Juneau Heat Read Free Page B

it closed, standing behind
her. She tipped her head up to look at him, and he focused on her lips. Tonight
she’d added a gloss to them, and whatever shower gel or perfume she’d used
tickled his nose. She smelled good enough to eat.
    “Let me get
that,” he said and reached around to button her coat. With deliberate
movements, he allowed his cock to touch her back, and he felt the tremor when
it passed through her. “That’s better. You’re not used to the weather here.”
    “Th-Thanks.”
    He opened
the door, and they started down the short flight of stairs to the street where
his SUV waited. Kotori leaned against the side of the vehicle, and when he
spotted Shiya, he examined her from head to foot and nodded.
    She made a
sound of mock annoyance. “Glad to meet with your approval, oh great Kotori.”
      Birk chuckled at the scowl on Kotori’s face,
and they headed out. The restaurant they’d agreed on was a nice, quiet place,
but driving by the port, Shiya exclaimed, “Oh, I wanted to try that place. They
say you can see planes taking off right beneath you, and it’s a great view of
the water and the ships coming in.”
    Birk
hesitated. “Baby, there are two cruise ships at port.” He pointed with his
chin. If we go there now, there’s a possibility of it being crowded and having
slow service. Tourists everywhere.”
    “I’m a
tourist,” she reminded him. “Okay, we can go wherever you want.”
    She
wriggled her feet in the boots and turned them side to side. “After trusting
you two to selecting my boots, I’m good.”
    “Well as
long as you’re good,” he teased.
    She smacked
his arm.
    They walked
into the restaurant not too long later, and Birk kept his hand at Shiya’s back
as he held the door for her. Kotori followed behind them. Just as he knew it
would be, the place was full, but not overcrowded. The low lighting and the
music worked, in his opinion, along with great food he enjoyed. Besides that,
he and Kotori were good friends with the owner.
    “Birk,
Kotori,” came a shout from several feet away. Heads turned in their direction,
and Birk stepped forward to shake Laramie’s hand.
    “Been a
while, Laramie.”
    “Good to
see you, Birk. You dragged this beast out of the mountains, I see,” his friend
commented, and they laughed together.
    From the
corner of his eye, Birk noticed Shiya perk up at Laramie’s choice of words. Did
she think they would slip and admit what they were? He intended to pull her
close to him, enjoy her, and draw her family in. Then he would take them all
down so they would never come to Alaska again. His people would remain safe,
which was his and Kotori’s number one priority. Whether the hunters’
destruction would include Shiya wasn’t clear yet. He’d already broken his
resolve just getting involved with her.
    “This is my
friend from outside,” Birk told his friend.
    Laramie’s
attention locked on Shiya’s chest, and Kotori grunted a warning from behind
them. “Welcome, little lady. Whatever I have is yours.”
    Shiya
tugged her hand free of his when he held it too long. “Thank you.” She cast a
confused glance at Birk. “What do you mean I’m from outside?”
    They all
chuckled again at her expense. Laramie was the one to explain. “That just means
you are from outside of Alaska. There is our wonderful state of Alaska, and
there is outside.”
    “Meaning
everybody else. Gotcha.” She shook her head in amusement.
    Soon they
were provided with a nice table in the corner, and Birk perused the menu. Shiya
did as well, but Kotori always ordered the same meal, so he didn’t need to
look.
    Birk
ordered sauvignon blanc for the three of them, and put a hand on the back of
Shiya’s to lean closer to her. “Have you decided?”
    Her head
popped up, bringing her mouth dangerously close to his. He remained where he
was, watching the emotions flit across her expressive face, and then raised an
eyebrow when she didn’t say anything.
    “Oh yeah,
um,