Prey & Prejudice: Cougar Falls, Book 7 (8 page)

Even worse, it seemed every cat in the pride made sure to effusively welcome her, while at the same time praising their godly new pride leader. When not trying to stop Nancy from going after the many females sleeping with her boyfriend or keeping an eye on Alissa Roberto—or Alissa Whoreberto, as Joy was fond of calling her—Zoe was constantly tripping over super friendly cats who gushed about what a terrific
mate
Miles would make. The push for a hookup had Esmie written all over it, but Zoe couldn’t find her slippery mother to ask her about it.

Finally, by late Saturday morning, she’d had enough. Her mother refused to return her calls, Alan Danville seemed always underfoot and Joy had conspicuously managed not to answer any question put directly to her about Miles. Quite a talent, that avoidance, considering the two of them had been in each other’s pockets for the past week.

As they sat in the smaller cottage Joy had annexed as the female’s center, Zoe cleared her throat to get Joy’s attention.

Joy looked up from the computer where she’d been inputting data.

Before the cat could avoid the topic, Zoe blatantly asked, “What’s the deal with the pride trying to hook me up with your brother?”

“Ah, that I don’t know. But I had a question for you…”

Zoe groaned. “Come on, Joy. I’ve dutifully followed you around all week. I can tell you who’s sleeping with who, which women are pregnant, how many times Esmie has caused a shit storm without trying and that at the rate you and my brother are knocking boots, even that birth control you’re taking isn’t going to prevent conception.”

The flush on Joy’s face made her morning hell somewhat bearable. “Geez, Zoe, share much?”

“I can’t help it. You two are friggin’ loud, and in the week I’ve been here, I’ve come up on you in several different parts of the compound.” She sulked. “Besides, I’m jealous. I’m getting nothing.”

Joy snorted. “Not for lack of interest. You give any of the guys around here a hint you might want something more, and they’d be all over it. And don’t give me that look. I saw you turn down three cats just yesterday.” Joy’s eyes narrowed with amusement. “Holding out for an obnoxious blond who thinks he’s God’s gift to Ac-taw, are you?”

“No.” Zoe worked on not blushing. How embarrassing that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him all week. And not in a vengeance kind of way, either. Hell, he’d bested her the last time they’d met. The orgasms shouldn’t matter. But oh God, they did.

“Right.” Joy coughed, to hide a laugh, Zoe thought. “Hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Yes, your brother is hot. No, I don’t want to mate him. I just want to sleep with him.”
Then grind him under my heels so he knows not to screw with me again without my say-so. Once he knows his place, I think maybe he and I could be friends.

“Ah, that’s not it.” Joy blushed, a pretty pink. “I’m designing a new swimwear line for Bermin Beauty.”

“I’ve heard. Congrats.”

“Thanks. I think you’d be perfect to model my pieces.”

Zoe blinked. She hadn’t expected that. “Why?”

“Why? Are you kidding? You’re beautiful and you’re arrogant. You look like you eat men for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yet you still have a youthful glow we can capitalize on.”

“You make me sound like a man-eater,” Zoe drawled, then smiled. “I like it.”

“So would you let me take some measurements later? I need to get you into some suits and make sure the picture I have of you wearing them matches the ones we’ll capture on film.”

Zoe shrugged. “Why not?” She paused in thought. “Does Miles know?” As controlling as he seemed, she couldn’t imagine him not knowing what went on in every department of his business. As much money as Bermin Beauty generated, it was still a boutique and family owned. Old Money Bags Bermin no doubt micromanaged his baby sisters.

“It’s my line. He can deal.” Joy shrugged. “He’ll probably be irritated that I asked you. So now you have to do it. And it’s a paying gig. I don’t expect you to work for free if the shots look as good as I think they will.”

“Even better.” Though just irritating Miles made the idea worthwhile. “And speaking of the pride’s lord and master, where is he?”

“Last I saw, he and the others were lazing by the pool.”

