I gasp, my face heating. “You so cannot!”
“Can too.”
“Not.”
The food arrives, interrupting our immature discussion.
“Any luck finding a place?” Anna asks after a few bites.
I nod. “Saw two listings I like. I’m going to see them this week.”
“You know Tracker wants you to move into the clubhouse,” Anna says, looking amused. “You should. I’m there; it’ll be fun.”
“I don’t know. Isn’t it a little too soon to be moving in with him? And you’ll be moving out soon anyway!”
“There aren’t any right or wrong rules, Lana,” she says. “Just do whatever feels right. Fuck what people think. Besides, you’re pretty much there every day anyway.”
All valid points.
“Still. There’s so many people coming in and out of there. There’s no privacy unless you stay in your room.”
“That’s true,” she admits. “But it’s fun too. There’s always something going on.”
“How do you get any work done?” Anna is completing her master’s program while working at the zoo.
“If I go in my room I’m left alone,” she says, chewing and swallowing thoughtfully. “That’s private space, you know? No one will just come in. They knock and wait.”
I know that. Okay, I can’t think of any other excuses.
“If you’re not ready to live with him, that’s a different story. I know you like your own space. There are some cute apartments near the school.”
“Remember I said I had to tell you something?”
She nods, giving me her full attention.
“Have you ever heard of Zada Ryan?” I ask, feeling nervous.
“That romance author Faye talks about?” she asks, eyes flaring. “Yeah, apparently she writes good sex. Why?”
I widen my eyes at her, then smile sheepishly, waiting for her to get it.
“Get the fuck out of here!” she yells when she has the lightbulb moment. “You . . . What . . . Holy shit, Lana!”
She asks questions, and I answer everything, telling her how it came about from the very start.
EIGHTEEN
I CAN’T believe my father actually has the balls to come back to the clubhouse. I overhear him talking to Sin.
“Jim wouldn’t have allowed any of his men to lay a finger on me,” I hear him say.
“Jim’s not here,” Sin replies dryly. “But I am. From what Tracker told me, he was standing up for his old lady.”
“So he sent Rake to beat the shit out of me?” he growls.
Rake’s the one who did it?
“Lana didn’t want you hurt. Trust me. Tracker wanted to come himself but kept his word to her to not lay a finger on you.”
“So he got someone else to,” my dad says in a dry tone.
“Yeah,” Sin says, sounding amused. “Pretty genius.”
“I want to see her,” he says in a low tone. “I haven’t seen my daughter in years, of course I didn’t recognize her when I saw her.”
“Speak with Tracker,” Sin says. “His old lady, his rules on how to deal with this.”
“She’s my daughter—”
“Doesn’t look that way,” Sin snaps, then sighs. “We consider you a friend of the club. Jim respected you, I know this. Talk with Tracker and we can go from there, all right? Just know my brothers will always come before someone who is just a friend of the club. You aren’t the club. So remember that before you try and piss off Tracker with any bullshit. One word from him and we will cut all ties.”
I hear him leave and only then do I walk out into the game room, where Sin is sitting alone, a glass of Scotch in his hands. He lifts his gaze to me as I walk in.
“Sorry about all the drama,” I tell the Wind Dragons president. “You must hate me.”
He chuckles. “Sweetie, you wouldn’t be an old lady if you didn’t cause any trouble. All of them do.”
I allow myself a small smile. “But still. I guess I’ll talk to him and sort this mess out.”
His eyes cut to me. “After you talk to Tracker, right?”
I nod. “Right.”
“Good girl,” he comments. “You’re good for him. He’s usually restless. Never seen him this grounded before and I’ve known him for years.”
“He was pretty angry,” I say, shifting my weight on my feet. “I should have hidden my reaction and told him everything afterward. Maybe it would have gone better.”
Sin chuckles. “Lana you should have told him about this before. Why the fuck didn’t you? If you don’t mind me asking,” he adds quickly.
“Ummmm. I tend to suffer in silence and keep everything to myself. My problems, my issues. I don’t know. I’ve always been like this,” I try and explain.
“You need to open up to Tracker or you’re gonna drive the man insane.”
“I’m working on it,” I say, smiling. “I’m going to head to class.”
“Tracker said Blade has to take you,” Sin says, sipping on his drink. “He’s out front.”
“I know,” I say, turning and rolling my eyes.
“Oh, and Lana?” he calls. I stop and turn around.
“Yes?”
He cringes. “Clover made me promise to say . . . Hello, Lana Bear.”