Jaguar Pride by Terry Spear Read Free Book Online Page B

her heels after a fight with her boyfriend.
    As soon as Melissa joined them, Everett got her a chair and pushed it in for her once she was seated. “Well, how’s my favorite agent doing these days?”
    â€œGet me a Singapore sling and I’ll let you know.”
    Everett raised his brows a little, smiling. He motioned to a server, then ordered the drink for her. “I’ll have a beer,” Huntley said to the server.
    Everett didn’t order anything for himself.
    â€œI didn’t think you’d be home so early,” she said to Everett before Huntley could make a comment about Everett forgetting to order a drink. “I thought you were still on a mission,” she added.
    â€œNah, just got home a little while ago. Thought I’d pop in for a moment and see if anyone I knew was here, when I saw Huntley’s car parked outside and wanted to ask him how the mission went. I didn’t think I’d be back so soon either. Partial bust. Huntley was telling me that one of the guys you were after also got away from the two of you. Sorry to hear it,” Everett said.
    â€œYeah, so were we,” she said.
    â€œDon’t I know it. Well, I’ve got to go. Enjoy your drinks. Got to get packed. Leaving on another mission tomorrow,” Everett said, standing.
    â€œYou just got here.” Huntley had never seen his brother go to the club and not have a drink before he left.
    â€œYeah, but you know how it is. If I rush tomorrow, I’m more likely to forget something really important. Besides, I need to take care of some stuff. Call you before I leave. Take care. And enjoy your leave.” Then Everett smiled and hurried off.
    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.
    â€œNow 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.
    â€œNo.” 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.
    â€œWhat 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