Falling for the Cougar

by Terry Spear

  “They could have been federal agents he’d called up and they hadn’t gone after you so much as the packages you shipped. The other men tried to kill you.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe they were just trying to grab me and make me tell them where the item, whatever it is, is hidden.”

  Scott squeezed her hand. “As to Sam, I dashed into the house as soon as I saw you leaving with Janice. Sam wouldn’t have had time to call anyone while I was out there.”

  “Okay, I still don’t trust him.”

  “I’m sorry if you thought I was being an overbearing lout.”

  She smiled. “Don’t be. It worked out perfectly.”

  He grunted. “It worked out perfectly this time.”

  “Next time, we’ll stick together.”

  “Right.

  She leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed her back, pulling her onto his lap. “As long as you’re not angry with me.”

  “Making up like this works wonders for anger management.”

  “We could make up a lot better if we returned to my bedroom.” He rubbed her shoulders.

  “Do you really trust Sam?” she asked.

  “Not all the way,” he had to admit.

  “You wouldn’t have given Bambi to him?”

  “No, only to Uncle Bill.”

  “That’s good to hear.” She got off Scott’s lap and he took her hand and led her into the house and up the stairs. “Where are the boys?”

  “I can hear them playing games in the den. We’re on our own. Lake swimming, after this?”

  “Yes!”

  But for now? All Nicole wanted was to make love to the man who would soon be her husband, if she had her way.

  As soon as they were in his bedroom and the door was shut and locked—just in case the boys came looking for them—Scott began kissing Nicole and she kissed him right back. Their hearts were beating wildly as their pheromones kicked up a notch. He cupped her face and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts against his chest, feeling his hardness, wanting him inside her now. Wanting to smooth away the irritation she had felt in him ordering her about, and the irritation he had felt with her leaving like she did—to remind them what they meant to each other after all they’d been through already.

  Scott kissed her throat. “I want you like I’ve never wanted another woman in my life.”

  “Hmm, you’re just what this she-cat ordered.” She licked his jaw.

  Then he began kissing her mouth again. Scalding hot kisses heated her all the way through, his warm hands sliding down her neck and caressing her shoulders. He nuzzled his face against hers as if they were wearing their cougar coats. She rubbed her body against his in the same manner, leaving her scent on him as he was leaving his on her. No other cougar would have any doubt that they were together as a couple.

  Their kind married for the sake of finances and kids, but for them, even as big cats who could divorce, they usually didn’t. Once they chose each other, that was it.

  Her head tilted up to him, she nuzzled his lips with hers. He parted his lips and she thrust her tongue into his mouth, the intimacy making her shiver with pent-up need. His large, capable hands moved from her shoulders to her breasts, caressing her nipples through her shirt.

  Her panties were already wet, and she was past ready wanting to remove them and get on with business. Figuring she’d start working on his clothes first, since he was too busy touching her through her shirt, she pulled the bottom edge of his navy T-shirt up, pausing only to kiss his bare chest before pulling off his shirt and tossing it aside.

  He quickly reciprocated and tugged off her pale blue shirt and tossed it on top of his T-shirt, his hands immediately cupping her lace-covered breasts, molding to them, his touch warm and wonderful. She pressed her body against his burgeoning arousal, wanting the intimate contact, to feel his desire for her growing. He leaned down and kissed her mouth and moved his hands behind her back, unhooking the bra, and tossing it to the pile of already discarded clothing.

  He pulled her against his body and hugged her tight. “Love you, Nicole.”

  “Hmm, Scott, you’ve made me happier than I ever thought I could be.” And then they were kissing again, his hands on her face, and she was enjoying the way their lips pressed against each other in total commitment.

  At the same time, as if they’d had the same idea or same rampant need, they both began to unfasten the zippers on each other’s shorts, sliding them over hips, and kicking them off. His fingers moved to her waistband and he slid her panties down her legs. She did the same with his form-fitting boxer briefs that hugged his package in such a sexy way.

