A Matter of Pride (16 page)

“Dean.”

“
Man-whore
this,
bastard
that. But you always seemed like another person under all your bluster. I think you like me—you always liked me. And you claimed me, princess.” He crooked his finger again, and when she leaned close, he kissed her. “Let me claim you back.”

“But I’m leaving.”

“With me.”

“You love Cougar Falls. Your family is here.” He’d actually leave his home for her?

“Yep. And they’ll always be my family. You’re my mate, Stacey. We both know it. The question is, are you brave enough to keep me?”

“Explain that.”

He shrugged. “Women love me. That’s a fact. But I’m a one-woman cat. I might have dated a lot, but only one woman at a time while I’ve been looking for that special girl. I found her. It’s you.”

“Me.”
That’s right. Me.
Her cat preened.

“But you’re going to have to be able to handle the fact that I’m hot, sexy and a chick magnet. I figure if I can handle all the Romeos wanting your attention, you can deal with my fan club.”

What he said made sense. Kind of. “A little arrogant, aren’t you?”

“Then I’m the perfect man for you, aren’t I?” He pulled her closer to lie next to him on the bed. “I’ve kept my distance for years, but once I tasted you, once you got inside my cat, I was a goner. Put me out of my misery and say yes.”

She felt out of sorts, simultaneously elated and terrified. Dean mattered. What if she screwed up and he left? What if he saw the real her and ran the other way? Even she knew beauty was only skin deep.

“You just want me for my money,” she accused, her mind racing. If he wanted her money, at least she had something to keep him interested.

“And your body, don’t forget that.” He nodded, smirking. “Yep. I found me a rich woman with nice breasts. I’m golden.”

If she gave him twenty bucks, he’d probably spend it on beers for his friends. The man needed her money like he needed a hole in his head. Dear God, he really loved her. She swallowed hard. “Yeah, well, what do I get if I take you on?”

“My wonderful family,” he deadpanned.

She laughed, then remembered she was supposed to be freaking out about her future.

“And my fine body. Come on, Stace. You have to admit I have a stellar tongue.”

“Hmm. There is that. But how do I know you won’t throw me over for some other woman?”

He snorted. “I’ve already been through the ladies out here. Hello? Still single.” His eyes darkened as he looked her over. “Or I was single, until you.”

She teetered on decision’s edge, ready to change her life forever. “So maybe if we stayed here, I’d be more comfortable. I mean, there’s less competition for me. You’ve already slept with most of the town,” she added to be nasty.

His breath hitched. “Yeah. That’s true. No one else for me here to work my wiles on.”

“I guess your family will keep you busy enough that you’re not always clinging to me while I’m working. I’ll have my hands full trying to bring style to this poor little town.”

“Yep. Think about Cougar Falls, baby. They need you. Miami doesn’t need you as much.”

“Hmm. But how do I know I’ll be happy here?”

He shook his head. “That was my line. Seems to me you still owe me for not trusting me from the beginning. Lying about Quince. About Lex. Getting me all beat up.”

“You’re healed.” But she choked up, remembering him so helpless, so hurt while Hunters and rogues surrounded them.

His expression softened. He caught a tear from her eyelash. “Uh-uh. You’re not getting off so easy.”

“What?”

“I’m not buying the tears. I’m the walking wounded. I’ll carry scars on my fine body for life.”

“You mean until you shift back and forth a few times and heal.”

“Well, yeah, but it will feel like forever.” He shook his head. “I think you should take at least one pain away.”

“Oh?”

He glanced down at his erection.

The schemer. God, she loved him. Dean used jokes and laughter to work through his problems. She’d seen him joke his way out of bigger trouble, and right now, the love she felt vibrating through their tied spirits radiated joy.

Only a moron would walk away from a future with Dean, and Stacey refused to be led by fear. If Dean tried cheating or messing her over, she’d make him pay. The thought encouraged her.

“So wounded,” he said again and tugged his pants down to free himself. He didn’t wear underwear. “I bet a few kisses would make everything better.”

“I’ll just bet.” Stacey scooted down the bed and gently pried his legs apart, aware of his real injuries still healing. “Throbbing, is it?”

“You have no idea,” he answered, his voice gravelly.

She didn’t give him any warning and took him to the back of her throat.

He groaned her name and arched off the bed, his hands in her hair, his cock hot and wet. She sucked and licked, teasing his balls while she loved him with her body, mind and spirit.

“God I love you,” he moaned as she stroked the underside of his shaft and scraped his inner thighs with sharp nails.

She flicked her tongue along his slit, lapping up his cream, and she purred when his animal spirit crept through her, petting her cat.

“Christ, I’m coming. So hard, baby. Oh God. Stacey. Take me.” He pumped and filled her mouth with seed. And while she absorbed his essence, his cat entwined with hers, scent layering over them both and settling into a connection that would never fade, never end.

She finished swallowing and let him fall from her mouth. Rising to her knees, she stared at the puckered flesh of claw and bite marks. Saw the play of strong muscle there beneath her thighs and gaze. Dean Chastell—all hers and only hers. The way it should have been all along.

“You’re looking at me like you’re going to eat me again,” Dean teased in a thick voice. “I like it.”

“You should, Jethro. Not just any man can handle me in all my glory.”

He grinned, and his smile made him absolutely beautiful. “You’re going to want a really big house, aren’t you?”

“And an even bigger ring.”

He chuckled. “You’re paying for it, moneybags.”

“I know. But we’ll pretend you hocked your life savings just for me.”

“I will if you want me to.”

And she knew he would. Money didn’t mean much to Dean. Family, love, a mate. Those were his riches. And now hers too.

