The Cougar's Pawn Read Online Free Page A

hers on,” he said. “I think she has some things to say that may offend your sensibilities.”
    “Oh, hush.” Mom peeled the tape.
    “Shit!” Ellery said when the tape came off. She opened her mouth, moved her lips left and right, and scrunched her face. “That smarts like a motherfucker.”
    “Told you,” he said.
    “Give me your knife so I can cut the bindings.” Mom crawled back to the gate and held out her palm.
    “Just help them wiggle this way,” Sean said. “We need to work out who’s whose before they’re mobile.”
    “That sounds like the precursor to rape to me,” Miles said.
    “I raised them better than that, I swear I did.” Mom cut Sean an evil side-eye. “They may drive you nuts, but they won’t do
that
.”
    “I need to pee really bad, so I’ll be anyone’s for the five minutes it takes to find me a bathroom.”
    Mom helped Miles to the edge, and then Hannah, who—though pretty—looked like she’d murder a man in his sleep. She had the kind of glint in her eye that reminded him of a cat about to pounce, and he’d certainly seen that enough. Idly, he rubbed the long scar on his right forearm. How many fights had he been in just this year? Too many to count, and for what? Over an alpha position he didn’t even want half the time?
    Ellery came last, muttering obscene threats under her breath in that sultry voice that made his nuts tighten. Gods, he hated himself for being affected by it, but he couldn’t help what turned him on. She had a filthy vocabulary for a nurse. That’s what one of the little cards in her wallet identified her as. A nurse at a hospital in North Carolina. They were a long way from home. He hoped the folks from there wouldn’t miss her too much, because there was no way she was going back … at least not for a couple of weeks.
    As soon as Ellery dangled her legs over the edge, he took a bracing breath—guessing she was probably going to scratch him to smithereens—scooped her up, and tossed her over his shoulder.
    She kicked. “Dammit, don’t make this a habit.”
    He took off for his house, already patting his pockets for his keys.
    “Mason, wait,” Hank called. “We need to pick.”
    “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Mom muttered.
    Mason looked back to see Mom slam the tailgate shut.
    “He’s already picked. Are you going to challenge him?”
    “Just trust me,” he called back. “You wouldn’t want this one anyway.”
    “Asshole.” Ellery tried to wriggle off his shoulder to no avail.
    “Be still. I’m trying to find my keys.”
    “Screw your keys.”
    “Take them both to my house,” Mom said to Hank and Sean. “They’ll stay with me until you work it out.”
    “Hey, take me back. I’d rather stay with your mother,” Ellery said.
    “You’ll stay with me. In my bed.”
    “Nope. Hell nope. I will stab you at the first opportunity.”
    “Not if I stab you first. I’ve got just the weapon, and it’ll only hurt a little in the beginning.” He pounded up his porch steps and grabbed the screen door.
    “You audacious jackass, when you get me out of these ropes, I’m going to—”
    “You’re going to go pee, right? And then I’ll make you some dinner and put you to bed.” He pushed the key into the lock. “Cuddling will make us both feel calmer. You’ll see. It’s the Cougar way.” He rolled his eyes. He could probably come up with a few more cornball lines without even trying. No one could ever accuse him of being suave, and usually, he didn’t care. He’d never tried to come on to a woman who needed him to be so debonair, and he wasn’t going to start now.
    “Cougar!” She let out a frustrated growl. “I’d just gotten used to the Wolves, and now this. That’s just fucking great. I should start earning merit badges for having to deal with all the shit that happens in my life.”
    Wolves? Interesting
. He filed that information away to question her about later.
    “Gods, your language.” He turned the knob and pushed