Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Andrea) BBW Lion Shifter Romance (Hope Valley BBW Dating App Romance Book 4)

by Hawkes,Ariana

  “Your parents pushed you hard, huh?”

  “Yes. It was all about beating the other person; showing them that you’re superior.”

  “Something like that is hard to get past when it’s so deeply ingrained.”

  “It is.”

  “I think the first step is to work out what makes you happy. I don’t mean some far-away goal, but in the moment. What brings you a feeling of contentment.” Andrea nodded.

  “Thank you. I like that advice,” she said. As she drained the last of her wine, she registered how late it was.

  “I’d better go and leave you in peace,” she said.

  “I’ll just get a car for you.”

  “Oh, no, it’s ok, I’ll walk.”

  “Not in those shoes, you won’t! Don’t be silly, dear. My driver will take you.”

  “Ok, thank you,” Andrea replied, inordinately relieved that she wouldn’t have to hobble home on her blistered feet.

  Tamika showed her out, and they hugged goodbye on the doorstep.

  “Thank you so much for tonight, and for everything, Tamika.”

  “My pleasure, darling. Best of luck with the app. A world of excitement – and happiness – awaits!”

  Chapter Five

  Magnus closed the lid of his laptop with a satisfied snap. He’d reached his earnings target for the day, and he’d closed out all his existing positions. This was his plan from now on. He wasn't greedy. He knew he had enough savings and investments to keep him going for a long, long time, and he no longer had a thirst for making money just for the sake of it. He wanted to enjoy his life, and if that involved only working four hours a day, he couldn't be happier. He went to the kitchen and made himself a double espresso from his state-of-the-art Rocket double boiler machine, brought it into his bedroom and flopped down on his midnight-blue, raw-silk comforter. He picked up his phone and tapped the little orange paw print app, more from habit than expectation. The excitement that Shiftr had initially brought him was beginning to wane. There still hadn't been a single girl who was more than an 82% match for him. As the app opened, the screen exploded with hearts, balloons and shooting stars, and a message flashed up:

  Congratulations! One of our newest members has been identified as a 100% match with you!… Could she be your destined mate as well? Go get her… Grrr!

  Magnus tapped the message and it disappeared. In its place was a thumbnail photo of a dark-haired woman. His heartbeat speeded up as he tapped the image. But his lion gave a little snort when it enlarged to a full-size picture. She had very pretty features, with narrow blue eyes and cupid’s bow lips, but her hair was cut in a severe, fashionable style, and didn't even touch her shoulders. That was not his kind of thing at all. He loved women with long, wild locks that he could tangle in his fingers in the heat of passion. He loved to wake up with a curly mane of hair on the pillow next to him, worthy of a lion. This girl looked like she’d be more interested in tending to her appearance than getting down and dirty. He shuddered. He’d never understood why women liked to appear so manicured, when their natural appearance was so much sexier. She had very pale skin that looked like it never saw the outdoors, and made a harsh contrast with her aggressively red lipstick. He swiped left on the screen to see her other photos. In a second headshot, she was posing in the window of Apex – one of New York's newest sky bars. He'd endured so many boring evenings entertaining clients there that he recognized it instantly. He sighed. A corporate chick was the last thing he was looking for. Her full-body shot had been taken in the same location. She was standing between two men, both with huge, ridiculous grins plastered across their faces, and they were all raising champagne glasses towards the camera. Was she a banker? A stockbroker? Were they celebrating winning some big deal? There was a time when the thought of being with a power woman had appealed to him a lot, but that time had long passed. She did have an incredible body though: a perfect hourglass, with large, full breasts, and hips that just begged to be gripped in his claws. He felt his cock stirring, and of its own accord his mind began to conjure up all kinds of fantasies. He scrolled down to the rest of her profile. She described herself as “a feisty woman at a major crossroads in her life”; “a former career girl who’s just beginning to discover what really matters”. His lion made a hmph sound. She probably meant that she was planning on moving to some nouveau riche suburb and building a tennis court at the bottom of her garden. He knew women like her too well. She would either be a gold digger who was making out she was more successful than she was, or a ruthless businesswoman whose soul had long since been sucked out of her. He looked at her photo again. It was a shame. Under different circumstances, she might have been a good match for him. Oh well. He placed his thumb on the photo and swiped right to permanently remove her profile from his feed. As the photo disappeared, a new message alert popped up. It said:

  Hi there!

