Venice Heat (3 page)

A couple of the guys laughed, and one called out, “‘Little Asian,’ Travon? He’s taller than you.”

This didn’t sit right with Travon, and after glaring at his friend, he whipped back to Eiji. The punch came from nowhere, unexpected, fast, and powerful. A human might have seen the blur, but any trained man could swing fast enough to defy the eye to see it. What Eiji knew a human would not see was the strength behind Travon’s fist. If he let it hit him without bracing himself, he would be sent flying backward halfway across the room. He had no intention of taking the punch either way. The analysis of the situation flashed through his mind the instant he noted Travon’s jaw tense and the predator’s gleam in his wolf’s eyes. His fist shot out, and Eiji stepped back with one foot while at the same time raising an open fist to guide the blow away from his face. All around him, people gasped, but he held his defensive stance in case another attack followed.

Shae’s mouth formed a small
O
, her eyes wide as she stared at him in silence. The alpha snarled. He curled clawed fingers into his palms, and with some satisfaction, Eiji imagined they’d cut into the man’s skin.

“I did not give you permission to attack, Travon,” Darryl snapped, his voice harsh and scratchy as if he fought the change.

Eiji shifted his gaze from his enemies back to Shae, but she still watched him, and he knew a bit of relief. She hadn’t paid attention to overhear the alpha, so she wouldn’t wonder at his control over his men in these modern times. They were being careless and stupid, and he wanted this whole situation to end now.

“I’m not going to have fighting in here,” the owner of the bar shouted. “You take that outside before I call the police!”

Eiji stood straighter and looked the shifters over once more before turning toward the door. He made it only a few steps and stopped. He couldn’t leave Shae there with them. She would not be safe. He spun around in degrees and met her gaze, then strode back. Inches away from grabbing for her hand, he stopped again. Another thing he couldn’t risk at the moment was touching her skin.

He cleared his throat. “May I talk to you for a minute?”

The speculation in her large brown eyes did things to his body he wished the others didn’t sense about him. She raised her eyebrows. “Really, Eiji, I think—”

“Please,” he emphasized and felt heat flood his face. Snickers erupted around him.

She nodded and walked a few feet away from the alpha and his men. Eiji hitched his shoulders, annoyed that they would hear, but there was no other choice aside from him dragging Shae outside.

“I want you to leave with me,” he blurted out for lack of a better way to say what he needed to.

She frowned and put her hands on her hips. “You didn’t want to go out with me earlier, and now you’re all up in my face?”

More snickers, and Eiji clenched his jaw.

“I don’t…” He sighed and cut a glance over to the group. “I don’t trust them.”

“Hey!” Travon started to approach, but the alpha held him back, amusement in his expression.

Eiji knew he expected Shae to turn him down. The knowledge made him feel even more of a fool. Of course, at their distance, Shae hadn’t heard the whispered taunts aimed at him, and the laughter because she wouldn’t listen to him. Her attention never left Eiji’s face.

He spread his hands out to the side and shrugged. “It’s not because…uh, I…” He scratched his head, searching for the right words. “
Hazukashii desu?
”

“What the hell does that mean?” someone across the room asked.

“How the fuck should I know?” someone else answered.

Shae blinked up at him, and an impulse took hold before he thought it through. The next instant, he dragged her into his arms and encircled her waist. He covered her mouth with his and tasted a flavor so sweet he lost track of the men who threatened him and didn’t hear the noise of the music vibrating off the walls. All he knew was the feel of Shae’s soft lips beneath his own and the way she parted them for him. He heard her murmur of surprise and, if he wasn’t imagining things, the tiniest of moans. Seconds later, the alpha wrenched him away, but Shae moved between them once again, this time both her hands pressed to Darryl’s chest. When she spoke, she panted.

“Hold on. You don’t get to choose who I kiss. You and I just met, so back it up. Now, I’ve decided. I’m going with him.” She indicated Eiji.

Darryl put her aside. “This nobody’s got nothing on me, Shae. You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I’m serious.” She moved beside Eiji, and he resisted dragging her into his arms again. Shae waggled her phone at Darryl. “If you act like you have some sense, I might use the number you gave me tomorrow.”

