Chapter Two
Harley couldn’t tear her gaze off the hottie who stood in the middle of a women’s lingerie store, and from the looks of it, alone. Up until now she’d been only browsing for herself, but a new idea came to mind that involved Mr. Handsome. It wasn’t something she normally did, but she found this male specimen well worth the chance of having this backfire on her. For all she knew, he could have a girlfriend and she could just happen to be in one of the change rooms at the moment.
She walked up to him and said with a smile, “I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor.”
He grinned back. “And what would that be?”
Harley ran her gaze over him, loving the look of his long, tawny-blond hair that was more controlled than shaggy. His light-brown eyes, which were pretty darn close to gold, held humor in them. She also liked how tall he was. He had to be at least six foot two. At five foot seven herself, she liked men with a little height to them.
“Well,” she said. “Would you be against trying on some of the things in the men’s section for me? My sister is getting married in a couple of weeks and I’m having a bridal shower for her. I want to get something for her to give to her fiancé. He’s close to the same size as you.”
That was utter bullshit. Harley’s older sister Mel was getting married in two weeks all right, but her fiancé Sean was barely five foot eight and was a skinny, nerdy computer programmer. But Mel loved him with all her heart and soul, as Sean loved Mel.
“I guess I can do that,” Mr. Gorgeous replied.
“Great.”
Before he could change his mind, Harley grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the men’s section. She bypassed the sleepwear and went straight for the underwear. She stopped at a table that had assorted thongs displayed. Harley selected a black nylon one with metallic gold hearts on it.
She turned toward him and held it out. “This one. What’s your name?”
“It’s Blaise.” He looked down at the thong and then back up at her again. “You’re sure this is the one you want me to try on?”
“I’m Harley, and yes. It’s a bit of a gag gift as well, but I want to make sure it’s not too…constricting. I want my sister’s future hubby to be able to wear it at least for a little while without it interfering with his…ability, if you know what I mean.”
Blaise burst out laughing. “I understand. But there’s one small problem.”
“What? Are you uncomfortable trying on a thong?”
“That’s not it. You see, I’m the type of guy who prefers to go commando. I doubt the store would appreciate me trying on any underwear like that without at least buying it afterward.”
Harley swallowed as her mouth went suddenly dry at the thought of Blaise being naked under the slightly formfitting jeans he wore. She shouldn’t have looked, but she couldn’t help herself. She dropped her gaze to his fly, checking out how large the bulge was behind it. It appeared to be a good size.
Not wanting to be caught gawking at his crotch, Harley quickly yanked her gaze back up to Blaise’s face. “I’ll buy it for you.”
“Pardon?”
“You try it on, then I’ll buy it for you.”
“That would mean you’d have to buy two.”
She shrugged. “So be it. I don’t mind.”
Blaise took the thong from her. He returned it to the spot where she’d gotten it, then selected the same one but without the hearts. “If I’m going to have to keep it, then I want one without the metallic gold. Not exactly my style.”
“You’ll do it then?”
“Yes. Who am I to turn down a beautiful woman?”
Blaise headed for the single changing area in the men’s section. It was in the corner with only a heavy black drape to close it off from the rest of the store. He stepped into it and tugged the curtain around the rod until he was hidden from sight. Harley stayed just outside it. She listened to the rustle of clothing on the other side. Seconds later he called her name.
“I’m right here,” she said.
“Okay. As far as your concerns go, none of that is going to be a problem.”
“All right, but can I see what it looks like on you?” It was pushing it, asking Blaise to model it for her, but if she were really lucky, he’d do just that. “You don’t have to come out here. You can open the curtain a bit and I can take a quick peek.”
He did as she said, stuck his hand out and tugged her inside before he quickly shut the curtain again. Harley would have protested, knowing full well if they got caught they would be kicked out of the store, but seeing Blaise in nothing but the thong left her speechless. She couldn’t stop herself from running her gaze over his body. His chest was well-padded with muscle that was cut, as were his six-pack abs. His legs were just as muscular.
She stopped at the front of the thong and licked her lips. Oh man, Blaise’s body was definitely well-proportioned. There was no hiding the size of his cock in that poor excuse for men’s underwear.
Harley quickly pulled her wits about her, then said, “The front looks really good. How about the back?”
Blaise turned away from her. Harley started at his wide back, which tapered to a narrow waist. A little lower and she stared at the finest butt she’d ever seen. It looked hard enough to bounce a quarter off it.
“Liking what you see?” he asked.
Harley tore her gaze off his butt and found him looking over his shoulder at her. “Yeah.” That single word came out breathy.
He gave her a wicked grin. “I bet you want to give it a good smack. Go ahead. I dare you. I might even like it.”
God help her, but she really did want to. Her fingers itched, that was how badly she wanted to learn that muscular ass with her hands. And she could test its firmness with a few well-placed taps.
“Is everything all right in there?” a salesgirl asked.
Harley jumped, the spell of lust that had come over her breaking in an instant. “Yes, we’re fine.”
