Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(22)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I didn’t know her, but I hated her. Wasn’t that ridiculous?

After we ordered, and got a round of beers, Noah took a swig and looked right at me. “You haven’t said much. What’s up with you? Havin’ second thoughts about taggin’ along?”

I raised my brow. Was he trying to get rid of me so he could slip our waitress his room key? “Are you?”

He seemed amused by my question. “Why would you ask me that? I haven’t complained.” I caught him looking at my cle**age for a split second before looking into my eyes again.

“I saw the way that waitress checked you out. I guess I’m wondering if you regret telling me that you weren’t interested in bringing someone back to the room.”

“Are all women jealous?”

“Are all men pigs?”

He took another sip of his beer and waved down the waitress. I sank down in my seat when I thought about how bad he could embarrass me. “Can I help you, hun?”

He put his hand on her back as he spoke. “I’m goin’ to need some shots. Bring us two rounds of whiskey.”

She backed up and smiled. “Coming right up!”

He purposely watched her walk away before turning his attention back to me. “Is that what you meant about bein’ a pig?”

“Pretty much.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked in another direction.

He laughed and finished off his beer. “This could go a lot more easier if you’d relax.”

“What could?”

“This ploy to get my attention. You think I haven’t noticed, but darlin’, I’ve been around long enough to know how this turns out.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. Then, out of complete panic, I laughed at him. “Are you kidding me? You think I’m trying to what…sleep with you? Is that what you think?”

“Isn’t it?”

Our shots were being sat down on the table. The waitress cut into our conversation. “Do you need anything else?” I hated how she directed her question to Noah and not me, as if I wasn’t even sitting at the table with him.

Noah said something in her ear. She smiled and walked away gracefully.

I stood up and got ready to leave. He stood up with me. “Where are you goin’?”

“Back to the room. I lost my appetite.”

He grabbed the back of my shirt as I tried to walk past him. “Hold up! Don’t get all mad.” I finally sighed and looked at him, annoyed and ready to punch my way free if I needed to. He leaned forward while peering directly into my eyes. As pissed as I was, I was taken back by the way he could make me pant for more. This guy was experienced. He knew what buttons to push and I hated him for it. He was dangerous and I knew I needed to get away from him.

He picked up a shot glass and lifted it to my mouth, running the smooth glass over my lips. “You look thirsty.”

I lifted my hand and took the glass away from him. “I am.” I downed the first shot and then the second, never taking my eyes off of him. “I didn’t come here to play games with you, Noah. I don’t sleep with strangers just because they look good. Is that going to be a problem?”

He sat back down and motioned for me to do the same. “Not at all. You can’t blame me for testin’ out the waters, not when the person looks like you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You really want to know what I said to her?”

Of course I did. I wanted to know why he thought he could pick on me and tease me by flirting with other women. What was his purpose of pissing me off so that I wanted to knee him in the balls?

Before he could answer a loud announcement came over the speaker sitting near our table. “Welcome to Karaoke night at the Grasshopper. I see a lot of familiar faces out there tonight, but some new people as well. In fact, I’ve already gotten a volunteer to start things off for us tonight.”

Noah started to smile as he finished off his final shot. He winked at me at the same time I heard the announcer’s next words.

“Can Shalan come up to the stage?”

I kicked him from underneath the table. “What did you do?”

“I told the waitress that you’d just been signed in Nashville and was here visitin’.”

I wanted to puke. “Why would you do that?”

“Woman, we’re in a town where nobody knows us. We can do whatever we want. We can be crazy and nobody will ever hear about it. Get your ass up there and sing somethin’.” I appreciated that he thought I could sing, but I hadn’t done it publicly in a very long time.

“I can’t.”

He leaned over the table. “I promise not to mess with your head anymore if you get up there and sing one song. I’ll be a perfect gentlemen.”

My eyes widened when I realized that this had been his plan all along. “You’re an ass**le.”

“Fuck this!” He stood up and walked away, leaving me at the table all alone.

A few seconds later, after I’d assumed he’d gone back to the room, I heard something that shocked me.

“This song goes out to my friend. She knows who she is.”

He sang an old Johnny Cash song and I was utterly surprised by his voice. What shocked me even more was when he walked off the stage and came over to serenade me. He grabbed my hand and winked at me as he very gracefully belted out the lyrics. When the song ended there were a bunch of whistles. Noah returned to our table with a face full of smile. “That’s how it’s done, darlin’. Go on if you think you can top that.”

He didn’t know me, yet he knew how to push me in ways that would make me do something I wouldn’t normally do. I stood up and pulled my shirt down so it covered my navel. “I can definitely do better than that.”

It took me a second to find the song I wanted, but once I had it I knew I’d blow them all away. My mother used to sing it at the top of her lungs. It was one of her favorites.

“Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin’ for the train…”

The crowd started screaming when they heard me begin. Janis Joplin was the ultimate karaoke song if you could pull it off, and I certainly could.

I sang with enthusiasm, and after the first verse the crowd disappeared to me. All but one person that is.

His eyes were fixed on mine as I continued to show him up. The smile never left his lips either. If I wanted his attention, I’d finally figured out how to get it undivided. I swayed my body with the rhythm of the music, and exasperated myself when it got toward the end. I wanted the song to end with raw emotion, and I nailed it.