Jaguar Pride

  Huntley stared after him. His brother always did things at the last minute. He never packed a day ahead of time. Everett swore he forgot more things when he started early than when he packed right before rushing to the airport.

  The server brought their drinks, and Huntley paid for them.

  “Now I know why he was in such a rush to get out of here,” Melissa said, laughing. “He orders the drinks, and you pay for them.”

  Huntley smiled, suspecting Everett had other reasons for leaving the two of them alone. “I’m kind of surprised to see you here. Is Oliver joining you later?” He sure as hell hoped not. He could really use this. Some nice downtime with a fun partner.

  “No.” She let her breath out on a heavy sigh. “We called it quits tonight.”

  That sort of shocked him. And pleased him. He felt relief—for her, because from what she’d told him, Huntley didn’t feel the guy was perfect mate material for her. He’d figured they’d break up eventually, but not this quickly.

  He bet it had something to do with Oliver’s downright ugly attitude when she arrived home. He just couldn’t imagine acting that way with a woman like Melissa.

  “What happened?” He tried not to sound growly when he was ready to pummel the guy if he’d been violent with her. Though he reminded himself that Melissa could take care of herself and would most likely have knocked the guy out cold if he’d threatened her physically.

  Lifting the cherry by the stem from her Singapore sling, Melissa slipped the red fruit between her teeth, still holding onto the stem with her fingers, and gave a little tug.

  He swore he’d never seen anyone eat a piece of fruit like that. She made it look so…erotic. She finished the cherry and licked her lips, which had him staring at that sweet, kissable mouth of hers and wishing he’d been the one she’d come home to. They wouldn’t be here. That was for certain.

  She gave a little one-shoulder shrug. “His next-door neighbor walked down the hall wearing only a pair of boxers and wanted Oliver to tell me the truth about their relationship.”

  Huntley frowned a little. “You have two neighbors, the little old lady on the left of his place and the”—his eyes widened—“the chef at the Italian restaurant downtown who grows his own organic vegetables?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  Huntley’s smile broadened. “Want to dance?”

  Melissa looked a little startled that he’d ask. “I…don’t think so. I wouldn’t want Genista to get the wrong idea.”

  Hell, he was so glad Melissa and Oliver were no longer together that he’d forgotten to mention his girlfriend calling it quits with him. “It’s over between us. She moved out while I was in Costa Rica. I didn’t even know until I called and she gave me the news from Panama.”

  First, Melissa looked surprised. “You’re kidding.” Then she shared that sunshiny smile with him that he loved so much: part minx, part sexy woman, and a whole lot fun. “What are we waiting for? Let’s dance.”

  She took his hand and pulled him toward the dance floor, and before he knew it, he was holding her close. He thought it was important to keep some distance at first, since they’d just lost their “roommates,” but then he didn’t want to. He wanted this. And she seemed to need it too, as she swayed in his arms to the music. It didn’t matter that the music was rock and better suited to dancing apart. Being close was the only way he wanted to be. And she seemed to want that too.

  “I thought he believed you were actually sleeping with me, and that’s why he was so annoyed-looking when I dropped you off at your place,” Huntley said, thinking of her naked and setting up the tent in the rainforest, and then putting on her tank top inside the tent. Just imagining her like that—and how she studied him when he was checking out the poachers’ IDs naked, and her moving against him now to the steady jungle-rock beat—was turning him on.

  “I told him we were. You know. In a tent. Not in the same sleeping bag. Can you imagine how hot and sweaty we would have been in that case? We would need to find a colder location to do that kind of work.”

  He was ready. To do a mission in a colder climate. But he thought that it wouldn’t matter. That if they’d had the time and the inclination—and he was certain he’d have had that—they would have made love in the tropics and been two satisfied cats.

  “But then I learned what was really bothering him, which had nothing to do with me or you or anyone else,” Melissa said. “If he’s happy with Chad, I’m happy for him, though I still was shocked to see Chad there.”

  He should give her a chance to get over the ex, Huntley told himself, but then he pulled her closer. “So, you’ve got some time off and I’ve got some time off. Do you want to do something together?”

  “What do you have in mind?” She had settled her body right against his as if she felt comfortable there, like they’d always been this close, her arms encircling his neck, her green eyes bright with interest, her scent a combination of aroused she-cat, peaches and cream, and…intrigued.

  The way she was rubbing up against him was making it difficult to think with his thoughtful head and not the other.

  “A movie? Dinner out? Something completely out of the ordinary for us. No climbing trees, forging crocodile- or shark-infested waters, no dodging venomous snakes. Just something nice and relaxing and fun.” Or something a little hotter. Though he didn’t want to pressure her into taking this too far, too fast and then have the whole thing blow up in their faces. He did enjoy working with her, and he didn’t want to ruin a good thing.

  With Genista, it was different. She was totally businesslike on missions, and he realized now that sex had been that way too. Just a way to satisfy an urge. But with Melissa, he felt…different. Maybe it was the way she was so playful with him and…well, interested. But he didn’t want to hurt their work relationship.

