“Had?”
She kicked herself for mentioning her mother, not only because it hurt to remember and she still missed her after five years, but also because of the way her mother died. “She died when I was twenty-five.”
“I won’t push. I can tell it hurts.” He tucked her into his embrace, and her eyes grew moist at the unexpected sensitivity. She let him hold her a heartbeat and then pulled away. Puffy red eyes weren’t sexy.
“So what about your parents? Still alive? Do you have any siblings?” She started walking again, and he followed.
“Yes, my parents are alive. They, like my grandmother, don’t come into the city or the borough often. I have many brothers and sisters.”
“Many?”
“A few.”
“What’s a borough?”
He seemed to search his mind for the answer. “The county.”
“Ah, okay.”
He took her hand, and they continued down the trail. Someone had laid out planks to walk in the damper areas, and in a few flatter spots, patches of snow surprised her.
“So what about you?”
She looked up at him. “Me?”
“Yes, do you have family?”
“Oh, I keep forgetting Birk knows all this about me, but you and I are just getting to know each other. I have two sisters and a brother. My sisters are one year older and two. I guess you could say we’re stepladder kids. My brother is five years older than Sakura.”
His brows rose. “Sakura?”
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “My mother was into the whole Japanese thing at the time Sakura was born. The word means ‘cherry blossoms.’ Do you know about sakura trees?”
“I can’t say I do.”
“They’re beautiful, and so is my sister.”
He tugged a lock of her hair, sending chills racing down her spine. “She’s not the only one.”
Shiya turned away. “You’re flattering me.”
He stopped her from walking and pulled her back to face him, trapping her hands between them. Kotori leaned toward her until their lips were less than an inch apart. “Is it flattery if it’s true? Or are you questioning my motives?”
“I wouldn’t presume, sir.”
She stuck out her tongue, and he met it with his own. For a while, they danced that way, tongues swiping across each other, curling together without their lips touching. Kotori seemed to grow tired of that game, though, because he reached behind her head and drove her nearer. His mouth crushed hers in a desperate kiss, forcing her to tilt it back farther. When his hand came up her side and he pinched hard at her nipple, she cried out in ecstasy. His roughness turned her on like she never imagined such a thing would. He rolled the tiny bud between his fingers and tugged at it. A flood of cream wet her panties, and he growled low in his throat. Shiya was ready right there to take off her clothes and let him have it all, but Kotori pushed her away.
She stared at him, his big chest rising and falling with his harsh breathing. He ran a hand through the midnight curls, disordering them in the sexiest way she’d ever seen. She tucked her hands into her jacket pockets.
“We should keep moving, or you’ll get cold,” he said.
The words were almost angry, and she wondered what had gone wrong.
After some time, they fell into conversation again.
“What’s your other sister’s name? Is she also named after a tree?”
Shiya laughed. “No, but my mother kept the S theme. My middle sister’s name is Shae.”
“And your brother has an S name?”
“No, he was before the crazy naming scheme took hold.” She laughed. “He’s Kasen, and I can’t imagine him soft enough to fall in line with matching names.”
After she’d blurted out all their names, she wondered if it was wise. If Kotori had heard of the Keith hunters, he might put two and two together. Kasen was her father’s name, and her brother a junior. Kasen Keith wasn’t a common moniker by any means. While she worried over it, Kotori walked behind her in silence. She stumbled over a plank, and he caught her around the waist.
“I think we’ve gone far enough,” he said. “The hike down the mountain is two hours. It might be better for you to take the tram back.”
From the look of Kotori’s powerful legs, she knew he would have no trouble, but as a city girl, hiking wasn’t normally her thing, not in chilly weather anyway. She had enjoyed herself and told him so.
“You miss Birk?”
She smiled. “A little. Hey, can we visit his clinic and see him at work?”
Kotori hesitated, and she wondered if they had something to hide there. That might be good to look into. The correct procedure was to pass the info on to her brother or one of the other leaders if he wasn’t available, but she hesitated. Things were going well between her and the guys, and that had nothing to do with her job. Maybe she needed to face the reality of the situation, but not yet.
