Spotilicious (Jaguartow)

“But that show was originally aired in the 70’s, was it? And you don’t look that old to me.”

“I love the classics. Silent films and stuff. Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy.”

“I didn’t know you’re a cinema aficionado.” She looked around the room and realized that even though she knew she was in a room full of werejaguars, she didn’t feel uncomfortable.

“So, Reid, do you have any love prospects on the horizon?” she asked again.

Reid scratched his chin while wrinkled his nose. “Hmm. Like I said, I’m fast, so nobody’s managed to catch me yet. I kinda like it that way.”

She liked Reid. In fact, she liked almost all of Marc’s family. There was just one person, though, who didn’t seem to like her. The tall blonde who had been introduced as one of Marc’s second cousins was sitting at the end of the table. She had barely said a word to Kelly, but Kelly caught her staring at her several times, almost as if she was measuring her up.

“Oh, don’t pay attention to her,” Reid said, seeing the direction of her look. “Margot’s just being Margot.”

“Meaning?”

“You should probably ask Marc about that,” he said carefully.

Now Kelly was intensely curious. After dinner, when everyone was gathered in the immense living room, she decided to try finding out for herself.

“How was dinner, Margot?” she asked as she approached.

“Bland actually,” the woman said coolly. “Not unlike the company.”

Kelly couldn’t help but catch the tone of sarcasm. “Well, it was a long flight, so I’m sure Marc was looking forward to a quiet evening with family,” Kelly said more confidently than she felt.

“Marc doesn’t do quiet. He’s the alpha, and he needs more spice in his life,” Margot said. “But, of course, you probably know that. He’s confided in me for years. I’m sure he’s mentioned me to you.”

“No, as matter fact, he hasn’t,” Kelly said. “I’m sorry. Excuse me.” There was clearly a lot more to the Marc and Margot story, but she wasn’t going to let the woman continue to insult her or insinuate something that Kelly didn’t know if it was true or not. Marc waved for her to join him in a conversation with his father, but even with her back turned, she could feel the icy weight of Margot’s gaze.

CHAPTER SEVEN

After dinner, Marc had gotten caught up in a conversation with Reid about a recent incident that happened during one of their latest operations. He felt confident that Kelly would be okay navigating his family circle. What he hadn’t expected was that Margot would show up as well. He had thought even if she did, she wouldn’t engage with Kelly in any way. But as he looked across the room and saw the two women speaking, he knew that he been wrong.

He waved Kelly over to him and motioned to his dad that he needed a moment. As Kelly approached, he put his arm around her shoulders. “I see that you have met Margot,” he said in a neutral tone.

“I have,” Kelly said. She wore a confused expression on her face.

He could just imagine what Margot had said. He needed to have a conversation with the woman and set her straight on the current situation. It was a discussion he wasn’t looking forward to.

He broke up with Margot two months ago, but she had the annoying habit of popping up wherever she wasn’t welcome. She also barraged him with calls and texts—he thought of changing his numbers. Marc thought the fact that he hadn’t returned her phone calls in over a month was indication enough that things had cooled between them.

“Come with me. Let’s take a walk on the patio.” Marc maneuvered Kelly away from the crowd and outside into the cooling desert air. “I’m not sure what Margot might have said, but I’d encourage you to forget all of it.”

“I’m not sure that I like her at all,” Kelly whispered to him.

He chuckled.

“That’s how most of the family feels about Margot,” he said. He pulled her to the edge of the terrace. The house was up on a hilltop, and the city of Las Vegas was spread below them. He heard Kelly’s small gasp and knew what she was seeing. There was a part of him that delighted in seeing this all again through her eyes. When you lived in the city long enough, you had a tendency to be a bit jaded about it.

“It’s beautiful here,” she said.

“Close enough that we’re able to get into the city in less than fifteen minutes, but far outside enough that when we need to stretch our legs, we can do that,” he said. He gave her a small nod when he saw her raised eyebrow. “It’s helpful to be able to shift and give our animals exercise at least every few days. It helps to keep our relationship balanced.”

Kelly shook her head again. “This is all so surreal.”

“Kelly.” Marc turned her in his arms so that she faced him. “You’ll get used to it after time. But for now, I just have one question for you. “

“I haven’t made a decision yet, Marc,” she said clearly anticipating his question.