Fire and Ice (Ice 5)

“I’d be grateful you’re looking out for me if I didn’t think you were simply afraid of your cousin.”

A faint smile curved his mouth. “I can hold my own against Taka. Remember, I grew up with him. But you’re right, I don’t want to piss him off unnecessarily. Besides, I like your sister.”

“You do?” She was astonished. “My sister told me you hated all American women.”

“There are exceptions.” He didn’t look at her this time, and his voice was cool. While she sincerely doubted she was one of the exceptions, she wasn’t going to push it.

“So you’re not taking me to the airport?”

“No.”

Staying in Japan was hazardous to her health. Staying with Reno was asking for trouble. So why was she relieved? Because she’d gone out of her freaking mind, that’s why.

“Why are you shaking your head?”

She jerked, startled. He must have been watching her. How often had he watched her when she hadn’t realized it? And what had she given away?

“Just disbelief about this stupid situation,” she said in all honesty. He wouldn’t know that the stupidity was her reaction to him.

“You walked into it. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

“Are you always this sympathetic?”

To her surprise he laughed. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever heard him laugh before. She certainly hadn’t seen him smile. “Are you always such a pussy?” he said.

She almost choked. “Believe it or not, I’m not used to running for my life.”

“You managed once before.”

“Isobel was a lot nicer.”

“True enough. I’m n

ot very nice.”

“I noticed,” she grumbled.

He laughed again. If she didn’t know better she’d think he was enjoying this. But he couldn’t be. He was saddled with a major irritation, and they were on the run for their lives. He could hardly be having a good time.

She settled back into her seat, folding her arms across her chest. Hugging the jacket around her, as if it were his arms around her, protecting her. At least he wouldn’t realize what she was doing.

Maybe, when she finally got on a plane back to California, he’d let her keep the jacket. It probably had American female cooties on it. Maybe it would remind her of what an idiot she’d been.

Or maybe it would remind her of how his warm, hard body had felt beneath hers when she’d knocked him over in hysterical relief.

Even without the jacket she was going to have a hard time forgetting.

She needed to get laid. It was that simple, and it was only her ridiculously semivirginal state that was making her crazy. Obsessed with Reno. She needed to get back to California, choose the first nice, good-looking man she could find and get it over with. Someone with more discretion, patience and sympathy than the wretched Duke. And then she’d be completely immune.

Because there was no room in her life for a Yakuza punk samurai.

Or to be honest, there was no room in his life for her. And the sooner she accepted that fact the better off she’d be.

She hugged herself anyway, snuggling deeper into the leather. If that was the only kind of embrace she was going to get she might as well enjoy it. It was going to be over soon enough.

The crazy, fucked-up thing was, he was enjoying himself. On the run for his life, with a gaijin tagging along, and he was feeling more alive than he had in a long time. Taka would kill him.

Reno looked over at her. She was huddled into his jacket, her face turned away, and he knew a moment’s regret. He would have much rather been the one to wrap around her, but he had too much regard for his life to risk Taka’s wrath. He was going to keep her in one piece, unmolested, no matter how tempting she was. It wasn’t as if there weren’t a thousand other women in the world.