Swipe Right: Paranormal Mating Bundle

by DJ Bryce

  We started at each other for a few beats without speaking, then Gray grimaced and said, “Bane’s not going to come back, I can’t send you packing on foot, and I sure as shit ain’t taking you back down to town, so I guess you’re stuck here for the next two weeks.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but he held up his hand and stopped me.

  “When he comes back to get you, you’ll leave and never come back. For the duration of your time here, stay out of my way and don’t get any ideas. There will be no trial, as there’s no chance of you and I ever being anything other than old acquaintances.”

  My heart thudded painfully at his words, and I felt the heat of tears prick my eyes.

  Gray let out a loud sigh and shook his head.

  “We already went over this when I left the pack, I don’t know why you thought anything had changed, or that it would be a good idea for you to try and trick me into being with you.”

  I opened my mouth, then clamped it shut.

  I was done trying to reason with him, he’d made up his mind years ago and obviously wasn’t going to change it.

  It had been a mistake to come here, and now I’d have to live with that mistake for two awkward weeks.

  “I’ll show you to your room,” Gray said finally, when it became apparent I wasn’t going to respond.

  I followed him down the hallway to the bedroom in the back right. It was a cozy room, with a queen-sized bed, an oak dresser, some end tables, and a comfy chair in the corner.

  “I usually have dinner at seven. You can either eat then or eat whatever you want anytime. Feel free to do what you want inside or on the land, but I run at night, usually around ten, and I’d like you to stay in here while I do.”

  “Okay,” I replied, and he turned and walked out, leaving me alone.

  I crossed to the nightstand, reaching out to run a finger over the beautiful hydrangeas he’d put there, and allowed the tears to track down my cheeks. I laid down on the bed and let out my frustrations and disappointment, then I got up and went to wash my face, before going back to the room to unpack my stuff.

  I felt bad. Guilty for tricking Gray into something he obviously didn’t want, and sorry for myself for getting my hopes up again, like a fool.

  By the time I was unpacked with my suitcase tucked into the back of the closet, I’d come to terms with the fact that Grayson was never going to realize he’d been wrong all of those years ago, and that he really loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

  I recalled the friendship we used to have and wondered if maybe I could salvage this trial by at least getting that back.

  I would rather have Gray in my life as a friend than not at all, and I hoped even after the lies I’d told to get here, he’d be willing to give our friendship another shot.

  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let the fear and uncertainty leave me.

  “You can do this. You and Gray always had a good relationship, once he calms down and sees that you’re no longer after him for a mate, he’ll be more likely to allow you to get to know him again over the next few weeks.”

  Once my little pep talk was over, I moved through the house, pausing when I looked out the kitchen window and saw him walking in the distance.

  “You can do this, Shonda,” I assured myself. “After years of exile, he could use a friend.”

  With a self-affirming nod, I pushed through the door to the back yard and stepped outside.

  Grayson

  I pushed the door open and stalked outside, needing to walk and clear my head.

  Shonda had really pulled a number on me, and my brother, and no doubt his new wife, had helped her along the way.

  She looked good. Shonda. But then, she always had. With her dark hair falling in soft waves and her dark eyes full of light and kindness, Shonda was the kind of woman any man would fall to his knees for, and I’d been no different.

  But, that was then…

  I’d woken up terrified and unsure of what happened. I was surrounded by blood, could taste blood on my tongue, and Travis, my best friend, was dead. I’d called the council and waited until Nathan arrived. By the time he had, the numbness had worn off and I was a trembling mess.

  “What happened?” Nathan asked.

  But I couldn’t’ remember. I tried and tried, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t recall how my friend had died. The last thing I remembered was us calling our wolves to go for a run, and then Travis was dead.

  Logically, that meant that I must have killed him, but in my state, I couldn’t even fathom it.

  “We’ll get to the bottom of it, Grayson, just go home, get some rest and I’ll be in touch.”

  But when I’d gotten home, I’d gone into full panic mode.

  If my wolf had killed once, it could happen again, and I knew I didn’t want to put my family, friends, of other members of the pack at risk.

  I had to go.

  I’d packed my meager belongings and was about to put the town in my rearview mirror, when a knock had sounded on my door. Thinking it was Nathan, I opened it, praying they’d tell me that someone else was responsible for Travis’s murder.

  Instead, it was Shonda standing before me, her smile shy.

  “Hey, Grayson,” she said softly. “Can I come in?”

  On any other day, Shonda showing up on my doorstep would’ve been a good thing. I liked her and had been working up the nerve to ask her out for weeks. But now, everything had changed.

  “Uh, I was about to leave,” I told her, blocking the door so she couldn’t come in.

  She looked confused, then hurt, but shrugged slightly and said, “Oh, okay, I just, uh, wanted to know if maybe you wanted to go to the lake… today… with me.”

  My heart lurched painfully at the knowledge that I’d likely never see her again, and that although she was offering me exactly what I’d been wanting, I had to let her know nothing was ever going to happen between us.

  “No, Shonda,” I replied, my tone harsh. “I’m leaving, and I’m not coming back… You need to find someone else to crush on.”