“I just want you, Dean.” She paused. “There’s just one thing.”

“What?”

She liked that he looked wary. He might play dumb, but the man had an uncanny way about him. “No jeans and no flannel at our wedding. And when we have date nights twice a month, you wear the clothes I set out for you.”

“Hell. You’re going to be a pain in my ass about this, aren’t you?”

“Every damn day for the rest of your life, Gomer. Count on it.”

About the Author

Marie Harte is an avid reader who loves all things paranormal and futuristic. Reading romances since she was twelve, she fell in love with happy endings and knew writing was her calling.

Twenty-plus years later, the Marine Corps, a foray through Information Technology, and children, her dream has finally come true. Marie lives in Oregon with her family and loves hearing from readers.

To read more about Marie, visit
www.marieharte.com
.

Look for these titles by Marie Harte

Coming Soon:

Cougar Falls

Right Wolf, Right Time

Now Available:

Cougar Falls

Rachel’s Totem

In Plain Sight

Feral Attraction

Foxy Lady

Outfoxed

A Matter of Pride

Westlake Enterprises

To Hunt a Sainte

Storming His Heart

A Scorching Seduction

Enjoying the Show

Sins of Summer

Closing the Deal

When a cat tries to outsmart a sexy fox, only love can save him.

Outfoxed

© 2012 Marie Harte

A
Cougar Falls
Story

Grady Chastell, Shifter extraordinaire, wants to take a mate—the delectable Gabby Easton. She’s sexy, kind, and has the extraordinary ability to shift into
two
animal spirits, cat and fox. There’s just one problem.

Gabby won’t take him seriously. 
 

He’s at his wits’ end trying to convince her to give him a chance when trouble comes knocking at his door. Before he knows it, he’s unwittingly party to one whopper of a lie that finally has Gabby where he wants her…but will she feel the same when she realizes she’s been duped?

It will take all his cunning, the help of the pride, and a good bit of mutual trickery to convince his foxy lady to forgive and forget. And more, to love him—the cat born to be hers.

Warning: Arrogant cats who think they can outsmart the slyest of foxes. A cat war, devious siblings, hijinks with consequences, and the threat of sexualized danger as a foxy feline turns the tables on a man who likes to tell tales.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Outfoxed:

“You guys aren’t taking that bet seriously.”

“As a heart attack.” Monty nodded to the full house on the green, felt-covered table. “Read ’em and weep.”

Grady Chastell stared at his pridemate with alarm. Monty wasn’t budging. “Dean?” Surely his brother would have his back. Dean knew how badly he needed to not screw up his chances—any more than he already had—with the delectable Gabby Easton.

“Sorry, bro. All that smack talk last week and the best you can come up with is a pair of eights? You lost the bet—time to pay up.”

The other Ac-taw around the table watched with expectant curiosity, more than willing to watch Grady make a fool of himself in front of the only woman who mattered.

Annoying shapeshifters. Not a one of them had a decent sense of humor except Dean. But after this, even he was starting to look suspect. “Come on. Guys, don’t do this to me. Please?”

Dean’s golden eyes glinted, his inner cat more than amused at playing with his older brother’s feelings. “It pains me, it really does. But a bet’s a bet. Can’t have it said the Chastells welsh, now can we?”

Grady cursed the lot of them under his breath and ignored the new bets being placed. Somehow, Thursday night poker had been replaced with
let’s see how miserable we can make Grady
night. ’Course, winning a friggin’ game might have alleviated his run of bad luck when it came to Gabby Easton.

He stripped down to nothing and shifted into his animal spirit, his bones and sinew reshaping into the form of a large, tawny catamount. King of the mountain, he was a savvy hunter with extraordinary senses…and an asshole of a younger brother.

He grunted his displeasure at Dean, who grinned at him. Then he hissed at the rest of the table.

The birds and wolf flipped him off. The bear grunted back. The lone fox tipped back his hat and waited for the fallout. Too bad the fox happened to be the sheriff, or Grady might have chewed on the others before spitting them out.

“
Oh Gab-by
,” Dean called out in a singsong voice. “Honey, could you come here for a minute?”

The predators around the table waited with bated breath. Monty slipped an elastic bow tie around Grady’s thick neck and shoved a top hat on his head, then poised a finger over his MP3 player, all-too-coincidentally plugged into portable speakers.

Grady caught the scent of her before she walked in. A new addition to the Catamount Pride, Gabrielle Easton was the hottest thing on two feet or four. He’d seen her around town for years, of course, but he’d never gotten close to the fox Shifter. The pride tended to keep to themselves. But then came the news Gabby could shift into not one, but two animal spirits—fox and puma—and his cat had fallen in complete and utter lust.

The man had too, but it was more than that—Gabby captivated him. The grace of her movements, the sheer excitement that glowed on her face during a hunt, the pleasure she had just being near her family… The woman had somehow found a place in his heart, and he worked like a demon to conceal that fact from his family. Bad enough they knew he wanted the woman. If they found out he was falling for her, they’d try to help, end up interfering and screw up his chances for good.

Not to mention he’d find himself the butt of too many jokes. In a family of pranksters, he knew better than to let his guard down. Unfortunately, the worst joke happened to be on him, because for some reason, Gabby didn’t take him seriously. Him, Grady Chastell, the Great Spirit’s gift to women. He wanted her, and she laughed at him. He didn’t understand it.

Gabby walked in without making a sound. Thick strands of her wine-red hair curled around her breasts, which emphasized the flat plane of her stomach. The faded jeans she wore clung to her luscious ass and those long, toned thighs. A low growl eased from his mouth.