“I don’t understand.” Eiji stared at her. American women were confusing. Hadn’t she just chosen
him
?

She grinned and headed for the door. “Are you coming or what?”

Eiji swept the shifters with his gaze, and Darryl’s unhappiness with the outcome of their scuffle radiated off of him. Yet, Eiji could not feel like he’d won. For now, he would spend time with Shae, and maybe he would come to figure her out.

They left the bar and walked along Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Cars zoomed along in both directions, and neither of them said a word for a while. Eiji stuffed his hands in his pockets, head down. Instinctively, he moved around others as they passed going the opposite direction. Every now and then, he glanced at her. Shae’s scent filled his nostrils, distracting and alluring. He heard her soft breaths and the beat of her heart as it raced faster than it should have given that they were strolling at an unhurried pace.

At the corner, they stopped and waited for traffic to lighten so they could cross the street. Shae turned to him. “What does
hazukashii desu
mean?”

“How is it you pronounce my language so well?” he countered.

She winked, and something stirred inside him. “I’ve traveled all over the world.”

“Business?”

To his surprise, she hesitated and then shrugged. “I love seeing new places and meeting new people.”

His thoughts returned to the alpha, and he frowned. “I see.”

She laughed. “No, you don’t. So are you going to answer my question or what?”

Now he hesitated and pulled his hands from his pockets to spread his fingers while struggling to come up with the correct word in English. “Maybe it’s
em-bass
?”

Her beautiful eyes widened. “Imbecile?”

“I don’t know that word.”

Amusement brightened her face, drawing him in as if she’d cast a spell. He shoved his hands back into his pockets to keep from touching her.

“Uncomfortable?” he suggested.

“Oh, I got you. Embarrassed!”

“Yes, embarrassed.” Heat rose in his face, and he turned to stride across the street. Her shorter legs worked harder to keep up, and realizing his rudeness, he slowed down.

“You didn’t want to go out with me, but it wasn’t because you were embarrassed to be seen with me?” she said, still working through his weak explanation. She simplified the situation with her words, but she could not know the complications. He didn’t enlighten her. “So tell me, Eiji Tanaka, what do you do for a living?”

“I am a policeman.”

“Interesting, and I like your accent.” He studied her face, and she grinned. “For real. I’m not like those other idiots who teased you. I’ve always loved the way Japanese people speak, in their own language and in English.”

He uttered nothing more than a grunt, which seemed to amuse her further.

“So what are you doing in California? You said you’ve been here only a few months.”

“My cousin.” He clenched his hands in his pockets. “She was killed a few months ago. She had lived in America for ten years, seeking fame and fortune in movies.”

She touched his arm. “I’m so sorry. I know how hard that can be losing family.”

The truth of her understanding was reflected in the sadness in her eyes. He nodded. “Izumi left me her house and some savings. I had to take time to learn how to handle real estate here. Someone advised me to rent the house. You are my first.”

“You did good.”

He frowned at her treating him as if he were a child learning a new skill, but she laughed. This woman was so carefree and full of life. She seemed to whip about him like a whirlwind, sweeping him along.

“Let’s go somewhere to eat,” she suggested. “I’m hungry, and I only had a light sandwich earlier. Later, we could walk along the boardwalk, if you want.”

He shook his head, and when she appeared disappointed, he explained, “We can eat, but it’s after midnight. The curfew is from midnight until five a.m. No access to the boardwalk.”

“Well that bites. Okay, food then.” She rubbed her flat belly, stirring his desire for something other than
tabemono
. “A sushi place?” They were just passing a Japanese restaurant.

“No, whatever you like,” he assured her.

“This place looks good. I’m surprised they’re open, but I guess some establishments cater to the late-night tourists. You get the munchies after clubbing sometimes.”

