Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love (Frankie)
Hope Valley Dating App Romances Book 13
Ariana Hawkes
C opyright ©2017 by Ariana Hawkes
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law .
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events and businesses is purely coincidental .
T his is a standalone, full-length 33,000-word HEA romance .
Created with Vellum
Contents
Note from the author
Also by Ariana Hawkes
Get your free book!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
A Thank You from Ariana Hawkes
Bonus story: Bear Mine For Christmas
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Also by Ariana Hawkes
Your free book is waiting!
About the Author
Note from the author
Hi there! The thirteenth instalment of the series is here and I really hope you’ll enjoy Frankie’s story !
I’ve also included a free bonus Christmas story for you .
Please note: The main story finishes at about 60% because the free bonus story follows. So don’t be confused - the main book is a full-length novel of 33,000 words .
Happy reading !
Yours,
Ariana
ALSO BY ARIANA HAWKES
S hiftr: Hope Valley Dating App Romances
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 1 (Dina )
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 2 (Kristin )
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 3 (Melissa )
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 4 (Andrea )
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 5 (Lori )
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 6 (Adaira )
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 7 (Timo )
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 8 (Jessica )
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 9 (Ryzard )
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 10 (Nash )
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 11 (Olsen )
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 12 (Connor & Lauren )
B roken Hill Bears
Bear In The Rough (Broken Hill Bears Book 1 )
Bare Knuckle Bear (Broken Hill Bears Book 2 )
Bear Cuffs (Broken Hill Bears Book 3 )
C hristmas Bear Shifter Romances
Ultimate Bear Christmas Magic Box Set
Bear All I Want For Christmas Boxed Set
Bear Home For Christmas
Bear Christmas Magic
Bear My Perfect Gift
Polar Bears’ Christmas
L ost To The Bear
R avished by the Ice Palace Pack
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A 4.5-star rated, comedy romance featuring one kickass roller derby chick, two scorching-hot Alphas, and the naughty nip that changed their lives forever .
The only thing missing from Aspen Richardson’s life is a man who will love her just the way she is. In the small town she calls home, bullies from the past remain, making her wonder if it's ever going to happen. But, things are about to change in a major way, as the secret Aspen’s parents have been keeping from her comes out …
“This book definitely needs to be added to your MUST read list – you will quickly fall in love with this steamy and fast paced story .”
Get your free book now !
(If your device doesn’t support links, go to www.arianahawkes.com/freebook )
1
“W ait for it,” Selma Gaskill muttered to herself, straining to hold her cell phone flat against the glass of her kitchen window, her index finger poised over the shutter button at the bottom of the screen. The camera app was open, the zoom was turned up to 5x magnification, and the viewfinder displayed a dark-haired, muscular man who was lifting the front of his black Sepultura tank top to wipe his face. He was working in her garden, and although it was the start of fall, the temperature was still in the high seventies, and perspiration streaked his tan skin. He was turned three quarters away from her so she was denied a view of his stacked abs and the diagonal grooves that peeked out from the waistband of his low-slung khaki shorts, but his biceps looked great bunched like that, the big tattoo of a roaring bear on his left shoulder clearly visible .
“Come on, turn around for Selly,” she crooned. It was hella awkward stretching over the kitchen sink like this to reach the window, and her arms were aching something crazy. But the shot she was preparing of Frankie, her sexy, half naked, if slightly bad-tempered carpenter, made up for the discomfort. When he let go of his shirt, she gave a disappointed hiss. But then he reached behind his neck with both hands, grabbed onto the collar, and pulled it right over his head before tossing it onto one of her outdoor dining chairs. And glory of glories, he turned around to face her. For a second, she was too awed at the sight of his incredible body to react, but then she tapped the shutter button. There was a bright flash .
“Dang it!” she cursed, snatching the phone away from the window and shuffling backward. How was her stupid flash turned on? She could’ve sworn she’d checked it was off already .
Frankie’s chin jerked up, and he squinted at the window. He couldn’t see her in the shadows. She’d already made sure. When it was bright outside, it was impossible to see inside the kitchen through the glass unless you were standing real close. Which he seemed to be intent on doing. Son of a monkey! She was in trouble now. Her heart hammered in her chest as he strode across her small lawn and even smaller patio in his heavy workman’s boots. When he cupped his hands against the glass and peered in, she lifted her hand in a limp wave and mouthed “hi .”
His piercing blue eyes narrowed, and a deep line appeared between his straight brows. “Everything okay ?”
