Chapter Fourteen
The ride was torture.
Without the benefit of rear grab handlebars, Lana was forced to hold on to James for the entire trip. Already hot from his heated response to her leathers and the press of his muscled back against her breasts, the throaty rumble of the motor between her legs was almost as good as her rabbit vibrator, and far more arousing. By the time he reached the abandoned Surrey airstrip, she was almost ready to beg him to take her. Preferably over his mouthwatering bike.
The V-Rod Muscle was an exquisite piece of engineering. Built to Harley standards, but designed for speed, the V-Rod quickly changed her mind about its ability to keep up in a race against lighter, faster bikes when it roared down the Fraser Highway, leaving Kickstand to eat its dust.
Sex throbbing, pulse pounding, she slid off the motorbike after they pulled to a stop at the far edge of field and considered finding somewhere private she could relieve the ache between her thighs. She was so close to orgasm all it would take was the lightest of touches…
“Don’t even think about it,” James said softly, coming up behind her.
Lana whipped around, eyes wide, cheeks aflame. “What are you talking about?”
His eyes darkened. “I know that flush on your cheeks, babe. And I know what it means when your eyes turn that particular shade of green. I’ll take care of you when I’m done tonight. He slid his hand between her thighs, cupping the curve of her sex, his touch at once possessive and arousing.
Shocked, aching, confused, her voice caught in her throat, “James…”
“You want me to stop?” he murmured, his hand still gently stroking over her leathers.
Desire raged through her like a tidal wave, sending her body from hot to raging inferno in a heartbeat. Where was her resolve? He was supposed to be out of her system. A distant memory. But the minute he’d walked into her apartment, she couldn’t deny the sexual chemistry between them. She suspected he’d intended to end whatever was between them, but something changed his mind, and part of her—the stupid part—was glad he’d had a change of heart.
“No,” she breathed, “but…I thought we decided not to do this anymore.”
“If you want me to take you home after the race and walk away, I will.” He pressed the heel of his palm over her throbbing clit. “But I won’t pretend it’ll be easy.”
“How about we go home now? Or over there in the trees?” she said, her voice thick with desire. “Actually, I’m almost at the point where I don’t care if anyone sees us. How about here, now, over your bike?”
He pressed harder, his palm tracing a slow, agonizing circle around her clit. Her body tightened. Her sex squeezed. She gripped his shoulders and teetered on the edge of climax.
Then he walked away.
A thin whine escaped her and James grinned over his shoulder as he headed across the field to the dimly lit racetrack.
“Bastard,” she shouted, dipping her head so he couldn’t see her smile.
James spun around to face her and winked. “You have no idea.”
Half an hour later four motorcycles lined up on the tarmac behind a chalky white starting line. Cars dotted the runway, their lights illuminating the worn pavement of the rough oval the bikers had created for the race. Hay bales were stacked in the corners and stolen traffic cones marked the edges of the track.
The summer air was fresh and warm, and the bonfires from the kindling-filled barrels in the spectator’s area scented the air with the faint fragrance of cedar. Save for the orange glow of the city far in the distance, there were no lights visible from the field. No highways. No cars. No houses. No towers. They were in their own dark, dangerous world lit by fire and moonlight and the warm yellow glow of headlights.
The Hades crew had come prepared to party. Pickup trucks filled with beer kegs and snacks dotted the field. Bikers and their old ladies greeted Lana with warm welcomes and plastic cups filled with warm beer. While James prepped his motorcycle, Lana chatted with the people she knew and made a few new friends. Although a part of her was still wary about being around the bikers, she didn’t feel like she was acting a part. Here, tonight, she was Ice’s old lady and the knowledge warmed her from head to toe.
Of course he had put a watch on her. She was acutely aware of Ryder shadowing her every move. Kickstand had intervened when a drunken Diesel had fingered her curls. Spook and Slider flitted in and out of the crowd, appearing instantly at her side if anyone so much as brushed against her shoulder. She felt perversely safe.
Except from Rex.
