Chapter 6
Drake
I woke with a splitting headache and a sour stomach. Nothing unusual about that.
The girl snuggled up against my side, now that was a surprise. It took me a minute to realize that it was Lana and not some groupie. That was a relief…for about a second. Then I realized I was naked and Lana was only wearing my tee shirt.
I sat up in bed so fast my head and stomach protested at the same time. Lana protested beside me. “Drake, come back to bed,” she murmured, yawning.
“Lana, wake up!” I shook her shoulders.
She blinked her eyes and I was assaulted by those hypnotic whiskey eyes. “Okay, okay. I’m awake.” She pushed the hair out of her eyes. “What’s wrong? It’s Saturday and I want to sleep in.”
“What happened last night?” I demanded, my tone coming out hard and cold. I didn’t mean to do that, but I really needed to know if I had to apologize for something I might have done the night before. The last thing I remembered was Lana tucking the covers around us.
Now wide awake, she frowned. “You don’t remember last night?” she asked with a frown. “Nothing?”
I shook my head. It wasn’t unusual for me to not remember after chugging liquor like I had the night before. I blacked out when I did stupid shit like that. “No. Nothing. Did something happen?”
She stared up at me for what felt like an eternity, but I couldn’t read anything in her eyes or expression. No emotion crossed that beautiful face. Finally, she gave me a smile, and I tried to pretend like I didn’t notice it hadn’t reached her eyes. “No, Drake. Nothing happened last night.”
“Then why are you wearing my shirt?” I couldn’t help but ask.
She shrugged. “I needed something to sleep in.” She pushed the covers off and stood. With her back to me, she bent down and picked up her clothes. “I’m going to use your shower so the whole house doesn’t freak out and assume something happened too,” she called over her shoulder as she headed for the bathroom.
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching her until the door was closed. Her answer hadn’t exactly set me at ease, and I searched for proof that something had happened. No damp spots on the sheets. The sheets didn’t smell like sex. I fell back on the pillows, relieved. The first time I kissed, touched, made love to Lana I was going to be stone cold sober. If I had done that last night, it would have ruined everything. All the plans I had for our future would be destroyed.
I quickly got dressed and headed downstairs, wanting to give Lana her privacy. It wasn’t lost on me that I had woken up without the sheets tangled and the place reeking of my fear and sweat. I couldn’t remember any nightmares haunting me last night. It had to be because Lana had slept in my arms, and I wondered how I could get her to sleep there again without anything happening between the sheets.
I found Layla making breakfast, humming softly as she scrambled eggs and fried some steaks. My stomach growled as I poured myself a cup of Jesse’s special coffee. “Morning, Layla,” I greeted as I took my first sip of thick, bitter coffee.
She turned to me with a smile on her face that was bright enough to light the entire house. “Morning, Drake. Are you hungry?” She turned two of the steaks and then reached into the oven to check on the biscuits.
“Starving.” I fell into a chair at the kitchen table. “You look happier than the last time I saw you. Things okay now?”
She turned with a pan full of hot biscuits. “I want to apologize to you for yesterday. I overreacted to something I heard and…” She sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry I put you through that.”
“Hey, baby!” Jesse walked into the kitchen in nothing more than a pair of jeans and a grin. “God, that smells good.” He placed a kiss on her lips and reached for the coffee pot. “Morning, Dray. You ready for Vegas?”
I blinked, not sure I was following him. “What’s happening in Vegas?” Were we doing a show that I had forgotten about?
“I asked Layla to marry me yesterday, and we don’t want to wait. So we’re all going to Vegas later.” He swallowed his coffee and poured some more into his mug. “You gotta come, man. I need you all there.”
I grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, bro.” I assured him. He had no idea how happy he had made me. If he was marrying Layla, then Lana would be around for a long, long time.
I was just digging into my steak and eggs when Shane came into the kitchen. He was sweating from his run, but he was grinning. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was happy for Jesse or if he was excited about getting to go to Vegas for the weekend. More than likely it was the latter. There was too much shit he could get into, and he was ready for it all.