Read Online Venice Heat by Penelope Rivers - Free Book Online

the last time she’d eaten? At the thought, her stomach stirred with hunger. She showered first and drew on clothes with sluggish movements before walking into the kitchen to find food. Coffee brewing and bacon frying in the pan, she remembered her cell phone and returned to the bedroom to grab it. The light blinking indicated she had messages, and she pressed the button to unlock the phone. A tingle of fear and excitement stirred to see Eiji had sent a text. She had a voice mail from Darryl, which drew curiosity, and her dad had returned her call. She hadn’t heard any of these messages come because she’d been out so deep.
    Rather than check her dad’s message, she called him first and got his voice mail. She swore and backtracked to the message.
    “Hello, Shae, sweetheart, I’m sorry we keep missing each other. I think I might have someone to bring our systems back online. Just not sure he can be trusted yet. Also, handling a potential shifter in New York. Your brother is off to London. I’ll share the details when I’m back on the West Coast. I love you. Rest and enjoy yourself. That’s an order. Good-bye.”
    “Damn it!” She’d burned the bacon. After that disaster, she waited until she’d cooked everything and finished eating before she contemplated her next call. She could forget everybody and go shopping. She could hunt up something fun to do until the night scene came alive, which she loved more than anything.
    “Or I can admit I’m avoiding Eiji,” she murmured into the empty room. Turned out vacation wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, at least not alone. She was used to going to exotic or domestic places that were nice, but she wasn’t alone. Her posse came along, especially her protector, who was a good friend, one she’d had a no-strings-attached sexual affair with a few years ago. They still slept together when her well went dry. Yet, right now, she both wanted Eiji, and he scared her. She didn’t allow things or people to scare her long. She decided she’d give her and Eiji a break. Getting too wrapped up in him could not be allowed to happen.
    After a day of shopping and then lounging on the beach in a bikini, she started back to her room thinking she’d give her protector a call and ask him to join her out here. They could have a little fun without any obligations. As she strolled up to her place, smiling and a little excited about her decision, she paused at the shadow that had just flitted behind a building to her right. The sun dropping low in the sky didn’t provide much light, but as she stared, she didn’t catch sight of anyone. Maybe her imagination played tricks on her. She continued on only to stop once again at the foot of her stairs.
    “Darryl, what are you doing here?” She eyed the man from head to toe, noting he still looked fine as hell with chiseled muscle and confidence in spades. He had folded his arms over his chest and leaned with negligence against the banister. None of his boys seemed to be around.
    “I got tired of waiting for you, so I came to get you.”
    “Oh, is that right?” She chuckled, somewhat annoyed and pleased too. She’d written off checking him out, but him showing up was kind of nice. She liked men to come chasing after her. “I’ve been busy.”
    To her surprise, his expression went from bored to angry in a heartbeat. “I know, and you made the wrong choice.”
    “Excuse me? Maybe you should just go. I told you I would call you if I was interested. Now I’m not. So—”
    She moved to push past him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. The bite in his hold set off her warning bells, and she drew in a deep breath, ready to put his ass on the ground. He’d grabbed the wrong woman.
    “Come on, baby girl,” he whispered. “You know how bad I wanted to get to know you, and you didn’t even give a brother a chance.”
    All her anger ebbed away. She stared into his face, shocked at how open he seemed, even vulnerable. Black men, from her