  Her face fell and I felt like a total ass, but knew I needed to be for her own good.

  “Leaving? To where? Does Bane know? Does Nathan?” She asked, and I could tell she was trying not to cry.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, pushing past her and shutting the door behind me.

  I threw my bags in the back seat of my car, then turned to see Shonda standing in the same place, watching me with a stricken expression.

  “Hey, Shonda, take care of yourself, okay?” I said, then got in my car and drove off, never to return.

  The memory of that day was a painful reminder of what could have been. Maybe, if Travis and I hadn’t gone out together that night, he’d still be alive. And I’d still be a member of the pack, possibly already mated with cubs by now.

  Maybe even to Shonda, I thought, then shook the thought out of my head.

  What I’d said to her was the truth, we couldn’t be together, no matter how I’d felt about her in the past.

  Shonda wasn’t human, she was a shifter, just like me. And when shifter’s mated, their wolves mated as well. They split their time together as wolves and as humans, often spending their evenings running together.

  My wolf couldn’t be trusted, which was why I hadn’t shifted with another person since that night with Travis. Which meant Shonda and I were a nonstarter.

  I hated to hurt her again, but I couldn’t risk her safety, no matter what my heart wanted.

  My golden retriever, Lucky, came running over to me as I approached the coop where I kept my chickens.

  “Hey boy,” I called, holding my hand out.

  Lucky ran up, petting himself under my hand before stopping, my hand positioned over his butt. He loved a good butt-scratch.

  I complied, asking him where he’d been as I scratched.

  Lucky’s head went up, then he took off, leaving me to run excitedly to Shonda, who’d just ex
ited the house.

  Unlike his owner, my dog was a social animal.

  “Aren’t you beautiful,” Shonda cooed, dropping to her knees to embrace and pet Lucky. “What’s his name?”

  “Lucky,” I called back, fighting the urge to run away like a coward.

  “Hi, Lucky,” she said, and my shameless dog rolled onto his back and opened his legs for a belly rub.

  Shonda’s laugh danced across the air, causing me to flinch.

  The sound brought back flashes of Shonda as a young girl, then a long, lithe teen, and finally, the beautiful woman who I’d caught myself searching for at every pack function.

  She stood and brushed her hands on her jeans, then looked at me uncertainly and said, “I was going to check out your farm. Care to walk with me?”

  My first instinct was to say no, but I didn’t want to disappoint her again, so I found myself nodding.

  “Sure.”

  Shonda

  I tried to appear nonchalant… cool… and not like I was dizzy from the delicious scent of him, or weak in the knees walking next to him.

  Oh, but I was.

  Being here with Gray, walking his land as he pointed out his various animals, landmarks, and garden, was exactly the kind of normalcy I’d envisioned. This is what I wanted. To share his life. To live, work, and raise a family with him.

  Here.

  I didn’t need to leave, spend time in town, or be with the pack.

  All I wanted was Grayson.

  “You must get up pretty early,” I mused as we wandered past his impressive garden.

  Gray nodded.

  “Yeah, I don’t allow anyone other than delivery people to come here, so I do it all myself. Bane and Sloane will help out when they visit, but I have a routine in place, which makes it easy to keep up.”

  “I bet it took a lot of trial and error to get here,” I said, thinking he’d built something really wonderful.

  Gray chuckled.

  “Yeah, that’s the truth.”

  “And, now you’re in a place where you’re ready to share all this with someone… start a family,” I pressed, hoping he wouldn’t get pissed again.

  Gray paused, and for a moment I thought he may not answer, but then he did.

  “Yes, I am. Although I have no interest in joining the pack, or society, again, I do want to live out the rest of my life with a family… I’ve been alone long enough.”

  I took a deep breath and mentally pulled on my big girl panties.

  “And, can I ask why you’re so adamant that I’m such a bad bet?” I asked, my heart in my throat. “Is it because I’m part of the pack, because I’m fully prepared to leave it?”

  I knew it was a risk, putting myself out there again, when Gray had just recently told me in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t going to happen. But, I had to know why.

  Grayson looked at me, then looked away.

  “I want my mate to be human, Shonda,” he said, and I felt my hope die.

  “Oh,” I muttered.

  I couldn’t change what I was. And even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. I was proud of who I was, I loved my wolf, and I’d always dreamed of our wolves running wild together.

  But, if Grayson wanted to claim a human, and not a shifter, then this really was over.

  My heart heavy, but wanting to get as much time with Gray as I could for my memory bank, I nudged him with my shoulder and said, “How about we spend the next two weeks as friends? You can let me help around here, we’ll share meals, maybe play a few board games, and when my time is up, I’ll leave with Bane and we can part as friends.”

  Gray looked at me, his eyes narrowed as if he wasn’t quite sure he believed me.

  “I’m not committing to the board games, but the rest sounds good,” he said, finally.

  I laughed.

  “I’ll wear you down,” I promised.

  “I don’t know, I can be pretty stubborn when I want.”

  “Now that, I believe.”

  Gray rolled his eyes at me, and I tucked that playfulness away to remember later.

