Page 30 of Love is Trash in Hallow's Cove

He nods. “Yeah. Give me a moment to go into the other room and I’ll introduce you to him.”

Maybe Jake is more unhinged than I realized. “Uh, what?”

“I promise it’ll make more sense if I show you.”

I watch as he stands and hurries away into another room, dumbfounded.

What is going on? “This is weird, even for you,” I call out to him, struggling with the urge to get up and leavein case he comes back covered in baked beans or with a can of beans he thinks is sentient. Though, I could probably make the latter work—Jake’s hot enough that I could pretend to talk to the can to keep him happy.

There’s a lot of rustling and I start to worry that the naked and covered in beans theory is correct, when something emerges from around the corner. A short, fat, furry something.

“Oh my god, Bandit, is that you?” I gasp as the raccoon moves closer. Did Jake catch him and is keeping him as a pet? I don’t know why he couldn’t have just told me that.

Why would he hide my raccoon?

When the truth hits me, I gasp again. Partially at the new information, and partially for how oblivious I’ve been.

“You’re Jake,” I say as the raccoon climbs up on the couch next to me and butts its head against my hand to ask for pets.

I stroke a hand through his fur, way too soft and clean for a wild animal, and look into his very intelligent, soulful eyes. “I’m a dumbass,” I murmur, then let out a weak laugh as the raccoon makes an irritated chuff like it doesn’t agree with my assessment.

I sit there petting Bandit, or I guess Beans, or Jake, or whatever the hell I’m supposed to call this raccoon, as my mind races. He doesn’t climb in my lap, but his warm, soft body presses close against my thigh and he starts topurr.

Who knew that raccoons purr? Holy shit, this is surreal.

“Can I, uh, can I talk to Jake?” I ask, needing answers.

The raccoon jumps back down off the couch and goes to the other side of the chair, and a moment later, Jake rises from behind it. Well, Jake, but not how I’m used to him. This Jake has the cutest furry ears poking out of his hair and a big, fluffy raccoon tail.

The raccoon hybrid Jake flushes and gives me a sheepish smile.

“You’re a raccoon shifter?” I ask, which is silly since he clearly is. “I didn’t even know that kind of monster existed.”

“We do,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“So it was you the whole time? Why didn’t you tell—” My face flames at the memory of the first night I saw the raccoon as it raced away with my panties. “Oh god, you stole my panties. And my vibrator!”

Jake winces. “Yes, and no. Beans stole them. That’s what I call my raccoon side. We’re the same and yet… different. When I’m in my full raccoon form, he’s in the driver’s seat and I’m more like a passenger. And vice versa when I’m in my human or hybrid forms.”

“I…” I’ve heard of other shifters having an inner voice from their animal side, but his is named Beans?

“Does Beans make a habit of stealing things that smell like pussy?” I ask bluntly.

“No! Well, yes, but only yours,” Jake says with a startled half smile.

“Oh god.” My face flames inembarrassment.

Jake shakes his head and holds his hands up. “Not because it’s pussy… I like that, but…” He scrubs a hand across his face, his fluffy tail whipping in and out of sight from behind the chair he’s using to obscure his nudity. “Beans could tell on an instinctual level from the scent in those panties you threw away that you’re my mate. He’s not like, turned on by the scent, or something weird like that. It just let him know you’re mine.”

I stare at adorable raccoon hybrid Jake, trying to figure how all this new information makes me feel. I know I should be more horrified, but as the shock wears off, it’s more hilarious than anything else. And so very Jake to be a weird little raccoon digging through trash when he’s shifted.

“I’m sorry, Hayley. I shouldn’t have lied to you. I was so worried about making a good impression on you and not ruining my chances with my mate that I didn’t want you to know I was the one who took the panties. And the vibrator. If it helps, I threw them away. Eventually.”

“Eventually?”

His cheeks above his beard turn beet red. “Y-yeah. I, uh…” Jake clears his throat. “It was torture having things with your scent on them. I know I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t resist.”

“Are you saying my scent turned you on?” I ask, sounding breathless as my clit throbs at the mental image of Jake sniffing my panties and jerking off. It should be offputting, but it’s fucking hot, knowing that he was doing it because he was so infatuated withme.

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