Page 72 of The Beta's Blind Date

“No. Did you?”

He shakes his head, his eyes wide. “I’ve been dancing with you. When would I have had a chance?”

“And when would I have had a chance?”

He snaps his mouth shut, then turns his eyes towards the table, jaw clenching. I follow his gaze to where Sebastian sits, grinning, giving us a thumbs up.

“Dickhead,” we say together.

We look at each other again, smiles threatening to appear on both our faces.

“Reid? Taryn? It’s your turn! Get on up here!” Jake calls.

I bite my lip and raise my brow at him. “I’m game if you’re game?” he says

“It’s better than going up there alone, I suppose…” I look around again, glancing at his friends and eyeballing Sebastian. Reid adjusts his grip on my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. “Fuck it, let’s do it.”

He grins and turns, pulling me with him. I follow, clinging to his hand, staying close as he weaves us through the crowd, my other hand gripping his upper arm.

He steps onto the stage and turns to help me up, keeping my hand in his. We walk to the DJ, where the list of names and songs is, Reid’s hand on the small of my back, skin against skin, guiding me and sending shivers skittering across my skin like water droplets on a drum.

“Is this your song?” the DJ asks.

We lean over the paper together, shoulders touching, looking at where he points, at our names, and the requested title scratched across the page in what I assume is Sebastian’s handwriting.

“Do you know it?” Reid asks, turning his face to mine.

He’s inches away, and his warm breath brushes my cheek, but I ignore it, ignore how it makes my already racing heart beat faster, how it raises the hair on my neck. “I do, yes,” I whisper with a brief nod.

“Great,” the DJ grunts, handing us each a microphone. “Have fun.”

I take a deep breath and meet Reid’s eyes again. The same mixture of excitement, fear, and nervousness I feel stares back at me. I swallow, and my heart rate picks up even more, rattling my ribcage and quickening my breathing. I came here for Blake, for her birthday, since she wanted to get out of the pack for the night. But I was going to let her do all the singing and just sit and watch. Getting up in front of everyone and singing was not part of my plan.

Reid licks his lips and squeezes my hand, stepping up to my side and putting his lips on my ear again. “You’ve got this,” he says, his deep voice washing over me and soothing my panicking heart. “You are Taryn Campbell, badass warrior werewolf, and you’ve faced tougher challenges than this without batting an eye. You can sing in front of these people.”

My wolf preens at his praise, and I nod, his nose tickling my skin as I do. “You’re right.”

His lips curve upwards, and his eyes sparkle. “And I will be with you the whole time.”

He darts forward and kisses my cheek, so fast and so gentle—just a quick brush of his soft, warm lips against my skin—I’m sure I imagined it. But as I whip my head towards him, he smiles bigger and winks at me.

“Don’t worry. It doesn’t count,” he says.

Before I can respond, he pulls me to the edge of the stage just as the music kicks on and the intro to Elton John and Kiki Dee’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” plays.

My hands shake and my palms sweat, but the lights are so bright the crowd is outlines and silhouettes, not a single face able to be made out. Not even Haven’s bright red curls or Blake’s white streak in her hair. And as Reid’s strong and sure voice echoes through the speakers, all my doubts and insecurities vanish, pulled to the edge of the crowd along with his voice.

I smile, and a laugh leaves my body, my hand covering my mouth because—while not as bad as his alpha—he isn’t the most talented of singers. But he’s up here, on the stage, singing his heart out so I don’t have to be embarrassed alone.

And maybe to stick it to Sebastian a little.

I inhale right before my turn, then open my mouth and sing, my eyes on Reid instead of the crowded bar. I can’t see them, anyway. A thrill of delight runs through me at the smile Reid gives me, his free hand flashing me a speedy thumbs up.

The song continues, and we sing and dance our way through it, moving closer on the stage until we meet dead center. His arm wraps around my waist, holding me to him casually, leaving a breath of space between us. My hips sway, my head swings, and my body moves, all my nerves easing while in his arms, while I’m close to him.

The song ends, and Reid spins me under his arm and into his body, his fingers curling around my abdomen, splaying across my stomach. My hand braces myself on his chest, gripping the fabric of his T-shirt, and my foot pops up behind me in a little pose.

We stare, both of us breathing hard, our hearts beating in sync. The air is charged, electric. Our bodies press together, but it’s different from when we danced. I can’t put my finger on how, but something has changed. Shifted. In me and in him.

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