  As we walked, I wondered how I’d be able to keep him in the friend zone for two weeks, when we’d be alone, often in small spaces, and I was already fighting the urge to brush up against him… maybe hump his leg… definitely kiss my way across that striking face.

  With Lucky trotting alongside us, and Grayson talking about what vegetables were just about ready to be picked, I wondered if maybe I didn’t have to… Sure, he said he didn’t want a shifter as a mate, and believe me, I fully understood that I’d be leaving at the end of the two weeks, but what if we didn’t have to keep things platonic?

  He’d said himself that he never let anyone on his land except Bane, his family, and delivery personnel. If I read between the lines, that meant he hadn’t had a woman since his self-imposed isolation.

  And, I hadn’t had a man… ever.

  I’d always been saving myself for the man I loved, Grayson. But he didn’t need to know that. I could approach him with a friends with benefits situation. That way, we could both fulfill our needs, and I’d at least be able to realize one of my dreams.

  If I couldn’t have Gray as my mate, at least I could have him as my first.

  Yes, there was a chance he’d reject me again, which would be awful, especially since we had a sort of truce. But, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made, so I decided I’d bring it up.

  After dinner, before his run, I’d offer myself to him for a no-strings attached relationship that would culminate at the two-week point.

  I smiled to myself as I thought of the possibility of actually having sex with Gray.

  Getting to know his body, what he liked and didn’t like, to hear the sounds he’d make, and his expression when he lost all control.

  It was a heady thought, and now that I’d had it, there was no letting it go.

  This would be my only opportunity to be with Grayson in the way I’d always wanted, and even if it were only temporary, it would be worth it. I mean being friends was great, but if there was even the slightest possibility I could have more, I needed to go for it.

  I’d rather have him for a little while, than not at all.

  Grayson

  It was so easy to talk to Shonda, I’d forgotten how she’d always made me laugh. How relaxed I felt around her.

  I’d given her a tour of the grounds and the house before we settled into the kitchen and began making dinner together as if we’d done so every night for the last few years. It was just another facet of her delightful personality.

  She set up a cutting board next to mine and began cutting up fresh vegetables for a salad, while I boiled pasta and made my favorite red sauce.

  I’d only made it for a handful of people, obviously, but Sloane always gave it rave reviews, and she could be a picky eater, so I hoped Shonda would enjoy it as well.

  Not that it should matter. She was only here for a couple weeks after all, but still, I found myself wanting to impress her. I’d practically been preening as I gave her the tour, especially when she made noises of encouragement and asked insightful questions.

  I hadn’t been around a woman that wasn’t with my brother, Bane, in so long that I’d forgotten how nice it was to have the undivided attention of someone who found me interesting. It was a foreign concept and caused feelings in me that had long been buried.

  Maybe I was being an idiot. But it felt good.

  To be valued. To be wanted. To be heard.

  I knew there was no real future between us, but for now, I’d enjoy the company of a woman, something I’d gone without for too long.

  “Do you like cheese?” I asked, getting out the fresh parmesan to shave for the pasta.

  “Of course, are there people who don’t?” Shonda said with a laugh of disbelief.

  I chuckled.

  “Yeah, I think they’re out there.”

  “Well, I’m not one of them. Bring on all the cheese.”

  I
grinned as I finished up the bowl of pasta and took it to the table. Shonda followed with the salad and dressing and we sat down to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

  “This is nice,” Shonda said, her tone conveying her surprise.

  After the greeting I’d given her in the driveway, I couldn’t blame her for being surprised I hadn’t become a complete asshole.

  “Yeah, uh, sorry about before, you took me completely by surprise and I may have overreacted,” I admitted, piling my plate with food.

  “I understand, really, it was a shitty thing for me to do. I had no idea that you were looking for a human, and it was wrong of me to trick you that way. But, I have to say, I’m happy to be here. I’ve missed you, Gray.”

  Her words warmed my heart, and I wished things could be different.

  “I’ve missed you, too, Shonda… So, tell me… what have you been up to?”

  She twirled pasta on her fork and gave a half shrug.

  “Not much, actually. Waitressing at the coffee shop in town, living in an apartment, attending pack functions and babysitting Sloane whenever they need me.”

  “Yeah, Bane had mentioned that you babysat sometimes. Sloane’s a great kid, isn’t she? So full of spunk, yet sweet as can be,” I said. I doted on my niece.

  Shonda’s face lit up.

  “She’s seriously the best kid ever. I hope Katja and Bane get lucky enough to have another just like her.”

  My head swung up and I asked, “Huh? Are they pregnant?”

  Shonda’s face fell and an oh shit expression crossed her face.

  “No… you didn’t know? Crap. Katja’s going to kill me… Bane’s going to kill me,” she wailed, falling back in her seat and putting her head in her hands.

  I shook my head.

  “He hasn’t said anything yet, but the last time we talked was after he dropped you off, and he was pretty eager to get off the phone. Don’t worry about it, I’m sure he was just worried about how I was reacting to you being here and didn’t think about telling me about the baby.”