Turn and Burn (Blacktop Cowboys 5)

Chapter Six

They’d barely made it out of the driveway when Devin jumped him. “What the f**k is wrong with you, Fletch? You’re a grumpy dick today.”

“Then I’m surprised that you f**king bulled your way into hanging out with me and Tanna tonight.”

“Jesus. So your ass**le attitude is outta jealousy?”

“No.” Fletch’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Maybe. Fuck. Probably.”

Devin turned toward him. “Tell me what’s going on with you two.”

“Nothin’.”

“Bullshit.”

“This goes no further than us. Thursday night we hooked up in a bar in Rawlins. Had a few drinks, some laughs, followed by awesome sex. Like off-the-charts-awesome sex. When I saw her today—”

“You didn’t call her the day after? Man, Fletch, I warned you to knock that shit off.”

“Says the manwhore who lives by the no names rule,” Fletch said dryly.

Devin flipped him off.

“So it was supposed to be one night. I was kicking myself for not getting her name or number because we connected . . . I saw her today and I just wanted to beat the hell out of any guy talking to her, because I wanted to talk to her. That’s never f**king happened to me before.” He exhaled a frustrated puff of air. “Then I find out you know her pretty damn good.”

“We’ve crossed paths a bunch of times. I like her. She’s fun. She’s wild. She ain’t afraid to let her hair down. I’ve been trying to sweet-talk her into my bed for two and a half years.”

Fletch shocked both of them and released a little growl.

Devin laughed. “Somehow that woman has resisted my charms. But I do feel the need to warn you.”

“About what?”

“Her. One Tanna Barker, three-time national barrel racing champion, is very much into threesomes. She’s also very much the no names one-night roll in the hay kinda chick.”

“I don’t give a damn about how many guys she’s slept with before now. But the fact remains she’ll be living in Muddy Gap for the summer and I want all her one-night stands to be with me from here on out.”

Devin whistled. “You’re serious.”

“Completely.”

“Fletch. Come on. You live in Rawlins, forty miles from the Split Rock. You are a workaholic. You’ve been in a relationship . . . never as I recall. With the exception of Miss King Kong tits.”

Fletch snorted. “King Kong tits? Her name was Karen. And we dated for four months, so that qualifies as a relationship.”

“What was that? Seven years ago?”

“I’ve been busy building my practice.”

“Which leads me back to the workaholic point. Don’t try and pressure Tanna into giving you something that you can’t offer in return. The surest way to kill any chance with her is to act like a possessive douche bag the first f**king night she’s in town.”

Fletch hated that Devin was making sense.

“See how tonight goes. If she’s into you, wanting you to go home with her, I’ll take your truck and leave. But if she doesn’t want you, then you will not goddamn badger her, okay?”

“All right. Fuck. I’m not a ra**st stalker. I do comprehend the word no, ass**le.”

They parked in the back lot at the Buckeye.

Tanna seemed nervous as they walked up to the front entrance. When Fletch placed his hand in the middle of her back, she seemed to relax.

But once they were inside the bar she shook him off.

“You guys grab a spot up front,” Devin said. “I’ll get the first round.”

After they sat, Tanna was too busy gawking at the unique space for conversation. When he caught her trying to discreetly straighten her clothes and fluff up her hair, he placed his hand on her arm, staying the motion. “You don’t need to fuss, Tanna. You are beautiful. Even after rolling around in the corrals all day, wrassling calves.”

She leaned closer and warned, “Don’t use that fake bullshit flattery on me.”

“Not bullshit, sugar twang, that’s what I see. Don’t lump me in with losers who spew that stuff hoping it’ll get them laid.”

“Oh, so you’re not here hoping you can sweet-talk me into goin’ another round with you?”

Fletch stared at her mouth. Remembering the hotness factor of seeing her lips wrapped around his cock. And how her eyes would lock on his and then flutter closed damn near in ecstasy.

“That is so not fair,” she hissed.

“What?”

“Looking at me with those sexy bedroom eyes, stripping me naked like you’re deciding which part of me you want to devour first.”

He grinned. “Good to know one of your talents is mind reading.”

Tanna looked annoyed for two seconds before she smiled. “Okay, I will just shut the hell up now. Although, I do wanna ask you one thing before Devin gets here. Why did you rent a motel room Thursday night? When you live in Rawlins?”

“Would you have gone home with me if I’d asked you to?”

“No. That’s also why I didn’t offer up the room I’d rented before I hit the bar.”

“No wonder you snuck off so quickly. You had an escape hatch.” He didn’t want to ask the question but he did anyway. “The thought of facing me, learning my name and me learning yours was so terrifying that you scurried off?”