Page 4 of Nothing Stays in Vegas

“Fine, I do know a little…okay, a lot… Let me look!”

Taking the victory, Bitty smirked and stepped aside.

From her vantage point, Lara could see the men collecting their bags, laughing, exchanging jokes. Nice looking bunch—even the airport shuttle driver, who caught sight of her at the window and winked before circling around to the back of the van. But no one’s looks alone screamed “I’m Cal!” Then a last pair of legs beneath the trunk caught her eye. Thick fingers reached over the edge and swung the trunk closed, revealing a smiling, chiseled face that made her heart skip a beat. Lara swallowed and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. Please let this be my best man.

Hunk didn’t begin to cover it.

&n

bsp; He was taller than the other men by several inches, and the fit of his khakis and long sleeved T-shirt suggested an athlete’s build. Wide shoulders, defined pecs and a back that flexed with enough definition to show through the taut fabric of his shirt when he threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder. Well-formed was an understatement. Disheveled was an understatement for that matter. The spray of thick sandy hair shooting out in all directions had an authentic quality about it. That tousled look was pure cowlick and pure sexy. Only a man could mistake it for “horrible”.

The bedroom door jerked open behind them. “Oh my God, Lara, I need you. Bitty, leave!”

Lara spun around to see her sister, Claudette, white as a sheet, backed against the wall. Her arms outstretched like she was trying to hang onto the ivory and sage wallpaper to keep herself from falling. Dette tended toward the melodramatic, but the frantic expression plastered across her face had Lara at her side in a second.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, rubbing her sister’s arms.

Dette’s eyes were wide, her face flushed. “Do you love me?”

Oh no.

Bitty walked over, hands on her hips and jutted out her chin. “What’s the matter now?”

“Bitty, I’m serious. Leave, I need to talk to my sister, in private.”

Their cousin huffed. “Just say no, Lara. Whatever it is.” Grabbing the bin of boxed almonds, she walked out.

When the door closed, Dette’s gaze fixed on the ceiling, tears already pooling at the corners of her eyes. “This is serious.”

Lara’s gut tensed, her face hardened. Damn, she’d only been here for two days, this couldn’t be happening already. “Just tell me what happened, what you need me to do.”

“Say you were in Vegas one month ago. No one will know you weren’t.”

Dette talked and Lara listened, the sinking feeling in her stomach increasing as the story unfolded.

“One of the groomsmen?” Lara shrieked.

“This is a bona fide happily-ever-after emergency! I know it’s bad, don’t give me crap right now.”

“Happily every after? Dette, fairy tale romance doesn’t include the bride-to-be running off to screw one of her attendants a month before the wedding!”

“I didn’t know he was a groomsman!” Dette hissed, her arms, straight at her sides, ending in balled fists of frustration. “He said his name was Kenneth or something…but I just saw him outside, so he must have been lying,”

Dette never ceased to amaze her. “The fact that you didn’t know who he was really isn’t the point. You slept with someone other than Adam!”

“Damn it, haven’t you ever heard of cold feet?”

“Are you kidding me? You went to Vegas, picked up a stranger, had sex, and now you want me to pretend that I did it so you don’t get caught?”

Dette glared at her. “Sort of.”

“Four weeks ago!” Lara took a breath and softened. “What are you going to say to Adam? You have to tell him.”

“Like hell I do.”

“I can’t lie for you when it comes to a marriage. I can’t cover this up for you.”

“Can’t, can’t, can’t,” Dette shot back, her eyes brimming with tears. “Can’t you stop judging me for once in your flawless life? Not everyone is as perfect as you.”

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