Fierce Dancer (Sierra Pride Book 5) Read Online Free Page A

the hall, she felt herself blush at the sight of her door frame. The damn door frame was turning her on, because of Quentin.
    Ryan visibly stiffened when he walked into the second bedroom. “It’s so small,” he said. “And is that mold? I’m allergic to mold.”
    “There’s no mold,” Emma said. “The place passed a health inspection before I moved in. I have the records here somewhere, if you want to see.”
    “That’s pointless,” Ryan said, wrinkling his nose. “They don’t always catch all kinds of molds. How much for the place?”
    She told him a number that was less than half of what she was paying, and he shuddered.
    This was not going to work out.
    “Are you going to do all the cooking and cleaning, then, or what?” he asked.
    “Thanks so much, Ryan,” she said, “but I don’t think we’re a good match for roommates.”
    He looked relieved.
    *
    Screwed. She was totally screwed. This kind of epic disappointment called for a nap, so she fell back onto her bed with a sigh.
    Crap. Her bed smelled like Quentin. Earthy and spicy, like cloves. Dammit, she hated him for tricking her like that—not that he’d meant to, but still. What kind of guy slept with someone they were supposed to give a message to, anyway?
    She had come onto him pretty strong. But seriously, how often did someone meet a guy who looked like Quentin? It would have been a crime to not have sex with him. Unfortunately, now she was clueless about how she’d be able to get him out of her system.

five
    Quentin parked far from the Brooks Ranch, home of the Nevada pride. It was a sprawling place, surrounded by forest, so Quentin disrobed and stashed his clothes in his truck, then shifted into a cougar.
    The added benefit was supposed to be that he wouldn’t think so hard about Emma, but no, even his cougar wouldn’t let him forget her.
    Over the past three days since spending the night with her, he’d sent her a couple of texts. They’d sounded a little desperate, like I know we met in a weird way, but I’d like to get to know you better , and Had a great time. Call me . He’d felt like a fool, and he felt even stupider when she didn’t respond.
    His vanity would not allow him to believe she hadn’t enjoyed that night as much as he had.
    He stalked forward on large, padded feet. As soon as he was within sight of the ranch, he climbed a tree. The Nevada pride would end him if they found him out here, stalking their territory, but it also wasn’t right of them to sequester away an Exchange—a female cougar from another pride.
    He watched for two hours, but nothing happened on the ranch. He saw the two brothers, Bryan and Tyler, but there was no sign of Cora Fournier. His inner cougar growled at the sight of Bryan, who’d always made it hard for Quentin to go through their territory while on transporting jobs.
    Not able to see enough from his perch, he came back down. Suddenly Bryan lifted his head, as if scenting the air. Fuck. Quentin needed to be more careful. He froze in place until Bryan went back to loading hay bales onto the truck. Then, Quentin eased back into the shadows, thankful that his coloring blended with the dry grasses dotting the woods.
    That had been too close. Quentin would have to wait until nightfall to come back out here and poke around under cover of darkness. The problem was, the Brooks family members were shifters, like Quentin, and they could see in the dark, too. But maybe they’d be sleeping if he came back late enough.
    He wished he had someone with him. The loneliness felt like a giant cave in his chest, cold and empty. He remembered the first time he’d felt it. He was fifteen, and alone in his family’s farmhouse. He hadn’t felt comfortable going out for a run on his own. Instead he’d sat in the living room at the large coffee table, carefully fitting pieces into a jigsaw puzzle. Once he’d finished the one that his mom had been working on, he took it apart, boxed it up, and got out