Cougar Read online

  Contents

  Character List

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by M.A. Foster

  Cougar

  Copyright © 2019 by M.A. Foster

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design: Ruben Carbonell

  Interior Design: Abigail Davies at Pink Elephant Designs

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy.

  Character List

  Emerson (Mackenzie) King ~ This story is based on the painful loss of her husband and moving on with her life.

  Marcus King ~ Emerson’s rock star husband, front man of Royal Mayhem, and the love of her life.

  Jayla “Jaybird” King ~ Emerson’s daughter.

  Bass (pronounced Base) ~ Emerson’s best friend from College and Jayla’s bodyguard.

  Grace ~ The Kings’ housekeeper and cook.

  Alex Reyes ~ Marcus King’s son and Jayla’s half-brother.

  Evangeline Skye ~ Jayla’s best friend and Alex’s girlfriend.

  Andrew “Drew” Wild ~ Royal Mayhem’s drummer and Marcus King’s best friend.

  Royal Mayhem band members ~ Marcus King (lead guitarist and vocals) Andrew Wild (drums) Tommy Stone (bass guitar) and Chaz Vargas (keyboard / piano).

  Lucas Wild ~ Son of Andrew Wild. Lucas is also the frontman of his own band, LAW.

  Dr. Jasmine Ramos ~ Jayla’s therapist.

  The Mackenzies

  Max “Mac” and Ella “Mimi” Mackenzie ~ Also known as Mac Daddy and Mimi to their family and friends. Max and Ella are the parents of:

  Max Mackenzie ~ Emerson’s older brother. Max is married to Jessica and they have three boys:

  Dylan Mackenzie

  Cole Mackenzie – has one daughter Willow Mackenzie

  Aiden Mackenzie

  Liam Mackenzie ~ Emerson’s younger brother. Shortstop for the LA Heat.

  The Parkers

  Jameson “James” and Katherine “Kate” Parker ~ The Parkers are longtime friends of the Mackenzies. James and Kate have two children:

  Elizabeth “Liz” Parker (Easton) ~ Elizabeth and Emerson grew up together as best friends until they had a falling out shortly after they graduated high school. Elizabeth is married to Mike Easton and they have two sons:

  Logan Easton

  Zach Easton

  Cameron “Cam” Parker ~ Elizabeth’s baby brother and Liam Mackenzie’s best friend. Despite the falling out between their sisters, Liam and Cam have remained friends through high school, college and into the major leagues.

  Heritage Bay

  Heritage Bay is a fictional place inspired by certain areas of the author’s hometown.

  Side Characters and Mentions (California)

  Lilly ~Emerson’s cousin.

  Chandler Skye ~ Marcus King’s business partner, former manager of Royal Mayhem turned CFO of King Records. Evangeline’s father.

  Miles Townsend ~ Owner and head writer of Rhythm & Riffs Magazine.

  Jack Reynolds ~ Attorney and longtime family friend.

  Tyge Reynolds ~ Son of Jack Reynolds, family friend, pitcher for the LA Heat and Liam Mackenzie’s teammate.

  Nikki Fox ~ America’s Voice winner, recently signed with King Records.

  Kelly Cunninger ~ Blogger

  Side Characters and Mentions (Heritage Bay)

  Chris Wells ~ Emerson’s high school boyfriend. Married/divorced to Rebecca Durant. Together they have one daughter, Chelsea.

  Lisa ~ Salon owner, Emerson’s high school friend and Bass’s love interest.

  Xavier ~ Jayla’s stylist.

  Levi Martinez ~ Security.

  Troy Steele ~ Security.

  Principal David Avery ~ Principal and founder of Heritage Bay Academy

  Patty “Ms. Patty” Avery ~ Principal Avery’s wife. Works in the front office.

  Patrick Avery ~ David and Patty’s son, Max Mackenzie’s best friend and Harper’s father.

  Harper Murphy ~ Jayla’s friend.

  Lexi Davis ~ Jayla’s friend.

  Ryan Davis ~ Lexi’s father.

  Holly ~ Nurse.

  Olivia ~ Jayla’s friend.

  Kali ~ Jayla’s friend.

  Emerson

  “I can’t believe we’re not going off to college together,” my best friend says, hooking her arm through mine. We make our way up the driveway of her boyfriend’s house.

  Elizabeth “Liz” Parker and I have been best friends our whole lives. Our mothers are childhood friends who’d planned their futures together since they were little girls, from their weddings to their children. And like our mothers, Liz and I do everything together: hairstyles, clothes, cheerleading, and even double dates on Saturday nights with our boyfriends. We have an impenetrable bond that no one can ever break. And believe me, many have tried.

