His hand froze in midair. “Is that what this is about? You’re upset I slept with other women?”
She pressed her lips together and exhaled loudly. “Of course not. Why would I care? We were…are done. I’m sure you’ll have someone new in your bed tomorrow.”
“Lana…” He choked off his words when she pushed past him, but not before she saw the hurt in his eyes.
Well, he wasn’t the only one hurting.
She grabbed her clothing off the floor. As she searched around for her bra, James leaned against the dresser and scraped his hand through his hair. “Where did this come from? One minute we’re having a good time; the next, you’re running out the door.”
Her lips thinned. “It was a good time. With you, it’s always a good time. But I think we both know it has to be the only time. You don’t need complications in your life and neither do I.”
She slipped on her bra and panties, and unscrunched her blouse. The door rattled and she froze, her heart skipping a beat.
“Ice. Need to see you. Now.”
Lana sucked in a sharp breath at the sound of Rex’s gruff voice. “They never leave you alone, do they? Am I not supposed to be here?”
“You’re supposed to be anywhere I am,” he growled. “But stay inside, just to be safe.”
James slipped on a shirt and opened the door. But before he could step outside, Rex pushed his way in.
Lana gasped and spun around to face the wall. Only then did she remember her tattoo.
Damn.
She spun back and covered herself with her shirt. It had only been a few seconds. Not long enough for him to see or even process what it was, if he even knew the mark at all.
Rex’s eyes widened and he gave her a curious stare.
Damn. Damn. Damn. Lana’s heart pounded and sweat beaded on her brow. He had seen it. Recognized it. Darkness sheeted her vision. She was doomed.
Her stomach became a boiling, seething quagmire. She would have to leave—her business, her apartment, Jackie, her friends.
And James.
New name, new town, new life. All over again.
James walked Lana and Kickstand out to the parking lot. One of a prospect’s duties was to act as the designated driver for all club outings, which meant poor Kickstand, as the newest prospect, rarely got to drink on social occasions.
It also meant James didn’t have to take Lana home. He could hide behind the excuse that Rex needed to see him right away and take the time to get his head straight. An hour’s ride across the city with her soft, sweet body pressed up against him would put him right back where he started when he’d walked into the lounge and seen her in that outfit. If Ryder hadn’t been there, they would never have made it up the stairs.
He could see himself falling for her all over again. Their sexual chemistry was undeniable. And after their heated encounter, he was headed straight back into the maelstrom of passionate intensity that had characterized their relationship.
Her sudden retreat had been the slap he needed. After all, nothing had changed. He couldn’t handle their relationship before, why would he be able to handle it now? Especially when the risk to her life was as great as the risk Christine had faced. And look how that had turned out.
So why had he been so quick to deny it had been a mistake?
“I’m sorry about the barbeque,” Kickstand said in a low voice only James could hear. “I was waiting outside the restroom for Lana when Rex came out of his office and told me to grab a couple of beers while he went to get Portia. When I came back, I couldn’t find Lana and he told me to stand guard at his door.”
“Just make sure she gets home safe tonight.”
He gave Lana a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. “Nothing has changed,” he whispered in her ear. “I don’t want to see you at the clubhouse or anywhere near Rex. I can’t maintain my cover if I have to look out for you. Going to Oktoberfest was flat out dangerous. If Ryder hadn’t been there, Rex wouldn’t have left you alone.”
She tightened her jaw and pulled on her helmet. Her eyes darkened, hardened, and he caught a flicker of pain. Something he’d said? Or hadn’t said?
“Don’t worry,” she said softly. “You won’t see me again.”
Not what he wanted to hear, in more ways than one.
Chapter Thirteen
“Don’t panic.”
Lana yanked an armload of I Heart Thrash T-shirts from her drawer and dumped them into her suitcase on the bed beside her worried best friend.
“I’m not panicked.” Lana opened another drawer and tossed random socks onto the bed. “I’m leaving. I have to get out of town. Fast.”