Lana was a mess in the kitchen, so Love had spent many a night cooking for her. “You’re so greedy.”
“Hey, there is no shame in my game.”
The two shared another laugh. Lana could eat anyone under the table, but looking at her, one would never know that. She was a natural beauty, with perfect skin the color of rich toffee. Her cousin was slender and toned at five feet nine inches tall. For a long time, Love had envied Lana’s long legs, silky hair and confident stride. It had taken years for her to feel comfortable in her own petite frame, especially when around her gorgeous cousin. For all intents and purposes, Lana was the only girlfriend she had. It was a bonus that she was also a close relation.
“I saw Drake zoom past me,” Lana said. “He barely said two words to me.”
Love froze. “Oh? He’s probably going to see El.” She pulled a bag of veggies from her roomy purse, closed her locker, and plopped down next to Lana.
“El, huh?”
Love didn’t miss the interest in her voice. For years, she’d hoped that El and Lana would connect as more than friends. Unfortunately, El hadn’t been interested in dating since he’d broken up with his ex-girlfriend Avery. Poor Lana had been crushing on him for quite some time.
They sat in silence for a moment, before Lana stood. She opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. “I’m hungry. I’m gonna head to the cafeteria. Care to join?” She took a long gulp of water.
“I’m married,” Love blurted.
Water sprayed out of Lana’s mouth onto the floor and the wall. “Damn,” she exclaimed, grabbing a napkin and wiping her face. Then she placed a hand on her hips. “What did you just say?”
Love hurried to wipe up the spilled water before meeting her gaze. “You heard me.”
Lana wrapped an arm around Love’s shoulder and guided her over to a couch on the other side of the room. They both sat. “I heard you, but I don’t understand. The Love I know went to Vegas single, and now you’re standing in front of me telling me that you’re married. Who did you marry?”
Love swallowed, hugging herself. “You have to promise not to tell anybody.”
Lana shrugged. “Who am I going to tell?”
“Promise me.”
“I won’t say anything.”
Love tucked her feet under her bottom and relaxed a bit. “After you called and told me about Mrs. Rodriguez, I was beside myself with grief.”
“I know. I had to convince you not to come back, remember?”
“Drake took me out to distract me.”
Lana bit her lip. “So, what’s different about that? Drake is always there to distract you.”
“I know, right? But this time we woke up the next morning in bed together.”
The blank look on Lana’s face told Love that her cousin still wasn’t following. “So what? I don’t know why, but you two have been known to share a bed. Often. I’ll never understand how that worked between you, but hey. To each her own. Not many women can sleep in bed with a man as fine as Drake and not be tempted to…explore. And vice versa.” Lana took another swig from her bottle of water.
Oh, boy.
Lana rambled on, obviously ignoring what had to be a sick look on Love’s face. Or maybe she just felt sick? “You’re a good catch, too,” her cousin continued. “Any man would want to be with you. You’re gorgeous.” She took another swig of her water.
“Naked.” Love jerked back when water sprayed on her face. “Damn, Lana. Can’t you control your spit reflex?”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry.” Lana grabbed a handful of tissues from the table and dabbed Love’s face. “You can’t spring something like that on me.”
Snatching the tissue away from her startled cousin, Love muttered a curse. “Anyway, long story short, I couldn’t remember what happened the night before. But there was evidence of sexual activity on the bed.”
Lana frowned. “Evidence? Why do you have to sound like an old episode of Law & Order? So mechanical. What kind of… Oh! And you don’t remember having sex with Drake?”
“Keep up, Lana. I didn’t remember when I woke up next to him naked. I remember now.”
“You had sex with Drake,” she whispered.
“Why are you whispering? There’s no one else in here. Yes, we had sex.”
“Was it good?”
Love gaped at her amused cousin. “Stay focused.”
“Okay. I’m focused. I’m putting on my doctor’s face. Detached and listening Lana here. Answer the question.”
Lana placed a hand over her mouth and let out a squeal of…delight? Then she cleared her throat and straightened in her seat. “Okay, you have my undivided attention.”