Summer of the Cougar (Cougar Challenge) Read online

  Summer of the Cougar

  Nicole Austin

  A standalone title in the Cougar Challenge series.

  With the big four-oh looming, Larissa Cross is more than ready to shed the roles that have defined her and make drastic changes. Gone are the widowed Army wife, soccer mom and empty nester. She’s even setting aside the schoolteacher until fall.

  A naughty challenge issued by fellow erotic romance booklovers on their blog, Tempt the Cougar, has come at the perfect time and ignited Rissa’s competitive drive. It’s going to be a glorious summer full of hot younger man lovin’ for a new cougar on the prowl. Rawr!

  Tattooed and pierced fireman JD Harmon is tempting prey but there’s much more to the hunk than his bad boy good looks. A one-night stand isn’t in his plans, and sex—no matter how mind-blowing—won’t distract him from his goals. JD intends to tame the wicked cougar and stake a claim on her heart.

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Summer of the Cougar

  ISBN 9781419929090

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Summer of the Cougar Copyright © 2010 Nicole Austin

  Edited by Jillian Bell

  Cover art by Syneca

  Electronic book publication July 2010

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Summer of the Cougar

  Nicole Austin

  Dedication

  To all the readers who love my characters and stories as much as I do. Thank you for your support, which allows me to continue on this amazing thrill ride.

  Acknowledgements

  My sincere thanks to Ciana Stone for creating yet another fabulous series premise and inviting me to join the fun.

  And a special thank you to all the ladies of the cougar club. I am awed and inspired by your incredible talent, humbled by your generosity and honored by your friendship.

  Author Note

  You’ll find the women of Cougar Challenge and the Tempt the Cougar blog at www.temptthecougar.blogspot.com

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Ben Wa: Ben Wa Novelty Corporation

  Cinderella: Disney Enterprises, Inc.

  CNN: Cable News Network LP, LLLP

  Jaws of Life: Hurst Performance, Inc.

  RomantiCon: Jasmine Jade Enterprises

  Chapter One

  Tempt the Cougar Blog:

  Today is the first official day of summer break and the start of my new life. No more rambunctious fifth graders, classrooms or papers to grade. Robby is off to college for a special summer program and I’m living alone for the first time in my life. Talk about scary!

  Sold the house, bought and decorated my new condo, packed up my “teacher” clothes and shopped for a sexy new wardrobe, traded the minivan for a cherry red convertible and got tattooed. I now have a colorful butterfly on my right hip—just above my bikini line—to symbolize my metamorphosis from Army widow and soccer mom to cougar on the prowl. Rawr!

  There’s just one thing left on my list—the cougar challenge. Hopefully this will be a summer full of hot lovin’ with younger men! I’ve got eight glorious weeks to play, although I’m not sure how to get started or where to find and stalk my prey. Maybe I’ll head to the beach, sip a couple of margaritas and check out the scenery.

  Wish me luck, ladies.

  Rissa

  Larissa Cross cruised along the coast with the top down, a warm breeze rushing through her hair. She plugged her MP3 player into the stereo and cranked up the volume as Steven Tyler’s signature scream blasted from the speakers. There wasn’t a cloud in the bright blue sky and the weather forecasters had rated the day as a ten on the suntan scale.

  A picture-postcard-perfect Florida day and a great way to kick off her new life.

  Well, her new summertime life anyway. In the fall it would be back to “Miss Cross” and the comfortable routine of teaching elementary school. She tried not to think about all the changes she’d made in the past year because when you put them together it added up to a rather frightening conclusion—midlife crisis.

  Where the hell did all those years go?

  Next month she would hit the big four-oh. Pretty sad she’d waited this long to finally rediscover herself. “Better late than never though.”

  The changes had all started with the first erotic romance book she’d read. Then her friend Cam had introduced her to the cougars, a group of woman with one primary thing in common—lust for younger men. The original seven cougars met at RomantiCon, an erotic romance conference put on by their favorite publisher. Monica had been the one to throw down the gauntlet, challenging them all to find a younger lover. Rissa highly anticipated meeting everyone in person at the next conference.

  She grinned, absorbing the thrill of competition. Nothing appealed to her more than the prospect of conquering a challenge. The cougar challenge was perfect for her and had arrived at just the right time in her life. She couldn’t wait to try some of the erotic acts that had gotten her so hot and horny when she read all those steamy books.

  A truck full of young guys honked and whistled at her. Hmm…maybe the challenge wouldn’t be too difficult. These boys looked way too young but their appreciation still made her smile and gave her confidence a boost.

  With a wave to the boys, she turned into the jam-packed parking lot for the public beach. As she claimed one of few available spaces at the back of the lot, her car sputtered, coughed and gave a loud hiss before the engine stalled.

  “Oh great!”