  From the moment she’d run from danger and into the arms of the cougar, her life would never be the same and she was glad for that!

  She was lost to Scott, part of him, as he was part of her, sharing his love and his commitment with her. Between them, it was pure chemistry igniting a fire that burned deeply. The draw between them went deeper. The animal magnetism escalated the attraction, their pheromones wildly inciting each other.

  Kisses consumed. Hunger fed the passion, their mouths greedily melding, bonding, tongues tasting and teasing, teeth nipping and nibbling. She licked his nipples, her body rubbing against his steel hard arousal. He groaned. She loved hearing him groan or growl in the heat of the moment when she was the reason for it. She smiled and pressed warm kisses across his chest, his hands deftly roaming over her bare skin, flaming the fire burning inside her.

  Her body throbbed for him, her breasts swollen, her nubbin eager for his touch, her nipples and breasts aching. She was desperate to have completion.

  His kisses grew more insistent, and then he was moving her to the bed, settling her onto her back, and joining her, one leg pinning hers down, his finger sliding between her feminine lips and finding her swollen nub. Then he began to stroke her, and she arched against his fervent touch, wanting more, needing more. Blazing heat filled her, and she wanted him to stroke her harder, faster, to feel his cock thrusting inside her at the same time.

  Raw passion flooded through her as she licked his mouth and nipped at his neck. As if he read her mind, or maybe he was past holding back, he began stroking her faster, firmer, ringing the climax out of her in the best possible way, his mouth capturing hers, catching the cry of pleasure she let loose. Pure enjoyment washed over her as the orgasm rippled through her with waves of pleasure.

  He was the only cougar for her.

  Scott was joining Nicole, pushing his erection between her feminine lips, sinking into her, his hardness enveloped by her soft, hot flesh. Ripples of her climax encircled him. His hard body pressed against her soft one, and he loved the way the two of them fit together. She kissed his mouth back with wild abandon, spurring him on. He was filled with a primal need to conquer, to possess, and yet to protect her at all costs. His mouth on hers, he devoured hers, wanting to draw her in, to be as one.

  She was his dream-come true. His dream, his fantasy, his reality. His.

  Every thrust of his cock deep inside her fulfilled a need to have his loving cougar mate in every way possible. She moved against his body, undulating, deepening his thrusts, her beautiful, lust-filled eyes caught up in the throes of passion.

  His breath ragged, he angled deeper and drove in again and again, his mouth recapturing hers. Her mouth opened to his, and he probed her with his tongue, hungering for the taste of her and the intimacy between them.

  He quickened his thrusts, then slowed, pulling nearly all the way out, then diving again until he couldn’t hold off any longer and let go with an explosive force.

  “Man, you are the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” he whispered hoarsely next to her ear, kissing her and she slid her hands down his back and cupped his ass.

  “You are totally the same for me.”

  And then they snuggled together to nap, and that was just as nice.

  After having a lovely nap with Scott, they woke to hear the boys saying dow
nstairs, “I don’t think they’re ever going to wake from their nap.”

  “Sure they are,” Roy said. “But Momma said when people are adults they need more sleep than us kids.”

  “Yeah, but if they don’t hurry, we’re going to miss swimming in the lake.”

  “Did you bring a swimsuit?” Scott asked Nicole. “I forgot to mention we might go swimming at the lake.”

  “Yeah, I always take a swimsuit with me on a trip, just in case.”

  “Okay, great, though it’s a private lake, so you could wear just about anything for it.”

  They hurried to dress in his blue and green board shorts and her blue one-piece bathing suit, and then wearing flipflops, they headed downstairs. Both kids raced to greet them, so excited, grabbing their hands and pulling them to the back door.

  “Yay! We get to go swimming,” Roy shouted.

  Janice came out of the kitchen, drying off her hands and smiling. “Do you mind taking them swimming for a bit? I’m helping mom plan dinner before we go to the play.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Scott said.

