Marie Harte - Hayashi's Hero

She flushed. “I'm sorry. It's just that, well…” she broke off.

He followed her gaze to his little jade fox.

“That's not Kisho's is it?” she murmured, her brow furrowed in thought.

“No, it's mine. My kitsu.” Possession colored his words, but he couldn't help it.

“What?”

“Kitsu in Japanese means fox.”

Her eyes widened with understanding.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. Kisho had an identical figurine in his own room. He was also the son of a Japanese mother and Caucasian father. He had the best of both worlds, as far as Morgan was concerned. Handsome, controlled, so austere yet so sensitive beneath his cool front. Morgan wanted to touch him again, to feel Kisho's heartbeat under the palm of his hand.

“Oh, that's so nice.” Olivia blinked rapidly. Her eyes had a teary sheen.

Morgan scowled. “What?”

“When you think of him really hard, your shields crack. You might want to work on that.” She spoke as if psychic phenomena were normal. Then again, in her world, it probably was.

“I'm projecting, hmm?” In spite of his desire to keep his feelings private, he liked Olivia.

He found he didn't mind her knowing how he felt about Kisho. Hell, he wanted everyone to know. But Alicia had warned him to take things slowly. Kisho, by his very nature, demanded a gentler approach.

Olivia smiled. “Actually, it's there in your eyes. When you look at that statue, and when you made the connection to Kisho, it's just…

“Just there.” Morgan snorted. “You're dangerous, you know that?” She laughed. “More than you know. You mess with Kisho, I'll gut you. And don't think I can't.” She held out her hand.

Morgan watched her arm thicken, darken, and literally grow before his eyes. Claws replaced the painted nails until only the tips remained blue. In a flash, she changed back.

“I'm impressed.”

“But not scared. I don't need to read you to know that. Why aren't you more bugged about what I just showed you?”

“Like I told Kisho, I met Doc and his Circs up North. McKinley, the big guy? He's a little scary. The others were pretty nice.” He didn't bother hiding his smile. “They don't seem to like Tersch or Fallon much.”

She shook her head. “I've been wanting to meet the women up there, but the timing hasn't been right. Mrs. Sharpe told me Kelly has a baby.”

Kelly English, a female Circ, had two protective mates and a beautiful baby girl. Morgan had barely been allowed to breathe near the woman. “A toddler, actually, and a real handful.”

“Oh.” Olivia's expression turned dreamy.

“Good Lord. Babies on the brain. I should have realized. Are you pregnant?” She flushed. “No.” She sat up straighter and blinked. “Why? Do I look fat?”

“Not at all. Sexy, slender, and… Oh, hey there, Ava. What brings you around?” Ava stood in the doorway wearing a frown. Her hand settled on her hip, and she tapped a long finger, just watching him. For such a tiny woman, she packed a hell of a lot of energy in that curvy body.

He knew that look. “What did I do now?”

“More like who you did.” She flounced into the room and threw herself onto his bed. “It's just us girls now, so spill. What did you do to my poet?” He glared. Just us girls? Was she including him?

Olivia muffled a laugh.

“You're a pain in my ass, you know that?” He flipped a finger at Ava, who gave it right back.

Her hazel eyes looked more green than brown in the light, and her full lips quirked into a smile. “So why is Kisho avoiding any mention of you? And why is Mrs. S. so determined to shove you two together?”

“Ava, look.” Olivia pointed to his fox.

Ava turned to look, then swung her head around, her mouth open. “Are you kidding me?

That's why you're here?”

He frowned. “What's so surprising about that?”

“But Kisho's so gentle. So kind and quiet.”

“And your point?”

Ava began laughing. “You're obnoxious.”

“That's not true.”

“You're bossy, you're a slob, and I thought you liked girls.” Olivia stared at them in fascination.

Morgan scowled. “One, I'm commanding, not bossy. Two, I prefer casual to slob. And three, I used to like girls until I found out men had so much more to offer.” Olivia smacked herself in the forehead. “Oh man, you two know each other. I knew there was something going on.”

“You can't say anything to anyone,” Ava warned.

“Come on. I'm not going to lie to Fallon. He knows everything I know.” Morgan rubbed his chin. Perhaps he'd been going about this all wrong. Ava was pushy, but she got things done. He could accomplish more in half the time by using all his resources. Kisho trusted Olivia and Ava. If they backed Morgan, maybe his lover would too.

“It's okay, Ava. Olivia, what's said in this room needs to stay between us. And by us, I mean Ava, you, Fallon, and me. For Kisho's sake.”

Olivia glanced at the fox again. “For Kisho's sake. But you hurt him at all, and I'll—”

“I know. You'll gut me. Tersch will strangle me with my own intestines. Ava will nag me to death.”

“Ass.”

He grinned at Ava and blew her a kiss. “You two want to help Kisho?” He grew serious.

“Tell me how to get through to the man I've come to claim.”

Kisho shouldn't have gone out with the others, but he'd needed to get far away from Morgan. The unfamiliar bar had an upscale feel to it, a different place than the normal haunts they frequented, where feet stuck to the floor and the stale scents of vomit, sex, and cigarettes pervaded.

But Tersch had wanted to go somewhere different tonight, so Fallon drove them here, where he and Olivia had occasion to relax.

The green of a woman's ring winked at him, and Kisho immediately thought of Morgan.

He sighed. He couldn't stop thinking about the jerk. Sex with the male wasn't enough, because Kisho wanted more. He couldn't stop tasting him, feeling the man's skin under his palms. He'd left him naked and spent in the gym, where the others had no doubt found him when they'd gone to exercise.

Jealousy flared, that his fellow Circs, his brothers, had spied what belonged to Kisho.

Mine , his beast growled.

Fallon shot him a look, and Kisho fought to calm himself.

“Good thing you're driving, Hayashi,” Tersch said with a slur. “Because I'm totally slopped.”

“Slopped?” he asked, glad of the interruption and a little worried. Tersch rarely drank to this excess, but something had been bothering him lately. Despite his own troubles, Kisho recognized Tersch needed some help. “What's wrong? You never drink this much.”

“Sometimes I do. When it gets so cold.”

He didn't make much sense, and then Kisho realized the date. Every February twenty-seventh, since Kisho had known him, Tersch drank himself into oblivion.

His gaze softened, and Kisho patted his buddy on the back. “Ah man, I'm sorry, Tersch.

You want another beer? On me?”

“S-s-sure, why the fuck not?” A sadness filled his blue eyes, and Kisho glanced at Fallon.

Fallon shook his head. “Come on, Gunnar. I think we should get you home.” Tersch cursed and swung a fist that Fallon easily ducked. “I don't need a fucking nursemaid.” He stumbled and would have fallen off his barstool if Jules hadn't steadied him.

“Take him home, Fallon. I want to talk to Hayashi.” Since Jules had arrived in his own vehicle after running some errands for Mrs. Sharpe, Kisho had no excuse not to stay.

“Don't wanna go,” Tersch grumbled, and nearby patrons froze. The beast began to surface.

Not good.