Page 27 of Claiming Her Cougar
“The woman you’re trying to impress.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Logan assures me.
“It’s the redhead,” Teagan says with certainty.
I glance at Teagan before looking back at the ice.“Is that your witchy superpower at play?”
“No, I recognize her from Vegas.”
The foursome is headed back up to our box.Mallory is clutching her puck and has a pink flush to her cheeks.She looks so pretty.Mom and Daphne are chatting with each other, and Aunt Molly must have said something funny because Mallory smiles and nods.Mallory’s smile fades when she looks up at the box.Uh-oh.
10
MALLORY
I can’t believethe captain of the Dallas Stars gave me a puck.It was so embarrassing when Faith and Holly called over their star center to ask for a puck on my behalf, but it was fun.My mom would never do something like that.I love her, but she’s so serious and proper.She’d tell me we had a bunch of pucks at our house already and we don’t need one just because it was touched by the stick of an NHL player.It’s all the same vulcanized rubber, after all.Then she’d tell me how pucks were made and all about the chemical compounds involved.I passed chemistry in high school just fine, and I don’t need a graduate-level lesson from my mother.
While the captain is very handsome, and it’s a rush to have him wink at me, I can’t help but think Liam is more handsome.Holly is gushing about how cute the Dallas players are.It’s funny, they aren’t much older than her son.Her husband, Mike, is a handsome man.No reason to look anywhere else.Since I know it’s all meant in good fun, I just laugh.
My laughter dies when I glance up at the box and see Liam standing close to and smiling down at Hockey Fan Barbie.I can tell by his expression and how they’re standing together that they have a close relationship.It doesn’t matter.We’re coworkers and maybe sorta starting to be friends.He’s good-looking and rich.Of course he’s going to have gorgeous women all around him.
“About time!”Faith cries out as she rushes the blonde and gives her a big hug.
“Hey, Momma Morgan,” Barbie says, returning the hug and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Momma?I’m assuming this isn’t his sister, since she used her last name.I notice the man with her, who is now hugging Faith and lifting her off the floor.Liam comes to my side and brushes his hand against my back.The light touch starts as a tingle, low and lovely, but grows, gathering warmth and pressure until it’s almost possessive, even though his touch remains the same—barely there.
“Mallory, these are my best friends, Teagan”—he gestures to the gorgeous blonde woman—“and Jake.”
The man smiles and reaches his hand out to me.“Hey, Mallory, nice to meet you.”His handshake is firm, and his brown eyes are warm.He’s a few inches shorter than Liam and not as broad, but he’s a very handsome man with glossy black hair and olive-toned skin.
“Hi, Mallory.That’s so cool you got a puck!”Teagan reaches out a hand to shake as well.
Teagan is a woman.A gorgeous woman.The times I’ve heard about Teagan and Jake, I thought Liam was talking about two guys.Not a guy and a woman who should walk the runway or grace magazine covers.
I remember myself.“Hi.Nice to meet you both.”
Daphne comes up, and the greetings repeat.I guess she hasn’t met them before either.
“So great to finally meet you, Teagan.I’ve heard so much about you!”Daphne gives Teagan a hug.She’s such a sweet person.I want to kick her.Which is ridiculous.I love Daphne, and there’s no reason to be jealous over Teagan.Yeah, she’s gorgeous and Liam’s best friend, and she seems friendly.His mom really seems to like her.Now his dad’s hugging her.Mike is giving her a fist bump.Yeah, she’s part of this group.No reason to be jealous.
Teagan smiles warmly.“I’ve heard so much about you too!I’m so glad you and Logan finally got together so he can stop being a mopey bird.”She elbows Logan in the side, and he grunts.
Mopey bird?That’s a weird phrase.
“Logan is a golden eagle shifter,” Daphne tells me.
“Really?That’s cool.I haven’t known any avian shifters.They aren’t as easy to tell as wolf or other mammal shifters.No scent,” I say.
“Do you shift, Mallory?”Teagan asks.
I suppress my sigh.I miss the days when discussing shifter status was still taboo, and you needed a secret handshake to alert others.
“Nope.But I come from a pack of wolf shifters.I’m the weird one.How about you?”I don’t sense anything, but I’m just a human.What do I know?
Teagan and Jake give me appraising looks.What the hell is up with that?
“No, I don’t shift,” Teagan says.
