by Sierra Brave
She lifted another meowing meat-bag from her lap before placing the orange tabby on the floor. When she stood, he eyed her full figure with interest. The tiny bounce in her step as she walked over made her large breasts jiggle until she stopped in front of him and presented her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Maddie.”
He inhaled, breathing in her succulent scent. As their palms touched, his body temperature soared, delivering a light flush of heat to his cheeks. When he released her hand, she touched her temple, bringing his attention to the ponytail pulled up high on her head and trailing down to her shoulders. After he searched his mind for a reason to keep staring at her long eyelashes, he thought of a question to ask. “How do you know Davis?”
“We went to high school together.” She flashed a smile that gave her an almost mysterious expression. “We were pretty close.”
The corners of his mouth turned down slightly and his heart plummeted into his stomach. “Did you guys date or something?”
Her cheekbones pushed upward as she laughed and wagged her head. “No, but we had a special bond.”
Special? He looked off to the side, irrational jealousy settling in his chest. Davis’s soft-spoken and bashful manner wasn’t exactly suave. Abram still hadn’t figured out how he had snagged a hot fiancé like Scarlett. Lucky bastard.
Maddie was much sexier. How the hell had Davis even approached a woman like her? The pretty lady stood close enough for him to count the tiny freckles dusting her cheeks. He ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek to ease the dryness in his mouth and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. When he brought his gaze to her face again, she looked at him as if she were waiting for him to say or ask something. He scratched his head. What was I even doing? “Oh, yeah, the cats.”
She pursed her lips as her gaze swept from his face to his feet and then to his eyes again. For a second, he thought he saw a hint of confusion across her face, but it soon faded. She shrugged. “Follow me.”
Her hips moved agilely as she sauntered toward the exit to the back patio. Abram admired the curve of her plump ass and thick thighs in her tight black and gray yoga pants. He licked his bottom lip. Nothing like a woman with plenty to hold onto.
She opened the sliding glass door and then strolled outside. He followed behind her until she led him to what looked more like a rabbit hutch than a cat cage. She removed a pair of thick, utility gloves off the roof of the pen and then put them on before throwing him a coy smile. “Safety first.”
Her expression sent his pulse racing, and he nearly tripped over his own feet while rushing to help her. He lifted the animal crate and opened the door. “Put those crazy, clawing minions in here.”
While holding one screeching, twisting cat in her hands, she took the time to give him a nasty look. Even as she placed the feral cat in the carrier, she stared at him. “You don’t like cats?” Her tone was accusatory.
“Not especially.” He frowned at the cats still in the hutch before returning his gaze to Maddie’s face.
Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared as if she had been personally insulted. He palmed his face, resisting the urge to smack himself. Don’t be an idiot, man. You don’t tell a cat rescuer that you don’t like cats.
He fidgeted with the neckline of his shirt and then ran his hand through his short, brown hair. “I mean…they kinda hate me.”
Her expression softened, but the way she raised an eyebrow indicated she wasn’t totally buying it. She coaxed the second cat out before relocating it. “And I suppose horses are so much better?”
His shoulders stiffened. What the fuck is that? She couldn’t possibly know. Davis isn’t stupid enough to have told her. She must be referring to my employment at the ranch. “Horses are smart, loyal animals.”
“Cats are smarter and can be every bit as devoted. The fact is they happen to have decent taste. They don’t let just anyone pet or ride them.” She had her back to him so he couldn’t see her expression, but she sounded furious.
His mind flashed to the memory of his first rabies shot and a jolt of anger loosened his tongue. “They rub against you for food but the minute they get feed, they’re gone. They’re noisy and have bad dispositions. What other animal bites and scratches the hand that feeds it?
When she spun around to face him, her eyebrows were so low and pushed together they created a wrinkle over her nose. “A mistreated or abused animal is more likely to attack. I own three cats and none of them bite or scratch me. I respected their space and took my time to earn their trust. Now they come to me.” She stood up straight and pushed her shoulders back.
