Venice Heat Read Free Page A

if he managed to ignore the couple making out. This was nothing new to him, since he’d seen plenty in Tokyo, but it wasn’t where he liked to spend his free nights either. Earlier, he’d told himself to forget about her and wipe Shae from his mind, but that turned out to be impossible.
    When she bent to grab her bag back at his house, his shaft had tightened. He’d scarcely held on to his control with her inches away from him. Her scent had filled his nostrils and sharpened the teeth in his mouth. He felt his wolf rising to the surface, eager to taste her, to touch and take her. From the moment she stepped out of the car, he knew desire he’d never experienced before, a white-hot need to claim a woman. All he could do at the time was fold his arms over his chest, and it had pissed her off. The stance had kept him from tossing her on the hood of her car and slaking his lust with her beautiful mocha body.
    He had not chosen to come to America. His life in Tokyo was satisfying in its way, but family matters drove him here, and when it was done, he would leave. Still, he couldn’t dismiss her. He’d hesitated at the house, telling himself to leave, but then he had lifted the second bag to take into the room. He’d moved noiselessly so she didn’t hear him when he entered the bedroom. She bent over her task of unpacking clothes. Bikini panties landed on the bedspread, and he clamped his teeth together, breathing deep through his nostrils. A human scent, she smelled sweet. Chikusho! he had cursed in silence. Shutting his eyes did not erase her from his vision or give him the push needed to leave the house.
    After a few moments, he had set the bag down near the door and turned away. Before he could change his mind, he had hurried through the small house to the exit and stepped out to his Jeep. Behind the wheel, he turned over the engine and threw the vehicle into reverse. He would not come back or see her again and ignored the incessant whine from his wolf that this woman, an American of all people, a human , was without a doubt the one.
    That was early afternoon, and yet, here he was, stalking her around Venice, watching her and listening to the delicate tinkle of her laughter. His cock had gone hard and stayed that way, and nothing he could do, no meditation or deep breathing, would calm the beast inside.
    He had behaved coldly to her to keep her at a distance. Now she flirted with the alpha of a pack of wolves, and Eiji just kept himself from growling each time the man touched her arm. He focused on the two of them in an attempt to shut out the sounds of all those around and pick up on their conversation.
    “What’s a sweet thing like you doing out here alone?” the alpha asked while running a fingertip along Shae’s arm.
    Eiji evaluated his size and strength—a big African American man, at least six foot five, with muscle packed on top of muscle. Despite that, he thought he could take him, but not if his pack jumped into the fight, or even just his second in line along with him. He bided his time.
    “Oh please,” Shae was saying, a smile spreading over her full lips, “I can take care of myself.”
    The alpha leaned forward, meeting her gaze with a dangerous one of his own. “Not against me, baby. Don’t you know I’m the big bad wolf?”
    Shae rolled her eyes and then studied him as if she considered whether he meant it literally. The alpha wiggled his eyebrows and stuck out his tongue in a stupid way that had her laughing. “Is that right?”
    “Yeah, that’s right.”
    Eiji’s stomach went sour. In the next moment, the man said something else to Shae, and while Eiji heard it, he couldn’t understand the meaning. Every now and then his command of English failed him, especially if the person spoke too quickly or if words were used he wasn’t familiar with. He uttered a Japanese expletive of his own because Shae appeared excited about whatever it was the man suggested. When a body blocked his vision of