Saddled and Spurred (Blacktop Cowboys 2)

“To hear you sing? No. I came for the steak.”

“I meant, you came to enter the contest. Tonight’s winner not only gets the cash but advances to the next round.” Becca flashed her teeth at Bran, then at Harper. “It doesn’t appear as if you need the money like you used to.”

Hell, the woman could’ve just called him a sugar daddy to his face and Harper a whore. “You’ve got it all wrong, lady.”

Harper grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Now, Bran, honey, there’s no use trying to pull one over on Becca. She just knows me too well.”

Her eyes begged him to play along, so he did. “How’s that, sugar pie?”

Becca crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

“Like I know that winning a contest without any real competition isn’t much of a challenge.”

Goddamn. He liked seeing this nasty side of his nice beauty queen.

“So, yes, I’m here to win some cash.” Harper smiled so prettily, so earnestly, that if Bran hadn’t known better, he would’ve believed her smile was completely genuine, instead of totally bogus. “You don’t mind, do you, Becca?”

“Why would I mind? It’s a free country. I welcome the competition.”

Harper’s smile widened. “Oh, good. Then you won’t mind showing me where the hostess stand is so I can fill out my request sheet?”

“I’d be happy to do it for you, if you’d rather.”

“That’s so sweet of you to offer, but I’d probably better make sure they’ve even got the song.” Harper slid out of the booth and cooed, “Be right back, dumplin’.”

“Nice meeting you, Brad,” Becca said.

Brad. Right. His night wouldn’t have been complete without a backhanded compliment from this chubby bitch. He smiled. “Nice meetin’ you too, Bertha.”

Becca scowled at him and said, “Come on,” to Harper before she stomped off.

Harper followed, her eyes searing holes in the back of Becca’s head.

By the time she returned, the steaks were on the table. Harper didn’t sit on her side of the booth, she slid in right next to him and snagged her plate. “This looks delicious.”

He sliced off a piece of meat and studied it. “So you wouldn’t get up onstage if I asked you, but you’ll get up onstage and sing to spite a woman you hate?”

“Yep. She shouldn’t have taunted me. I would’ve been perfectly fine, sitting here having a lovely dinner with you, but she had to go and ruin it. So I’m gonna return the favor and snatch that hundred bucks right out of her sausage fingers.”

Bran brushed his lips across her ear and filled his lungs with her addicting floral scent. “Your mean streak is a serious f**kin’ turn-on, Miss Sweet Ass.”

She angled her head, allowing their mouths to connect, and she delicately swiped her tongue across his bottom lip. “Does that mean you’ll let me spank you again later tonight?”

“Hell, no.”

Harper smooched his mouth before focusing her attention on her steak.

After the waitress cleared their plates, they each ordered another drink. Harper drained half hers in one swallow.

Bran stretched his arm along the back of the booth and toyed with her hair. “Nervous?”

“Very.”

The fact that she’d admitted her nerves brought out his protective instincts, and he wanted to reassure her. “You’ll do great. What song are you singing?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Does Becca know what song you’re performing?”

Harper’s lips curled into a secretive smile. “She thinks she does, but she’ll be surprised when I literally change my tune.”

“Are you on before her?”

“After. I’m second to last. They capped it at twenty-five contestants.”

She snuggled into him as they watched the karaoke performances. Having Harper acting so publicly affectionate thrilled him. A couple of the singers were good, but most were awful. When Becca took the stage, Harper immediately stiffened up. Becca had chosen Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” as her song.

Applause echoed, but Bran wasn’t impressed with her performance. He said as much.

Harper didn’t respond.

He sensed her mentally pulling away. He continued to run his fingers over the ball of her shoulder in what he hoped was a calming manner.

When the host called Harper’s name, she turned toward him for a quick kiss and slipped out of the booth. She spoke to the guy manning the sound system and he frowned.

Bob, the host, said, “Give us just a second, we’ve had a last-minute change in song selection.”

The guy nodded to Harper and she took center stage. She closed her eyes and curled her hands around the microphone as the background music started.

The instant she opened her mouth, Bran fell under her spell. Her voice was sultry, but it held a hint of sweetness as she hit the higher notes of “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.” The crowd, fairly sedate up to this point, went sort of crazy when she held the last note. Wild applause broke out.

She seemed ready to leap off the stage and hide in the shadows, which made no sense to him, given the fact that she’d just knocked it out of the park.

As soon as he’d cleared the booth, Harper launched herself at him and he caught her in a deep hug. This woman felt so right, so perfect, in his arms that he wanted to burst out in song himself.