Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Melissa) BBW Werewolf Romance (Hope Valley BBW online dating app romances Book 3) by Ariana Hawkes Page A
Authors: Ariana Hawkes
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she’ll take you home,” the nurse said, and gave her a sheet to wrap around herself.
Melissa had taken two weeks off school. When she returned, James had gone and there’d been a million curious eyes following her down the corridor. Billy-Joe had caught up with her as she was on her way to her first class. He put his hands on his knees, bending down to her level, a huge grin striping his face.
“Good to see you back, Melissa,” he said. “You don’t have to thank me for saving you or nothing. Just as long as you know it was that animal, James, who did that to you.” His pale blue eyes were drilling into her. “When me and my boys caught him attacking you, it was all we could do not to kill that bastard.” He shook his head slowly, a caricature of disgust. Melissa nodded.
“Thank you,” she said.
After that, things were different. The bullying stopped altogether, and kids were nice to her, giving her things, helping her to carry her bags. For a little while, she became a heroine – the girl who had narrowly avoided being ravished by the devil. She hadn’t enjoyed the attention though. It had curdled in her stomach, churned up with the reek of that cheap corn liquor that never quite left her nostrils. She’d worked her ass off and graduated as early as possible, and left, resolving never to think of the school again. And she’d almost succeeded. Until now.
She was back in the present, standing in a forest with the man who had almost raped her. The snow seemed to be singing, a high, piercing note. Or maybe it was her ears ringing. Harley was gazing at her, and his face was full of pain.
“You’re James,” she said in a quiet voice.
“James is a name I took for myself when I attended a human high school. Harley is my real name,” he said.
“You attacked me.”
“No, Melissa. I didn’t. I would never have hurt you – ” His voice broke with emotion.
“You attacked me, and Billy-Joe and Earl saved me. They were in my class; I saw them every day after that. They were standing next to me in our graduation photo. They became the heroes of the school.”
“Melissa, no – ” Harley began, but Melissa clapped her hand over her mouth. She thought she was going to be sick, and sweet, rotten alcohol rose like bile in the back of her throat. “Breathe,” he said. “Take long, slow breaths.” His hand hovered near her back, but he didn’t lay it on her.
“I need to get back inside,” she said, and began to walk quickly towards the cabins.
“Please be careful not to slip,” he said from behind her. “Melissa, I’m not going to follow you or harass you, but please believe that I never did anything to hurt you that day, and I never would.”
Melissa could barely hear his words as she stumbled away from him. Blood was pounding in her ears. A whole world had just opened up, like a Pandora’s box of ugly memories, and it was far more than she could cope with. Somehow she managed to stumble all the way back to the cabin without falling in the snow. Only when she was on the doorstep did she dare to look behind her. Harley was nowhere in sight. Had he left? He’d said he wasn’t going to follow her. I need to calm myself right down and not ruin Lauren and Connor’s party , she told herself, and took some more deep breaths, trying to force her memories to go back into their box. Just then, Kristin rounded the corner.
“Hey, hun,” she said brightly. “Did you find the spice you were looking for?” Melissa nodded. “We just got Harley’s message saying he had to leave. Shame isn’t it? Must suck being a doctor and always being on duty. How did it go with him?” She elbowed Melissa, face bright with anticipation.
“Oh, it was fine. Nothing happened between us. We got on ok, but there was no spark.”
“What? From the way he was looking at you, I can tell you that’s not true at all!”
“Kristin, can you just drop it, please?” Melissa said, still too shaken up to think of
Melissa had taken two weeks off school. When she returned, James had gone and there’d been a million curious eyes following her down the corridor. Billy-Joe had caught up with her as she was on her way to her first class. He put his hands on his knees, bending down to her level, a huge grin striping his face.
“Good to see you back, Melissa,” he said. “You don’t have to thank me for saving you or nothing. Just as long as you know it was that animal, James, who did that to you.” His pale blue eyes were drilling into her. “When me and my boys caught him attacking you, it was all we could do not to kill that bastard.” He shook his head slowly, a caricature of disgust. Melissa nodded.
“Thank you,” she said.
After that, things were different. The bullying stopped altogether, and kids were nice to her, giving her things, helping her to carry her bags. For a little while, she became a heroine – the girl who had narrowly avoided being ravished by the devil. She hadn’t enjoyed the attention though. It had curdled in her stomach, churned up with the reek of that cheap corn liquor that never quite left her nostrils. She’d worked her ass off and graduated as early as possible, and left, resolving never to think of the school again. And she’d almost succeeded. Until now.
She was back in the present, standing in a forest with the man who had almost raped her. The snow seemed to be singing, a high, piercing note. Or maybe it was her ears ringing. Harley was gazing at her, and his face was full of pain.
“You’re James,” she said in a quiet voice.
“James is a name I took for myself when I attended a human high school. Harley is my real name,” he said.
“You attacked me.”
“No, Melissa. I didn’t. I would never have hurt you – ” His voice broke with emotion.
“You attacked me, and Billy-Joe and Earl saved me. They were in my class; I saw them every day after that. They were standing next to me in our graduation photo. They became the heroes of the school.”
“Melissa, no – ” Harley began, but Melissa clapped her hand over her mouth. She thought she was going to be sick, and sweet, rotten alcohol rose like bile in the back of her throat. “Breathe,” he said. “Take long, slow breaths.” His hand hovered near her back, but he didn’t lay it on her.
“I need to get back inside,” she said, and began to walk quickly towards the cabins.
“Please be careful not to slip,” he said from behind her. “Melissa, I’m not going to follow you or harass you, but please believe that I never did anything to hurt you that day, and I never would.”
Melissa could barely hear his words as she stumbled away from him. Blood was pounding in her ears. A whole world had just opened up, like a Pandora’s box of ugly memories, and it was far more than she could cope with. Somehow she managed to stumble all the way back to the cabin without falling in the snow. Only when she was on the doorstep did she dare to look behind her. Harley was nowhere in sight. Had he left? He’d said he wasn’t going to follow her. I need to calm myself right down and not ruin Lauren and Connor’s party , she told herself, and took some more deep breaths, trying to force her memories to go back into their box. Just then, Kristin rounded the corner.
“Hey, hun,” she said brightly. “Did you find the spice you were looking for?” Melissa nodded. “We just got Harley’s message saying he had to leave. Shame isn’t it? Must suck being a doctor and always being on duty. How did it go with him?” She elbowed Melissa, face bright with anticipation.
“Oh, it was fine. Nothing happened between us. We got on ok, but there was no spark.”
“What? From the way he was looking at you, I can tell you that’s not true at all!”
“Kristin, can you just drop it, please?” Melissa said, still too shaken up to think of
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