The Lion's Pride (BBW Paranormal Lion Shifter Romance) (The True Date Agency) by Terra Wolf, Olivia Arran Page B
Authors: Terra Wolf, Olivia Arran
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from the high ceiling and scattering the room with subdued light.
“Isn’t it amazing?” Kate shouted in my ear, passing her coat to the door girl.
It really was! “How many times have you been here?” I shouted back, removing my coat. For the first time that evening, I was glad I had let my friends talk me into dressing up a little, even though it had been the last thing I wanted to do. I’d have much preferred to mark the date by curling up on my couch with a good book and a tub of something wickedly cold and creamy. Preferably laced with chocolate, but hey, I wasn’t too fussy when it came to ice cream.
Tina took my coat and passed it over with hers. “This is our second time, but our first for what’s happening tonight.”
The alarm bells started up inside my head again. “What’s happening tonight?”
Tina pretended not to hear me. I knew she was pretending because she was a terrible liar, her neck flushing at the first sign of deception. The poor girl hadn’t even been able to lie to her mom about her first kiss, her cheeks immediately giving her away.
Following my friends down the corridor, I finally got my answer in the form of a sign that stood taller than me, which wasn’t hard given that I was a measly five-foot-one. In heels. “ True Date ?” I looked over at Kate and Tina, narrowing my eyes. “Speed dating? Really?”
“It’ll be good for you! Get you back in the game.”
I folded my arms across my chest, staring them down. “I’m absolutely fine with being out of the game ,” I stated, daring them to comment.
Being my best friends, it didn’t work. “It’s been six months, honey. Your divorce is final now!”
Just hearing the words hurt, though I tried to hide it. They didn’t need to know that I still mourned my marriage. Not my husband; I’d accepted that he was an asshole and I was better off without him. But my marriage was supposedly a new beginning. It was meant to signify a different chapter in my life, of leaving all the silliness and heartbreak of dating behind. No more worrying did I look fat in this ? Or, was green really my most flattering color? I’d also thought it would mean finally going from being a single woman to a mother, a role I had desperately craved.
And now I was a divorcee. Didn’t that have a nice ring to it? I tried really hard, but bitterness tended to cloud my thoughts these days, dragging me down with them. Think positive! I tried to pull myself together, if not for my sake, for my friends. They had been wonderful, rallying around me with hugs and wine. They were just trying to help, and it was my own fault that I hadn’t let them in, that they didn’t know I wasn’t fine with it.
“Okay, but I’m not doing the speed dating thing.” No way did I want to get saddled with another man, not so soon after the last one. I’d made a promise—I was putting myself first for once. Which meant my happiness, my career, and screw everyone else.
Kate beamed at me, giving my shoulder a quick squeeze. “You might change your mind—”
“I won’t.”
“We’ll see,” she trilled, leading the way into the main room.
Sound enveloped me, wrapping me in the dull thud of a beat that vibrated up through my feet, tingling through my bones. “So, what makes this place so special?” No sooner had the words left my mouth, I knew.
Shifters… They were everywhere, lounging on couches and propping up walls. Normally, you couldn’t tell a shifter from a human—not for sure, anyway. But here, it was obvious they weren’t even trying to act human. If I had to describe what made them different, I would have to say it was their energy. Shifters moved with a natural grace and predatory air, not because they thought they were better than us mere humans, but because it was who they were. The animal inside of them giving them that extra special quality that made them stand apart.
“Here’s your button with your number on.”
I waved the badge away. No
“Isn’t it amazing?” Kate shouted in my ear, passing her coat to the door girl.
It really was! “How many times have you been here?” I shouted back, removing my coat. For the first time that evening, I was glad I had let my friends talk me into dressing up a little, even though it had been the last thing I wanted to do. I’d have much preferred to mark the date by curling up on my couch with a good book and a tub of something wickedly cold and creamy. Preferably laced with chocolate, but hey, I wasn’t too fussy when it came to ice cream.
Tina took my coat and passed it over with hers. “This is our second time, but our first for what’s happening tonight.”
The alarm bells started up inside my head again. “What’s happening tonight?”
Tina pretended not to hear me. I knew she was pretending because she was a terrible liar, her neck flushing at the first sign of deception. The poor girl hadn’t even been able to lie to her mom about her first kiss, her cheeks immediately giving her away.
Following my friends down the corridor, I finally got my answer in the form of a sign that stood taller than me, which wasn’t hard given that I was a measly five-foot-one. In heels. “ True Date ?” I looked over at Kate and Tina, narrowing my eyes. “Speed dating? Really?”
“It’ll be good for you! Get you back in the game.”
I folded my arms across my chest, staring them down. “I’m absolutely fine with being out of the game ,” I stated, daring them to comment.
Being my best friends, it didn’t work. “It’s been six months, honey. Your divorce is final now!”
Just hearing the words hurt, though I tried to hide it. They didn’t need to know that I still mourned my marriage. Not my husband; I’d accepted that he was an asshole and I was better off without him. But my marriage was supposedly a new beginning. It was meant to signify a different chapter in my life, of leaving all the silliness and heartbreak of dating behind. No more worrying did I look fat in this ? Or, was green really my most flattering color? I’d also thought it would mean finally going from being a single woman to a mother, a role I had desperately craved.
And now I was a divorcee. Didn’t that have a nice ring to it? I tried really hard, but bitterness tended to cloud my thoughts these days, dragging me down with them. Think positive! I tried to pull myself together, if not for my sake, for my friends. They had been wonderful, rallying around me with hugs and wine. They were just trying to help, and it was my own fault that I hadn’t let them in, that they didn’t know I wasn’t fine with it.
“Okay, but I’m not doing the speed dating thing.” No way did I want to get saddled with another man, not so soon after the last one. I’d made a promise—I was putting myself first for once. Which meant my happiness, my career, and screw everyone else.
Kate beamed at me, giving my shoulder a quick squeeze. “You might change your mind—”
“I won’t.”
“We’ll see,” she trilled, leading the way into the main room.
Sound enveloped me, wrapping me in the dull thud of a beat that vibrated up through my feet, tingling through my bones. “So, what makes this place so special?” No sooner had the words left my mouth, I knew.
Shifters… They were everywhere, lounging on couches and propping up walls. Normally, you couldn’t tell a shifter from a human—not for sure, anyway. But here, it was obvious they weren’t even trying to act human. If I had to describe what made them different, I would have to say it was their energy. Shifters moved with a natural grace and predatory air, not because they thought they were better than us mere humans, but because it was who they were. The animal inside of them giving them that extra special quality that made them stand apart.
“Here’s your button with your number on.”
I waved the badge away. No
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