  Rissa knew next to nothing about cars, yet even she realized the smoke billowing out from under the hood meant bad news. She jumped out and raced to the front, intending to pop the hood. That’s when she noticed the flames.

  Thankfully the pickup had pulled in behind her. The teenage boys who piled out to help were on the ball, whipping out cell phones and calling for reinforcements while warning others in the immediate area to stay back.

  In the few agonizingly long minutes it took for the cavalry to arrive, Rissa convinced the boys to salvage the contents of her trunk. Once they had her lawn chair, overstuffed beach bag, umbrella, towels, cooler and her precious e-book reader on the side of the road it looked like someone was having a yard sale. Or more apropos—a fire sale.

  “Miss Cross?” one of the boys tentatively inquired.

  Oh no. He must be one of her former students. Didn’t that just make her day. “Yes.” She
lowered her dark sunglasses and peered over the tortoiseshell frame at him.

  “Remember me? Tyler James. I was in your class?”

  Prior students always failed to realize how much they’d changed or how many kids she taught and expected her to remember them. She played along to make him feel better. “Oh my gosh. You sure have grown up, Tyler. How’s high school treating you?”

  Once the others learned she was an elementary school teacher they became a band of protective alpha-males-in-training and stayed by her side, assisting her through the crisis.

  In a flurry of flashing lights and blaring sirens, a fire truck, ambulance and police cruiser arrived. The firemen quickly set to work and extinguished the flames while the medics checked for anyone with injuries and the police wrote reports. By the time the firemen were done, her crispy car appeared ready for the junkyard.

  What now, Miss Smarty-pants?

  Should she call a tow truck? How the hell would she get back home? Anyone she could ask for a ride lived over the bridge, at least a half hour away. She was in no mood to sit and wait that long.

  There would be so much to work out now. Thank goodness she had insurance. She’d have to get in touch with the agent to file a claim. Damn, she really loved that car. Her first non-family car in two decades. Now she’d have to shop for another and get a rental in the meantime.

  Rissa plopped down on top of the cooler with a heavy sigh as her wonderful plans for the summer disintegrated. In need of some emotional support, she longed to call one of the cougars.

  What would they do in this situation?

  A wicked grin tugged at her lips. The cougars would tell her to check out the emergency workers and if possible get pictures. They’d also tell Rissa to flirt her ass off and get one of those hot young studs to take her home.

  “Who owns the car?”

  She looked up as one of the firemen headed in her direction while scribbling information on a battered clipboard.

  “Uh…me. I do.”

  Oh yeah, I do. Please and thank you!

  Damn, the man was gorgeous. Better than any of the pictures the girls posted on their Tempt the Cougar blog.

  He was tall, at least six-one, and had a shaved head. A bit of dark stubble covered his scalp, ran along his square jawline and above his mouth. A very sexy mouth. He had to be in his early twenties by her estimation. Not too young or old. Perfect age for cougar prey.

  “Name?”

  Yes, what is your name, hot stuff? Please tell me.

  Broad shoulders blocked out the sun as he moved to stand before her. What she wouldn’t give to have him strip off the fire gear and let her see his body. From his solid build she guessed he had lots of yummy muscles. Maybe even a six-pack. She easily pictured running her fingers over his tanned skin, feeling the sinew ripple beneath her fingertips.

  “That’s Miss Cross,” Tyler, her proud protector, stated. “She’s a teacher in Tampa. Elementary school.”

  What a wonderful, helpful boy.

  The fire god nodded toward the police officer ready to ticket the boys’ pickup. “If that’s your truck, you might want to move it.”

  “Aw crap,” one of the boys groaned. The group loped off, leaving Rissa alone with the hunk whose sharp focus all of a sudden made her nervous and fidgety.

  He might have been preoccupied earlier but now she had his undivided attention. Coal black eyes took a slow journey from the top of her head down her see-through cover-up, pausing at breasts nearly spilling out of tiny bright blue triangles before dipping down to linger on her tattoo then stroke her legs. And boy did his gaze ever have the impact of a physical caress. Everywhere his eyes touched her skin tightened and long-ignored nerve endings tingled.

  If he can do that with a look, imagine what he’d be able to do with those big, strong hands.

  That thought notched up the temperature by a good ten degrees and had sweat trickling between breasts that felt swollen. Her body hummed with sexual need and her nipples were standing at attention, clearly visible beneath the thin material of her bikini top.

  “Hi. I’m JD Harmon.”

  He extended a hand and she slid her fingers into his firm grip, biting back a gasp as lightning bolts raced up her arm and headed straight for her core. All those erotic stories she’d been reading had left her ready for some action. And JD the fireman was looking like a prime candidate.

  “They’re going to send a wrecker for your car. Insurance company will probably total it since the entire electrical system is toast.”

  Rissa held on to his hand as if it was a lifeline and stared up at those mesmerizing dark eyes. She knew he was talking to her but the words didn’t penetrate the haze of lust that had swallowed her whole.