  I was kind of excited to see that Shiftr has picked us out as a 100% match, so I decided to take the initiative and message you. My name’s Andrea. I was born in Hope Valley, but left to work in New York for a few years. To be honest, I hated it there, and I recently came back here. I’m starting to rebuild old friendships and connections, and make Hope Valley my home once again. I think my profile sounds kind of lame. I had no idea what to write, but if it didn’t scare you off, I’d love to hear more about you.

  Andrea

  Magnus’s ears pricked up. She sounded very interesting. There was also something unguarded about her message that was very appealing. But she didn’t have a profile photo. There was just a gray silhouette of a woman’s face where her thumbnail photo should be. He slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. That was because she was obviously the woman whose profile he’d just deleted. Idiot! Why did he always have to be so impulsive? Why couldn’t he have just left her profile where it was, instead of casting it off like something he couldn’t bear to see? He tapped the silhouette, but instead of enlarging, it disappeared altogether. Swiping back to his inbox, he saw that her message had now disappeared too. Damn, damn, damn. He picked up his phone and located a number from his recent call list.

  “Hello, Magnus,” came Tamika’s mellifluous voice. “How are you?”

  “Hi, Tamika,” he replied. “I’m good, except for the fact that I’ve messed up one of the matches that your fine app discovered for me.” Tamika gave a throaty chuckle.

  “You silly boy!” she said, in a tone that made him feel like a naughty child being told off by his mother. What was most disturbing was that he also found it a tiny bit arousing. He shook his head, dismissing inappropriate thoughts of Tamika. “What have you done?” she continued.

  “Well, I think I might have judged someone a little prematurely. The app picked out a 100% match for me – ”

  “How wonderful! That’s very rare, you know?” she interrupted.

  “Well, it should be wonderful, and she was clearly a very attractive woman. But she looked a little corporate, and, in my desire to avoid becoming entangled with anyone who reminded me of my former life, I deleted her profile.”

  “Oh dear. And you’re already regretting it?”

  “Yes. Not least because she sent me a message at the exact moment that I deleted her, which sparked my interest,” he said. Tamika sighed.

  “They do say that lions are impetuous creatures,” she said.

  “Guilty as charged,” he said, chastened. “But, can you help me put her profile back in my feed?”

  “I’m not sure if you deserve it, Magnus,” Tamika said, in an amused tone. “We’ve invested a lot of time and money into creating the Shiftr compatibility rating, and we expect our members to take it seriously, and not delete their perfect match for the flimsiest of reasons.”

  “I know, I know. I’m really sorry. I just don’t want to be part of the business lifestyle anymore, and I kind of freaked out when I assessed her as a corporate woman.” Tamika chuckled.

  “Magnus, what did you say you were doing for work these
days?” she asked.

  “Working as an independent day trader,” he said.

  “Err, and doesn’t that involve, you know, business?”

  “It does. But it doesn’t involve schmoozing and licking ass, and trying to climb the greasy pole, which is what matters to me,” he said sheepishly. God. How did Tamika always manage to make him feel like such a fool?

  “Maybe this woman was just doing what she had to do?” He exhaled loudly.

  “I kind of picked that up, but too late. Now, if I promise not to right-swipe a good match ever again, will you please put her back in my feed?”

  “Is there anything you could tell me that will help to identify her?” Tamika asked.

  “Yes – her name is Andrea. One of my favorite names, actually.”

  “Ok, let me see.” Magnus listened to the clicking of Tamika’s fingers moving fast on a keyboard.

  “Andrea… Andrea. Oh yes, I’ve found her. My goodness, she is a beauty, isn’t she? Women like that don’t come along every day, Magnus. I can tell you.”

  “I know,” he said.

  “I do recall her signing up to the app, actually. The poor thing has been through a bit of a rough time. Seems that she used to work as a New York journalist, before having something of a crisis of conscience.” A journalist? Magnus’s ears pricked up. Andrea was sounding more interesting by the minute.

  “Sounds like we have a thing or two in common.”

  “More than a thing or two, dear, since you’re a 100% match,” Tamika said, laughing. “Ok I’m just going to restore her to your feed – Oh. That’s strange.”