“Then I’m going to have to ask you to leave the changing area. We don’t allow men and women in there together.”
“I’m coming out now.”
Harley gave Blaise one last wistful look before she slipped through the curtain, trying not to reveal too much of him to the salesgirl as she did so. She smiled at the other woman as she yanked the drape closed behind her.
The saleswoman gave Harley a knowing smile and leaned in closer to say quietly so only the two of them could hear, “If I had one of those, I’d be right in there with him as well. The only problem is if my manager realized I knew about it and didn’t say anything, I’d be in trouble. I do have to say, though, you’re a lucky lady.” She gave Harley a wink and walked away.
In less than a minute, Blaise yanked open the curtain and stepped out of the changing area. His gorgeous body once again clothed. For the first time, Harley noticed the gold cougar head pendant he wore around his neck. Its ruby eyes flashed in the store’s bright lights as he stepped closer.
“Do you need me to try on anything else?” Blaise asked, his deep voice rolling over her and making her shiver inside.
“No, I think I found my gag gift.” She went over to the table of thongs, picked up a thong with the metallic gold hearts a size smaller, then walked back over to him. She held out her other hand. “I’ll pay for that now.”
Blaise handed over the thong he held. It was still warm from his body. Harley turned, then headed for the counter where the till was. He followed behind her. The same salesgirl who had spoken to her was behind it.
She smiled at Harley, her gaze flitting to Blaise briefly. “Did you find everything you wanted?”
Harley nodded. “Yes.”
She paid for her purchases before both she and Blaise headed for the store’s entrance. He walked at her side and took her hand in his, linking their fingers. Harley looked at him.
Blaise bent his head closer to hers. “Well, since I belong to you, I’d better act like it.”
Harley smile
d. “Very true.” She was surprised Blaise had heard what the saleswoman said to her. She’d barely spoken above a whisper and he’d been in the changing area at the time.
They strode out into the mall and walked a few stores down before Blaise pulled Harley to a stop off to the side out of the way of other shoppers. Still holding her hand, he turned to face her.
“You’ve seen me in nothing but underwear. Is there a chance I can see you like that as well?”
“I think so. Are you going to ask me out on a date first?”
“Of course. I have a family dinner to go to this evening, so how about tomorrow evening?”
“Or we could go to the food court here right now and grab something to eat. I’m not busy.”
Blaise smiled. “Sure. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s the company I’m with who matters.”
“Then it’s a date.”
He stepped to her side again and got them moving in the direction of the escalator. The mall had five levels and the food court was on the very top one. They were now on the third.
As they walked onto the first escalator, Harley looked at Blaise. This trip to the mall had turned out a lot better than she’d hoped when she’d set out for it, thinking to help pass the hours on a Saturday. She now had a date with a hot hunk, and she’d already seen him in nothing but a thong.
Blaise looked at Harley out of the corner of his eye as they rode the first escalator up to the food court level. He couldn’t believe his luck. The first human female who caught his interest, and she’d accepted a date with him.
Much to his pleasure, he found it to be a lot less stressful than approaching a female of his kind. There was always the added pressure she’d place on him, hoping he would be her mate. Most were raised to think that was their biggest ambition in life, to set off the magic in a male’s cougar head pendant, and that they wouldn’t be complete until they had.
Since Harley was human, she had no clue about his pendant. She could still set the magic off in it, as he’d learned from Aspen setting off Taylor’s, but it wasn’t something she’d be hoping for. No pressure for it to happen.
“So do you always let strange women talk you into trying on underwear for them?” Harley asked with a smile.
Blaise shook his head and laughed as they stepped off the escalator and headed for the next one. “No. You’re the first.”
“I guess I should take that as a compliment then. What made me so special?”
He shrugged. “I can’t say it was just one thing. You caught my eye so I was more than willing to play along. It seemed like the best way to get you to agree to go out with me.”
Harley smiled. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. I would have gone out with you anyway without you modeling for me. And since we’re being so honest here, I didn’t think up the gag gift idea until I saw you.”
“What would you have done if I’d said no?”
“I haven’t a clue.”
“Then it’s a good thing I didn’t. And I will pay you for the thong.”
“No you won’t. Think of it as compensation for making you go through all that.” She winked. “Plus, maybe you’ll feel as if you have to wear it for me again since I did buy it for you.”
“That would mean a second date so I can’t see that being a problem.”
They finally arrived at the upper level where the food court was located. Since it was a little on the early side for lunch, they had a lot of tables to pick from. Blaise let go of Harley’s hand and followed behind her as she wove her way through them until she settled on one sort of off by itself.
Once they were seated across from each other, Blaise looked at all the different places offering food. “What do you feel like eating?” he asked.
Harley looked around as well. “I’m thinking of getting a slice of pizza.”
“Sounds good. I could go for one myself. Why don’t you tell me what kind you want and I’ll go get it. While I do that you can stay here and save the table. My treat since this is supposed to be a date.”
