Jaguar Pride Read Online Free PDF Page A

had wondered during their last mission how her boyfriend had felt about her teaming up with single, male jaguar shifters on some of these missions where they shared such close quarters.
    He’d met Oliver once during a Golden Claws office Christmas party, and the man had looked way out of place. Couldn’t be helped, really. Oliver sold life insurance, so not exactly a dangerous way of life. Most everyone serving with the JAG was a field agent with lots of training, all wild cats who could live comfortably in jungle habitats during operations and were used to the adrenaline rush in dangerous situations. He’d never heard of Melissa vacationing with Oliver in a rainforest or jungle environment either. Huntley suspected Oliver wouldn’t want kids because he’d be the one stuck taking care of them when Melissa was away on missions.
    â€œWhat about Genista? Is she looking to settle down and have some cubs?” Melissa asked.
    The last time Huntley and Melissa had worked together, they had talked about their education, places they’d lived, that sort of thing. Nothing really this personal. It was different when he was with the guys. They talked about hunting and fishing, past missions, and the like. They often compared notes on who had the most dangerous missions. If they didn’t heal completely with their enhanced healing, they’d most likely compare battle scars.
    â€œShe’s like you, not wanting to give up her Golden Claws assignments. Not just yet.”
    â€œI can understand that. We took years to train for a worthwhile cause. It’s quite a challenge to think about staying home with a cooing baby or two—or more because of our jaguar genetics.” She shook her head and took another bite of her rice.
    Melissa had checked out the tranquilized cubs to make sure they were all right, both while waiting for the police and after they had arrived. Earlier, when she had spied the mother puma and cubs, he had seen the way she had looked at the cubs—worried that they had lost their mother. Which had worried him too.
    He wasn’t sure Melissa was being totally honest with herself or with him. She seemed to have the mothering instinct and would have taken care of the cubs in a heartbeat if their mother had been killed.
    Now with Huntley? That was totally a different story. He wasn’t ready for fatherhood and had much preferred having Melissa take over with the cubs on this mission. He’d take down the bad guys. It wasn’t a case of male chauvinism. Just that she had the natural instincts on how to care for the cubs, unlike him.
    â€œSo, I take it you’ve got a break in assignment. Planning on doing anything fun?” Huntley asked her.
    â€œIf I can get Oliver to take off from work. He tends to be a workaholic. What about you?”
    â€œGenista’s on assignment in Panama at the moment. I had no idea how long this case would take, and she has no idea about hers either.”
    â€œI thought Martin would have the two of you working together from time to time,” Melissa said.
    â€œI was working with my brother on a case down here, and she didn’t want to have to wait for me to return.” He hated how that sounded. The truth was that Genista had been like that ever since they’d started dating six months ago, jumping at the chance to go on a mission that wouldn’t include him, being gone when he returned, or vice versa. In this business, it couldn’t be helped sometimes. Unless they worked together. But every time he had brought it up, she’d gotten all negative on him.
    â€œOh,” Melissa said, as if she didn’t know what else to say.
    Huntley knew he and his girlfriend’s relationship didn’t sound like it was going anywhere. He’d known that for a long time, but he’d still been hopeful they could work things out.
    He shrugged. “I’m going to miss your cooking.”
    Melissa gave him a