“Tracker?”
I grin. “I can’t seem to say no to him. It’s something I obviously need to work on.”
Anna smirks. “You sleep with him yet?”
I shake my head. “Not yet.”
“Good plan. Make him work for it,” Anna says, wiggling her toes. “He’s too charming for his own good sometimes.”
“He invited me here on Saturday,” I tell her. “What do I wear?”
Anna smirks. “Most of the women wear as close to nothing as they can get. But just wear whatever you’re comfortable in. I usually wear tight jeans and a top. You can wear a dress if you want. Anything goes.”
“I’ll bet.”
“For the record, the two of you look cute together,” she continues. “I love him, but if he hurts you, I’m gonna cut off his dick and choke him with it.”
My eyes widen at her description. “No need, Anna. I’m going into this knowing that I’m probably going to get hurt in the end. You don’t need to ruin your friendships over it.”
She makes a noise of frustration.
“Besides, if you cut if off, two heads will probably grow back.”
She laughs, holding her stomach. “You’re probably right. Has Allie been giving you any shit?”
“Not really. A few comments here and there. She’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Hmmm. Don’t underestimate her, Lana. Not everyone is as nice as you.”
“Noted,” I tell my best friend. “Can you tell me something though? What’s the deal with her and Tracker? I can’t pretend it doesn’t bother me; I mean, they were together for ages.” I didn’t want to bring it up, but I need to know.
“ ‘Together’ is a stretch,” Anna says. “They hooked up a lot, but they never went on dates or out anywhere really. I don’t know what Tracker wanted from her, but she took it pretty seriously. Anyway, they haven’t hooked up in months, if not longer. Not since he started getting hooked on you.” She smiles knowingly at me. I change the subject, satisfied with her answer.
“So how long until your house is ready?”
Anna and Arrow were building their own house to live in.
“Six months to go,” she says, smiling. “It’s gorgeous. There’s plenty of room for you if you ever want to stay with me.”
“I’m sure Arrow will love that.”
“He’s a little stingy with me, isn’t he?” She sighs, glancing up at me. “But too bad, because you’re always welcome wherever I am. I know it’s selfish of me, but I really do hope you and Tracker work out. Then you’re going to be stuck with me and the MC forever.”
I grin. “You’re stuck with me anyway, whether I’m with him or not.”
“I know,” she says quickly. “But you wouldn’t be going to the Saturday night party, for example.”
“That’s true.”
“Everyone here loves you, you know that?” she adds. “Everyone has a soft spot for you. I know you aren’t exactly a crazy, wild biker bitch, but you still fit in here. . . . Do you know what I mean? You don’t have to change to be with Tracker, or fit in with the MC, because everyone loves you how you are. You’re gentle and sweet, yet with the backbone of a warrior princess.”
I smile widely at her description of me. “I think you’re a little biased.”
“Probably,” she replies, eyes sparkling. “But Tracker obviously sees it too. And Rake adores you.”
“I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself,” I say, wincing. “Tracker will get bored and move on eventually.”
“I think you’re wrong,” Anna states simply. “I know Tracker, and when he looks at you there’s something there I recognize, because Arrow looks at me the same way. He can’t hide it.”
“Weren’t you just saying you didn’t want to see me get hurt?”
She shrugs her slender shoulder. “He’s a man.”
And men always fuck up. Wasn’t that the cold, hard truth?
I scrub my hand down my face. “I tried to stay away from him. I tried.”
I could have tried harder though—but deep down inside I didn’t want to.
I’m so out of my element.
“Just see how it goes,” Anna says gently. “Find out what you both want. Make sure you’re happy. You deserve it. And we all know you’ve had a thing for Tracker since you first laid eyes on him.”
Like I need that reminder.
I hear a rumble of motorcycles.
“Looks like our men are back,” she says, standing up.
I do the same.
I haven’t seen Tracker since we spent the whole day together the day before. We’d had lunch, gone for an hour ride, then changed into bathing suits and swam at the beach. After that we’d dried in the sun, lying in the sand, before riding back home.
Anna and I walk out front to where the men are parking their bikes. When I see Allie sliding off the back of Tracker’s bike, my chest tightens. I look to Anna, whose lips are pursed. Yeah, she notices it too. I don’t get him. He had made me think it was a really big deal to ride on the back of someone’s bike. Why would he let her ride with him? He’s been trying to prove to me over and over that she’s nothing to him, that their relationship is in the past, and he’s never going back to her. But when I see them like this, what else am I meant to think? I feel betrayed. Stupid, even.