  “What is?” Magnus said.

  “She’s just deactivated her profile.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, in the last few minutes.”

  “What? Why would she do that?”

  “Maybe because the handsome lion that she just got up the nerve to message rejected her without any hesitation?”

  “No?! Do you really think that’s the reason?”

  “Either that or a very strong coincidence. And a very wise person once said that genuine coincidences are extremely rare.” Magnus was silent for a moment.

  “But, really? Because one shifter wasn’t into her, she decided to give up on the whole site?”

  “Women are sensitive, Magnus. It’s not very common for them to make the first move, because society dictates that it’s the guy’s job. So she was stepping way outside her comfort zone when she sent you a message. And she probably felt reassured by the compatibility rating, so it would’ve been a double blow to her.” Magnus’s lion let out a roar and he pounded his fist into his pillow.

  “Damnit! Of course I wasn’t rejecting her on the basis of her message, but she doesn’t know that,” he yelled.

  “There’s no need to shout at me, dear,” Tamika said, sounding not at all offended.

  “I’m so sorry, Tamika. My lion gets out of control sometimes.”

  “I know. I live with a shifter, remember?”

  “And he’s a lucky man,” he said.

  “That’s what he tells me every day, but I think I’m the lucky one,” she replied perkily. “Anyway, back to the topic in hand. You’ve hurt this poor girl’s feelings, she’s deleted her account. What are we going to do?” Magnus thought hard, turning over various options.

  “I’ll have to sweep her off her feet, make it up to her. I’ll take her for a ride in my plane. Maybe we can have dinner in LA. I’ll take her shopping on Rodeo drive first.”

  “That’s a lovely idea, darling, but wasn’t your whole move to Hope Valley about cutting back on your flashy lifestyle, and getting back to the things that matter?” Magnus groaned.

  “You’re right. But it’s a difficult habit to leave behind.”

  “I’m sure. But I have a feeling that Andrea will appreciate you being natural. You have a lovely character, Magnus. Just allow it to shine through.”

  “Ok, I think I’ve got it. I’ll do something simple, like invite her to dinner at a local restaurant?”

  “That sounds lovely.”

  “So, I assume that you have her details, like her address for example?”

  “Actually, I don’t. And if I did, I couldn’t give it to you. Confidentiality laws and all that.”

  “And you couldn’t bend them a little, just for me? It’s for a good cause, after all.”

  “I’m sorry, Magnus,” Tamika said with a laugh. “You’re not going to charm me with your feline ways. You’ll have to do a lot better than that. The girl lives in Hope Valley, and you know some basic things about her. Surely a man of your intelligence won’t have too hard a time locating her. Now, Kyle has promised to give me a full body massage, so I’m afraid I’ll have to bid you goodnight.”

  “Good night, Tamika, and thank you,” Magnus said, ending the call and dropping his phone on the bed.

  “Outsmarted again,” he muttered to himself. He rolled onto his back, closed his eyes and tried to conjure up the image of the woman in the photos, but she was already becoming blurry. He had no doubt that he’d recognize her if he saw her again, but the outline of her lips, the shape of the tip of her nose, the exact shade of her eyes were not yet emblazoned into his brain. Not yet. Once again, he cursed his rashness. Why had he not given more consideration to the fact that the app had identified Andrea as such a strong match for him? The trouble was that he was a businessman, used to making snap judgments and fast decisions. That’s what he’d been paid so well to do over the years. But mating and love were nothing like a business deal. Deep inside, he knew this, but he’d still let his superficial impulses guide him. He’d been partly driven by his frustration; he knew this too. He’d dated five women from Shiftr, and none of them had been his mate. He’d suspected they wouldn’t be before they even met up, and he’d now made the decision not to meet anyone that he didn’t think he had a real shot with. He’d stopped dating Eloise. He could see that she was beginning to fall for him, that her eyes turned huge and moist after they’d mated, unasked questions hanging on her lips. Mating was fun, but not if it involved hurting someone else. He valued sex too much to cheapen it through deceiving women about his true intentions. Eloise had been hurt and sad, and he’d directed her back to Shiftr, hoping she’d find her true mate very soon. As luck would have it, she’d then found her perfect match almost immediately. To his surprise, it had stung a little when she’d sent him a breezy message, gushing about her jaguar mate. Sure, he was going to miss her sweet, curvy body, but more than that, it was a sharp reminder that his own mate still eluded him.