  “Hmm. Sounds a little quiet, but quiet can be a nice change of pace,” she said, her hands sliding down his shoulders.

  “We can watch a wild action thriller.”

  She chuckled.

  “Is Oliver moving out of the condo, or are you?” Huntley asked, already taking this in a direction he shouldn’t be thinking of. Her place or his, her choice.

  She sighed. “Considering he paid for it, I’m moving.”

  “Got a place to stay?” Huntley asked, his hopes instantly shooting to the moon that she might stay with him for a few days until she could find a place. And he could get to know her better in a strictly friends-with-no-benefits way. Though he wanted the benefits, even as he told himself to slow down. She was making it awfully hard to think of slowing down though, given the way her body was stroking his big-cat urges.

  “I figured someone might put me up. I was going to ask my cousin, but he’s out of the country for another couple of weeks. And my sister lives too far away.”

  Trying not to sound like a much-too-eager cat and knowing he shouldn’t be glad that she had no one else to stay with, he said, “If you want to stay at my place, you can crash there for as long as you need.”

  “Hmm, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

  He quickly said, “No imposition at all. Now that Genista is gone, it feels kind of empty. I only need to mention one thing before you make a decision.” A really big thing to mention, and it might ruin the whole she-cat staying with him scenario.

  She arched a brow.

  “It’s a studio apartment.” He was still hoping she’d say yes. On the other hand, he understood if she didn’t, and it was really better if she didn’t. For the both of them.

  “As in…?”

  “The sofa makes into a bed. No bedroom. One bath.” Simple, honest, direct. He almost wished he had a bedroom now, so he could have offered, at the very least, to let her sleep in his bed while he took the couch. Then again, he could say that she could use the bed and he’d sleep on the floor as a jaguar, but he really didn’t want t
o. Not when he could be sleeping with her on the sofa bed.

  Feeling as though he had to explain his reasoning for why he had such limited accommodations, he said, “I have it because I’m gone so much. I didn’t have any need to get a bigger place.”

  She pondered that for a few minutes. He realized how much he wanted her to stay, yet he understood how she might want to keep more distance. And sleeping in a bed together wouldn’t allow them the distance they probably needed.

  “We…would be sleeping in the same…bed,” she finally said.

  “With the air conditioner on,” he quickly said.

  She smiled.

  “You can crash there. You can come and go as you please.”

  She wasn’t saying yes or no. The anticipation was killing him.

  She finally sighed against his chest and he thought it could be a yes. Or…maybe not.

  She nodded. “Okay, as long as you don’t mind. I’ll stay a couple of days until I find a place of my own.”

  Hot damn, yeah! Hell, he hadn’t been this excited when Genista moved in with him. That had to tell him something, didn’t it?

  Trying to sound perfectly businesslike and not like he wanted to pump his fist in victory, he said, “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need. I’ll enjoy the company until the next assignment.” And he would, if he could keep his body under control. He was losing the battle at the moment.

  And she could tell. Her face was turned up to his, and she smiled a little. But it wasn’t a sweet, innocent smile. Rather one that said she just might like some kitty-cat loving. Not that he thought they should go there…but if they did, he wouldn’t object too strenuously.

  “Have you eaten anything? I was too upset to eat anything earlier, but now I’m getting hungry,” she said, not making a move to pry herself loose from him and leave.

  He wanted to continue dancing with her. Then again, the way she was getting him worked up, he wanted to take her home to bed.

  “Are you cooking?” he asked. What he wouldn’t give for another one of her home-cooked meals. “All I had was some popcorn.” He hadn’t thought beyond having a couple of drinks at the club.

  She laughed.

  He didn’t want her to believe that all he cared about was her cooking for him. “Or we can eat out. Your choice.”

  “How about baked chicken and a homemade German potato salad, the recipe handed down by my family? I’ve been dying to have some ever since we got home. But it’s no fun making it just for myself.”

  “Sounds great to me. I can be a good kitchen assistant. We’ll make a trip to the grocery store first. Want to dance some more?”

  She sighed. “No, really, I’m just starving.”

  “All right. Let’s go.” In truth, Huntley hoped they could come back here and dance some more. Genista was a good dancer, but she liked to dance the faster dances, not holding him close like Melissa seemed to enjoy. Genista always said the slow dances made her too hot. But now he was thinking she didn’t want the intimacy. Maybe tomorrow night he and Melissa could come back.

  He liked getting close to her and smelling her sweet, intoxicating she-cat scent. He kept telling himself that he was just offering her a place to stay for now and that he shouldn’t see this as anything more. But he realized just how much he’d missed having any real intimacy with a she-cat, and he needed some loving. Then again, Melissa needed his friendship. And he sure as hell didn’t want to mess up a good thing with a fellow agent that he enjoyed working with on missions.

  After shopping, they returned to his house, and while he threw his washed clothes in the dryer, she started to fix the meal. “Hey, do you mind if I do a load of wash? I was going to do it right when I got home, but then the argument with Oliver happened, and well, I still need to wash the jungle out of my clothes,” she called out.

