Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“Figure it out yet?”
CHAPTER 18
RYDER
Her eyes widen to the point where they look like they might fall out of her head.
“No, I can’t,” she whispers in a voice that sounds like she’s being strangled from the inside out.
My gaze stays pinned to her face as I relax against the chair. “It’s on your list, isn’t it?”
She presses her lips together until they turn bloodless as every muscle goes taut. I’m kind of wishing that I hadn’t brought it up. I was enjoying the feel of her curvy little body against mine. The soft weight in my arms as my fingers stroked the bare skin beneath her sweater. It only makes me eager to explore more of her. And if she were any other girl, that’s exactly what I’d be doing.
Although, that’s not going to happen in front of Maverick. He’d have no problem getting in my face and asking what the hell I’m doing with his sister. Even though I’m a year older than Mav, we’ve always been friends. And teammates, because Mav played up in hockey.
The last thing I want to do is lie to him. But I also know if he discovers that I’m messing around with Juliette, it’ll probably be the end of our friendship.
That alone should be enough to give me pause.
It doesn’t.
“Yes,” she says grudgingly. “I never should have written it down.”
“But you did.”
“Yeah…”
I pop a brow. “And you want to check it off, don’t you?”
She draws in a deep breath through her nose before forcing it out between her lips. “I do.”
“The course of action seems pretty cut and dry, doesn’t it?”
“Stop asking questions that only dig my grave deeper,” she grumbles.
I can’t help but grin. “Why not? Those are the best kind.”
Fear flickers in her coffee-colored eyes as she glances toward the stage. Already, a couple of girls are climbing onto it and grinning at the crowd. For some of the groupies, getting up and singing their little hearts out—especially if it’s a sexy song—will clinch who they go home with at the end of the night.
The girls glance at the screen with the lyrics as the intro to the song begins. It doesn’t take long before they’re prancing around and grinding against one another. My gaze flickers to the guys at the table. Most are riveted to the performance.
Juliette’s mouth falls open as her eyes widen. “There’s no way I’m doing that.”
And there’s no damn way I’d allow it.
I’m not looking to throw fists tonight, which is exactly what would happen.
“You just have to sing. That’s it.”
She rips her attention away from the stage long enough to glance at the hockey players, some of whom are hooting, hollering, and whistling for an encore performance. Her body stiffens even more. “They don’t want to watch someone sing. They want a burlesque show. There’s no way I’m getting up there and making a fool out of myself.”
Once the song ends, the girls take a bow before hopping off the stage. A couple guys lumber up and belt out ‘I Want it That Way’ by the Backstreet Boys. Honestly, they’re not bad.
Another girl does ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody.’
Damn. She sounds more like a professional. If I had to guess, I’d say she was probably in the music program at Western.
Juliette swivels on my lap and pleads, “Please don’t make me get up there. How am I supposed to follow that?” She points to the girl who just killed it. Her vocal range was pretty impressive.
“No one expects you to top that. Just have fun.”
“Fun,” she mutters. “Ha! Pissing myself in front of a bar full of drunk hockey players isn’t exactly what I’d consider a good time.”
I snort. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Wanna bet?”
Her gaze pins mine in place and that’s all it takes for me to get lost in her eyes for a heartbeat or two. There are times when it feels like I could drown in her dark depths.
Honestly?
It wouldn’t be a bad way to go.
“Want me to come up there with you?”
Relief floods her expression. “You’d do that?”
It hadn’t been my original intention but…
“Yeah, sure.”
She blows out a steady breath as her gaze cuts back to the stage. “Okay.”
A couple more people make their way up there and belt out their lungs. Some are good. And others…
Not so much.
More like cats in heat.
“Final act of the night,” Sully announces. He’s the owner of this fine establishment and played hockey for Western way back in the day. When we do team fundraisers, he’s usually one of our biggest sponsors. So, we try to give back by bringing our business here. It’s certainly not a hardship. The beer and shots are cheap, the music is loud, and hockey games are playing on every television mounted behind the bar.
I press closer until my face is buried in the thick strands of her hair. “You ready to do this?”