“Lana, honey. This is me.” Jackie slammed the suitcase closed, leaving Lana with an armload of jewel-colored thongs and nowhere to put them. “You can tell me anything. I won’t tell anyone and maybe I can help.”
Tears prickled the backs of Lana’s eyes. “I’ve been through this before. No one can help me.”
“What about James?”
“No.” Lana bit her lip, fighting back a wave of emotion. “This is all his fault. If he hadn’t…seduced me…” Cutting herself off, she tossed the panties on the floor and collapsed on the bed.
Jackie snorted a soft laugh and ran a soothing hand down her back. “I’m supposed to be the drama queen. It takes two for a seduction and, knowing your history together, I have a feeling you were a full and enthusiastic participant.”
Lana shrugged, keeping her face pressed into the cool silk comforter. “I may not have been as discouraging as I could have been,” she mumbled into the bed. “The minute I’m near him I lose the ability to think rationally. And when he touches me, that’s pretty much the end of the line for my self-control.”
Stretching out beside her, Jackie propped her head on her elbow. “If you had pushed him away, then I would have serious concerns about your mental health. That man is hot with a capital H-O-T. Not just hot. He’s hot for you.”
Lana drew in a ragged breath and rolled off the bed. What should she pack next? Jeans or hoodies? What would the thrash scene be like in a smaller city? Could she fit in, in her fug boots?
“I thought so too until he told me he’s not a saint. So unsaintly, in fact, we had to use a condom to protect me from the myriad diseases he may have picked up from the dozens, maybe even hundreds, of women he’s slept with since he left me.”
“So he’s safe.” Jackie shrugged. “You can’t hold it against him. And he’s a guy. He can have sex with no emotional attachment. Maybe he just needed to blow off some steam.”
“You’re defending him,” Lana grumbled. She flipped open the suitcase and retrieved her panties from the floor, tossing them one by one onto the bed. “I can’t believe you’re defending him. Over me. Your best friend. Well, you’ll be disappointed to know I realized right away our mind-blowing sexual encounter was a mistake and I told him as much. I can’t have sex with James without emotional attachment. I can’t even have coffee with James without emotional attachment. I almost had a breakdown in his bathroom after it was over.”
“You should have called me.”
Lana rolled her eyes. “That would have gone down well. Me, naked in the bathroom, having a relationship discussion with you while he stomps around outside, loses it and kicks in the door.”
Jackie gave her a wry smile. “The whole door-kicking thing is all kinds of hot.”
“You’re defending him again,” Lana snapped. “Not that it matters. I have no interest in getting hurt again and I have him out of my system now. I’ll be able to ride that orgasm for a couple of months at least.”
Jackie grinned. “I might have been jealous if I hadn’t had some damn good sex with Ryder last night. I think I might be too wild for him though.”
Lana squeezed the suitcase shut and fastened the latch. After heaving it to the floor, she joined Jackie on the bed, head propped on her elbow in a mirror image of Jackie’s posture.
“Ryder’s a biker, a full-patch member. He’s involved in all sorts of crazy, illegal, dangerous activities. How can you be too wild for him?”
“He’s not like other bikers, and I’ve known a few,” Jackie said, her smile fading at some remembered pain. Not for the first time, Lana wished Jackie would confide in her, share the trauma that threaded its way through every aspect of her life. She suspected Jackie’s fun-loving, irreverent nature hid something dark and serious. Something she couldn’t even face herself. Maybe her penchant for disguises was another way for her to hide.
“There’s something different about him,” Jackie said quietly. “He’s got heart.”
“Sounds awful.” Lana rolled her eyes. “Damn good sex, hot biker dude, and he has heart. Definitely don’t sleep with him again. Too bad you didn’t ask advice from your best friend.”
A frown creased Jackie’s brow. “Soon to be ex-best friend if you run away. Who will I thrash with? Who will I get thrown out of bars with? Who else would appreciate my disguise emporium? What about our business? Tell me what happened. You never know, I might be able to help.”