Page 32 of Just One of the Groomsmen
If she didn’t feel some sparks, she was going to take things into her own hands and freakingmakesome.
Chapter Eight
One lesson and a mini refresher over the phone wasn’t exactly a lot, but when it came to poker, Addie decided the best way to truly learn involved jumping right in.
As planned, she and Lexi met at the houseboat a few minutes early—Lexi wanted to surprise Shep by showing up at poker night, not just to spend time with him but to play.
Despite Addie’s warnings about the banks being on the marshy side, Lexi had on tall wedge shoes. She’d opted for dressy white capris instead of a skirt, ones that probably wouldn’t remain white, but Addie kept that tidbit to herself.
Especially since she’d worn her dressiest jeans and a purple shirt that had more polyester than cotton, which was dressy as far as she was concerned. Factor in the draped neckline and the lacy black push-up bra that left the girls right under her chin, and…well, she felt super overdressed for poker.
But she had a date later tonight—exact time yet to be determined—and as promised, her underwear was on the super-sexy side. Also a lick tight, and the panties were riding up her ass a little, as they didn’t have enough fabric to fully cover both cheeks.
“That top looks amazing on you,” Lexi said, and Addie tried to take it as a good sign that Lexi liked it, but it also made her worry the guys would wonder what in the world she was trying to pull.
She didn’t rightly know; she just thought she’d add some fuel to help with sparkage.
But now one side of her shirt kept slipping off her shoulder, and she felt exposed and stupid, and what the hell was she thinking? “Are we going to go in?”
“What? Oh. Yeah.” Addie crossed the plank and knocked on the door to the cabin before spinning to face Lexi. “You ready for your poker-playing debut?”
“I’m more nervous than I thought I’d be.”
“You’ll do great.”
Me, that’s a different story.
Tucker swung open the door and greeted them with that great smile of his, the one that brought out his strong jawline, and without having to shave every day, a delicious amount of scruff dusted his jaw.
Wait. Delicious? Calm it down, brain.
“Come on in,” Tucker said, leading them toward the small living room area. He gestured to the couch. “Go on and make yourself at home, Lexi. There are drinks in the fridge, and I set out some chips. The guys should be here soon.”
Before Addie could get the “hey” on the tip of her tongue out, something barreled into her legs. She let out an unpreventable squeal when she spotted the culprit—a bouncy white Labrador puppy. “Oh. My. Gosh.”
“I…did a thing,” Tucker said.
Addie scooped up the puppy and laughed as he went to licking her cheek. “He’s so cute! He looks like Casper the Second.”
Growing up, Tucker used to have a white lab named Casper that had followed them around most everywhere they went. The only time she’d ever seen Tucker choked up was when the dog had to be put to sleep after a long, full life, and it was one of the few times she’d let herself cry in front of him.
A mix of sorrow and sentimentality met the happiness holding the puppy brought her, and it was a lot of emotions to process at once.
Tucker scratched the top of the dog’s head. “That’s why when Ford called me yesterday and said they’d rescued a white Lab and her puppies from a home where they’d been neglected and asked if I wanted one, I jumped at the chance. Remembering how much work puppies are set in afterward.”
“That’s the beauty of spontaneous decisions,” she said with a laugh.
The rumble of engines broke through, followed by deep voices that sounded like the bass line of a song until the guys got closer and the words became more discernible.
The second Shep stepped inside, Lexi jumped off the couch and threw her arms around his neck. “Surprise,” she said. “I came for poker!”
The other guys walked past with muttered hellos and head nods, relatively unfazed by the new addition, heading right toward the food and drinks as usual.
Addie turned back to Tucker, her fingers rubbing one of the puppy’s fuzzy ears. “Have you named him yet?”
She dodged the puppy’s tongue as he shifted in her arms, climbing higher to lick at her jaw. After a few seconds, she gave up and let him lick away.
Tucker was staring at her, eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar. “You, um…” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “Your shirt.”