Although she had only caught a glimpse or two of his blond ponytail and broad shoulders over the course of the evening, she felt his eyes on her everywhere she went. Had he recognized the tattoo? Jackie had put enough doubt in her mind to keep her from running, but she couldn’t afford to totally drop her guard.
She patted her pocket, checking to make sure her new minicam hadn’t fallen out during the ride. Jackie, a self-taught electronics expert, was still trying to retrieve the pictures of Rex and Portia from her lipstick camera. If Jackie hadn’t pointed out the race was yet another opportunity to get the pictures she needed for Angel, Lana would never have come. Not even for the chance to dress up in leather. But now that she was here, she was glad she had listened.
Lana joined a group thronged around Bones’s pickup truck. Always the life of the party, Jackie was at the center of the crowd, laughing it up with Diesel and Tally. Ryder leaned against the tailgate, arms crossed, watching her, his eyes glittering with amusement. Every so often Jackie would glance in his direction and give him a shy smile.
Lana’s heart gave a hopeful squeeze. Maybe it wasn’t a one-night stand after all. Maybe Jackie had finally found the one she had always talked about finding.
Bones called the next heat, and Lana and Jackie ran over to the track to watch James race against Rex, Dawg and Punch. As they eased their motorcycles to the starting line, Jackie sighed.
“I’m not so keen on this lineup. I mean, Ice looks hot. But the others…meh. Maybe you should just tell me who wins and I’ll go get another beer.”
Lana laughed. “The race will be between Rex and Ice. Dawg and Punch are riding stock crotch rockets with a lot of fairing but no real staying power. Dawg’s Honda VFR is good for speed but not against James’s modded V-Rod or Rex’s brand-new Kawasaki Ninja. Punch’s weight will slow him down on that Ducati.”
Jackie shook her head. “You sure can talk the talk. All these years you’ve been holding out on me. Don’t tell me you can ride too, because I used to have a motorcycle, and the idea of the two of us blazing through the mountains in our leathers makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.”
She gave Jackie a half smile. “I can ride.”
“Damn girl,” Jackie shrieked and threw her arms around Lana. “We better get in some new cases. We’ve got some motorcycles to buy.”
“Maybe you’ll have a guy to ride with.” Lana grinned and nodded toward Ryder standing not more than twenty feet away and engaged in a heated conversation with Bones.
Jackie blushed and looked away. “Maybe you will too.”
Biting her lip to repress a smile, Lana ran onto the track. She handed James the green panties he had caught in her room. “For luck,” she whispered. James tucked them into his jacket, and then he pulled her against him for a long, deep kiss. The crowd cheered and Lana’s cheeks heated, but for the first time she didn’t mind the bikers’ attention. She was Ice’s old lady and she’d done what old ladies do.
After Lana returned to the safety of the field, Portia, clad head to toe in red leather, waved the checkered flag and the race began. Rex had the inner curve. Good for psychology but sometimes bad on the knees, depending on how far he was willing to angle. James matched his speed and after one lap they’d left Dawg and Punch behind.
Ryder joined Lana and Jackie as the racers started the second lap. “Four laps to go. Winner of this heat advances to the quarterfinals. Been a long time since anyone chal
lenged Rex. He buys a new bike for each race, but Ice’s V-Rod is heavily modded. It’ll be close.”
Lana gave him a sideways glance. “Did he ask you to watch over me?”
Ryder laughed. “No, darlin’. He didn’t have to ask.”
They watched the racers round the oval a third time. Dawg and Punch were now almost a full lap behind Rex and James. The roar of motors drowned out the excited murmur of the crowd. Lana’s pulse raced and her mouth went dry. And to think she had almost missed this.
“I’m surprised there aren’t any dirty tricks,” Jackie said.
“We don’t mess around on the bikes. We run our races with gentleman’s rules.” Ryder absently tucked Jackie’s hair behind her ear and rested his hand on her shoulder. Jackie shot Lana a curious glance and her lips curled into a smile.