  “Miss Cross?”

  “Rissa,” she absently mumbled. He let go of her hand and a wave of disappointment crashed over her. But then he turned and bumped her hip with his, making a space to sit down. Right next to her on the narrow cooler. Close enough she caught a whiff of sandalwood cologne and clean, masculine sweat. Mmm…he smelled wonderful. Hot and spicy. The right side of his body pressing against her from shoulder to ankle felt even better and gave her a rush of positive vibes.

  I am cougar, hear me roar!

  “Do you have a way home?”

  “I…home?” Her voice once again disappeared, along with the original question.

  Good idea. Your place or mine?

  “We’ll make sure Miss Cross gets home,” Tyler said as the boys reappeared. A couple of his friends groaned and he silenced them with a hard look. “We live across the bridge in Tampa,” he informed the fireman.

  Rissa saw her chance to make a move on the hunk slipping away.

  “You’re still over by the school, right?” Tyler asked.

  Damn interfering kids! Didn’t they have anything better to do?

  Then the wonderful JD took her hand, helping Rissa to her feet, and she forgot all about the teenagers. They walked a few steps away and he got close. Real close. Oh yeah! His head lowered toward hers and her heart slammed against her ribs as she leaned toward him, praying he’d kiss her.

  “Are you okay with the kids taking you home?”

  “I-uh…sure.”

  Dammitdammitdammit.

  “Okay. The guys are waiting and I’ve got to get back to work. But…umm, I have your number. Would it be all right if I call you? We could see a movie or go out to dinner—”

  “Yes!” Her breathless, eager reply made her cringe but what the hell. Rissa didn’t care. She’d never been asked out by a younger man, certainly never by a man half as handsome. She wasn’t about to let this chance pass her by.

  “Oh. Hey, that’s great! Listen, I’ll call you later. You know,” he nodded toward the boys, “make sure the kids got you home safe and sound. Okay?”

  Good lord, did the man not know the power of his appeal? How could he act tentative and unsure about her, an old, widowed soccer mom?

  No, she silently reprimanded. You’re a desirable, single, available woman. He’d be crazy not to ask you out.

  “That would be nice. Thank you, JD.”

  His entire face lit up when she said his name.

  “Great. I’ll talk to you later, Rissa.”

  The cougars were going to freak. First time out and she’d scored. Or she would score once they got together. She’d already started composing her next blog post in her head.

  They’ll want pictures.

  Rissa dug in her bag, grabbed her phone and snapped a photo of JD in profile as he climbed into the truck. Didn’t turn out great or do him justice since she was too far away. The girls were going to love it regardless. She hit the text button and sent the picture on its way, winging through cyberspace.

  In less than a minute, replies demanding details and offering congratulations started pouring in. She put them off and made her friends wait, letting their anticipation build. Besides, she hated trying to text on the phone. She waited until the boys got her home and logg
ed on to instant message.

  Rissa: I’ll try to make this long story short.

  Cam: Details. Need details!

  Lynn: The juicier the better :D

  Rissa: Drove to the beach and my POS new car caught fire. But lucky me, JD was one of the yummy firemen who came to my rescue.

  Rachel: The pic was grainy. Describe him?

  Rissa: I’m estimating twenty-four, at least six-one, couldn’t tell much about his body with the fire gear on but he’s got the most amazing eyes, big capable hands and he smells delicious.

  Monica: Well all right. Go for it girl!

  Stevie: Please tell me you got his digits.

  Rissa: No but JD got mine. Said he’d call and we could go see a movie and have dinner.

  Cam: Yeehaw! Saddle up and ride ’em.

  Rissa: Umm…yeah. But what if he doesn’t call? I’m sitting here next to the damn phone like some angsty teen. How pathetic is that?

  Autumn: Get this straight, Rissa. You are not pathetic. Of course you’re going to be nervous on your first time out.

  Lee: He’ll call! I know he will.

  Rissa: I sure hope so!

  When she turned out the lights and finally climbed into bed it was after midnight. She’d had calls from the insurance agent, the salvage yard and the car salesman. Each time the phone rang, excitement and anticipation surged only to be let down when it wasn’t JD.

  What had she been thinking? Why would a buff young guy want her? Yes, she worked out, watched her diet and stayed in shape. Still, time to face reality. She had two grown children and was getting older. She would be lucky to get a man her own age in bed. She didn’t stand much chance with a twenty-something fireman.

  From an early age she’d known that she wanted to be a teacher. Right out of high school she married her sweetheart and went to college while Tim joined the Army. They had not planned on having children early but these things don’t often happen according to schedule. Mariah came along when the ink on Rissa’s college diploma was still wet and Robby had been born eighteen months later. Then Tim died in a stupid accident one month before Robby’s first birthday.