A favorite pride pastime, basking in the sun while doing nothing. She loved being a cat. Zoe grinned. “Too bad you don’t have a suit I could wear right now. But lucky for me, I’ve got a favorite I picked up in Rio.”

“Oh boy. Like you don’t already have the men of the pride eating out of your hand.”

“And the women.”

Joy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, them too. I swear, sometimes it’s like talking to Miles when I’m with you. Your ego knows no bounds.”

“Hey, truth is truth. I’m beautiful. I can’t help it.” But the thought that she was just like Miles gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling she didn’t know what to do with. She’d come back to Miami to help the pride. She wanted to do good. And now, she also wanted
to do
Miles.

She’d done her level best to meet everyone since she’d been back. In the time since Miles had been in charge, almost a month now, the cats had come to love him. That damn Bermin charm he used on everyone, she thought sourly. Everyone but her.

Yet she’d made her own inroads. She hadn’t mentioned taking over the pride anymore. Instead she’d watched and learned about what was needed and what wasn’t. She had a pretty good handle on most of the females, courtesy of Joy’s intense research. Now it was time to focus on the males.

And one male in particular.

Joy spun away from the computer on her swivel chair. “Okay, Lady Perfect. Let’s get the hell out of this stuffy office and have our own fun. We earned it with all the work we’ve been doing lately.”

“I’ll head over to the guest house and grab my things. I’ll meet you at the pool in a shake.”

Joy nodded. “Okay, but please, nothing too scandalous.”

Zoe grinned. “Me? Never.”

Miles stretched out on the lounger and sighed. “Best idea you’ve had in a long time, Quince.”

Next to him, Quince mumbled into the towel under his face. Like Miles, he laid in a lounger, soaking up the sun. A glance around the luxurious pool showed several other pride members doing the same. The temperature had reached eighty-nine, and they all wanted to take advantage of the cloudless sky.

“This is why I love Miami,” Miles said aloud, having missed his home during his long travels. The smell of salt carried on the air, a tang of the ocean he could taste. Seagulls occasionally squawked by, and the warm breeze brought with it other scents. Coconut lotion, some hot wings a few of the cats were sharing on the other side of the pool on the patio. Ellis stood over the outdoor barbecue cooking up something else, while Willow stood by his side looking equally delicious.

Her green suit brought out the sparkle in her eyes—unfortunately fixed on Ellis. Too much romantic intent there. He’d have to cross Willow off his little black book. Dana too. The once level-headed female had succumbed to a lovesickness whenever she was around Jace. And Jace was just as bad. Miles found all of it more than disturbing—especially since he had a hard time forcing himself to ignore Zoe.

Not thinking about her. No. Not today. Just sun and water and a nap.

Quince, at least, wasn’t acting like an idiot about his mate. Then again, his sister didn’t tolerate fools.

“So you’re really going to marry her?” he asked Quince.

Without missing a beat, Quince turned his head and answered with a resounding “Yes”.

More pleased than he could say, Miles nodded and kept his cool. “Your funeral.” His sunglasses masked his eyes, but Quince likely scented his pleasure.

“Yup. My funeral, my mate. But you know, she’ll always be
your
sister.”

“That’s cruel, Quince.”

They snickered at each other and sighed under the balmy breeze.

“You know, life just doesn’t get much better than this.” Miles spoke true. Though he wanted nothing more than to turn the pride over to someone else, he was starting to finally get the hang of managing his time wisely. His logistics companies and growing chain of Cuban cuisine restaurants were doing well under their current management. A few solid investments he could relax about.

Just as he closed his eyes and decided he could afford a short nap, that scent hit him.
Fuck.
Miles opened his eyes and looked around. The stillness that settled over the pool must have struck Quince too, because he turned over and sat up, awake and aware.

“What’s wrong?” He spotted Joy and smiled. “Hey, baby. And—
shit.
Really, Zoe?”

Miles’s mouth dried, and his throat seemed to swell, because he had a hard time swallowing. Like every other guy currently breathing.