  Nicole laughed. “This is one side of Scott I never imagined.”

  “He’s great with the boys and they adore him. He’s the father figure they don’t have now.”

  “Oh, I’m sure,” Nicole said, sorry that the boys didn’t have a decent father to help raise them.

  Then she and Scott and the boys headed out to the lake, their air mattresses in hand and a beach ball too.

  “How well do the boys swim?” Nicole asked.

  “Like fish. Of course we keep an eye on them at all times, but they swim well.”

  “That’s good.” She didn’t know what to expect, but the next thing she knew, the boys were chasing her and Scott in the water and then after that, Scott was the shark and chasing them back while she hung onto an air mattress and laughed. He really was good with the boys.

  They played for about an hour in the water, having a blast until Janice called that it was time for supper.

  They all went inside and dressed and after Nicole dried her hair, they joined the boys, Janice, and Josephine for ribs, potato salad, corn on the cob, and a spinach and tomato salad. “Everything is delicious,” Nicole said, before she took another bite of a rib.

  “Bill and Ted were supposed to do the grilling. We could have had Scott do it, but we knew he needed to play with the boys. You too,” Josephine said.

  “Where are the guys?” Nicole asked, surprised they weren’t here for supper.

  “They’ll join us at the play. Hal and Ted got some tickets too.”

  Nicole was taking a bite of her corn on the cob when she saw a vision of a large lighted stage, surrounded by red canyons, and the black sky stretching forever, stars and clouds scattered across it as the actors sang and danced on stage, lightning flashing off in the distance.

  Why would she have a vision of the stage and canyon? What did it mean?

  While he was eating his ribs, Scott noticed Nicole was about to take another bite of her corn when she froze. He watched her, not disturbing her, worrying she might be having a vision. No one else had noticed, not right off. But then his mother did, and she frowned and looked at Scott.

  Then Nicole seemed to come out of it and took a bite of her corn. He reached over and touched her arm. “Were you having a vision?”

  She nodded. “I just saw the stage and canyon. Some lightning.”

  “Part of the show has manmade lightning, though sometimes real lightning will strike too,” Scott said.

  Janice was now watching them.

  “I…have visions, like Scott does,” Nicole said.

  “Oh, good,” Janice said. “He needs someone in his life who understands him. It took us forever to believe he had them.”

  “Yes, I’m so glad too. So what does yours mean?” his mother asked Nicole.

  “I don’t know. I’m not seeing any trouble, unless the lightning means a storm will hit while we’re down there.”

  Janice was on her cell phone right away. “Slight chance of rain, partially cloudy. It looks okay.”

  Scott debated whether to take his family to see the play or not. None of them—Uncle Bill, Uncle Ted, or Hal had shown up—and he was afraid to expose his family to any danger if Sam wasn’t one of the good guys. He’d tried to get ahold of his uncles and Hal, but he hadn’t been successful.

  What if the killers were the only ones who arrived at the show? Still, none of them had made an appearance and he thought they might have lost track of Nicole and him.

  “Do you have any visions about the weather?” his mom asked him.

  “No.” He was more worried about the trouble Nicole was in.

  But he knew his mother had paid for the costly tickets and she wasn’t about to be dissuaded. After they finished dinner, they rode in his mother’s Suburban as it was the only vehicle that had enough seats for all them.

  “We stay together,” Scott told Nicole. “And if you have any other visions that show we’re going to have trouble—”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  When they arrived at the Palo Duro Canyon State Park, the outdoor theater was packed with an enthusiastic audience. Nicole gawked at the spectacular 600-foot cliffs acting as a natural backdrop for the stage.

  Brilliant bands of orange, red, brown, yellow, gray, maroon, and white rocks striped the pinnacles, buttes, and mesas. Each was protected by a cap of erosion-resistant sandstone. Twenty-feet wide, the canyon wound between walls in some places 800-feet high. Prickly pear, yucca, mesquite, and juniper shook in the blowing wind along the rim and bottom of the canyon. Cottonwood, willow, and salt cedar trimmed the banks of the Red River in greenery as it snaked along.

