There was laughter in Mahieu’s eyes. “Please tell him when I’m around. Even if you do it when I’m across the room. The fireworks will be a thing of beauty.”

“You and your brothers seem to be misguided about Remy’s feelin’s toward me,” Bijou informed him, using her haughtiest voice and sticking out her chin.

Mahieu didn’t seem to be the least bit affected by her tone. His grin didn’t diminish in the least. She was beginning to believe the Boudreaux brothers lived to tease one another. She couldn’t help herself, she wanted to laugh. Mahieu was enjoying himself far too much at her expense.

“I don’ think you have a clue what you’re talkin’ about, Miss Breaux, but that’s perfectly all right. We do love the way you’ve got our big brother dancin’ like a marionette on a string. Please keep it up.”

She gave a little sniff. His laughter was infectious and she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. “I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about. Remy doesn’t dance to anyone’s beat but his own. You know that.”

“We all thought that,” Mahieu said. “But times have changed. And her name is Bijou Breaux.”

Bijou tried not to feel elated. Mahieu was giving her hope where Remy hadn’t given her any. She was not going to be wanted for her leopard. She’d come home to New Orleans to live her life her way. She wanted to be loved for herself. Not for being Bodrie’s daughter. Not for her money. Certainly not for her leopard. Maybe what she was asking was impossible, but she’d rather not be with anyone at all than to be with someone for the wrong reasons. Remy wanted her for all the wrong reasons, but his family didn’t seem to understand that.

She shook her head. Drake appeared to be madly in love with Saria, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that Saria loved Drake. They weren’t together because of their leopards.

She stayed silent until they pulled up to the curb and Mahieu parked. She sat for a moment, trying to calm her suddenly rapidly beating heart. She detested that she was so excited at the prospect of seeing Remy. She could admit to herself that he was the man she dreamt of, the one she considered a hero, the man no other man could measure up to, but she absolutely refused to believe she might be falling in love with him. Not now. Not when she knew there was nothing between them but leopards and sex. Everyone had choices. Her choice was not to be in love with a man who didn’t love her.