Behind Joy, Zoe Castille strutted over the concrete toward them wearing what appeared to be three tiny triangles of black silk held together by black dental floss.

“Jesus Christ.” He sat up, swung his legs over the side of the lounger and braced his elbows on his legs, leaning over to hide his sudden, telling erection.

Quince groaned. “Damn, it’s like she’s fourteen all over again, and I have to go beat on my friends to stop ogling my sister.” He turned an accusing eye on Miles. “Blink, damn it.”

“Oh, come on. If my sister wore three black napkins barely covering her girlie bits, you’d be acting the same way. Annoying though Zoe is, she’s a beautiful woman. No getting around that.”

Quince sighed. “No, unfortunately.” He stood then crossed to meet Joy. He swooped down for a kiss and said something in a low voice to Zoe, who laughed and walked by him. Quince gaped at the back of her, and Miles had a bad feeling about the rest of her “suit”.

As she walked toward him, two men behind her stopped in their tracks. Another fell into the pool, while his friends ran into each other, spilling plates of food. Two of the females had yet to blink, while another gaped like a fish.

Whistles and catcalls surrounded the once-friendly pool, and more than one annoyed cat glared and argued with her stupefied partner.

“You just can’t stay out of trouble,” he complained as she walked past him and laid in the lounger her brother had vacated. It took strength not to look at her mesmerizing ass, but he wasn’t made of iron. Well, not all of him.

“Sugar, I was born to trouble. Ask my mother.” She leered at him, the naughty expression one that only added to her appeal. “Why don’t you sit back and relax? You are happy to see me, aren’t you?”

Too happy.
It took a few deep breaths but he managed to will his erection mostly away. Enough to appear presentable, so that he could lie back next to her and not look like he had a tent in his swim trunks.

“Funny, I thought for sure you’d wear something smaller.” Her fingers grazed the end of his trunks, scraping over his thigh.

He tensed and deliberately moved her hand back to her side, making sure not to touch her more than necessary. How annoying not to have better control over himself. But after licking her to two orgasms last week and not able to stop thinking about it
or
her, was it any wonder he was a walking hard-on? He’d leered and taunted and annoyed her to keep her away from him. It had worked, because she’d kept her distance while he’d actually gotten work done.

But he knew he’d have to face her soon enough. He’d expected she’d have paired up with someone by now or made a real problem for him to fix. In both instances, he’d have had an easier time pushing his desire for her away. But she hadn’t, going against type. That intrigued him, to see she had enough control to keep her nose clean. Yet it also alerted him to be cautious. A woman with a grudge, one who looked like Zoe, bore close attention.

That and the fact that he’d gotten nothing but glowing reports about her made him wary. Zoe made the most stubborn in the pride laugh. She’d helped with the young, giving their parents a much-needed break. And she’d listened to complaints without offering advice, but compassion. The females loved her, or at least, they had until she’d worn that fucking bathing suit.

“Oh, this is nice,” she said in a soft little moan. “No wonder everyone is out here.” She said nothing more.

After a few moments, movement around the pool returned to normal. The men and a few females continued to stare at her, but seeing her next to Miles must have put them off from approaching her. Did they think she belonged to him? That she and Miles were dating?

Though he disliked the thought of committing to a female at this point in his life, a greater part of him appreciated that they left her alone. And he didn’t like the possessive thoughts his cat projected. Ways to seduce and then claim her.

The minutes passed, and he settled back into a hazy state of sun-worshipping half-consciousness. Chatter resumed. He heard Quince and Joy laughing and splashing. Ellis argued with Willow over something, while the guys wolfing down plates of chicken challenged each other to water volleyball.

It was with no small amount of satisfaction that Miles realized the others felt safe with him as their leader. He deserved some accolades, he knew. Yet he still felt like a fraud, because Quince had done all the work to restore the pride to a functioning group. And Miles honestly wanted someone else to rule.