“You two know each other?” Celia asked.
“We’ve met.” Fletch didn’t elaborate. Neither did Tanna.
Hank, Abe and Ike left, distracting Celia long enough for Tanna to hiss, “Stop it.”
Fletch leaned a fraction closer and whispered, “Make me.”
“What are you, an eight-year-old boy?”
“More like a sixteen-year-old boy,” he murmured in her ear. “I’ve had a hard-on since I first saw you today.”
“Really? That’s an original line. Not.”
He chuckled. “Sugar twang, that wasn’t a line but the gospel truth. And I’ll keep throwing you lines all damn night if I thought you’d bite.”
“What are you two whispering about over there?” Celia demanded.
Tanna smirked. “Fletch was just confessing that he’d rather deal with a hundred pregnant heifers than just one human woman in labor.”
Celia’s mouth dropped open. “Omigod, August Fletcher, I oughta reach over and smack you for that.”
“Calm down, brat. Tanna was kidding. She likes to get folks riled up. The last time we were together, you gotta rise out of me, what? Four times? In one night?”
Double entendre much?
And dammit. She blushed. Again. She never f**king blushed.
“What are you two talking about?” Celia complained. “I’m lost.”
“Inside joke. You up for a little honky-tonking tonight?” Fletch asked Tanna, changing the subject.
That grabbed Devin’s attention as he plopped down with a plate piled high with food. “Hey, I wanna come dancin’.”
Tobin and Hugh took seats at the table.
“I might have to pass,” Tanna said. “I’ve gotta work in the morning. Wouldn’t do to show up hungover on my first day.”
“There is that possibility, given how you and I are when we drink together,” Devin said.
“Huh-uh. You ain’t pinning that on me, hillbilly rock star.” She pointed at him with her fork. “You were the one who bought the whole damn bottle of Jaeger. I’da been fine with just one shot.”
“So you and the country superstar are drinking buddies?” Fletch asked tightly.
“Not often, thank God,” Tanna retorted.
“Not often enough for me,” Devin volleyed back with a sexy growl.
“Do you remember the first night we drank together? After Celia and Kyle tied the knot?” Tanna laughed at Devin’s perplexed look. “See? You don’t remember.”
He shrugged. “I’ll admit some of that night is a little hazy. So lay it on me, baby. What sort of bad/nasty/wrong things did we do together?”
Fletch stiffened and Tanna felt his eyes boring into her.
“Don’t worry. You weren’t interested in doin’ none of that bawdy sex stuff with me.” She mock-whispered to Tobin, “I could’ve been buck-assed nekkid dancing on the bar top and he wouldn’t have reacted.”
Tobin made a whimpering groan.
“See?” Devin said. “In my defense I must’ve been drunk because sober I’da been all over that. All over you, sweet Tex-ass.”
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s see . . . we were dancing. Then we were up at the bar having another celebratory shot in honor of the happy couple, when these two barely legal chickies horned in. They were all I can’t believe you’re Devin McClain! I love you. Can you sign my big, fake tits?”
Laughter broke out and Hugh choked on his beer.
“The next thing I knew, bimbo one and bimbo two were ordering blow job shots and Devin said he’d rather have the real thing. Then he blew me off so his groupies could blow him on his tour bus.”
“I’m sure I had a blast. But as Tanna so tactfully pointed out”—Celia and a couple others snickered—“my excessive alcohol consumption had blocked those memory banks from that night.”
“You don’t remember bein’ with two chicks at one time?” Tobin said, horror on his face.
“Nope.”
“Dude. I don’t know whether to be jealous you’ve been in that situation so many times it’s normal for you, or . . . pissed off that you can’t give us a play-by-play.”
“And with that, boy wonder, it’s time to hit the road.” Hugh stood and asked Celia, “Where’s Kyle?”
“In the kitchen talking to his mom.”
“We’ll catch him on the way out.” Hugh nodded to the guys at the table. “Nice seein’ you all.”
“I’ll come with you,” Celia said, and they trooped into the house, leaving Tanna, Fletch and Devin at the table.
Fletch swallowed a drink of beer but kept his mesmerizing eyes on her. “So, what do you say? Wanna do a little dancing?”
“You do realize if I say yes, it won’t be mattress dancing, right?”
Fletch laughed, reminding Tanna that he had a great laugh. “A man can hope.”
She ran her hand over her hair. She needed a shower, but she wouldn’t have to fend off the advances she knew were coming from Fletch, if she smelled like a barnyard. “Fine. One drink. One dance.”
“Good. Let’s go,” Devin said.
A funny looked crossed Fletch’s face but he nodded. “You’re riding with me.”
A little high-handed of Fletch to expect that Devin wouldn’t want to ride with her. But to be honest, she needed a few minutes alone to clear her head. “I gotta go rub it in el preggo’s face that she’s missing out on all the fun and say good-bye. I’ll follow you.”