Lana’s cheeks flushed and the hint of color warmed his heart.
“Well, if things don’t work out,” she said, “I can always give you a job. You didn’t do too badly on surveillance. A tad distracting and a bit quick to pull out the weapon, but I think we can work on it. Your car-sex techniques were beyond reproach.”
“Still all about sex?”
Pressing her lips against his palm, Lana whispered, “Still all about you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Where are you taking me?” Jackie whined. “I thought we were going to a new club.”
Lana pressed her finger to her lips as she led Jackie down the dimly lit back alley. Ahead of them, a tall, lean man stalked through the shadows. His leather boots thudded on the cobblestones. The two glowing eyes of a skull surrounded by flaming scales of justice glared into the darkness from the center of the patch on his shiny, new leather jacket.
“Hey, it’s Ice,” Jackie whispered. “Lookit that patch. Ryder wanted something understated but I said, ‘No way. We’re bikers. We have to look the part. And nothing says biker like skulls and flames.’”
Lana snorted a laugh. “James hates it. He wanted something with a more positive vibe.”
“Viking Dan backed me up,” Jackie said with a grin. “When he talks, everyone listens. What I wouldn’t give to get that man into my bed.”
“You haven’t slept with him yet?” Lana widened her eyes. “I was wondering why you didn’t talk much about him, but I was trying to respect your privacy by not asking what was going on.”
Jackie blushed. “It’s different. He’s different. The minute I saw him…wowza. It was like I was hit by lightning. I’m not sure what that means, so I’m taking it slow. He doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. All I’ve got so far are a few pats on the head and the occasional hand squeeze. I have to try and get off when I’m riding pillion on his motorcycle.”
Laughter welled up in Lana’s chest, and she tried to stifle the sound behind her hand. “Definitely not a problem I’m having. This is the first evening we’ve been apart in the last few weeks. James has been on a date kick. Every night, something new. And he’s already got plans for when I’m fully recovered: white-water rafting, rollerblading, kayaking, skydiving, rock-climbing, extreme mountain-biking. It’s like he’s trying to make up for lost time.”
Jackie snorted a laugh. “You’re not apart. He’s fifty feet in front of us. And I’m guessing you’re going to be spending the evening together since you’re both heading in the same direction.”
A shiver ran down Lana’s spine. She still wasn’t sure if she was ready for Carpe Noctem. Although she hadn’t told Jackie, her nightmares were one of the reasons James stayed with her every night. Nightmares of being bound and unable to move, hands in the dark, Wolverine rings and knives. Always knives.
Well…nightmares and the fact he wanted her tucked up against him every night, ostensibly so he could assure himself she was safe.
And yet, every time she thought about the club, a thrill of excitement shot through her veins. The visit tonight was her idea. Face her fears. Banish the nightmares and replace them with something else…something that made her mouth dry and her panties wet.
“Maybe we should tell him you want to spend the night with your best friend, watching TV. I can call Viking Dan and tell him not to come to the club.”
“No.” Lana clamped a hand over Jackie’s mouth. “I’m supposed to be at the club already—awaiting his pleasure in the back room. But that last tattoo removal session took longer than I thought.”
“So you’re finally free?”
Lana smiled. “Thanks to Angel. She wasn’t back together with Rex after all. She came to the club that night because she thought Rex was bringing someone with him. But now Rex is in jail, Angel got sole custody and I got a bonus that paid for the best tattoo removal money can buy.”
They picked up the pace, trying to match James’s long strides. The familiar scents of diesel, ocean mist and stale beer triggered a memory. The night James had saved her from Rex. The night she had fallen in love all over again.
“I have another surprise for him,” Lana whispered as they fell into a light jog. “When I went to the commendation ceremony where he was awarded a medal for taking down Hades, I saw someone who looked familiar. It’s been bothering me for days. Today, I went through my surveillance photos and I realized the assistant police chief who gave James the medal is the same man I photographed meeting Rex at Oktoberfest. He’s the mole.”