  Since as far back as I can remember, Liz and I always had a plan for the future: graduation, college, marriage, buy a house next door to each other, and start our families. She’d have a daughter and I’d have a son. Our kids would grow up and get married, and then we’d fight over the grandkids.

  But as of this afternoon, our plans changed.

  “Are you going to tell Mike tonight?” I ask.

  Liz lets out a defeated sigh, dropping her shoulders as she leans into me. “I think I’m gonna wait until tomorrow. He’s probably already drunk.” She nods toward a rowdy group gathered in the front yard, drinking from their red plastic cups.

  Liz has been dating Mike Easton since eighth grade. Mike has always been handsome with his wavy dirty-blond hair, crystal-blue eyes and charming smile. He’d had a crush on Liz since elementary school, but he was ridiculously shy. By the time we reac
hed eighth grade, it was obvious he wanted to ask her out, at least to me. So I helped him get the girl, and they’ve been together ever since.

  My boyfriend, Chris, and I started dating in ninth grade, but we’d been friends long before that. Our dads are both doctors and golfing buddies. Our parents think we’ll be married one day.

  I admit I’d thought so, too.

  But that was before I drove by his house this afternoon and saw him making out with Rebecca “the whore” Durant against her little red piece-of-shit sports car. Assholes.

  My mother would say I shouldn’t make assumptions because things aren’t always as they seem. But there was no mistaking my boyfriend practically dry humping someone, whom I thought was my friend, in broad daylight. Chris was cheating, and it most likely wasn’t the first time. He sure as hell never kissed me like that.

  I immediately felt stupid for thinking we were the perfect couple, or that I’d had the perfect boyfriend who wasn’t pushing me for sex.

  Because he was getting it from someone else.

  I guess it’s better to know now that he’s a cheating asshole before I gave him my virginity, or worse, married him. The whore can fucking have him.

  Liz stops at the front door and turns to me. “Hey, what are you gonna say to Chris?” she asks. “Do you want me to ask Mike to talk to him?”

  “No.” I shake my head. “I’ll deal with Chris.”

  “Okay.” She smirks. “But say the word and I’ll kick that cheating fucker in the balls.”

  I snort a laugh as she reaches for the doorknob. Mike’s house is packed to the walls with what looks like our entire graduating class. Liz leans toward my ear. “I’m gonna go find Mike,” she yells over the noise.

  “I’m gonna go use the bathroom.” I gesture toward the stairs, knowing there won’t be a line at the bathroom since the upstairs is off-limits to party guests. “I’ll meet you out back.”

  She nods and begins pushing her way through the crowd as I turn and head for the stairs.

  When I reach the guest bathroom upstairs, it’s locked. Unable to wait, I sneak across the hall to Mike’s parents’ master bedroom and slip into their bathroom. After I finish, I wash my hands and shut off the light as I open the door.

  At the same time, the bedroom door swings open and slams shut. Two silhouettes kiss in the dark as they move toward the bed. I stand frozen in the doorway, not sure what I should do as the two fall onto the bed, moaning and panting as they begin stripping their clothes off.

  I’m torn between stepping back into the bathroom until they’re finished or announcing my presence and excusing myself from the room before they start screwing right in front of me.

  But before I can do either, the bedroom door swings open once again and the light from the hallway casts a spotlight on the couple in the bed.

  Oh. My. God.

  “Michael!” Liz screams from the doorway before she stumbles backward in shock, then spins around and rushes off, her sandals slapping against the hardwood as she descends the stairs. I should run after her, but I can’t force myself to move. Instead, I stand rooted in place, blinking in shock that this is really happening.

  “Shit!” Mike yells before leaping from the bed, zipping up his pants as Rebecca rolls from the bed, snatches up her shirt, and hurries out of the room, disappearing into the now empty bathroom across the hall. Were they the ones in there with the door locked?

  Flicking on the bathroom light, Mike jerks his head in my direction. His face pales as I storm toward him and slap him across the face.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” I yell.

  Mike shoves his hands into his hair, a mixture of fear and regret on his face. “I fucked up. I-I’m sorry,” he slurs.

  He’s wasted.

  “Sorry for what?” Liz cries from the doorway as she flips the light switch. I knew she’d come back. Forget Chris, she should kick Mike’s cheating ass in the balls. “Sorry for screwing my best friend?” What? She steps into the room, slamming the door behind her. It’s just the three of us now. I wonder if the whore is still hiding in the bathroom across the hall. I should bust that door down and kick her ass. “Or sorry you got caught?” What?

