Marie Harte - A Matter of Pride

Inwardly, Dean cringed. Okay, so it hadn’t been the best time for a little revenge on the snot staying with them. Temporarily , he kept reminding himself. Although Stacey’s sisters seemed to have settled in right nice, Stacey and Miles acted like they’d rather be anywhere but Cougar Falls.

“No idea. Maybe he wants to impress Juneau Jacobs? Heard he has a date tonight.” Juneau was a sweet bear who could do so much better than Miles.

Stacey’s lips thinned.

“What? Hell, if something as stupid as blue hair will kill the deal, then do you really want these investors in the first place?” Great. Now he was feeling guilty about giving Miles what he deserved. Trust Stacey to ruin a great prank.

“I thought you and Juneau were an item. Or is it Reggie you’re catting around with lately?”

At least she wasn’t worried about Miles, which meant he hadn’t screwed up their chance to nab investors. He frowned. “Juneau and I dated over a year ago. Reggie’s a nice girl. A friend. You have a problem with her?” He left the dirt road leading to the ranch and headed into town.

“Not at all. It’s not the poor girl’s fault she’s been tempted by the town man-whore. The women around here have pitifully little to work with.”

He gritted his teeth and clenched the wheel. He reminded himself she was under the pride’s protection, that the skirmish in Miami wasn’t quite over, and that danger could be stalking her just around the corner. But damn, it was hard to remember all that with her smug expression daring him to give her a taste of her own medicine.

At the word taste , he immediately wondered what her lips would feel like under his. Oh hell. Not going there. Not with this one. He just wished he didn’t always have to remind his dick of that fact.

He pulled into the parking lot of the crowding diner, turned off the engine and faced her with a forced smile. “Sweetheart, if I’d known how interested you were in my love life, I’d have made sure to save you a night.” He leaned closer, entranced by the lingering smell of her perfume and by the heady scent of anger roiling from her pores. “I can pencil you in on Sunday afternoon if you’d like.” He trailed a finger down her forearm to her hand and did his best to ignore the heat licking through his body.

He thought for a moment her pupils dilated, that he caught the spike of arousal in the air. Until she gave him one of her trademark sneers, which annoyed him to no end, because even her disgust turned him on.

“You could only be so lucky.” Stacey left the truck with the grace of a feline in her prime. After shutting the door, she leaned in through the window and gave him a tantalizing glimpse of cleavage framed by a blue lace bra. “Sorry, sweetheart , but my tastes run higher than the five ’n’ dime.”

She flicked a last contemptuous look at him, then turned and sauntered toward the diner. Three raptors fell all over themselves to get the door for her and followed her inside.

Dean had to wait a few minutes to will away his erection. By the time he’d calmed himself enough to be presentable, a few more vehicles had pulled into the parking lot. He hurried inside, needing a good breakfast and a plan of action to avoid Miles for the rest of the day. Maybe he should go to Whitefish after all. And if he were really lucky, he’d manage to find someone else to deal with Stacey while he found a woman to wash away this irritating lust.

He looked for a table far away from Princess Peeve and her horde of admirers and found a seat with a group of silver foxes and his friend, Gerald. But through it all, he heard every laugh, tease and remark the high-stepping Bermin made.

After calling her brother to assure him she was safe in town, Stacey spent the remainder of her morning in the small storefront she’d decided to lease until she could find a new place to work. Nestled among the other storefronts filled with bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Ac-taw, her shop on Main Street was safe enough. Though Cougar Falls was a small town, they had a surprising array of commerce along the main drag. She’d passed several craft stores, shoe shops, jewelry stores and a few clothing retailers that suited the older generation of Ac-taw. Unfortunately, the younger women in town had no alternative for good fashion unless they went online to do their shopping. And really, shopping online ?

How could a woman know how clothing truly fit without trying it on? Without feeling the fabric against her skin, or seeing the patterns and colors under artificial light as well as sunlight?

If she weren’t in such an all-out fire to leave, she might think about opening up her own store. As it was, this little space would make do, offering a place to sew and create while she waited for the mess at home to clear up.

Her sisters, Joy, Melissa and Amy, could do wonders with a needle and thread. Surprisingly, Joy, the hotheaded one of the bunch, had shown some real promise with a few sporty designs for the younger crowd. Stacey never would have imagined Joy might be interested in the business if she hadn’t seen the pleasure light up her older sister’s green eyes while she sketched and penciled clever outfits for the teen set.

Stacey was the youngest of her sisters but had always felt older. The others laughed and had fun with life. She used to, but lately… She couldn’t put her finger on it, but the joy of living had slowly faded. Work consumed her, or it had, until Lex and Ronnie had overthrown their father, the old pride leader. Under their leadership, the pride had become a wild, chaotic group of rival cats and no longer the soothing, thriving family which had made her feel at home.

Men had always been interested in her, but Lex seemed obsessed. He’d almost trapped her once, and the things he’d pledged to do to her made her skin crawl. If Miles hadn’t stopped by the store late that night, she didn’t know what might have happened.

And these thoughts were doing nothing to expand her fall collection, which had already fallen way behind schedule thanks to a forced move from Miami. Damn Lex and his overinflated ego.

With a sigh, Stacey returned to the table and sketched a few dresses she’d considered fit for the cold months. There was a different need out here in Montana—practicality and style. They didn’t have to be mutually exclusive, contrary to what she’d seen in town. Good God, but did the people around here ever wear anything other than jeans?

She lost herself in her work until someone barged in through what she’d thought was a locked front door.

“Oh good. You’re still here.” Dean Chastell walked through the empty store like he owned it. The man could have made a fortune modeling. He had looks that translated well through the camera. And that smile, a hint of kiss my ass combined with true amusement lit up whatever room he entered. As usual, he smirked at her, showcasing that adorable dimple she traced in her mind’s eye at the oddest moments.

“And where else would I be?” She sounded bored. Stacey did bored better than anyone she knew. But in this case, she had to work to mask the excitement and lust surging through her. For some reason, this obnoxious mountain lion pushed her buttons. And he had since she’d first met him over twenty years ago.

She’d developed a crush on him in kindergarten, one that had come and gone but never quite left her throughout the years. Dean Chastell all grown up was more than any woman should have to handle.

Unlike his older brothers, Dean was more than sexy and charming. He was handsome, almost pretty, to her way of thinking. Sandy hair a shade lighter than Grady’s and light amber eyes that winked with gold complemented a face that made women sigh and fawn. Next to her and Miles, Dean had to be the best-looking cat she’d ever seen. But his looks didn’t mean much, not when she’d been used to beauty for so long.