“Okay, why not?” he agreed, and they started back.
When they were in the Bronco, Kotori called Birk, and left a message when he didn’t answer. She noted the crease between his brows, but he didn’t deny her. Tempted to tell him never mind since they didn’t get the okay from Birk, she clamped her lips together. Her dad and Kasen would rake her over the coals if she let this opportunity pass her by. Just think, what would Shae do? Her confident and capable sister would reach over and put a hand on Kotori’s thigh, giving him ideas of future pleasure, and the guy would let her lead him around by the nose, without her giving up the goodies. How the heck did one do that? Not that she wanted to hold the goodies back, of course.
The small building at the end of a side street seemed unassuming, yet cute, when they arrived. Where the slanted blue tiled roof met the eggshell wall, a sign read Rider Veterinary Hospital.
She turned to Kotori. “Wow, I thought it was a clinic, and he owns it?”
Kotori shrugged, and they walked inside. A receptionist greeted them with a smile, but when she saw Kotori, her face almost glowed. “Good morning, Kotori. Good to see you.”
“Shannon,” he murmured without enthusiasm. Shiya wondered if there was history there, but didn’t say anything.
“We’re here to see Dr. Rider. Is he in?”
Shannon’s inquisitive gaze turned to her, but it swung back to Kotori as if she looked for an explanation from him. Before Kotori could say anything further, a door beside the desk opened, and a beautiful blonde stepped through. Behind her Birk appeared. The woman laid a hand on Birk’s arm, talking to him in a low tone. From her flustered and eager bearing, she wanted Birk, and nothing in his reaction told Shiya the feeling wasn’t mutual.
Shiya was too pissed off. She forgot to look around to see if she could pick up clues. She forced her gaze off Birk and scanned the room. Several people waited with pets in the reception area—dogs, cats, even birds, but no unusual animals. Maybe there was another location for the more exotic creatures native to Alaska.
Birk ended his conversation with the woman when a technician walked up with a caged cat. Birk escorted the woman closer to where they stood. “Let’s try to avoid any more fights with porcupines, okay?”
Shiya winced. Poor kitty.
“Thanks, Dr. Rider.” The woman pushed a card into his hand. “Give me a call anytime.”
No the bitch didn’t.
Shiya realized she must have stepped forward, when Kotori’s hand flattened on her belly. His lips touched her ear. “Easy, little tigress. You can punish him later.”
She smacked his hand away, but his words calmed her and had her trying to suppress a smile. Oh yeah, she would. Then she considered the ridiculousness of the situation. Birk would freely share her with Kotori, but she got an attitude when he considered another woman. Still, he agreed to share. She didn’t, and they hadn’t even slept together yet.
“Shiya,” Birk said when he walked over to her, and she saw genuine pleasure in his gaze. He kissed her cheek and invited them to the back.
&n
bsp; Shiya peered into every room as they headed to Birk’s office. The small hospital included two examination rooms, a lab area, a pharmacy, a treatment area, and a surgical suite with several cages for the animals after an operation. They passed equipment in a small closet-sized room that looked like an X-ray machine, and Birk confirmed her thoughts.
In his office with the door shut, Birk perched on the side of his desk and held out his arms. Shiya hesitated.
“She’s angry with you about the woman,” Kotori supplied.
Shiya whirled on him. “Who asked you?”
Birk leaned forward, captured Shiya’s hand, and dragged her into his embrace. She had to admit she loved the feel of his bunched muscles beneath her hands, but she wouldn’t make it easy for him. She and Birk knew each other a little better than she knew Kotori, and she expected—well, she didn’t know what she expected. Maybe she had no right to assume anything.
Then she considered if the woman was like them. Wouldn’t they prefer a nonhuman lover to share? Had they ever had sex with a human? This whole affair had her head spinning, and figuring out the right path seemed impossible. Fight her head, fight her body, and . . . no, her heart had nothing to do with it.
