Fire and Ice (Ice 5)

“We’re not walking.” He vanished into the bushes, and for the first time she noticed the gleam of chrome through the greenery. A moment later he reappeared, pushing a huge, heavy-looking Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Jilly looked at it with a sinking heart. It was difficult enough when the exotic, undeniably gorgeous creature of her fantasies had turned out to be an obnoxious bully. Of course he had to have a Harley, as well, completing the perfect bad-boy image. With the tattooed teardrops on his high cheekbones and spiky, waist-length, flame-colored hair and his long, leather-cla

d legs and pointy-toed cowboy boots, he was almost irresistible, despite his manners.

A Harley sealed the deal. He was all her adolescent fantasies come true.

And it was time to grow up.

3

Shit. Bloody shit. Holy motherfucker. Goddamn gaijin idiot bitch blundering into trouble. He needed to punch something or someone—he was wound up, furious, ready to explode.

She was plastered against him on the back of the motorcycle, and even through his leather jacket and her baggy sweatshirt he could feel her breasts. This was hell, seeing her for the first time in more than two years, when he’d done such a good job of forgetting about her, only to find her in men’s underwear and no bra. He was still hard, making the motorcycle even more uncomfortable.

He had only one helmet, and the laws were strict. As long as he stayed in the territory controlled by his grandfather he’d be fine—the police would recognize the flame-red hair and give him a wide berth.

He didn’t have the faintest goddamned idea where to take her. His own apartment was probably being watched and Jilly Lovitz wasn’t likely to fit in with the people he usually hung with. He could just imagine how Kyo would react to someone like Jilly. Kyo was a nasty little motherfucker who liked to torment gaijin, and Jilly would be fair game.

His job wasn’t to protect her from people like Kyo. It was to keep her alive. Maybe a few hours with a maniacal yakuza would scare her into staying in her safe home and not go racing off unannounced to a country where she wasn’t wanted.

He should take her to his grandfather’s. It was the logical thing to do—drop her off and let Ojiisan deal with her. She’d be safe in his grandfather’s fortress, with an armed guard of at least twenty men. If the Russians were foolish enough to attempt anything, his grandfather would see to their tidy disposal.

They were coming into a busier part of the city—all he needed to do was turn left and follow the street to his grandfather’s compound. It didn’t matter that he told the old man he’d take care of things. If anything Ojiisan would be pleased at his grandson’s belated obedience.

It was the smart thing to do, the safe careful choice.

Who the hell was he kidding—he’d never been safe or careful in his life and he wasn’t about to start now. The girl plastered against him felt warm, soft, and he deserved something for the aggravation she caused him.

He wasn’t going to sleep with her—he valued his head too much to risk Taka’s fury. It had been almost two years since Taka told him to keep away from his sister-in-law, but he had no doubt Taka still meant what he said.

No, he deserved something, just to taste, and he was going to take it. It would be worth a broken bone or two.

She had her head down—his body was shielding her from the wind. Her arms were tight around his waist. What would she do if he took one of those hands and put it between his legs?

Probably cause him to spin out. Right now, she was too shook up for him to even attempt anything. It would be better all around if he just put her on a plane back to California and forgot about her. Except that he hadn’t really forgotten about her for the last two years—there was no reason things were going to be any different. Especially now that she was all grown up.

He turned right, heading away from his grandfather’s compound. He needed to dump the Harley—it was too conspicuous. He needed to find a salaryman’s car, something cheap and practical and anonymous.

The very thought made him shudder. Maybe being conspicuous was the safest way to play. There’d be too many people watching for anyone to try a snatch and grab with his passenger.

Or was she his hostage? He wasn’t quite sure.

In the meantime, he needed someplace safe and anonymous to spend what little was left of the night. There were traditional inns to the north—they would be off the grid and no one using modern technology would be able to find them.

And a ryokan was a definite buzz kill, with thin futons on the floor rather than a hotel room with a big, inviting bed to tempt him. It was the smartest thing to do. Too bad he didn’t feel like being smart. He’d do it anyway.

He was coming down from the adrenaline rush. He didn’t want to think about what he’d had to do back at Taka’s house. It was a waste of time brooding about it. They were professionals, and he’d had no choice. Right now he was dead tired, and she must be just as jet-lagged as he was. They needed someplace safe so he could get a few hours’ sleep. And figure out what his next move was.

Jilly was beyond cold, beyond feeling as she clung to the only thing safe in a crazy world. She put her head against his black leather jacket, closing her eyes, breathing in the smell of the night.

She had no sense of time or space—it felt as if she were riding a dragon, clinging to the only thing solid and safe. A man who had just killed three people and didn’t seem to notice.

Summer had never given her more than a brief outline of what happened when she first met Takashi O’Brien. People had died. People had shot at her while she escaped with Isobel Lambert.

But she’d never actually seen death. Never had to wrap her arms around someone who’d just dealt it.

She turned her face to breathe in the smell of leather. It was oddly comforting. She didn’t know how long she been riding on the back of the motorcycle—it could have been one hour or five. Her body ached, her arms and her thighs were numb and she wanted him to stop this mad, hurtling pace and rest. She wanted to ride forever on the back of the dragon.