  Nicole had an uneasy feeling once again, like she’d had at the beach in Galveston. She was down below in a hemmed-in place where she couldn’t get away easily.

  She hated her anxiety attacks she’d have with feeling claustrophobic from time to time. And the people, masses and masses of people. How could she escape with such a tremendous crowd surrounding her?

  “Can I sit at the end of the row?” she asked Scott as he led them to their seats.

  “Are you certain? I was going to leave Uncle Bill’s seat vacant at the end. Uncle Ted and Hal couldn’t get seats by us at this late a date.”

  “That’s fine, I’ll sit next to his vacant seat.”

  “All right, but my mother and Janice wanted to sit with you as the boys insisted I sit between them.”

  “I’m sorry. I just tend to have an attack of claustrophobia from time to time.”

  Frowning, he kissed her cheek. “Do you know what caused it?”

  “I was camping with some friends in Washington State and powerful winds due to a rare mountain wave event toppled 100 huge trees in Olympic National Park. They called it a mystery storm. Anyway, I was pinned beneath one of those trees until friends could get help to me. I didn’t have claustrophobia until that happened.”

  “Wow, honey. You should have told me. You just let me know if you feel bad at any time.”

  She smiled at him. He was the only one for her.

  Janice wouldn’t be deterred from sitting beside Nicole. Scott winked at her from his seat between his nephews, while his mother ended up sitting between Janice and Roy. With the lights dimming, the award-winning musical romance of the Texas Panhandle began, but Nicole couldn’t concentrate on the show.

  The lighting in the seating area dimmed. Then she was sure she was seeing things. First Bill. She could have sworn she saw him holding a Bambi toy near the stage off to the left in the shadows. And then Boris. She rubbed her eyes. And Tom…Thomas Dickhead Cromwell. No way. And Sam. She was certain she saw him too. She believed her anxiety was playing tricks with her mind.

  She turned to Janice who was totally absorbed in the play. “Janice, I’m going to the restroom for a minute.”

  “Okay.”

  Nicole had to take a walk in the fresh air and get away from the crowds for a bit.
She thought the musical would have kept her attention, drawing her thoughts from the unbearable pressure she felt weighing so heavily on her mind. But it wasn’t helping.

  She saw lightning flashing in the distance, just like in her vision. She went into the restroom and when she came out, Tom was standing there, smiling, and stuck a gun in her ribs as he grabbed her arm and headed her down one of the aisles toward the stage—the side of the stage that was swallowed in darkness so that the people watching the play couldn’t see them, not like the cougars could, only Tom didn’t know that. She just hoped Bill, or Ted, or Hal was here, and they would find her, and that Scott stayed with the family and kept them safe from harm.

  It wasn’t long before Scott noticed Nicole was missing from her seat. He leaned over Roy and asked his mother, “Where’s Nicole?”

  She in turn repeated the question to Janice.

  Janice spoke, then his mother said to him, “She went to the little girl’s room.”

  “How long ago?”

  Janice shrugged.

  “I’m going to check on her.”

  Scott maneuvered through the seats, anxiety filling him. He couldn’t think of what might become of Nicole if someone wanted to harm her here.

  When he arrived at the restroom, he found a line of women trailing out of the ladies’ room.

  He shoved his hands in his pocket and waited as the line dwindled, then filled up again. By the time the last woman that had been in line when he first arrived entered the restroom, his hopes Nicole was still in there sank. “Can you ask if there’s a Nicole Welsh in the restroom, please?” he asked a woman.

  “Sure.”

  The woman walked into the room and called out Nicole’s name. There was no response. When the woman poked her head out and shook it at Scott, his brow knit together in concern. He thanked the woman, then looked down at their seats. Without wanting to alarm his family, he observed from a distance. Nicole wasn’t in her seat still.