The Girl's Got Secrets (Forbidden Men 7)

And yep, now I had wood.

“You have to admit,” she told me as my fingers fumbled over knobs. “It must be nice not having to sneeze when I get close to you now, because you know...no more need for the latex mask anymore.”

I glanced at her, about a second from leaning forward and kissing the hell out of her. But the predatory gleam in my eyes must’ve come off more like warning to her.

“Okay, fine.” She lifted her hands. “I’m backing off. Just...damn it, one more sniff before you go.” She leaned in quickly, took a quick, noisy drag, and was promptly pulling away again. “And by the way, you look sexy as hell in a tux.”

“Sticks,” I warned, but I wasn’t really mad. I was tempted to my limit.

“I’m staying away now,” she argued with a small scowl. “I swear. I’m accepting the fact I bombed any chance I might’ve ever had with you. From here on out, I’m going to be the real, unvarnished me, and the real me would totally flirt with you while you look like that—even if I would prefer to be home in bed, bawling my eyes out right now.”

I glanced at her, not sure what to think because honestly, I was as disappointed as I was relieved by her words. Crossing an X over her heart with her finger, she kept her promise and stepped back. Then she waited until I was done and had straightened until she moved back to the machine, already searching for the first song she wanted to sing.

I scanned the crowd. All my friends from the bar were present. Even Mason, Reese, and his sister Sarah had made it. Decked out in her maid of honor dress, Reese hovered close to her fiancée, rubbing his arm as if to soothe him, and Brandt Gamble sat by Sarah’s wheelchair saying something that tugged a reluctant smile to the girl’s lips.

Though I knew they must be suffering from the loss of Mason’s mother, I hoped tonight helped cheer their spirits a little.

Gaze wandering on, I smiled at Julian and Skylar, who ran circles around the dancefloor, making balloons fly above them. Then I caught sight of Ten and Caroline hovering around Quinn and his wife Zoey, who was holding a swaddled bundle in her arms before she passed the baby off to let Caroline hold him. Noel and his wife Aspen were over by the bar, talking to Felicity and Knox. When I spotted the bride and groom near Murphy from the repair shop, I unintentionally caught Pick glancing my way.

When I nodded to him, letting him know we were taking care of things, he turned to Eva and held out a hand to her. My heart lurched in my throat, hoping he didn’t think we were ready yet. I seriously did not want to mess with his vision he had of how his first dance with his new bride was supposed to take place.

But then the music started in the karaoke machine, and fuck me if Remy wasn’t playing “Baby Love,” the very song Pick had told me he danced to with his new wife.

I gaped at her, stunned.

Damn it, she was amazing.

Asher drove me crazy by sticking around as I sang the first song. And not only did he linger, but he watched me the entire time I sang. And the way he watched me was...affectionate.

It was enough to give a poor girl ideas, make her think his will was softening toward her, like he might actually one day forgive her.

But after the brutal way he’d turned me away last night, I knew better. I’d sung my heart out to him, told him with each lyric that I loved him and was sorry for hurting him.

And how had he responded? He’d told me right back that there was too much bad blood between us and that he was better off without me.

Ouch.

Message received. Painfully.

I was never going to have another chance with him, ever.

So why the hell was he still watching me? As the song came to an end, he shifted closer, squinting as if confused. “How’d you know to sing that specific song?”

“Huh?” I frowned and glanced at the machine. “I just remember you once mentioning that was their song.”

“Oh.”

He continued to watch me as if I’d done something wrong though, so I said, “Was I supposed to sing something else?”

Shaking his head, he murmured, “No. That was perfect. Thanks again for doing this for Pick.”

He reached out as if to pat my arm and maybe call me a true friend as he used to do when I’d helped him with something, but then he furrowed his brow, his hand retreated, and he turned away to stroll off.

I watched him, his hands in his pockets, which lifted the back of his tux jacket and pulled his pants snug against his ass.

Damn, he looked good dressed up. It was hard to believe I’d had him naked and under me once in my life.

“You’re drooling,” Big T said into my ear, making me jump. “And...we still need more music.”