  He allowed his mind to drift, recalling Eloise’s lush body, but instead, it flipped to thoughts of Andrea again. He would love to find out what she looked like naked; whether those breasts were as full and creamy as they seemed beneath the tight dress she’d been wearing in the photo. She seemed like a strong, fiery woman. He loved women who were sexually demanding, and gave out as good as they got. He felt his cock straining against the front of his jeans, and he automatically reached for his zipper. No! He told himself. He needed to come up with a plan for meeting this woman, instead of lying on his bed by himself, like a horny teenager. His lion mewled and lay down. Tamika’s right – Andrea and I both live in a small town, where everyone knows each other. Is it the kind of town where I could go into the diner and ask if anyone knows her? Or would that be really weird and stalkerish? What else did he know about her? She’d only just got back from New York. His lion made a hmph sound, as it very often did when it was disappointed in him. Yes, doofus, fat lot of good that tidbit of knowledge is going to do for you. His lion yawned hugely, exposing all of its razor-sharp teeth. She’s a journalist. Ok, so it’s pretty likely that she’s working for the local paper in Hope Valley. His lion opened its mouth and ran its pink tongue over its teeth. Magnus’s brow furrowed. What was that paper called again? He picked up his phone and searched ‘Hope Valley newspaper’.

  “The Hope Valley Echo – that’s it,” he muttered. “Maybe she
’d be in the contacts on the online version of the paper?” No, she wasn’t there. But he did find the address of the office. His lion sat up. A little better. He’d go and visit the office, and if she was there and he managed to pick up her scent, things would become a lot easier.

  Chapter Six

  Andrea sat on the end of the bed in her childhood bedroom, her stomach twisted into a knot. Gathering the nerve to write a message to the unbelievably hot lion shifter who the app had identified as her perfect match was one of the hardest things she’d done. He was so far out of her league, it was ridiculous. But so were all the men on Shiftr. Still the 100% compatibility rating had given her courage. He was incredibly handsome, with fashionably styled brown hair, caramel-colored eyes, which seemed to bore into the camera, and firm, masculine lips. His body was, of course, amazing. He had very broad shoulders, and every muscle, from his well-developed pecs, to his taut abs, to those sexy diagonal grooves just beside his hipbones was perfectly honed. She’d shuddered at the thought of running her hands over those muscles. In the full-body shot, he stood with his hands on his hips, projecting an image of complete confidence and self-possession. It was incredibly sexy. In the photo of his lion self, he lay on top of a rock, his paws hanging over the edge, regarding the photographer with lazy satisfaction. She could see that the lion was the man and the man was the lion, and that they existed together in perfect harmony.

  It was weird how quickly the concept of shape shifters was becoming normal to her. She’d been so shocked when Dixon had shifted at Tamika’s place, but just days later, after looking at so many shifters on the app, it was already making sense. Following her dinner with Tamika, she’d spent an entire day filling out all the details on her profile. As she’d never done before, she challenged herself to assess her character honestly. The end result wasn’t what she’d hoped for. It sounded bland and unappealing, but there it was. Maybe that’s who she was underneath the veneer of sophistication that she’d crafted so carefully over the years. She resisted the urge to delete it and replace it with empty boasts, and instead she left it as it was and messaged the lion. She half expected him to reject her, but not that quickly. As soon as she’d sent the message, she clicked on his profile again, to gawp at his gorgeous body, but it was gone. The thumbnail that accompanied her sent mail turned to a gray silhouette of a man’s head. He’d rejected her. He’d hated her profile so much that he’d swiped her right out of his feed. A stab of pain in her heart made her hunch forward, and she broke out into sobs. Her perfect match didn’t want her. He was evidently so repulsed by her profile that he wasn’t even willing to exchange a couple of messages to see if they got on with each other. This was the best chance she was ever going to have, and it obviously wasn’t going to happen. She’d been rejected by New York men, and now she was being rejected by shifters. Shifters who supposedly liked curvy girls like her. Her heart couldn’t take it. She snatched up her phone, from where it had fallen on the floor, and swiped to the app’s main menu.