“Hey.” Birk touched a finger to her lips, and she turned her head. He turned it back toward him. “Look at me.”
“Birk, I’m not here for games. I—”
“What are you here for?” He pinched open the buttons on her jacket. She wiggled in his hold, but he gripped her tighter. “Tell me, Shiya, why are you here?”
She had a moment of panic thinking he knew the real reason, but if he did, would he be opening her jacket the way he was? Would he push her blouse up to show her bra, and would he brush fingers along the valley between her breasts? She moaned when he did that, and he tugged at her bra as if he would raise it or drag it down. He did neither, but hooking his finger in the middle set her on fire. She didn’t look up at him.
“I have to work a little while longer.” He pushed a knee between her legs and drew her up along his hard thigh. She resisted humping it like the horny heifer she was. Birk raised her chin and kissed her lips. “However, tonight I want to be in your bed.”
Why did it sound more like a command, or his informing her of where he would be tonight, like it or not? She licked her lips and nodded. “Fine, but I’m not sharing.”
The card the woman had given him stuck out of his shirt pocket. She swiped it and crumpled it in her palm. Rather than display anger, Birk grinned, and his eyes flashed excitement.
“Whatever you want.” He smacked her ass and released her. Shiya stepped over to Kotori and slipped her hand in his. He drew her to his side and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“What time, bro?”
Birk checked his watch. “Five? I need to see a few more patients. You two having fun without me?”
Shiya thought she saw a significant look pass between them, and Kotori raised his brows. “Don’t worry. I won’t eat her before you join us. After that, you’re on your own if you’re too busy.”
“Hold on. You two are pretty confident,” Shiya complained. Both men laughed, and Kotori ushered her out the door.
They spent the rest of the day wandering the city, with Shiya checking out every shop until Kotori dug in his boots and refused to visit another. They ate lunch together, and then he dropped her off at her room until it was time for them to meet later. She intended to get plenty of rest, because it was for sure Birk and Kotori would work her over that night, and she could not wait.
Chapter Four
At four, Shiya rose and showered. She wrapped a towel around herself and knotted it at the side of her breast. Then she checked her messages. Seeing a tick beside the voice mail emblem, she clicked that button and found she had three. Bypassing the ones from her dad and Joe, she chose Shae’s.
“Hey, girl, call me. I want to know how the seduction is going. I also heard Joe’s up there, and want to know if you’re dealing or do I need to come bust his balls. He wants you back, you know. Call me!”
Shiya groaned. She didn’t want to remember Joe was in town. She’d almost wiped the memory of him visiting her room out of her head. She couldn’t blame Shae, though. Her sister cared about her emotional well-being.
She checked the time and figured she could afford to spend a few minutes on the phone. Just before she dozed off earlier, she’d texted both Kotori and Birk that they would have dinner in her suite tonight. She knew they would drew conclusions from that and look forward to it. Even as she thought of them, the unsettled feelings for Joe made her wonder if she should cancel.
She dialed Shae and waited for the call to go through. When Shae picked up, hearing her soft, yet confident voice soothed her somewhat.
“Hey, girl, what’s up? How are things in chilly Juneau?”
“Chilly,” Shiya responded.
“Wait, don’t tell me your targets are playing hard to get. Wear something sexy with your legs or boobs hanging out. That will reel them in.”
Why did their whole job sound so sexist all of a sudden? She didn’t think the male hunters had to put it on display so obviously. Then again, most of them were sexy, so looking hot could be part of the job. No one ever said so outright. Her involvement in the fieldwork had been limited by her own decision.
“No, it’s not like that, and I would freeze my butt off if I did that. The season is changing, and it’s freaking cold. Why didn’t I do this in summer?”
“You didn’t have all your information together, and the witness took his time naming names.”
Shiya sighed. All Shae said was true. “Anyway, they’re into me.”
