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first man she’d believed would never hurt her.
    The first man to truly break her heart.

Chapter Four
    “Shhh.” James wiped a rogue tear away. “Crying won’t make for a convincing show.”
    “I’m not crying,” she snapped. “There was something in my eye.” Lana took a deep breath and locked all her emotions away in an imaginary closet—a survival trick she’d learned at the age of sixteen after her life had come crashing down around her. She sniffed and forced a smile. “Maybe I should cry. He might lose interest if my face is all puffy and my eyes are red.”
    James gently kissed away yet a second rogue tear. “Wouldn’t deter me.”
    “I don’t know why. You could have just left me to fend for myself. I managed to escape your clutches at Carpe Noctem the first time we met and you were pretty damn fierce.”
    He slid his arms around her waist and snorted a laugh. “You didn’t escape. I threw you out of the club.”
    “That was my escape plan.”
    “And all the swearing and threats were for effect?”
    Lana looked up at him through her eyelashes and her lips quivered with a repressed smile. “That was to get your attention. You didn’t seem to be the kind of man who would be attracted to a quiet, mild-mannered woman.”
    James cocked his head and gave her a quizzical look. “I was particularly harsh with you during that interrogation. Are you saying even after that…even after I confiscated your camera and kicked you out, you were trying to get my attention?”
    “Not ‘even’. Because. ” Her cheeks flamed and she looked away.
    James tightened his arms, drawing her close. “Do you know why I threw you out?” he murmured. “Because if I hadn’t…”
    A stick cracked behind them, cutting him off. “Show time,” he whispered. He cupped her face in his hands and tilted her face up. Lana closed her eyes. She imagined she was with the man who had made her trust again, the man she had thought was her future. She imagined she was Buttercup in The Princess Bride and she had just discovered Westley wasn’t dead after all.
    His lips found hers and he teased her mouth open, sweeping his tongue inside. Lana fisted his shirt and pulled him close, kissing him back with a fierce, unexpected hunger. James groaned into her mouth and he deepened the kiss, his tongue tangling with hers, stroking, searching, exploring. Breathless, she opened to him, wrapping her legs around his hips, pulling him closer.
    “Thought I might catch a cop out here,” Rex growled. “Maybe another one of Angel’s fucking investigators. I was damn sure we were being watched. Not often I’m wrong.”
    Lana jolted. In the back of her mind, she had known that Rex was coming and this show was for his benefit, but for a moment she had lost awareness of anything but James. She dropped her forehead to his shoulder to hide her puffy eyes, and his arm circled protectively around her.
    “Told the old lady it was time she met the brothers, but we got distracted, if you know what I mean.” James chuckled. Lana cringed. Although she knew it was a game, a part of her resented the harsh words and the cold, detached tone of his voice. At least he hadn’t punctuated his words with a pelvic thrust.
    Rex gave an annoyed grunt. Lana didn’t need to look up to know he was studying her. She could feel his eyes drilling into her head, willing her to meet his gaze. She leaned her forehead against James’s shoulder. She had seen enough of Rex last night, and until she got her photos, she would be forced to see more. James’s shirt held more appeal than staring into Rex’s soulless eyes.
    Rex exhaled and his voice turned cold. “Send her home. I’ve called a meeting of the inner circle. She can meet everyone at the barbeque on Saturday.”
    Lana’s head jerked up. “Barbeque?”
    James shoved her head back down to his shoulder. “She can’t make it. She’s going out of town.”
    Lana’s mind whirled. She couldn’t think of a better