Lana caught a flash of red near the track and spotted Portia, looking furtively from side to side. Portia’s arm jerked up, and the beam from one of the vehicle headlights illuminated a cluster of sparkly objects flying through the air. They hit the ground in James’s lane just as Rex and James rounded the corner for the last lap.
“Stop!” Lana bolted across the field but even as her feet pounded across the grass, she knew she was too late.
James’s front tire hit the objects and blew with a loud bang. The motorcycle somersaulted, throwing James over the handlebars and into a stack of hay bales at the corner, and then slid to a stop at the side of the racetrack. Dawg and Punch pulled their motorcycles to the side and ran over to help him.
Heart thudding in her chest, Lana reached the hay bales just as they tugged the helmet off a motionless James.
Lana’s heart skipped a beat. Nononononono.
“Ja…Ice.” She corrected herself quickly as she ran her hands down his body. “Talk to me.”
“Roxie,” he moaned. His hand waved through the air and she grabbed it and held it to her chest.
“I’m here.”
“I need…”
A crowd had gathered around them, and Ryder and Kickstand struggled to hold the concerned onlookers back.
“What? What do you need?” Her throat tightened. Where would they get an ambulance out here? If he was seriously injured, how would they transport him in a pickup truck? Did anyone know first aid?
“I need you to lie on top of me and give me a kiss.” He pulled her over his chest, cupped her face between his hands and kissed her. Hard.
The crowd cheered. Lana pushed herself up, straddling his hips and glared.
“Jerk.” Her hand sailed toward his cheek, but he caught it easily and pressed it to his lips.
“I thought you were seriously injured,” she shouted, as her adrenaline found an outlet. “You scared me half to death.”
James grinned. “I am seriously injured and there’s only one cure.”
Another attempt at a slap.
Another catch and kiss.
Lewd comments and catcalls echoed around them. Ryder and Kickstand dispersed the crowd. Rex joined them and helped James to his feet.
“What happened?”
“What happened?” Lana jumped up and rounded on Rex. “Portia threw something on the track. I saw her do it.” She let loose a string of swear words in biker slang that would have sent her mama to her grave if she hadn’t already died twenty years ago.
A hand clamped over her mouth and Jackie whispered in her ear, “If you are concerned he might have seen the tat, letting him know you can talk the talk might just jog his memory in the wrong direction.”
Jackie dragged Lana backward and away from the shocked bikers. “I’m just gonna take Roxie and wash her mouth out with soap.”
“How long were you with Levi?” Jackie asked when they were out of earshot. “You know more biker cuss words than most of the bikers here.”
“Four years.” She trembled as adrenaline continued to surge through her body.
“It took you four years to escape?” Jackie’s voice rose in disbelief.
Lana shook her head. “It took me three years to escape. The first year wasn’t so bad. Levi was the leader of a small motorcycle club in Kelowna. I was sixteen and had dropped out of school. He was charming and exciting, although very insecure about me. He had big dreams. He convinced me to go with him to Seattle so he could pledge himself to a US motorcycle club. They used me to test him, and he did nothing to protect me. I realized then he’d never really loved me. And then they wouldn’t let me go…”
She choked on her last words and Jackie wrapped her arms around Lana. “I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to bring it all up.”
“What’s going on?”
Lana startled at the sound of James’s voice directly behind her. She spun around and grimaced when she saw Rex beside him. Had they overheard?
“You need to come with us, babe. We’re going to church.”
“Church?” Jackie gave him a quizzical look. “You’re going to church? Now?”
“Full-patch meeting,” James said. “It’s a cross between a courtroom, where Rex is law, and a board meeting where everyone gets a vote. Prospects, mamas, old ladies and guests aren’t invited.”
Rex studied Lana for a long moment. “But you are. I’m sure you know why.” His cold, calculating smile sent a shiver down her spine.
Had she given herself away?
Rex held court beside the starting line and banished the nonpatch members to the far end of the racetrack. James gritted his teeth as Lana repeated her allegations. He knew damn well she wouldn’t have accused Portia if she hadn’t been 100 percent sure. But if Portia swayed the vote, Lana would have to pay the penalty for falsely accusing her. He couldn’t let that happen.