The windows were double glazed, but she could clearly hear his deep, rumbling voice .
“A-OK,” she mouthed again, aware that her rather high-pitched voice wouldn’t carry far. She joined her thumb and forefinger together into an O shape .
This didn’t seem to satisfy him though, and to her dismay, he straightened up and clumped around the side of the house in the direction of the side door .
Sighing, she walked through the kitchen archway across the dining area and opened the door. They arrived at the same time, and the sight of him close up, wearing so little, turned her bones to Jell-O. “S-sorry if I startled you. I was just t-taking a new selfie for my Facebook profile, and my flash went off,” she stuttered, heat creeping from her cheeks to her neck .
His lips, which were so often set in a serious line, stretched into a crooked smile. “Ah. You could’ve asked me to take a photo of you .”
“Oh…” Beyond flustered, she shrugged and fluffed her hai
r. “It has to be a selfie, you know? That whole silly craze .”
He raked his fingers through his dark, shoulder-length hair. God. He looked so hot when he was serious. Actually, he looked hot every single time she looked at him, whether he was cheerful or thoughtful or in a funk .
“I’m not big on social media to be honest. What’s the deal with selfies ?”
She shrugged again. “They’re kind of fun. It’s like a snapshot in the moment. You and whatever you happen to be doing .”
His frown deepened .
“Come on.” Hardly knowing what she was doing, she stepped out of her side door and skipped across her garden to the brand-new shed that he’d finished building two days earlier. “Let’s take a selfie of you and your awesome handiwork .”
At first, he stood stock still, staring at her like she was crazy. She swallowed hard. But then he followed her, striding across the garden until he was beside her .
Eagerly, she held the phone up high and adjusted the angle until the viewfinder showed the two of them with the shed in the background. He gazed at his image suspiciously .
“Okay. This is where we smile…like we’re happy,” she said, when he continued to regard the camera lens as if it was about to snatch his soul away .
She pressed the shutter button, one, two, three times. With her heart fluttering, she dropped her hand and examined the image. It was perfect. Frankie and her, heads almost touching. Both smiling like they were in love. Who would’ve thought it could have been so easy? “There we go!” she trilled. “That was fun .”
“Yeah,” Frankie replied vaguely, already walking across to the garden fence where he’d propped his spade .
“It’s looking great out here,” she said, surveying the borders of the lawn, which were now filled with lavender, baby’s breath, and echinacea. All low-maintenance plants that had been selected by a friend of his .
He sniffed. “I’m about done out here, actually,” he said, swiping at his brow again. “Did you say you had some more stuff for me to do ?”
She clapped her hands together, still giddy from her success. “Yes! I was hoping you could build me a gazebo. Over there.” She pointed to the opposite corner of her garden .
His brow creased. “Are you sure? There’s not a whole lot of space out here .”
She raised her hands. “Just a small one. I was thinking maybe in an Asian, ornamental style .”
The look on Frankie’s face indicated he had no great opinion of ornamental gazebos. But then he shrugged. “You’re the boss .”
“Actually, I have a magazine inside with a couple of designs I like. Maybe I can make you a coffee and we can plan it out ?”
He nodded. “Sure thing.” He put on his shirt and followed her into the house, pausing as usual to remove his boots before stepping over the threshold .
“There’s a whole bunch here,” she said, bringing a copy of Perfect Home magazine from the living room. She flicked through to the gazebo feature before laying it open on her circular, pine, four-seater dining table .
Frankie sat down, pulled a notepad and pencil out of his brown canvas rucksack, and immediately began studying the photos while Selma added a new filter and ground coffee to her machine and switched it on .
“You’re sure about this?” he said, peering closely at the images. “Some of these are kind of complicated. Might take me a while .”
“Are you saying you’re not available to work on them?” she replied, her heart sinking. Although she’d now gotten what she needed from him, she’d miss seeing him every morning before she left for her office job .
“No, I have time.” He flashed her that crooked smile again, which always made the little hairs on her arms stand up and her vision go blurry .
“Great.” She poured the coffee into red and gray-striped earthenware mugs, adding hazelnut creamer to hers, and leaving his black with no sugar, as he always took it .
He began to sketch in his notepad, and he quickly became absorbed in his task. She grinned to herself. She’d had a feeling he’d come around once he got involved in the project .
