Page 55 of Forever and Other Lies

“You also don’t do relationships,” Ben chimed in. “But look at you now.”

He shot his youngest brother another shut-your-mouth-before-I-shut-it-for-you look. “Why don’t you take my place, Ben?”

“No, I’m good.” Ben grinned.

“That is debatable,” he fired back before turning his attention to Jayna. “I am not drinking that poison. And you’ve got it wrong. It’s vodka that makes you a better singer, not tequila.”

“True, but tequila makes you invincible,” Jayna smirked. “You’re not chicken, are you?”

“Chicken?” No one ever called him chicken either. “Never. Tequila tastes like ass and karaoke makes you look and sound like an ass.”

“Good thing you’re already an ass, then. You have nothing to worry about.” Jayna let out another loud snort and grabbed his left arm, twisting it over.

His breath hitched as her head dropped and her tongue traced a tantalizing path along his wrist. What the hell? Confusion, along with arousal, warred in his mind as he watched her sprinkle salt on the moistened area of his wrist.

“Tequila is so much fun to drink. It is the most sensual of all the shots,” her voice was low and gravelly, sending shock waves through his body.

With a swift motion, she licked off the salt before tossing her head back and downing the contents of the shot glass with practiced ease. Connor’s loud exclamation broke through the haze he found himself in. Derek couldn’t tear his gaze away from Jayna.

Jayna made a show of slowly sucking the lemon wedge, staring into his eyes. He swallowed hard.

“Hot damn,” Connor exclaimed.

Hot damn was right. But this was merely a physical reaction, nothing more. Any woman with her looks and confidence would have caused his body to react in the same way.

Her triumphant grin brought him back to earth. Jayna wasn’t just any woman. She was annoying and abrasive. Her eyes were still locked on his, the silent challenge issued. If she wanted to play games, then she was about to learn that she had just met her match.

He reached over and grabbed Jayna’s wrist. He copied what she’d done to him, but added in a little bite and smiled against her wrist as he felt her jump. He dumped salt on her wrist, but instead of licking it off, he just left it there and downed the shot glass in front of him. It took all his willpower to restrain himself from grimacing. He picked up the lemon wedge and tossed it at his brother’s head.

The DJ called their name, and he stood grabbing Jayna’s hand.

“Let’s do this.” As the words left his lips, he cringed. He was in a fabricated relationship, fueled by tequila, and now coerced into karaoke. Three things that had been taboo just last week. But he hated losing more. Dare Brennan never backed down from a challenge. He could only hope Jayna hadn’t picked another lame song from Grease.

They stepped up on stage. “Just what are we singing?” he hissed.

“In Spite of Ourselves.” She took two microphones from the DJ.

“The John Prine song?” he didn’t bother to hide the surprise in his voice.

Jayna handed him the microphone, a smirk playing on her lips as he begrudgingly took it.

“I hate you,” he mouthed.

“Right back at you,” she whispered, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

She damn well knew that he hated karaoke. This wasn’t about beating Maisie. Oh no, this was payback, pure and simple. As the opening chords of the song filled the air, his apprehension mounted. He really should have stayed home. Karaoke sucked. As did humiliating himself in front of a bar full of people. He turned his attention to the monitor. Great, his part was first. He closed his eyes for a moment, forcing his nerves to settle, and began to sing the opening lines. Ben and Connor let out wolf whistles. His brother was really asking for it.

Yet as he continued singing, a smile formed. He turned in Jayna’s direction as he sang the next lyric in a loud, clear voice. He substituted her name into the lyrics. “Jayna likes to get it on like a bunny.” This song was hilarious.

He noticed the shock on her face. She had not expected that he would have a good voice and he couldn’t help but feel more than a little satisfaction. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped forward, lifting the microphone. Her voice was soft and sultry as she effortlessly hit the notes.

She ran a finger seductively down his arm as she sang about him sniffing her undies and not being too sharp. Oh, game on.

He reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close for the chorus. Their voices blended perfectly, and the crowd cheered loudly. His smile increased as she looked up at him.

With each verse, he grew more comfortable. They improvised, adding their own humorous twists to the lyrics, much to the delight of the crowd. Jayna leaned her back against him, rubbing her body up and down. When did she become so sexy? Wow, she was really turning it on. He sucked in a deep breath, forcing his hormones to settle down. She was trying to get him worked up on purpose.

As they reached the final chorus, he realized that he wasn’t hating this. Even though he did indeed hate karaoke, and this woman gyrating all over him, their connection in this moment was undeniably powerful. They finished the song to thunderous applause, singing the final lyric about spiting their noses right off their faces. Derek couldn’t help but wonder if that might be a real risk because in this moment he was really into Jayna.

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