No sense teasing him about it. I’m not judging. This town is as small as Candy Cane Key, but without the sightseeing crowd. It’s tough when you’re lonely for a little adult companionship, but there’s slim pickings to choose from. Trust me. There have been more than enough occasions when I was looking to two time my B.O.B, but had to narrow down which tourist was the least obnoxious.
Nudging Dave’s shoulder with mine, I decide to poke the bear. “Smoke? Don’t tell me you have a two pack a day habit or something?” I tease, knowing there’s no way this guy smokes cigarettes.
He’s incredibly fit with dark hair and big brown eyes, gorgeous skin bronzed by a hard day’s work, and he smells like any woman’s wet dream. A clean masculine mix of earth, leather, and spice. A familiar ache causes me to rub my thighs together just imagining him wearing nothing but that scent. My eyes drop to his full lips, and I can’t help wondering what he tastes like.
“Nah. Wouldn’t touch the stuff.” His statement startles me, causing me to take in a deep gust of air. Good grief. I’m so lost in my own dirty thoughts I forgot what we were talking about.
“Apparently, he had a buddy named Fire. They were inseparable until something happened. It’s all very cryptic,” Breck interjects dramatically.
Okay,now Iwant to pummel this irritating fucker. What a dick.This is clearly not his story to tell. As if on cue, Matt walks by and smacks the back of Breck’s head so it collides into the opening of his beer bottle. I take a sip of my margarita in an attempt to stifle my laugh.
A busty blonde slides into the chair next to Dave. The annoyance this brings is irrational. “Hi, Dave. Save a dance for me later?”
“Sure, Janet.” His voice is low, noncommittal. Or is that merely wishful thinking?
The overly made-up harlot trails a bright red manicured nail shaped like a coffin up his forearm. Leaning in, so her cleavage is on full display, she continues, “I got a room up the street at the B & B. So, we don’t have to drive all the way back to my place.”
Wait. What?
Are they here together? This cocky playboy has had me thinking he was flirtingwith me. Giving me the whole bashful single guy routine. He’s got that boy-next-door look about him that made that storyline easy to sell. And the whole time, he has a girl here making her rounds?
The tips of Dave’s ears seem to turn crimson at her remark. “Good to know.”
Janet hops up from her chair as a big, burly guy with a ZZ Top-looking beard strolls by.
“Maybe Shotgun Sam can give her a ride to the B & B,” one of the tall, dark-haired, tatted groomsmen says.
“Hey, Trevor,” a random passerby greets him. “Congratulations.”
He tips his beer in their direction. “Thank you.”
“He’ll give her a ride alright.” Trevor’s new wife, Addison, snickers as she snuggles into his side.
So, maybe they aren’t an item.Not sure why I’m so relieved. I barely know this guy.
“Did I ever tell you about this wedding I went to right after I moved here? It was crazy Mildred’s niece. She let them get married on her farm. Invited a bunch of the town’s folk. But it was a dry wedding.” She takes a dramatic sip of her cocktail. “So, Janet and Shotgun Sam kept sneaking off to his truck to get hammered. Ialmost asked to tag along at one point until…” She covers her mouth to suppress her laughter.
“Oh, Lord. I remember that party.” Her friend Cece giggles.
“What? What? Spill the tea, sister,” Quinn, one of the four brides, urges. “I just moved here, remember?”
With all eyes on the storyteller, Addison continues, “Okay. Sorry, sorry. So, at one point, Mildred says, ‘What’s that awful racket?’” She doubles over in a fit of laughter. “Sam’s truck was rocking back and forth, making a hee-haw sound like a possessed donkey, the windows were all fogged up.” Tears are running down Addison’s face. “They’d become completely snockered and got it on in full view of the whole damn wedding party.”
“Ah, the good ole days.” Dave snorts before raising his beer to his luscious, full lips.
Lifting my glass, I watch as several of the women lean back awkwardly in their chairs to take another look at Janet, then Shotgun Sam, before shaking their heads at the mental image.
“Awe, don’t throw shade. She probably thinks he’s the deep, broody type,” Alex says as he lifts his highball glass to his lips.
Tuesday almost chokes on her champagne. “Oh. My. God.” She attempts to dab the corner of her mouth with her fingertips, but Alex beats her to it, leaning in to kiss the droplets. She giggles. “Shotgun Sam deep? He’s only quiet and broody because he ran out of thoughts.”
Ellie snickers. “I catered a wedding back home where no one could look at each other the next morning.”
“Oh, you told me about that one.” I giggle. “Man, I wish I’d been there.”
“What happened?” Dave presses.
“Turns out the bride and groom and their best mates must’ve overdone it at the after party.” Everyone looks on as Ellie decides whether she wants to share the dirty details. “From what I gather, the four of them ended the evening together. But the groom woke up naked with the maid of honor, and the best man was in bed with the bride.”