  “Sure thing.” Huntley was starting the dryer when his phone rang. Fishing it out of his pocket, he saw it was his brother. Everett couldn’t be checking up on him. Huntley started another load of wash.

  “Are you still at the club? Is she still with Oliver? How did it go?” Everett asked.

  Huntley nearly laughed at his brother. He was worse than their sister. If Tammy knew Huntley was staying with Melissa, she’d tell their parents. Not that anything would come of this, just like nothing had come of his relationship with Genista. “Melissa is staying with me until she can find a place of her own.”

  “Hot damn, Brother.”

  He smiled, then remembered he was supposed to be helping her with the cooking and headed to the kitchen. “It’s just a case of an agent helping out his fellow comrade,” Huntley said as he rejoined Melissa, though given the sleeping arrangements, he wasn’t quite certain what might happen tonight if the two of them wanted something more than just sleep. He knew his brother wouldn’t tell a soul that Melissa was staying with him.

  “Right, and did that include dancing tonight?” Everett asked.

  “A little.”

  “Is that Everett?” Melissa asked, carrying a bowl of potato salad to the table.

  “Yeah.” Huntley chastised himself for not helping her more.

  “Ask him if he wants me to house-sit his place while he’s on his next mission.”

  Everett laughed. “I heard her. Tell her only if I’m at home. Well, got to get back to packing.”

  “Be careful when you begin work on this mission, Everett. I know it’s a cold case, but you never know when one like that will become dangerous.”

  “Gotcha. And you be careful too. Sometimes being on leave can be just as treacherous or more so.”

  Smiling, Huntley said he’d talk later and ended the call.

  “So Everett won’t tell the whole world I’m staying with you for a couple of days, will he?” Melissa asked, sounding a little worried.

  Huntley didn’t think her concern had anything to do with who she was staying with. Just that she had broken up so recently. Well, and him too.

  “No. He won’t even tell my dad. Who would then tell my mother, and she would begin to make wedding plans, with or without you.” He set the table.

  “I like your mom. She’s the life of the party. Not sure about your dad. I heard he investigated both your sister’s boyfriend and his brother before he gave the Pattersons his approval.”

  Huntley hadn’t wanted to bring that up. But yeah, his dad would be doing an extensive background check on Melissa if she moved in with him. Like he’d done with Genista. His dad had told Huntley he approved of her. Not that Huntley needed his dad’s approval of the girls he dated.

  His dad always said he had never done anything but investments. But Huntley and Everett suspected he had been into covert operations—not jaguar shifter, but human ones. He knew too many people who could do investigations on people. Huntley and his brother suspected that some of their dad’s jaguar friends also were covert operatives, some of whom were retired now.

  Melissa and Huntley sat down to dinner and she said, “I have the perfect show for us to watch tonight if you’re game.” She began eating her potato salad.

  “What’s that?” Huntley asked, curious because Melissa was smiling so impishly.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

  Huntley laughed. “I swear all of the women in the agency love that movie.”

  “It shows what good little homemakers we can be while also—”

  “Leading a double life.” Huntley smiled. “Right. And we do. Between our jaguar-shifter business and the jobs we do.”

  “Yeah, I agree.”

  “So, do you wish you used guns more than your jaguar teeth?”

  “Nah. It’s fun to see the fantasy, but when it comes to reality, I’m all for the teeth. Don’t you feel more invincible that way?” she asked.

  “Certainly we can jump farther and take down prey more easily. But if they’re shoo
ting bullets, that’s bad news. I love that we can discuss missions, though.” Huntley finished his potato salad and served himself some more. “Damn, this is good.”

  “Thank you. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I would have preferred baking my own chicken, but it would have taken so long. The pre-roasted one was okay, but next time, I’m cooking it.”

  He was surprised when she said so, like this was moving into something more permanent. He could get into dating her for real.

  “I couldn’t talk to Oliver about the missions,” Melissa said, buttering a roll. “Just like I wasn’t interested in what he was doing, he wasn’t interested in my work. Though I couldn’t understand why not. Mine is fascinating.”

  Huntley smiled. “He might have felt a bit emasculated. You’re out swimming with the bull sharks, and he’s sitting in an office making phone calls. Hell, if I was doing that and my girlfriend was facing crocodiles, caiman, sharks, and gun-toting poachers, I would feel ball-less too.”

  She chuckled and her cheeks reddened a little. “True. I tried to talk him into going with me to the Amazon, Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, anywhere that they still have a few jaguars, just to have some fun, but he was completely against it.”

  “City cat through and through,” Huntley said. He had friends who were city cats, and they were as important to him as any others, but he’d prefer to have a mate who’d like to do some of the same things he did, and running as a jaguar in a jungle was one of them.

  “True. What about you and Genista? You must have had fun telling each other about what went down on your missions. Each of you would at least understand what the other had gone through.”

  “Not really. When she was through with her assignment, she was through. She didn’t want to examine any aspect of it. Which I could understand. But I like discussing it and getting it out of my system. My brother and I always talked about what went down on a job and how we could do better the next time. Just part of the winding-down process for us.”

  “That’s really nice.” Melissa finished eating the food on her plate.