Page 36 of Venice Heat (Urban Heat 2)

She laughed. “Uh-huh. She must have been doing well for herself. I don’t blame old girl. I’m sure we can make do.”

Chapter Ten

Sometime in the night, Shae woke in a panic. She sat up breathing hard and threw her legs over the side of the bed. No sounds reached her in the house other than the distant traffic. Even that would have been muffled out for a human.

The opposite side of the bed stretched cold and unruffled. Eiji had shown her to this bedroom and chose another for himself. He gave no indication of wanting to share a bed with her, and she didn’t try to seduce him. Yet, fear had gripped her in her sleep, a terror that she heard Darryl calling her name. Now that she sat awake, nothing tugged on her conscience. No overwhelming need drove her to leave the house.

Padding barefoot, she left the room and walked out to the terrace. A cool breeze stirred her short curls and brought goose bumps to her legs beneath her nightie. She crossed her arms over her chest when her nipples peaked in the late-night air. A familiar scent stirred her senses. Fingers touched her belly from behind.

“You’re shaking. If you’re cold, come inside.”

Why did Eiji’s voice alone help her to deal with this mess of her life?

“I’m not cold.”

His lips touched the delicate spot behind her ear. “He is not here, and he won’t come.”

“I might—”

“No. I will protect you.”

“Eiji.” She faced him and pressed into his throat. “Can you stop me if he calls?”

“I can.”

She licked her lips and stared down at his chest. He smelled of soap, and his skin was warm, combatting the coolness of the night. She desperately wanted to believe him. What she wanted more was to trust herself, to know no one could make her do anything she didn’t want to, but Darryl had proven her wrong twice, and it had stolen her confidence. This wasn’t her, and it took everything inside not to crumble into a weeping idiot.

“What would it mean to become your mate?” she ventured.

Eiji went still.

“I mean, don’t get any ideas or anything. I’m just asking. Besides, I figure it’s a nonissue now that you know I’m—”

He put a finger over her lips, stemming the nervous flow of words. “When you are fully wolf, another wolf can imprint on you. That usually happens during sex.”

She jerked her gaze to his, and he squeezed her arms.

“It is deliberate and not accidental in the heat of passion.”

“Like a bite?”

“No.”

“What then?”

“You open yourself menta

lly, physically, spiritually to me, and I to you. We bond and become as one.”

“But Darryl…” A shudder passed through her. “Because he’s my maker, he can force me to open up to him, can’t he?”

“Yes.”

She pulled from his arms and moved away. He let her go. “Can you do that to me?”

“No.”

She squinted, trying to see deep into those dark eyes that grew pale when he changed. His wolf form seemed incongruent with his natural dark human looks. Still, it fit him too. Alone and aloof, a powerful animal that could unleash destruction yet chose to hold himself in control. Did he speak the truth? Could he force her just like Darryl? Maybe physically since he was a man. So many years she had depended on her strength and training, even on the people who had her back should she need them. In a short few weeks, two men had destroyed that illusion in their own way.

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