Harley chuckled. “I don’t think we have to worry about that, but fine. I want a slice of pepperoni and a can of cola to go with it.”
“Will do.”
Blaise stood, then went to the pizza place. There ended up only being one person in line ahead of him. Once it was his turn, he ordered the slice Harley wanted and a meat lover’s for himself. Tray in hand with food and drinks on it, he worked his way back to the table.
They ate for a bit before Blaise started up a conversation. “Do you spend a lot of Saturdays at the mall?”
Harley smiled. “More than I’d like to admit. And it’s not because I like to shop. Wandering around the mall gives me something to do to pass the time. How about you?”
“Very rarely do I come here. Today I thought I’d switch up my daily routine.”
“If you can come to the mall and have this free time as part of your normal routine, it sounds as if you don’t have a job.”
Blaise smiled. “I don’t, and it’s not because I’m unemployed. My family has a very lucrative corporation that’s in the business of computer software. I worked there for a while, and have taken a bit of a leave of absence, with pay.”
“What’s it called?” Blaise said the name of his family’s corporation, and Harley’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. You must be stinking rich. Everyone knows that software company. My future brother-in-law has dreamed of working for you guys. He’s a computer programmer.”
“Then before our date ends I’ll give you a name and phone number he can call to be set up for an interview. He just has to tell the person in human resources I referred him and he’ll get a position.”
“Just like that? You don’t know Sean or his work background.”
“He’s going to be a part of your family, and after today, I hope you’ll want to keep seeing me, so why wouldn’t I want to help him out?”
“In that case, if he turns out to be shit rotten at the job, don’t blame me.”
Blaise laughed. “I won’t. What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a medical technician at a lab. I run some of the tests on the various specimens that come in.”
“Sounds very complicated.”
“Not to me it isn’t. I like working in the lab.”
“I guess I know who to go to if I ever need a blood test.”
Harley smiled. “And I promise to be gentle with the needle.”
“That’s good to know.”
They finished eating, then by mutual consent decided to leave the food court. It was well into lunchtime and more people had arrived, causing the noise level to increase. Plus, they no longer had that many empty tables around them.
Blaise captured Harley’s hand in his and walked them out of the busy area. “Now what would you like to do on our date? I still have hours before that family dinner and I’m not ready to say goodbye to you yet.”
“Well, we can either continue to wander around the mall or we can go to some other place that’s a little more private.”
“All right. Where do you suggest we go?”
“I’d offer my place, but I have a roommate who works steady midnight shifts. She’s sleeping right now and tends to get really grumpy if I have anyone over while she is. She’s a bit of a light sleeper.”
“All my family live together, but our house is pretty large. Plus, if you like horses, we have a stable full of them. We can go for a ride.”
“Actually, I do know how to ride. It’s been years since I’ve last been on a horse. I’d love to see yours.”
“Then it’s a plan. Do you need to go home first?”
Harley shook her head. “No, I’m good to go.”
“All right. You can follow me to my house.”
He and Harley headed for the down escalator.
At the parking garage, it turned out they hadn’t parked too far from one another. Blaise waited until Harley got into her compact car before he climbed into his sportier one. She followed
behind him to the exit, and once they paid their fees, they were on their way.
As he drove, Blaise made sure to look in his rearview mirror from time to time to see that Harley was still behind him. She had no problem keeping up, not that he was speeding, much.
He was pleased she’d agreed to come to his house. The longer he was around her the more he liked her. He wanted to see just how compatible they were. And a crowded mall hadn’t been the place where he wanted to test those waters.
Once they arrived at his family’s home, Blaise directed Harley to park next to him in front of the four-car garage. He got out of his car, walked to the driver’s side of hers and waited for her to get out as well.
As they headed for the front door, Harley said, “Yup, your house is as big as I thought it would be.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
“Definitely good.” She handed him the bag from the woman’s lingerie store. “Don’t forget this. I took out the one for my sister’s fiancé and stuck it in my glove box.”
“I’ll have to get this up to my bedroom before we head over to the stables. If my mom or my brother, even his wife, sees me with this bag there will be questions asked.”
“Ones you don’t want to answer,” Harley added with a chuckle.
“Exactly. I would feel a tad uncomfortable if I had to show my mother the thong you bought me.”
“I guess so. I know my mom won’t know where to look when my sister opens my gag gift at her shower. I’ll get a good laugh out of it though.”
Of course as fate would have it, Blaise opened the front door, allowed Harley to walk in first before he did and saw his mom standing in the foyer. She had a jacket on, looking ready to go out somewhere.
Her gaze landed briefly on Harley before it settled on the pink bag he held. “Please don’t tell me you’ve taken up wearing women’s underthings.”
“Mom!” Blaise said. “No. It just happens the store has a men’s section as well.”
“Oh yes. I forgot they did. Are you going to introduce me?”
“This is Harley. Harley, this is my mother.” He gave his mom a meaningful look. “Aren’t you going somewhere?”
ToLoveaCougar Page 2
