“Yeah, sounds good,” Faye says, looking at Bailey. “Don’t let anyone scare Shay off, will you?” She pauses. “And maybe protect Lana from her.”
“Very funny,” I say, grinning. “I might have a few questions, but that’s all. Such as where she got her inspiration for Colt.”
Tracker walks into the kitchen and Faye points at him. “Right here, Shay. Right here.”
“Right here what?” he asks, taking Faye’s place.
“She’s asking about Lana’s inspiration for Colt Smith.”
Tracker snaps his head to me and flashes me a slow-spreading smile. He kind of reminds me of the guy from Tangled with his smolder right now. He even flexes his biceps. “In the flesh.”
I roll my eyes and say, “That’s not something Colt would say.”
Faye laughs and pulls Rake’s arm. “You tell him, Shay. Colt’s ego isn’t as big as Tracker’s.”
“Colt is the improved Tracker,” Anna adds, touching his man bun. “Although you do have some great hair.”
“Traitor,” Tracker mumbles, grabbing some pizza and taking a huge bite. “So, Shay, why don’t you tell us all something about you? Favorite sexual position?”
Bailey almost chokes on her pizza.
Anna slaps his shoulder. “You can’t just ask people that, Tracker! Not everyone lives with Lana and discusses shit like this in casual conversation. Don’t listen to him. Yesterday she started asking me about how many times Arrow usually makes me come in one night, while we were at the grocery store. An old man pretended to look at grapes for five minutes just to listen.”
Tracker smiles, eyes gentling. “She’s something, isn’t she?”
No wonder Lana writes amazing, sexy love stories. She has a man like Tracker, who obviously loves her and is proud of her.
“She is,” Anna agrees, then laughs. “Speak of the devil. . . .”
A pretty, dark-haired girl with glasses walks in, dressed in jeans and a plain black T-shirt. “Sorry I’m late. What’s the big drama that’s happening? I’m supposed to be finishing this book but I didn’t want to miss out.”
I raise my hand and say, “I guess I’m the big drama.”
I can’t take my eyes off her. This woman’s mind is so creative, so twisted, I’d love nothing more than to get inside it. How does she come up with all the plotlines? She’s crazy talented and I really want to hug her right now, but I don’t want to freak her out.
“Hello,” Lana says to me, smiling.
To me!
Zada Ryan said hello to me.
“H-hi,” I say, waving ungracefully. I’m not usually this awkward, but how does one act around someone she feels like she knows through her books, but doesn’t actually know at all? I know her mind, her thoughts, because she’s shared them with me.
“This is Shay,” Tracker says, watching me with amusement playing all over his face. “Vinnie’s woman.”
“Vinnie has a woman?” she asks, eyes going wide. “I’m so glad I came! Someone needs to tell me everything, pronto.”
She puts her bag down on the table and looks at me. “How did you meet Vinnie?”
“She’s the marker,” Tracker says, pulling Lana onto his lap. “Vinnie went to pay back Talon’s marker and he comes back with Talon’s cousin. And Talon doesn’t know yet.”
“Holy shit,” Lana murmurs, looking at Anna. “Who’s going to talk to Talon? And what is he going to do? Does he know she and Vinnie have anything to do with each other? Didn’t Vinnie just get there the other day?” She looks back at me. “So many questions.”
And all I wanted to do was pick her brain about the ending in Colt’s book.
Anna lifts her hands up in surrender. “Vinnie said he’s going to handle it, and he should. I don’t know the answers to most of those questions, but it seems that Shay is safer here, and for some reason she couldn’t stay at the Wild Men MC.” She looks at me and squints. “Is that right so far?”
I nod.
“And now Faye’s gone to get groceries with Rake, because this whole drama has now turned into a reason to have a barbecue,” Bailey adds, smirking. “I fucking love this place.”
Vinnie walks into the crowded kitchen, searching the room until his gaze lands on me. He’s changed into a pair of track pants and a white T-shirt, his hair damp from a shower. “Have you decided that you’d rather take your chances with the bad guys yet?”