Venice Heat by Penelope Rivers Read Free Book Online

admire his strength. Jeff was no little man. He had Eiji by an inch or two and probably by a good fifty pounds. Still Eiji raised him to his toes. The muscles in her landlord’s biceps bulged with the effort and strained against the material of his T-shirt. He’s wearing a T-shirt? Somehow she believed it was in her honor.
    A small crowd had gathered around him, and Jeff’s drunken friends shouted comments. Shae peered up and down the street for the cops. They would be there soon, no doubt. She tugged at Eiji’s arm. “Let him go before you get arrested.”
    As if those were the magic words, Eiji let go and stepped back. Jeff almost crumpled to the ground until two of his friends stepped up to catch him beneath both arms. “Your loss,” he mumbled to Shae, and they dragged him off.
    Shae glared at Eiji and spun away toward the street. She spotted a taxi and stepped out to wave him down. He glided on past, the backseat already occupied. She swore and waved for another, but it seemed everyone and his brother had left the clubs at the same time. She started walking, and Eiji caught up.
    “I have my car. I will take you home.”
    She rolled her eyes at him.
    “You will not find a taxi now.”
    “Fine! Take me home.”
    She walked beside him in silence, and when she couldn’t bear to take another step, they turned a corner and came upon the Jeep. A sigh of relief escaped her as she slipped into the passenger seat and removed her heels. With the top open, the warm night air blew her short curls around her head and sobered her up some. She rubbed her feet, moaning. Across from her, Eiji alternated between clenching his fist and rubbing a hand over his taut thigh. She tried not to notice, but couldn’t help wondering what was on his mind.
    A short while later, he drew up in front of the house, and she got out barefoot. “Thanks.”
    “Shae.”
    Despite herself, she liked how he pronounced her name. It was all kinds of wrong, but she didn’t care. “What?”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
    “Okay, okay. Good night.” She turned to go, but he caught her hand and gave a small tug that spun her around to face him.
    “I want to see you again.”
    “No.”
    He kept her from leaving again. His gaze traveled her length, and she knew he saw how her nipples had hardened behind the thin dress, especially since she’d skipped wearing a bra. She licked her lips, trying to pull herself together. The effect Eiji had on her was the exact opposite to the one Jeff had evoked. Tempted to invite him in, she stood there fighting with her resolve. When she opened her mouth to answer, he dropped her hand and faced the car.
    “What, you changed your mind?” Sarcasm dripped from her words, but he didn’t answer. He stared off down the street and seemed to sniff the air. Shae frowned at him. “Is someone out there?”
    “No one important.”
    She tried peering through the darkness, but saw nothing. Streetlights stood a couple houses down the block, but no one lurked in the dim illumination that she could see. Maybe he had better night vision than she had.
    He focused on her.
    She spun on her heel and headed up the steps. “I’ll call you.”
    Eiji didn’t try to stop her again as she headed inside the house, and soon the sound of his engine turning over reached her room as she prepared for bed. Tonight, she didn’t want to just fall into bed with him, but the next time, all bets were off. He would be hers.

Chapter Four
    Shae unfurled her blanket and laid it out carefully on the sand. She tossed her bag down and kicked the flip-flops she’d worn from her feet. Crouching, she dug through her bag for sun block and began rubbing some on her arms. Aware Eiji watched her, she pretended not to notice and continued with her task.
    “Your skin is brown like chocolate,” he commented.
    Shae laughed. He was no poet, that was for sure, but then she had to give the man a break, sure he had no need to practice being eloquent in