She took his hand, and Eiji allowed her to link her fingers with his. He followed her through the doors into the restaurant and found a cafeteria-type setting. People lined up along a glass-encased counter and slid trays along it to indicate to servers what foods they’d like. The atmosphere was familiar to Eiji, which relaxed him considerably. He selected a tray behind Shae and surveyed the offerings of barbecue brisket, Moroccan chicken, mac and cheese, tossed salad, and even rice. All of the dishes were labeled with what they were, but he elected to point out what he wanted instead. At a separate counter, he watched Shae choose two different types of dessert.

“You are too small to eat all of that,” he told her.

She simply wriggled her eyebrows at him and chose another dessert for him. At their final destination, a man worked behind a counter making fresh-squeezed lemonade. Shae chose blueberry mint, but he went with a simple coffee, and she shook her head.

He insisted on paying for everything, and they found outside seating at a table with a wide umbrella over it. The restaurant had arranged live plants to line the courtyard, allowing for privacy and separation from the surrounding area. Soft yet adequate lighting allowed them to see without trouble. He hadn’t been to this restaurant before and was glad Shae selected it, as long as the food tasted good.

Shae watched him scoop up his Moroccan chicken with rice. “Good?”

“Mmm, very.” He forgot about his own meal when her soft lips parting distracted him. When she glanced up, he looked away. To force his mind to acceptable areas, he questioned her about herself. “What do you do?”

The nervous hesitation must have been his imagination because it lasted no more than an instant. “I’m a travel writer. Freelance, mostly, in case you’re wondering what publication I work for. I make an okay living.”

He considered himself good at his job, pretty decent at reading people, and he knew without a doubt Shae lied to him. He allowed his gaze to glide over her beautiful form while she chattered away between bites of food. Long manicured nails, soft hands did not necessarily indicate she was not a writer. Many women were into caring for their hands and their feet no matter how it might inconvenience their work. Her clothes seemed to be expensive. He was not familiar with Western brands, but he imagined it was not so much different from his own country, as many of his people loved imported American goods—clothing among them. Shae’s were high quality, and so was her purse. The diamond earrings and the sterling silver rings on her fingers indicated no shortage of money. Unless, of course, she was a person who would neglect a bill to buy expensive treats. No, this woman didn’t strike him as such, and that meant she did more than “okay” at her job. Why did she lie?

“…so with the loss of all the contacts, my boss told me to take a much-needed vacation,” she concluded, “and he would call me when he needs me for my next assignment.”

He grinned. What she said now rang as true. “Except you are, as you say, freelance, and you don’t have a boss.”

Her eyes widened, and she stumbled over her words. “You know what I mean. Every editor I’ve worked with, I call boss.”

Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable since he understood a person’s need for privacy, he let the matter drop and moved the conversation to other topics. “Do you have sisters or brothers?”

She seized on this. “Yes! Two sisters and one brother. They’re all a trip, but I love them. My dad’s still around, but my mom passed not too long ago.”

He offered his sympathy, and while he wanted to touch her as she had touched him in concern for his loss, he resisted.

“What about you?”

“Brother. My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are all here.”

“Here in America? That’s so cool.”

He flushed. “Here, alive. They live in Kurama, not far from Kyoto.” He added
Japan
in case she didn’t understand his meaning.

They continued to talk until they finished their food. When Shae had sampled both her desserts and finished off one of them, she reached across the table to point at his. “Did you want this?”

He leaned back from his tray. “Please, enjoy.”

Eiji relished the view and her moans as she cut small bites from the chocolate pie. She stuck her fork between her lips and slid it out slowly. His cock twitched in his pants, and he clenched his jaw. She must know what she did to him, or she was one of the most sexually alive women he’d ever met. When she finished the dessert, she stuck a delicate tongue out and licked her fork while watching him through lowered lashes.

He sucked in a deep breath and leaned toward her. Dropping his voice low, he asked, “Is this style of eating something all American women do or just you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she teased and stood up. After gathering up her tray, she headed to the trash receptacle and emptied it and then placed it on a counter above the bin. Eiji followed suit, and the two of them left the restaurant.

Once again, on the street, she took his hand and laced her fingers with his. The stirrings of desire in him danced to higher levels. When she noticed him examining their linked hands, she pulled away.