Page 49 of Love in Overdrive

“Don’t forget the soup.” Laney could hear Cade’s chuckle as the door closed behind the guys.

Addison waited thirty seconds before the questions started. “What’s going on between you and the hunky ex-con?”

“Nothing. We told you everything.”

“Not everything. You’re moon-eyes over this felon, sitting back and letting him do most of the talking. Laney, you’re shy, but not that shy. Really, you guys can’t be in the same room without touching. You slept with him, didn’t you?”

Laney’s hackles rose at her friend’s attitude. “Stop calling him that. Cade’s not a bad guy. You don’t know the whole story.”

“So, tell me.” Addison stopped opening the can of soup and propped a hand on her hip.

“It’s complicated, but it wasn’t murder. It was self-defense… well, an accident, really.”

“Uh, huh.”

Laney looked out the window. It’s not like she was a child. “What if I did sleep with him? I’m a big girl. You don’t hold the exclusive rights to one-night stands.”

The retort she expected didn’t come. Had she stunned Addison into silence? She glanced over to look at her friend, grinning at her in mild shock.

“Oh, my God! You did sleep with him. And from the look on your face, it was good.”

Heat flooded her face. No doubt her cheeks were ablaze. “I didn’t. Not really.”

“What does ‘not really’ mean? Did you have an O?” Addison laughed. “Say no more. You’re redder than the Valentine’s card I got last weekend.”

Addison laughed so hard she snorted. Once she gained control, she became pensive. “You’re going to marry him.” It was a statement, no question in her voice.

“No, I’m not. It was a stress release, that’s all.” Laney bit her lip. “Okay, maybe we’ll have a fling, but that’s it. This is the new independent me.”

“Yeah, right. You only had orgasms with Pete when the moon and stars were perfectly aligned. He was the first guy you slept with, and you married him. And you’re telling me you had an ‘O’ first time out of the gate with this guy, and somewhere in your romance-happy brain, you’re not envisioning white lace and roses?” Addison’s brow jetted up in skepticism. “My friend, I’d love to be wrong on this, but you’re not built the same way I am. You’re a one-and-done kind of gal.”

Laney shook her head. Not anymore. She’d been there and done that. “This is my year of independence, remember? New me.”

Addison raised a brow but didn’t comment. The door to the cabin opened and Cade walked in, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, carrying a load of wood like it weighed nothing.

Shoot. Laney would swear one of her eggs dropped just looking at him.

She was so screwed.

“I’m going to grab some more wood.” Nash looked from Cade to Laney, then stepped outside.

Strange. It’s not like they planned to spend the night here, but Cade shrugged and followed him out.

Nash picked up the axe and swung at the log like it killed his dog and he was getting revenge.

“Dude. How much wood do you think we need?” Cade leaned against the side of the cabin.

“I don’t know. You seem to be the wood expert,” Nash fired at him as he swung like Paul Bunyan.

“What?” Nash was the most even-keel person Cade knew. Something was eating him.

“You obviously got your gears lubed.” Nash’s voice dipped below freezing into downright frosty.

“Whoa, man.” That was a little crass, even for Nash. Cade pushed off the wall. He circled wide to face his friend.

“I can see it in the way you two look at each other. It’s nauseating. Always sneaking little smiles, touches.” Nash picked up another log, placed it on the larger one to split. “I’m all for you getting some action, but damn it… Some robber abducted you. Here we are, all worried he left you for dead. Only to find out you two were holed-up in your little love nest.”

“It wasn’t like that.”