Page 4 of Venice Heat (Urban Heat 2)

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 her, he glanced up into the face of one of the shifters.

“So, wolf. You see something that interests you over there with my friend and his girl?”

The man standing across from him was also African American, but not so solidly built as his alpha. Eiji guessed he wasn’t the second in line either, maybe the third with ambitions for moving up. He sought to intimidate, but it wouldn’t work.

“Why don’t you shut your mouth?” Eiji suggested.

The man whooped and slapped his hands on the table, laughing. “Why doncha shut you maaff,” he teased, squinting his eyes. “I have an idea, why don’t I kick your ass?”

Eiji slammed his glass on the table and walked around it, but before he could make a move, Shae stepped between them, a hand on both their chests. Eiji ignored the shock wave that ricocheted throughout his body at her touch, and snarled at his opponent. The man shoved Shae, but Eiji moved in a flash to first keep her on her feet and knock the guy on the floor in the next breath.

Men from the alpha’s pack gathered around him, ready to attack, but he noticed none revealed what they truly were. He was pushed to his limits keeping his secret as well, but he waited for one of them to expose it in her presence.

“Whoa, hold on, everybody,” Shae interjected. “Darryl, if your boys kick my landlord’s ass, I’m going to be out on the street. Call them off, pretty please?” She smiled up at him, holding on to his arm and leaning way too close so that her breasts brushed him. Even across the room, a person could pick up on how she turned the alpha on, but then he seemed to catch on to her words, and he frowned.

“Your landlord?” Darryl snapped. “You know this fool?”

Shae made a sound like sucking her teeth. “Don’t be rude. Yes, that’s what I said, isn’t it? Eiji doesn’t mean any harm. He’s sweet. Right, Eiji?” She met Eiji’s gaze and offered what he now saw as her man-manipulating smile. She’d pronounced his name not as an American would, but with the Kanto dialect. Curiosity about this intriguing woman surfaced in him, and he glanced away.

“You don’t need him, Shae,” Darryl insisted. “You can come stay with me.”

“Boy, please. I just met you, and if you’re the type to pick a fight, I’m not sure I want to get to know you better.”

“Looks to me like the Asian’s the type to let a woman do his fighting for him,” another man quipped.

Eiji frowned. “I don’t need anyone to fight for me. I will take care of all of you now.” He pointed and indicated the group in one. A fe

w of them dropped words he didn’t know but suspected were swears. He sensed their tempers ran high, but they held them in check. One command from the alpha, and he would have a lot to deal with. He kicked himself for putting on a show for her benefit like Darryl obviously did. Eiji usually let his actions speak for him and kept his words to a minimum. He did not like risking exposing his kind to humans, and a wolf’s temper was enough to manage without provocation.

“Oh, is that so?” the third said and bumped his friend aside to stand face-to-face with Eiji. “The little Asian wants to front like he got swagger.”

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.

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