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way to get the pictures she needed. Rex on his home turf, beer in hand, his newest squeeze under his arm, Lana’s camera snapping in the background. But she would have to go into the clubhouse. Her heart protested with a violent thud and her stomach clenched. No clubhouse. Not for her. But the pictures…Angel. Her mind spun in circles. What to do?
    As if sensing her indecision, James pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, “You are not going anywhere near the clubhouse. No fucking way. And that’s final.”
    The hair on the back of Lana’s neck stood on end. “Don’t tell me what to do,” she growled. “We need to discuss it. Do you know that word? Discuss? Ever thought about using it?”
    She looked up at Rex and forced her lips into a smile. “I might be able to change my plans. I’ll discuss it with Ice. I would love to meet everyone. I’ve heard so much about you all.”
    A sound erupted from James’s chest, a cross between a snarl and a choke, and the look he shot her was nothing short of…well, icy.
    “We’ve heard nothing about you.” Rex gave her a snake-oil salesman smile. “And I’d like to hear how you and Ice hooked up. You’re not his usual type.”
    Lana’s face fell. “What type is that?” The question came out before she could run it through her internal censor. As usual.
    Rex’s dark eyes glittered with all the warmth of an Antarctic summer. “You come to the barbeque. I’ll tell you all about Ice and you can tell me all about you.” He licked his lips and Lana shuddered. Why did she suddenly feel as if she was prey?
    “Wear something very short and very tight,” Rex added in a firm voice.
    “My old lady wears what I tell her to wear,” James said, his voice low and even. He turned to face Rex, his body in front of Lana like a shield. “She does what I tell her to do. She goes where I tell her to go. I thought we sorted this out last night.”
    James played the old man pretty good, Lana thought. She hoped it wasn’t because he’d had scores of old ladies. He was still breathtakingly gorgeous…and in those leathers… Her throat tightened at the thought of James with other women. If he did have a past littered with old ladies, she didn’t want to know.
    “If she’s your old lady—and I’m not convinced she is—she’s Hades.” The undertone of warning in Rex’s voice sent a shiver down Lana’s spine.
    “Last I checked,” he continued, “I was in charge of Hades.”
    James folded his arms and leaned against the vehicle, forcing Lana to part her legs around his hips as if he was about to give her a piggyback ride. Although his posture seemed casual, his position protected both Lana and his back.
    “I think we’re done here,” James said in a completely different voice, so deep and powerful it resonated down her spine.
    Undaunted, Rex’s lip curled and he stood his ground. “I believe Roxie and I were having a conversation. Seems to me she wants to come to the barbeque and you’re standin’ in her way.”
    “The conversation is over,” James snapped. “She’s going home and she’s gonna stay there. She won’t be showing up on Saturday, and she won’t be showing up at Hades. Ever.”
    Lana frowned and sucked in a sharp breath, drawing Rex’s attention. He studied her face and smirked. “She might have something to say about it. Look at her. She’s chomping at the bit to tear into you. I don’t think you have what it takes to deal with a fireball like her.”
    “You want me to prove myself, I will. Here and now.” James’s hands curled into fists and he took a step forward.
    Rex folded his arms. “Got better things to do than scratch your itch, Ice. Back down.”
    To Lana’s shock, James loosened his fists and leaned back against the vehicle. Rex gave him a curt nod, turned and walked away.
    “Saturday, Roxie.” Rex looked back over his shoulder and gave her a wink.
    For the longest time, she and James didn’t move, didn’t speak.
    “You