin. He stared at Ryzard in disgust until the bear got to his feet and limped off. He hoped this was the end of it, but he knew deep down that it wasn’t. Was he going to lose the clan he loved along with their new home? The thought of losing them hurt so much more. He lifted his head and let off a bellow of pain.
Shiftr_Swipe Left for Love_Connor & Lauren Page 5
