Page 6 of Claiming Her Cougar
It’s like one of those fricking romance movies that my mom and sister make me watch with them, but it would have been cool.Instead, while I’ve been traveling coast-to-coast practically nonstop, she’s been here.I tried to get info from Teagan since she could access the reservation from the bachelorette party, but she refused, saying to trust in fate.Well, fate is a crazy bitch.
Mallory glances at her phone, I assume to check the time.“I’ve gotta get back to the office.I’m sorry.”She closes the to-go container she had her meal served in.She must have expected leftovers.
“No worries.I need to get going too.Um, any chance I could get your number?”Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Her jade green eyes widen slightly, and she bites her bottom lip.Is she trying to be seductive, or am I making her uncomfortable?
“Oh, um, okay.”
I hand her my phone so she can put in her number.When she hands it back, I shoot her a quick text that says, “Thanks for letting me eat lunch with you.”
Mallory smiles slightly as she saves my contact, then rises from her chair, picks up her to-go container, and locks gazes with me.“It was nice having company.Have a happy Thanksgiving, Liam.”
I quickly wrap the rest of my sub and stand.She’s not wearing sky-high heels this time, so the top of her head reaches my chin.That’s a good height.
“You too, Mallory.Safe travels.Maybe we can hang out when we’re both here?”
She chuckles.“We’ll see.Take care.”
“Bye, Mallory.Take care.”I watch her walk away, admiring the curves her pants lovingly caress.I smile when she gets in a cute green MINI Cooper, glad she drives something fun and not something boringly practical like a Honda.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but having lunch like two strangers was not it.We aren’t strangers.Okay, yeah, we don’t know each other very well yet, but we have a connection.I felt it in Vegas, and I feel it now.Fate wouldn’t have brought us back together, living in the same town and working for the same company, if it didn’t mean something.
2
LIAM
I havea couple hours before I need to leave for the Newark Airport to pick up my cousin and his girlfriend, so I take the rest of my sub and drive back to the pool house I live in on my parents’ property.I travel a lot in my job as a VP for Morgan Development, so it makes sense to crash in the pool house when I’m local rather than waste rent on a place I’m rarely at.It’s decent—bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room.I appreciate that there’s a separate driveway so I can park my F-150 alongside it.More importantly, I can come and go as I please without being noticed by my parents.They know I’m a twenty-seven-year-old man with my own life, but I’ll always be my mom’s little boy.I don’t bring women back here.It’s easier to just get a room at an Atlantic City casino or go to her place if I’m hooking up.I don’t need women realizing I’m one of “those” Morgans with the outlet malls and shopping centers.I want to be liked for who I am— as a man, not for my bank account.With my old truck and wardrobe of jeans and work boots, I look more like the maintenance guy I present myself as on site than an heir to one of the biggest retail developers in the United States.
Iama maintenance guy.For now.My job is to travel to our properties and make sure they’re running smoothly and safely.If things need to be upgraded, I evaluate the options and present the best choices to the board for consideration.Hell, I change light bulbs and empty trash cans if necessary—whatever it takes to keep things moving smoothly.I’m a maintenance guy with an MBA from a prestigious university, a trust fund, and a very healthy bank account.
But I’m going to be more than that.Even though my dreams of playing hockey are over because of a really bad car accident eight years ago, it doesn’t mean I can’t still be involved in the sport.For years, my involvement with hockey was purely as a spectator.Now, there’s talk about the formation of the Paranormal Hockey League, where shifters and other paranormal folk can play hockey on a professional level, and I want in on it.Atlantic City would be a great spot for a franchise, and I’m going to purchase one with my best friends, Teagan and Jake.I want to create something that’s just mine, not my family’s.At Morgan, I just keep the existing sites going.Sometimes I scout for a new center location, but that hasn’t been happening much lately.I don’t want to maintain the status quo; I want to be responsible for something new, and I want to help it grow.
The plan is to do a joint venture with Morgan Development and buy an old pier across the boardwalk from the casino Teagan owns and refurbish it to be the home of our hockey team.Teagan will have the largest ownership stake and be the face of the ownership too.Jake will be the general manager, and I’ll be the coach.
That needs to be my focus.Now is not the time to pursue any kind of romantic relationship.Get the team going, establish my career outside of Morgan Development, be here enough to make it logical to get my own place and move out of the pool house—those are the things I need to be focusing on, not reacquainting myself with the hottest girl I’ve ever been with.Trust fate.Yeah, right.Trust her to have rotten timing.
* * *
“What the hell?I’m going to kill you,” Logan calls out as he approaches me in the Newark Airport.His girlfriend, Daphne, looks confused until she notices me holding a sign that says, “Congratulations!Can I be the godfather?”
“Not funny, dude.”Logan says as they walk up to me.With our tall, muscular builds and dark hair, we look like we could be brothers, not just cousins.
I shrug.“Who else should be the godfather of your firstborn?”I wrap Daphne in a hug.“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have gone to France, and you wouldn’t be home now.”
“Thank you for the ride ,” she says, “but you realize rental cars and Uber exist, right?”She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.“If, or when, we have a baby, I’ll put you at the top of the list for godfather, no matter what your cousin says.”
“Taking you back to Daphne’s house?”I ask as we get in my old red-and-tan Bronco.It’s a more comfortable ride for three than my pickup truck.Old Fords are my weakness.I restored it so everything’s perfect.New vehicles have more bells and whistles but none of the personality.
“Our house,” Logan states firmly.“We’re going to surprise the family by showing up Thursday.”
“Wow.They’re going to love that.They still think you need to be in Europe until mid-December for the Christmas markets.”
Logan leans against the passenger door so he can face me.“We had a great time and saw some cool stuff, but it turns out we both wanted to be home and with family to start our life together.”He opens one of the bottles of water I put in the center console.“Daphne doesn’t have family.It’s just her.I realized I missed being with all you jerks.I know I’m fortunate to have you, and I want to share that with Daphne.”
I wouldn’t be in a rush to come home if I finally had my dream girl with me in a romantic location.Not that I have a girl.Not that I have time for any kind of relationship stuff.What was I thinking, giving Mallory my number, pursuing her?I don’t have time for that.But when I’m near her I don’t seem to be able to focus on ambition.There’s only her curves and her hair and her smile.Argh.I need to stop thinking about her like that.I need to focus on the hockey team, the pier, and my career beyond Morgan Development.I can deal with romantic stuff later.Maybe.If Mallory’s still available.I hear a snore from the back seat and see Daphne is already asleep.
“Is Daph a shifter?”Normally I don’t ask about personal things like that, but it’s just us.Even if she wasn’t part of a pack or a flock, she’d still have a shifter community.