After Lana finished talking, she answered questions from the group. How far away was she when she saw the objects? Did she see Portia throw them? Did she have any reason to be angry with Portia? Could she have made a mistake?
In answer to the last question, Lana pointed to the tack-studded tire and a handful of tacks she had picked up off the track on the way to the meeting. Hard evidence.
Lana’s forthright answers and her willingness to admit to the occasional uncertainty garnered her many nods and smiles. Still, sweat trickled down James’s back despite the cool breeze, and his heart thumped in nervous anticipation of what Portia might say.
“Don’t worry.” Ryder came up beside James and clapped him on the back. “No one’s gonna back Portia over Lana. They know what Portia’s like. They know the truth.”
In the end, Ryder was right and Portia was banished from the club.
“You should be thanking me instead of condemning me,” Portia spat after Rex told her to leave. “I was helping you win the race. I was showing you how much I care. You didn’t have a chance against Ice.”
Wrong thing to say. Rex’s face turned multishades of purple.
“Get her out of here,” he bellowed.
Portia spun around, turning the full force of her fury on Lana. “You fucking bitch. You were angling to be mama from day one. Well, it isn’t all it’s cut out to be. You’re going to pay for this. You’re going to be damn sorry you messed with me.” She stalked over to Lana, hauled her elbow back and threw a punch at Lana’s jaw.
James was running before his conscious mind had even processed he’d moved, but by the time he reached them, Portia was on the grass with a furious Lana twisting her arm behind her.
“Never. Touch. Me. Again,” she growled.
James gently pulled her away and Ryder escorted Portia to her motorcycle. The crowd booed, disappointed they’d been denied what had promised to be an exciting fight.
“You okay?” James slid an arm around Lana’s waist and pulled her into his chest. More for his sake than hers. He was still riding high on the adrenaline rush from the accident and the overwhelming fear that she could have been hurt. He wanted nothing more than to take her away and hide out with her until he could be certain the world was safe again.
Damn protective instinct. He was in too
deep and drowning fast.
Lana gave a noncommittal shrug. “Sure. I took a self-defense course and I’ve dealt with worse…in the bars with Jackie.”
James frowned. Her slight hesitation suggested she’d encountered worse somewhere else. Yet another secret he would have to tease out of her. Why had none of these things come out during the six months they were together?
James nodded to the crowd heading back to the racetrack for the quarterfinal heats. “You won yourself some fans.”
“I was a bit worried at first. I felt like I was Alice in Wonderland and any minute Rex was going to yell ‘off with her head’.”
He cupped her head and brushed a kiss over her hair. “I might have had something to say about that.”
Lana looked over at the V-Rod and sighed. “I guess we’ll have to catch a ride with one of the drivers. Your V-Rod doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere.”
“Unbelievably, it’s just cosmetic damage to the fairing, and Diesel has my spare tire in his truck. We might not look pretty going home, but we’ll make it there.”
No damn way was he waiting for a ride. His body burned with the need to hold her. He wanted to check every inch of her skin for bumps and bruises, assure himself she was okay. But more than that, he needed to be inside her to soothe the ache in his soul.
Mine.
While James and Kickstand fixed the tire and ran an engine check, Lana ran to find Jackie and make sure she had a ride home. No problem there. She had bikers falling all over themselves begging for the honor, Kickstand salivating at her feet and Ryder watching from the shadows.
Lana wove her way back through the crowd and into the parking area. A shadow crossed her path and she startled when someone caught her by the elbow.
“Hey, let go.” She tried to pull away and looked up, only to see Rex’s grim face.
“Wildcat. Been waiting a long time to get you alone.” He tightened his grip, spun her around and pushed her up against a pickup truck, caging her with his body. For a long moment he just stared at her, gnawing on his bottom lip as if trying to make a decision.
Barely Undercover: Legal Heat, Book 2 Page 14
