Free Barely Undercover by Sarah Castille Page B

would be relieved if you don’t go. I can deal with the fallout and Rex.”
    Lost in the past, she barely registered his words, and when she tried to answer, her throat tightened and she couldn’t speak, much less meet his gaze.
    “You’re afraid.” His calm, even voice held no trace of judgment or scorn, just puzzled curiosity.
    He brought her hand to his face and pressed his mouth to the sensitive underside of her wrist. Warmth flowed through her veins, beating back the chill of old memories. He’d never seen her afraid because she’d never been afraid around him. James had always made her feel safe. But she’d been too ashamed to tell him about her past when they’d been together. She was too ashamed now.
    “You don’t have to worry, babe.” He threaded his fingers through hers and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “If this is what you really want to do, I won’t leave you alone. Not for a minute. You’ll be safe with me.”
    Safe. Lana swallowed past the lump in her throat. She hadn’t felt truly safe since the night he’d left. But, of course, he would feel obligated to keep her safe. His unerring sense of duty had been one of the things that had attracted her to him. Like her, he wanted to put things right. But, unlike her, James had a clear path to follow. She’d always envied James the strength and purpose he got from the simple act of doing his duty. So unlike Levi and his flagrant disrespect for the law.
    “One visit will be enough to face down the problem,” he said. “No one will touch you after that.”
    Face down the problem. Just like Jackie had said. Walking into a motorcycle club after all these years would take her one step closer to dealing with her past. She could get her pictures, close the case, get rid of the tattoo that marked her as Wolverine property using the most expensive and effective technique available, and never see James or the bikers again. She just needed a little courage.
    “I do want to go,” she said. “But yeah, I’m afraid. Hades doesn’t have a reputation for being all warm and fuzzy.”
    “Trust me.” The confidence and conviction in his voice wrapped around her like a warm, thick blanket. She studied the firm set of his jaw and his steady blue eyes, dark now like an ocean storm. Something sparked inside her. Maybe hope. Maybe desire. Maybe both. At this point, she had more to gain than to lose by trusting him. He couldn’t hurt her any worse than he already had.
    “I don’t trust you.” Her voice shook despite her best efforts to keep it steady. “But I do think you’ll keep me safe and that’s enough for me to deal with…get through the door. You are a cop, after all. Protecting people is your job.”
    “Let’s get you changed then.” His gruff voice betrayed strong emotion, but whatever he was feeling he kept hidden.
    With a resigned sigh, Lana made her way to the bedroom. James followed behind her and settled himself on the bed.
    She lifted an eyebrow. “You planning to have a nap?”
    James winked and lay back on her pillows. “Thought I’d watch.”
    Playful again. How could he so blithely bounce on her bed after she’d just rejected his kiss and told him she didn’t trust him? What happened to Mr. Sullen and Serious? How could he turn it on and off so quickly?
    “You’re suddenly in a cheery mood,” she grumbled.
    “You’re going to be taking off your clothes. Nothing cheers a man up more than a naked woman.” He crossed his arms behind his head and his T-shirt rose to expose the ripples of his six-pack covered in the faintest shadow of soft, dusky hair. She followed the trail to his belt and then tore her eyes away.
    Don’t go there.
    An image crept into her mind. James, naked, stretched out just like that on her bed, watching her strip to Danzig’s “She Rides”, his eyes burning into her until she thought she might combust. When she had finished her routine, she crawled over his body intending to settle herself exactly