“You like dangerous.” He shifted his weight and groaned. Then his eyes shuttered closed.
Lana’s heart stuttered in her chest and she looked around frantically for someone to help.
“Ice.” She shook his shoulders and her voice wavered. “Ice…” She leaned over and pressed her lips to his ear. “Yes, I like dangerous and you’d better open those damn eyes and give me some.”
Chapter Nine
Lana paced James’s room on the second floor of the clubhouse. Ryder had whisked her away from Rex’s office, telling her Ice was fine but he needed time to cool off. She hadn’t made it easy on him, but in the end he was bigger, stronger and willing to drag her by her hair if she didn’t listen.
Just as well. She needed the time to deal with the guilt clawing at her belly. She shouldn’t have let herself get caught sneaking around Rex’s office. She understood biker culture, the hierarchy, the challenges, the constant jostling for position of top dog. She should have known if she was caught it would end like this.
She looked around, but the room gave no clue as to the personality of its occupant. No pictures, mementos, books or magazines. Just the basics—bed, dresser, night table and bathroom. A small window overlooked the courtyard where the barbeque was still in progress.
Her investigative instincts and an overwhelming curiosity drove her to peek into the dresser drawers where she found jeans, T-shirts and underwear, all neatly folded. The last drawer held socks, folded in pairs, and belts coiled around Harley Davidson buckles. She carefully sifted through the contents and pulled out two pictures.
The first was a picture of her. James had taken it the day before he left. They were on the little ferry boat connecting Granville Island to downtown. She traced her finger over the beaming Lana, her hair in wild disarray from a sudden gust of wind. So happy. She didn’t remember how it felt to be that happy.
The second picture was of a tall, slim woman with long brown hair. Her almond-shaped eyes were warm and deep. So beautiful. Her perfect oval of a face glowed. Was she from James’s past or present?
Lana’s heart skipped a beat. Of course he’d had other lovers. He had briefly alluded to fleeting relationships when they’d first hooked up. And, no doubt, after he left her he would have had more. He was a highly attractive, incredibly fit, enigmatic alpha male. During their brief time together, she’d often wondered what he was doing with her. He needed someone calm, sedate, slim and toned like he was. Not a curvy girl weighed down with baggage and a mass of wild curls to match her temper.
She replaced the pictures and sank down on the bed. He’d never mentioned a serious past girlfriend when they were together, so the woman in the picture was probably his current squeeze. She shouldn’t be surprised. James never backtracked on his decisions.
A loud thud sent Lana scrambling to her feet. James stalked into the room and slammed the door behind him. Still pumped after his fight, muscles twitching under the thin cotton of his T-shirt like he wanted to have another go at Rex, he was breathtakingly gorgeous and sexy as hell. The cuts and bruises on his face only added to his appeal. A quiver of desire chased across her skin.
“Are you…?” Anxiety pounded through her veins.
Jaw clenched tight, blue eyes cold and hard, James held up a hand, cutting her off. Lana shivered at the raw violence in his taut face. But the question he asked wasn’t the one she was expecting.
“Did he…touch you?”
Relieved at being spared his anger at going near Rex alone, Lana shuddered, considering for the first time what could have happened. “Just a little shake and slam against the locker. Some hair pulling…”
Like magic, his eyes softened. “When I heard you scream, I thought the worst. If he had…” He choked on his words. “I don’t know if I could’ve held back. It was hard enough to throw the fight after I saw his hands on you.”
She should be appalled at his words, frightened even. Instead, the thought of James out of control stirred her most carnal desires, turning her brain to mush, igniting the adrenaline still pumping through her veins after the fight.
God, she wanted him.
No. Don’t do this. Her mind railed even as her body quivered with need. It had taken her almost two years to get over him. And after Jackie forced her back on the dating circuit, she’d run at the first hint of anything more than casual affection.
And yet, here she was, desire rising through her body like the tide, heedless of the warning of her battered heart.
Chest heaving, he lifted his hot, heavy gaze to hers and she trembled at the sensual promise in his eyes. Her mind flashed back to steamy nights, his seductive voice rumbling in her ear, his lips hot on her skin, his hands conducting her body in a symphony of pleasure.