  I frown, confused. “Hold on a minute. Liz, it was—” I start to tell her it was Rebecca, but she cuts me off with a slap to the face.

  Liz squares her shoulders with her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Your boyfriend cheated on you so you go after mine?”

  The slap pisses me off, but accusing me of trying to screw her boyfriend breaks my heart. Mike has clearly lost his ability to speak, because he’s just standing there staring wide-eyed as if he’s having an out-of-body experience.

  “How could you do this to me, Em?” Liz chokes out, her eyes narrowed. I’m speechless as I stare at her in disbelief. She’s officially lost her fucking mind. “When I told you I was pregnant, you said you were happy for me. Was that a lie?”

  Mike shakes the buzz from his brain and jerks upright, suddenly finding his voice. “You’re pregnant?” he asks, incredulous.

  Liz nods before she covers her face and begins to sob. My knee-jerk reaction would be to wrap my arms around her and tell her everything will be okay.

  But now?

  Fuck this.

  My mind switches to autopilot, and the next thing I know I’m walking down the sidewalk toward my house with my arms protectively crossed over my midsection. What just happened? I should’ve pushed her to listen to me. To tell her the truth. But I’m beyond pissed. How could she think I would do something like that? Has she always thought so little of me?

  “Emerson!” I hear Chris calling out behind me. “Em!” I look over my shoulder to see him jogging toward me. “Where’re you going? You look upset.” His eyes flick over my face in concern.

  “Home.”

  “Let me drive you.” He reaches for me but I step away. “What’s wrong?”

  I huff out a humorless laugh. “Go back to the party, Chris.” I spread my arms wide. “I’m sure Rebecca is waiting for you with her legs spread wide open.”

  Chris’s face pales under the streetlight as he takes a step in my direction. “Emerson, I—”

  I shake my head and hold up my hand. “I saw you with her today. There is nothing you can say that will change how I feel about you right now.” I turn on my heels and continue toward my house, but I feel his eyes on my back the whole way home.

  Taking the seat closest to the window, I stare out at the clear Florida sky and convince myself that the tears rolling down my cheeks are because I’m going to miss my family.

  Up until a few days ago, life couldn’t have been more perfect. I was a high school graduate, captain of the cheer team, president of the student council, and prom queen. I had a best friend who I adored and who adored me. I had a boyfriend who loved me. Or so I thought.

  Just days ago, I was planning to spend the summer on the beach with my friends before we all went our separate ways. Instead, I’m on a plane heading to California to spend the summer with my cousin Lilly until I’m able to move into my dorm at UCLA.

  The scent of soap mixed with something else—something masculine—assaults my senses as the passenger beside me settles into his seat. Damn, he smells good.

  I keep my gaze trained out the window because I’m not in the mood to—

  “Hi,” a smooth and extremely sexy voice says.

  Turning my head, I lock eyes with the most captivating pair of blue-green ones so intense my breath catches in my throat. I can’t look away. And neither does he.

  Reluctantly, I tear my gaze from his to take in the rest of his features. His dark hair is tucked under a baseball cap, his jaw covered in a light scruff, his olive skin a perfect backdrop for those eyes the color of the island seas. I trail down to the dark blue T-shirt stretched across his muscular chest and the colorful tattoo peeking out from under the edge of his sleeve.

  God, this man is… breathtaking.

  And yes, he is defin
itely a man.

  “Hi,” I breathe. “I’m Emerson.” Crap. Did he even ask my name?

  His lips stretch into a devilish grin. “Emerson.” The way my name rolls off his tongue has my eighteen-year-old heart racing and I nearly melt in my seat. “Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

  Woman? I’m eighteen. I’m hardly a woman.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Emerson.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Marcus.”

  This morning as I said goodbye to my family and boarded a plane to California, heartbroken and scared, I decided I was ready to move on and face whatever the world had to offer. I wasn’t expecting fate to step in and change my life forever.

  “Why are you crying?” he asks.

  I shrug and turn my head to look out the window. I’m not an emotional girl, and crying isn’t something I do often. The last time I’d cried was when our family dog, a thirteen-year-old Shih Tzu named Lulabelle, died a few years ago. I grew up with a jock for an older brother, who convinced me that crying made us vulnerable and weak.

  I exhale a sigh. “I’m just… sad.”

  “Emerson,” he whispers, and I turn to face him. “Those aren’t sad tears. I know emotions. I make a living based on emotions. Those are tears from a broken heart. Who hurt you?”