“Well, don’t,” Anna replies. “Come on, Lana. I’ll introduce you to everyone else.”
“Okay,” I murmur, following behind her.
I can’t help myself. I turn around to look back at him.
But he’s not looking at me.
He’s staring at the ground, lost in thought. He almost looks confused, his eyebrows drawn together, as though he doesn’t understand whatever is on his mind.
I wonder what he’s thinking about. I wonder if he’s thinking about me. Not that it matters. He isn’t available.
And I’m probably not his type anyway.
My thought is proven correct when a beautiful woman walks up to him.
His beautiful woman, I realize as she puts her hand against his chest with a seductive look on her face.
She’s everything I’m not. Tall, slim, and dressed in tight leather pants, a black top showing off her toned flesh, and shiny red high heels. She’s the epitome of a biker chick.
I look down at my worn jeans, graphic T-shirt, and flip-flops, and I keep walking. I may not be oozing sex appeal like that woman, but that’s just not me. Sometimes you have to know who you are and who you’re not.
ONE YEAR LATER
TRACKER
I SEE her.
As usual, she’s standing a little behind Anna, almost hiding. Fuck, she’s shy. It’s cute as hell. Women are usually forward with me, the same way I am with them. But Lana? Her gaze avoids mine as much as it can. I know she wants me. I know lust when I see it; but with her, there’s something more there. She wants more than a fuck. She deserves more. For the last year I’ve tried to stay away from her. I didn’t think I was good for her—oh, and I wasn’t really single, either.
I’m still not good for her.
But wanting her—that has stayed constant since the moment I met her.
She’s dressed in a blue top that hugs her petite frame and jeans that cup her juicy ass. That ass could bring a man to his knees. Feeling myself harden, I shift uncomfortably and force myself to remove my gaze from her. I scan the room, my gaze landing on Allie.
Fuck.
The situation between me and Allie is a huge clusterfuck. A whole fuckin’ mess that I went along with because it was easy. She was here; she wanted me. She knew the lifestyle. Easy.
Allie is the daughter of a fallen member of the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club. Because of this, we let her stay in our clubhouse, and we look after her. She’s hooked up with a few of the other members, I know, but when her claws landed on me, the bitch dug deep. She wanted to be my old lady, and I let her play the part for a while without giving her the official title. Looking back, I know I didn’t treat her how I would treat my old lady, how I would treat Lana if she was mine. The feelings just weren’t there—and they still aren’t. I was looking for something in Allie that I didn’t find, but I held on anyway. I led her on more than I meant to. Staying with her was me being a selfish fuck, because I should have let her go when our relationship first started going south. Which was right after it fuckin’ began. I have the feeling she knows it won’t work, but is hopeful anyway. Whatever it is, it’s a fucked up situation that needs to be over with.
Allie is jealous, mouthy and has a vindictive streak in her that people shouldn’t underestimate. She hates Lana with a passion and is jealous as hell of her. I mean, she’d been a bitch towards Faye and Anna as well, with her snide comments and general cattiness, but with Lana it’s different. Faye and Anna can put Allie in her place, but Lana is more quiet and unaware. I’ve seen the scheming looks Allie gives Lana, almost like she’s planning something. Maybe she sensed the connection I feel with Lana. I always tried to protect Lana from her, because I know Allie can be vicious. Whenever Lana was around, I gave Allie a little more attention, just to curb her jealousy. But by trying to save Lana from Allie, it pushed Lana away from me a little bit more each time. It had to be done, but now I want Allie and me to be completely done, and I want to close that distance with Lana.
Allie does have a sweet side, a vulnerable side, which she always tries to hide. It just wasn’t enough for me to overlook the bad. Overall she was a hard bitch who was born to be on the back of a bike, just not mine.
But Lana . . .
I wanted her while I was with Allie, even though I pretended that I didn’t. I tried to make sure she thought I only wanted her as a friend, but I’m not sure what message I really sent. Mixed fuckin’ signals for sure.
My head turns, my attention on her once more.
She’s beautiful. Sweet. Not a mean bone in her little body . . . and yet . . . she belongs on the back of my bike. The loyalty I’ve seen her show Anna when she and Arrow got together made me realize just how strong she is. She’s so much tougher than I’d initially thought.
This one is mine. I wanted her then. And I want her now.
There is no more fighting it: Pretending I don’t want her. Trying to ignore her. Giving her the impression we don’t have a chance in hell. All the games are coming to an end.
I’m going to soak all that sweetness up.
Consume her.
And no one is going to stand in my way—not even her.
She’s my end.
LANA
I CAN feel his gaze on me, but I pretend to ignore him. Instead, I concentrate on the beautiful little girl in front of me. Clover is the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club princess. Daughter of the President, Sin, and his kick-ass wife, Faye, Clover is protected by all and loved by many. With jet black hair, hazel eyes, and the cutest smile, the five year old is a force to be reckoned with.
And I’m her nanny.
Today is only the second time I’m watching her, but honestly, she is a treat. It’s extremely amusing to see how this little girl has all the rough men of the MC wrapped around her little finger. Hell, I can probably learn a thing or two from her. She’s currently sitting on Arrow’s knee, waiting impatiently as Arrow pulls a piece of strawberry candy from his pocket, unwraps it, and pops it into her mouth.
Did he carry around that candy for her?
The girl is good.
“Don’t tell your mother,” I hear Arrow tell her quietly, in that gravelly voice of his.
“I won’t,” Clover replies, grinning.
I shake my head at her, amused. Arrow is Anna’s man, and the club’s vice president. I happen to think that they’re great for each other. As long as Anna is happy, then so am I, and it’s clear that she’s over-the-moon about Arrow. Feisty and strong as she is, Anna is like a happy cat when he’s around, and he’s the same. He adores her and would kill anyone who tried to hurt her. I wish I had that.
Anna’s brother, Rake, is also a club member, which is how she met Arrow and I guess how I ended up here.
The men in the Wind Dragons MC are intimidating, but they’ve only ever been nice to me, albeit a little overbearing. I know that they love Anna, and as her best friend, they also look out for me. I like to think of myself as extended family.
Anna suggested to Faye that I would be a great nanny, and more importantly, that I could be trusted. She thinks I need the money, so when Faye asked me, I accepted. Really, I just couldn’t think of a reason to refuse. But then, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. Faye needed someone, and I liked her and wanted to help. It also gave me more time with Anna. Before I was Clover’s nanny, I usually only saw her once a week or so. So now I can see her more often, while getting paid to be here. Win-win.
And then there was Tracker. As much as I wanted to deny it, I was looking forward to seeing more of him, even if only from a distance.
Arrow stands, putting Clover down on the couch. “Gotta go, princess.”
Clover pouts. “So soon? Why?”
“Hey, I’m still here,” Tracker calls out, mock hurt in his tone.
Clover turns to Tracker. “I know, Uncle Tracker, but you don’t have candy.”
The two men both laugh, and I join in.
“I have to go and meet Anna,” he says, patting her on the head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”