“Of course!” Her sister whooped and then calmed down. “What’s that I hear in your voice? Shiya Yvonne Keith, you better come out with it. Don’t make me get on a plane and come down there—I mean up.” She chuckled.
“You can’t laugh when you’re threatening someone.” She considered
whether she wanted to tell Shae about sleeping with Birk and Kotori, but thought better of it. Her sister might be sweet in most ways, but she hated shifters just like the rest of her family. Shae might kiss them—because something in the DNA made them all hot as hell—but she wouldn’t spread her legs for any of them. “Joe came to see me.”
“Old Joe.” Shae sighed. “He doesn’t know how to back off and let things be, and Dad’s worse because he encourages him. I think he had visions of you two marrying and working together in the family business.”
“Seriously?” Shiya grumbled. “I can choose my own husband. In fact, I’m not sure I want to get married—ever.”
Shae’s voice dropped low. “I know he hurt you, sweetie.”
Shiya clenched her hands into fists. She shut her eyes. Okay, she was so screwed up. “I-It was both of us, not just him. We didn’t work out.”
“Shiya, he used you to get next to Dad. I call that a scumbag wanting me to kick his balls into his throat.”
“Now you sound like Sakura.”
Shae made a noise of annoyance. “I can’t touch that girl. She’s evil.”
Shiya laughed.
“What? She’ll never get a man, hateful as she is.”
“You know you wrong, right?” She couldn’t help bursting out laughing because she felt the same about their older sister. “Sakura will find the one. I don’t know about me, but then I’m not trying.”
“Girl, you’ve had one guy—Joe—and he wasn’t worth it. Sure he hung on for a while, still seeing you after Dad put him into leadership, but that was so he wouldn’t get booted out of his cushy new position.”
“Damn, you make it sound like no man would want me unless he has ulterior motives,” Shiya snapped. “I happen to think Joe loves me.”
Shae was silent, and Shiya wondered if she’d hung up. “Then why did you break up with him, honey? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply no one wants you. That’s baloney because you’re beautiful. I bet you have those animals eating out of the palm of your h
and. Just be careful, Shiya, is all I’m saying. Joe was your first, so you don’t have a lot of experience with guys. Shifters especially have sex drives out of this world. It’s all I can do to make them keep it in their pants.” Shiya heard the anger and annoyance in her sister’s tone. “I handle them because I’m trained to, and I’ve been doing it for years. You be careful! Check in when you’re supposed to, and above all else, do not go anywhere alone with them, not in your room and not to their house. Okay?”
Funny her sister should say those words as soon as a knock sounded at her door. Shiya hadn’t ordered dinner nor put on any clothes. She sat on the side of her bed still in a towel. “Okay,” she managed to tell her.
After a few more comments, Shae hung up, and Shiya dropped the phone on her bed. The knock came again. Would she go through with it and live a fantasy most women dreamed of, or would she call it off and tell her dad she needed to stay behind the computer screen because she couldn’t keep her hands or her body to herself? Yeah, not telling him that last part.
She stood, checked that her towel remained secure, and strode into the living room, to the door. When she swung it open to reveal Birk and Kotori, she knew she would not back down from her decision. Not this century. “Hello, gentlemen. Care to come in?”
The two of them stepped through the doorway, and Birk handed her a bottle of wine. Shiya calmly thanked him and went to the kitchen area for glasses. She poured each a glass and one for herself.
Birk took a sip of the wine, his gaze sweeping her from head to foot. “I like the way you get down to business when you’ve made up your mind.”
She put a hand on her hip. “I intended to be dressed and ready, but time got away from me. I never ordered food either.”
“Who needs food when there’s you to eat?” Kotori threw in, stalking closer.
She took a step back, searching her mental database. No shifters were known to eat humans, were they? The lust in both men’s eyes told her she was on the menu, but not that kind of eating. A gush of desire led her to squeeze her legs together. Both of them lowered their attention to the hem of her towel as if on cue. Oh yeah, she’d made no mistake in her assessments.
Juneau Heat Page 4