She was at least a foot shorter than him, not that it mattered. Her admonishing glare sent him right back to parochial school; he could practically feel the nun’s ruler smacking over his knuckles.
He shifted his weight and swallowed the lump in this throat. Damn, she has her eyes narrowed and she’s still gorgeous. Another whiff of her amazing scent dazzled his perception, and his cock twitched in his pants. She held a cat in each hand, and he opened the door to the crate. After she placed the animals in the cage, she grabbed one more from the hutch. She put it inside and then closed the door. “Please tell Davis I said thank you for accepting all five.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sorry. I had a childhood trauma with a cat.”
She laughed and then quickly placed her hand over her mouth.”
As his lips turned downward, his chin crinkled. "That's funny?”
Her expression became more alert. “You were serious?”
He nodded. “It’s definitely in my top five worst childhood memories.”
Her eyes calmed while she offered a gentle smile. “Sorry. You should tell me about it sometime, but for now, I’ve got a conference call in three minutes.”
He lowered his head, his chin close to his chest as he raised an eyebrow. “Feral cat savers get conference calls?”
“Catnip Calamity isn’t my day job, sir. I happen to work from home as a cybersecurity professional.”
His chest tightened and his feet might as well have been dipped in cement. His brain was aware it was time to go, but something deep inside of him anchored him there. He could feel his horse fighting against him, forcing him toward the beauty in front of him. This is crazy! I’ve got to get out of here before my body goes haywire. By sheer strength of will, he found his voice. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.”
“Thanks for picking up the cats.” Her green eyes seemed to sparkle as her smile reached them.
“You’re welcome.” He mentally demanded his feet to move toward the exit. When he got to Maddie’s front door, he paused. “I’m just going to latch this and close it behind me unless you’re expecting someone else.”
She didn’t respond and was probably out of earshot for her phone call so he set the carrier on the floor. He latched the top portion of her front door to the bottom and then shut it behind him as he left. As soon as he was outside and physically cut off from Maddie, his body calmed. He sighed with relief. Being a shifter had never been easy, but up until then, his horse hadn’t gone nuts and made him fear he might not be able to control his transformation.
He hauled the box of unruly, squealing cats to the vehicle. For a split second, he considered putting them on the flat bed. As his thoughts lingered on how rough the trip up the mountain could be, he decided to let them ride in the cab next to him. He set the kennel on the passenger’s side before walking around and then stepping up to slide behind the wheel. He fastened his seatbelt and glanced over at the box full of glowering felines. “I don’t like you guys, but that doesn’t mean I want you to go flying off a pick-up at full tilt.”
Maddie peered through a window watching her handsome visitor leave as she logged into her business call. No matter how hard he had her purring, she had decided to completely write him off and wipe any trace of him from her thoughts if he’d shoved the cats in the bed of the truck without at least tying down the cage, but he’d surprised her. She u
sed her hand to fan her face as he drove away. How had it gotten so hot so quickly? Nervous energy swirled in her stomach. She tapped her index finger against her bottom lip. Oh, Davis, why did you send that man my way?
About Sierra Brave
Sierra Brave is a multi-published author of racy romance with a love of fantasy fiction and well-written yarns spun from everyday situations. Her love for erotic literature started when, as a senior in high school, she managed to snag a copy of the old classic, Fanny Hill. Sierra still remembers how deliciously naughty she felt carrying her copy in her book bag and hopes all her readers will feel just as daring and liberated while reading her books.
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Also by Sierra Brave
Geek Girl’s Romance
Blood Ties and Leather Restraints
Rock You Like a Hurricane (Triple Passion Play Book One)
The Power of Three (Triple Passion Play Book Two)
Horse Mountain Heat
(Formerly published with Ellora’s Cave as Bareback Christmas ISBN 9781419994838)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Horse Mountain Heat Copyright © 2017 Sierra Brave
Edited by Jill Noelle
Cover Art via © 2018 Winterheart Design, winterheart.com
Electronic book publication March 2017
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