ToLoveaCougar by Marisa Chenery Page A

that the older members would hate.
    “I’ll make sure I come back in plenty of time for supper,” Blaise said.
    “I thought you wanted to make plans with Taylor and Aspen?” his mom replied.
    “Since they weren’t very forthcoming with any, I’m figuring they’d rather spend the day together without me being the third wheel. In that case, I’m going to do a little hunting.”
    “Hunting?” His mother gave him a questioning look.
    Taylor shook his head. “He means he’s going to harass some poor human women until he can convince one of them to go out with him.”
    Their mom smiled. “Oh good. I must say I like the idea of having another human female for a daughter.” She gave Aspen a smile. “I’m rather fond of the one I have now.”
    “Don’t encourage him, Mom,” Taylor said. “Human women everywhere will thank you if you didn’t.” Aspen chuckled at her mate’s remark.
    Blaise gave his brother an exaggerated scowl, playing the part of being insulted when that was the furthest thing from the truth. He’d missed having Taylor around to swap mock insults with and loved every minute of it now that he could.
    “That hurt, brother mine,” Blaise said.
    “You’ll get over it.”
    Their mother cleared her throat. “Before this goes any further, Blaise, are you going to visit your father before you go out?”
    He nodded. “I planned on it. I figured I’d wait until Caleb is close to done examining him. I want to hear the results.”
    “Caleb should be here in a half hour or so.” His mother emptied her coffee mug, then pushed back her chair. “I’ll go keep your father company until your cousin gets here.” She stood and walked out of the room.
    “Now that it’s only the three of us,” Taylor said to Blaise, “as for tonight, you’d better behave.”
    “ Moi not behave? I’m always on good behavior.” He snickered at the look Taylor sent him that said he didn’t agree with that at all.
    Aspen chuckled. “What my mate is trying to say is, no shifting to cat form while my parents are here. They’re not used to being around cougar shifters as I am now.” She stopped Blaise before he could say anything. “And don’t deny there’s a chance you’d do just that. I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve surprised me in that form.”
    Blaise gave Aspen an innocent look. “I only did it so you wouldn’t jump every time you see one of us shift.”
    “Sneaking up behind me late at night in a dark hallway didn’t help with that at all, and you know it.”
    “So I got a little inventive.” And he’d stopped doing that once Taylor surprised Blaise by sneaking up on him and jumping his ass while in cougar form as well.
    “Just try to act normal. Okay?” Aspen asked.
    Taylor let out a bark of laughter. “Now you’re asking for something that’s impossible.”
    Blaise ignored his brother’s comment, not hurt by it in the least, and finished the last of the food on his plate. He poured himself a cup of coffee, then stood and looked at Aspen. “I’ll be good. I promise. Now I’m going to go up to my room with my coffee until Caleb gets here.”
    He left the room and headed upstairs. At the upper level, Blaise heard his mother’s voice coming from the master bedroom. With his sensitive hearing, he listened as she told her mate what she planned to have served for dinner that evening, and how she hoped to become close friends with Aspen’s parents.
    That was his mother. She had the biggest heart. It helped her, considering the kind of mate she had. Even though his father loved her, there were times when he could get a little highhanded. His mother was more than capable of putting his father in his place. The only time she’d lost to him was when he’d banished Taylor. To this day she hadn’t let her mate live that one down.
    Blaise sat in his room for forty-five minutes before he went to see his father. He’d heard Caleb arrive as scheduled and figured he had to be just about