As she brought the coffees over to the table, he caught her gaze, his eyes fired with enthusiasm. “What if we did a combination of the first one, which is real sturdy, with some of the decorative features of the third one here?” He lifted the magazine up to see better in the light. Something slipped out from the pages—a small glossy card. “Oops .”
She froze, her heart seeming to skip several beats in a row then pound hard enough to make her think she was about to have a heart attack .
He caught the card before it hit the floor. When he glanced at the image it displayed, his eyes opened wide. “What the—?” He turned it over and stared at the reverse side, and then at the front again. “Selma, why is there a photo of me in this magazine ?”
Her mouth opened and closed. “I-I can explain .”
He shot her a look of pure confusion .
She laid the cups down on the table before she dropped them and stared at the photo of him in horror. She’d managed to take it the previous week when he was working on the shed and she’d made out she was taking a “before” photo of the garden. It wasn’t perfect. He was looking off to the side, and it was slightly blurry, but it was the best she’d had until a better opportunity had presented itself this morning. She’d been planning on putting it in a frame and making it her office desk photo. The one that would stop all the gossip and speculation and make bitchy Joan Simmons as jealous as hell .
Frankie kept looking from her to the photo, while she kept doing an impression of a fish stranded on a river bank. She needed to think fast, but her brain was stuck like a jammed wheel .
“It’s for my friend. She’s a photographer, and she’s looking for new models,” she blurted out at last .
That vertical line appeared between Frankie’s eyebrows again. “I’m not a model. I’m a carpenter,” he said, shaking his head in complete incomprehension .
“I know. But you look— I mean—” A flood of heat engulfed her head. “I mean, I think you have the kind of look she needs .”
She hoped he’d take the compliment, but his eyes got narrower and more piercing. “So why didn’t you ask me before taking my picture and printing it out ?”
“I-I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have taken it without asking. But I thought you probably didn’t like having your photo taken .”
Frankie stood up abruptly, scraping his chair back and bumping the table. He glared at her. “This doesn’t stack up, Selma. I mean, I don’t know a whole lot about models, but I reckon you’ve gotta be pretty comfortable with having your photo taken .”
“My friend—she likes guys who aren’t regular models. Who look real natural,” she gabbled .
He folded his arms. “I don’t buy it. You probably think I’m a dumb guy who comes around and does your garden. But this is bullcrap. It’s not the first time you’ve taken my photo without my permission, is it ?”
She gazed at him for a long moment, at the fire burning in his sexy eyes, at the tension in his jaw. He looked like he was a step away from strangling her .
“I’m sorry. If I’d known you’d be so mad, I would never have done this. You just seemed like such a nice guy I kind of thought if you ever found out, it wouldn’t be a big deal .”
“Found out what ?”
“Found out that I—” She broke off, her lip trembling. She clapped her hand over her mouth and forced herself to take some deep breaths. “Found out that I was pretending you were my boyfriend,” she managed to say .
Those narrow eyes opened wide and his eyebrows shot up. “You were what ?”
She burst into tears. “I know. It sounds real dumb. But I need to pretend to my co-workers that I have a boyfriend right now. So I just wanted to show them a couple of photos of you and make out we’re together. That was all, I swear .”
The fire in his eyes seemed to turn down a notch. He reached for his bag and pulled out a pack
of tissues and handed one to her. She took it eagerly, wiped her eyes, and then blew her nose .
“Why is it so important for you to have a boyfriend anyway ?”
She sniffled. “It’s complicated to explain. I told someone I was still in a relationship when I wasn’t. And the situation just got out of hand, and suddenly it was too late to backtrack.” She stared at the floor, too embarrassed to look him in the eye .
He shook his head in disbelief. “Selma, come on. I mean, Hope Valley isn’t very big. What if I was dating someone and they happened to hear you say I was your boyfriend ?”
Her throat tightened. “Are you ?”
“No. But that’s not the point .”
She flashed him a hopeful look, imagining his tone was a little kinder. But his eyes seemed to be boring right into her soul. Seeing her for the giant flake she was .
“You know people won’t stop at seeing photos, right?” he continued. “They’ll want to meet me. Hear stories about how we got together .”
She nodded, her heart pounding. “I know .”
“It would be a lot of work .”
Work? She got a little jolt as an idea came to her. This time she forced herself to hold his gaze. “Will you pretend to be my boyfriend as a job? I mean, just some photos and maybe meet a couple of people. Soon after, I can tell everyone we’ve split up. I just can’t—can’t have people knowing I’m single right now .”
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