Prey & Prejudice: Cougar Falls, Book 7 (25 page)

Kristina flicked a look left and right before leaning in toward him. “Do you want to know a secret?”

Glee filled her eyes and drew a reluctant, if genuine smile from him. “Always.”

“I snuck out.” She mouthed the words, but this close, the whisper of breath carried the words to his ears. “If they catch me…”

They would take her away. Richard lifted his gaze from his bride to sweep the area. Malcolm had given him the codes for his private apartments. “Then let us go somewhere private.” He released her wrist and offered his arm.

“I don’t know you.” An amused smile quirked the corner of her mouth, her head tilted and her gaze roamed him from head to toe. “Do I look like the type of woman who is just going to walk out of a bar with some strange man at his invitation?”

Melancholy and delight stabbed him. “Yes. You look exactly like the woman who will join me this evening.”

Her grin grew and her eyes lit up. “Well, considering I’ve already hit you, we know I can do that again, right?”

“Oh yes. Without a doubt.” The thrill of the hunt thrummed through him. This conversation mirrored their first so closely he could almost imagine the coach waiting just outside the doors ready to whisk them away to his castle.

She sidled up to him, threading her arm through his and glancing around. “Then I suggest we go now—or we won’t have time for any fun.”

In wholehearted agreement, he led her from the bar. His men fanned out before and after him. Kristina snuggled against his arm and the hole in his heart began to knit. She stiffened next to him and slid behind him, hiding. He went still. His fangs began to elongate, and he stared at the crowds of partygoers flowing through the maze of the casino. His men closed ranks, and the three of them shielded Kristina in the triangle between them.

“Kristina?” He breathed her name softly.

“Salt and pepper, four o’clock. He’ll make me go back.” Her fingers dug into the back of his jacket.

Richard located the man, nondescript and unthreatening, Richard would have dismissed him. He folded his hands together, one over the other and waited. The vampires he chose for this—Anton and David mirrored his pose. The man took his time. He examined every face, studied every walk and finally took another path.

Nodding to his men, Richard took Kiki’s arm and they moved through the casino to the lobby and blockaded her again at the elevators. He maintained vigilance until they were inside. Kristina bounced when the elevator doors closed.

“That was so exciting!”

He gave her an indulgent smile. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“So,” Kristina leaned back against the elevator wall and glanced from Richard to his guards and back. “Do I get to have all three of you?

Prey & Prejudice

Marie Harte

She’ll take his heart—one bite at a time.

Cougar Falls, Book 8

Now that the political nightmare over leadership is over, Miles Berman can’t wait to settle back in Miami and focus on his million-dollar businesses. Problem is, everyone somehow thinks
he’s
the new pride leader—a position he doesn’t want. At. All.

Worse, Zoe Castille has roared into town, hell-bent on rattling more than a few cages.
She
wants control of the pride, which includes Miles at her beck and call. But Miles doesn’t bow to anyone. Not even a woman whose painted-on denims turn his brain clear off.
 

No one plays Zoe, in or out of the bedroom, but she’s confident she can show the arrogant playboy who’s boss. He wears clothes with labels she can’t pronounce, has women flaunting themselves at him, and grates on her last nerve. Yet she can’t stop thinking about him.

She soon realizes that to get what she wants, she might have to give in a little. Then Miles shows her the pleasures of relinquishing control.

Warning: The final battle. One cat to rule them all…or at least, one tiny bikini to rule them all. Beware felines in the Miami heat, and never trust a raptor to do a panther’s job.

eBooks are
not
transferable.

They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B

Cincinnati OH 45249

Prey & Prejudice

Copyright © 2013 by Marie Harte

ISBN: 978-1-61922-013-3

Edited by Lisa Dunick

Cover by Angela Waters

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: December 2013

www.samhainpublishing.com