Page 78 of Cougar

I look over my shoulder to see the redhead from Mac’s sitting on a lounger, putting those little floaties on Willow’s arms.

“Who, Harper?” Emerson asks. “She’s not from here.”

Mimi raises her brows and points a spatula at Liam. “She’s too young for you, Liam.” She flicks her gaze toward the patio. “Besides, I think Cole laid claim to that one. He’s been circling her like a goddamn lion ready to pounce.”

Liam chuckles. “You’re confusing me with Tyge, Mom. I prefer women, not girls.”

“Speaking of women, do you ever plan on narrowing it down to just one, preferably before I’m too old to remember? I know you’re capable of it.” She tilts her head and bugs out her eyes. Mimi is the only one brave enough to bring up Vanessa in front of others.

“I’m not that bad,” he defends, and all our heads turn to him in disbelief. “I kinda like the naughty nurse.” He shrugs.

Ladies and gentlemen, Hell has frozen over.

He plucks an olive from the tray, tosses it in his mouth and grins as he says, “For now,” before he turns and walks out the back door.

“Em, you still haven’t been over to see my place. You should come over next week. Bring the family. I’ll even cook,” I tell her.

“You cook?” She grins. “You lived next door to me for years and I never saw you cook.”

“That’s because Grace was right next door.” I shoot Grace a wink. “Come over. I make a mean steak.”

“You should probably put some furniture in your house before you start throwing dinner parties,” Zach jokes as he reaches for a carrot and shoves it in his mouth.

Emerson snickers and shakes her head at Zach’s little dig. “We’d love to come to dinner. Just let me know what night is good for you.”

“I have a game Tuesday in Atlanta. How’s Wednesday night?”

“Jay has dance class and girls’ night on Wednesdays, but if you’re not too tired, I can still come.”

“Wednesday’s perfect.”

Emerson

It’s just dinner, Emerson,I tell myself as I brush a hand over the front of my jeans before ringing the doorbell.

“Hey, beautiful,” Cam greets as he steps back and gestures inside. “Come in.”

I step into the foyer and hold up a bottle of wine. “I brought wine.”

Cam’s house is beautiful and practically bare. It’s an open floor plan with the kitchen overlooking a great room. There’s a couch, coffee table and TV. And what should be the dining room houses a pool table instead.Typical bachelor decor.The ceilings are high and white, with exposed wood beams matching the wood floor.

“Great.” Cam hooks an arm around my neck and presses a kiss to my temple as he takes the wine from me. “Come into the kitchen.” He releases me and heads that direction. “Dinner’s almost done,” he calls over his shoulder. “I hope you still like steak.”

“I love steak,” I reply.

Cam’s kitchen is partially hidden behind a wall and equally bare. An island is situated in the middle with four barstools situated at the countertop.

“Come on.” He holds out his hand and I take it. “I wanna show you something.” He pulls me through the open sliding glass doors, across the pool deck and down a short path. “I thought it would be nice to have dinner outside, but the sun is already setting.” I suck in a breath and Cam turns to face me. “I know how much you love the beach. I thought you’d appreciate this view.”

“I’d forgotten how beautiful the sunsets are from Heritage Bay. Different from the beach in Malibu, but still beautiful.” The back of Cam’s house faces the part of the bay separating Heritage Bay from the rest of Heritage. Palm trees line Oceanside Boulevard—the stretch of road that runs parallel to the bay from the south edge of Heritage through downtown and over the bridge leading to Heritage Bay—and the pink and orange sky is a beautiful backdrop behind the palm trees.

“It’s hard to compare to the California sunsets, but this isn’t so bad. Huh?”

I shake my head slowly. “No, it’s perfect.”

I’d never pegged Cam for a romantic, but he’s cooking me dinner and I caught a glimpse of the table. There were candles. And the fact that he remembered how much I love to watch the sunset makes my heart flutter a little bit.

I think I’m in trouble.

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