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Juneau Heat
Copyright © February 2013, Tressie Lockwood
Cover art designed by Mina Carter © February 2013
ISBN 978-1-937394-85-1
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Amira Press
Charlotte, NC
www.amirapress.com
Chapter One
“Well?” Birk said, and Shiya took him in. Big, broad shoulders, and a powerful chest, tall and sexy in his jeans and jacket with hiking boots. He stood beside her table, leaning on it with both hands flat like he expected her to raise her chin and kiss those very delicious-looking lips. She stared into his eyes—dreamy blue eyes that did things to her insides and shortened her breath. His rugged jaw had been shaved clean, which she appreciated, and he smelled incredible. The entire package topped with overlong dirty-blond hair melted her to her core. This was a veterinarian? Seriously?
“Well what?” She cast him an expectant look. If he wanted a hello kiss, he better do the initiating—this time. Her belly had done flip-flops the entire flight out here from San Diego, and while it thrilled her to death to be in Juneau, Alaska, the reason she’d come did not produce calm self-assurance. She licked her lips, and he followed the movement of her tongue with such an expression of lust in his gaze, he might as well have met it with his own tongue.
A sudden urge to flee came over Shiya, but she resisted. She had something to prove to herself and to her family. Still, who the hell knew he would be this enigmatic in real life? Skype had lied to her. She almost laughed at her mental joke, and he moved to sit down.
“There you are, the little playmate I’ve enjoyed for the last two months.”
“It’s good to see you in real life, Birk.” She glanced around at the pub, taking in the interesting atmosphere. Sawdust covered the floor, and deer heads hung on the wall. The light fixtures that looked like a ring of lanterns from the Old West illuminated the room just enough to see. The piano player on a raised platform belted out lively tunes and called a greeting each time someone entered the building. “This place is awesome. I’m glad you chose it.”
Birk touched the tips of her fingers, and electricity rose through her hands, up her arms, and down to her nether regions. She turned her attention back to him and made the excuse of needing to push her glasses up to pull away from him. The very fact that her stupid eyes had itched to no end before she came pissed her off. She’d intended to wear contacts and look her best, but that was the first fail. A sexy dress and some slinky high heels went down the drain right after it. Early fall was supposed to still be warm in Juneau, but today had turned cold. She had opted for a gray sweater dress with a deep, loose neckline to show off the swell of her breasts, paired with thigh-high boots. Where she went wrong with the clothing and the contacts, she determined she would make up in attitude.
Shiya unzipped her jacket and pulled it off her shoulders. Birk popped up from his seat and came around to help her. The brush of his big hands over her arms sent chills chasing each other down her spine. She uncrossed her legs and recrossed them the other way while he arranged her jacket over the back of her chair.
“Would you like something to drink?” he offered when he sat.
“What do they have?”
“Whatever you want.” He made it sound like he was the one organizing everything with the sweep of his hand, as if the manager would rush out to fulfill her wish if she requested something not on the menu. Were all shifters this way? Did they make women sweat to be taken?
Okay, Shiya, chill out, girl. You’re here to seduce, not to jump into bed. Remember that.
When she first volunteered to take this one, her dad and her brother had looked at her like she’d lost her mind. After all, she was the researcher, the person assigned to gather available information, chase down leads over the phone, or get a name and pass on what she learned to those who were skilled for fieldwork. Shiya spent her life behind a computer screen. This was not her, but when she’d almost accidentally carried on a flirtation with Birk over Skype, well, she couldn’t let one of her sisters take this, could she? After all, her simple job consisted of winning Birk’s trust and getting him to confirm his shifter status. No more, no less.
“How about hot apple cider?” she suggested. “That seems like it will hit the spot.”
Birk nodded and placed the order, along with what they called Alaskan Amber for himself. Beer, she noted, when his drink arrived. Shiya sipped hers.
“You’re quiet,” Birk said. “We teased each other late into the night online.” He leaned toward her, and her breath caught in her throat. “Not that I’m complaining. I mean, my computer screen didn’t do you justice. I knew you were beautiful, but I’m blown away by the real thing.”
She lowered her lashes and toyed with her mug. “Thank you.” When she looked up again, she tilted her head to the side and met his gaze with a flirtatious one of her own. “You’re pretty sexy yourself.”
“I do feel a bit cheated.”
She touched the stark black rim of her glasses. “What do you mean?”
Birk’s brows lowered, and he rubbed his chin. “I believe you promised me a kiss, and I haven’t gotten one.”
She chuckled. That’s why he’d stood over her, saying well. “We can’t have you disappointed, now can we?”
Shiya leaned forward. Even her sisters kissed their quarries. She could do no less than that. A chaste kiss, enough to entice but keep the distance between them. Just before their lips met, a cleared throat and the thunk of a jar landing on the table interrupted. Shiya drew away from Birk and turned to look into the weathered face of woman whose age she couldn’t determine with all the wrinkles, the scraggly black hair, and the rumpled, worn clothing.
