CougarHeat by Marisa Chenery Page A

Taylor’s chair and
leaned close enough for her thigh to come in contact with him as she put her
hand on the top of his shoulder.
    He shrugged out from under her
palm. “Hey, Nikki.”
    “I guess the rumors about your
banishment weren’t true,” she continued. “If you had been you wouldn’t be with
these guys.”
    What happened in one family group
was usually kept from any others, though sometimes whispers leaked out from
time to time. Most of those usually didn’t amount to more than rumors.
    Not getting any response, Nikki
asked, “When did you get back to Anchorage?”
    Taylor glanced up to find her
giving a sultry look that did nothing for him. Aspen was the only woman he
wanted right now. He turned his attention back on his brother and cousins, then
answered, “Today.”
    “It’s nice to see you’ve returned.”
She hooked the chain of his necklace with a finger and pulled the cougar head
pendant out from under his shirt. “And it’s nice to see this around your neck.”
Nikki leaned down and said in his ear, “I look forward to taking it from you
very soon.” With another sultry look, she straightened, then walked toward the
bar.
    Once she was gone, Jase let out a
low whistle. “Damn, she’s going to be trouble.”
    “More like a pain in the ass,”
Taylor said. “It doesn’t matter how many times I rebuff her, she keeps
insinuating we’re going to end up as mates.”
    “You’re the big prize as far as
Nikki is concerned,” Blaise added. “While you were gone, she tried out a few
other males who are pretty high up in their family groups. None of them turned
out to be her mate so she kicked them to the curb once it became apparent it
wasn’t going to happen.”
    Grady shook his head. “And the
timing is bad for you, Taylor. She got rid of the last one a few weeks ago.
She’s on the prowl now and you’re her new prey.”
    “Well, she can keep her claws to
herself. I’m taken.”
    “Yeah, we know. Blaise already told
us about Aspen.”
    Taylor scowled at his brother. “I
thought you said you wouldn’t tell anyone about her?”
    Blaise shrugged. “Jase and Grady
aren’t just anyone. And don’t worry, they won’t say anything. They feel the
same way I do.”
    “I had no idea all of you would be
willing to break free from the traditional way of thinking.”
    Jase snorted. “Do you know me? I do
whatever I want, as long as I don’t call attention to myself.”
    Taylor chuckled. “That’s true, but
if you ever did take up with a human woman, and it was found out, would you be
prepared for the fallout that would follow?”
    “If you are, then so will we.”
    He looked at Blaise and Grady to
see them nodding in agreement. “Well, I’m not going to go around stating the
fact my girlfriend is human, and not because I’d be ashamed about it. I
wouldn’t want Aspen looked down upon by the others.”
    The rest of their time at the bar
passed in friendly conversation as Taylor’s brother and cousins caught him up
on the happenings within their family group while he’d been banished. And all
the while Nikki seemed to watch everything he did. She was going to be a thorn
in his side every time he came there to have a drink. It made him think he’d
have to find a new watering hole.
    * * * * *
    Taylor woke up the morning after
the family gathering his father had arranged to make it official that Taylor
was no longer banished and had been accepted once more as the “heir”. There had
been some grumblings, but his father had soon put a stop to them. Even though
his dad was weak, he remained very much the head of their family group. His
authority wasn’t questioned, nor did he tolerate it to be so. His word was law,
after all.
    The whole event had proved to
Taylor he’d been away from his kind for far too long. With the older members of
their family group, it was all about tradition and how one was supposed to
portray himself. At one time, it had been the norm for him, but not now.