We’re heading toward the door when the busty blonde from the stage steps into our path, bypassing me and placing a red painted nail to Luke’s chest.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Can this man go anywhere without drawing unnecessary attention?
Peeking a glance at them, I groan. He’s laying on the charm, thick and convincingly.
The blonde is eating out of his hands. I don’t even want to know what’s being said. She’s practically panting, and his head’s thrown back, laughing at something she said. He’s not even engineering her reaction to him. This is one hundred percent her reaction to his natural charm.
The blonde looks over her shoulder, leveling me with a fierce glare. I give it right back, mumbling under my breath about tramps and bar whores, when she turns toward me.
“You can’t leave until one of you sings, and he says you’re up.”
I scrunch my nose. “Not happening.”
“Come now, Victoria. Take one for the team. You owe me.” He grins a slow, joker-wide smile.
I step toward him, leaning into his ear. “I can’t, Lucifer. I suck at singing. Angelic voice, I have not,” I admit.
He laughs. “Well, you’ll have to make a trade.”
My hands come to my hips and I drill him with a look that says,you’re pushing your damn luck.
“Those are my terms,” he says with a shrug.
“I’ll share my bed with you.”
He lifts a brow. “That’s already been settled, love. You’ll have to do better.”
I huff, “Fine. Breakfast tomorrow. That’s my final offer.”
He nods. “Done.”
“It seems like I’ll be taking one for the team.” He smiles down at the blonde, and she squeals in delight.
“What are you singing?” She claps her hands excitedly.
He puckers his lips, seemingly contemplating his choices. “‘Riptide.’ Vance Joy.”
She nods and runs off toward the stage.
I widen my eyes to saywhat the hell. He just shrugs.
This night has been so utterly against everything I stand for. I don’t relax. I don’t dance. I sure as hell don’t pretend to be human. Yet I can’t deny that I’ve enjoyed every damn minute of it.
CHOP SUEY!
The music starts and my eyes pop to the stage, where Luke stands at the microphone. I know exactly what to expect. He’s sung to me before, on our first full night together. His voice is sultry and masculine. Every girl is about to lose her mind in a minute.
He croons into the microphone, and just as expected, there’s a collective sigh from every female in the room. It doesn’t help that he plays right into it, making each of them feel as though he’s singing directly to them. The devil has skills, and one of his best is the way he can make you feel like you’re the only person in the room.
The very reason I fell for him.
A dark part of me is eating up the way that everyone, even many of the men, are falling all over themselves to get closer to him, yet it’s me he’s here with. I don’t deny that makes me one very disturbed girl. I’d love to say it’s an aftereffect still plaguing me from our time together before, but a voice deep within chastises me for pushing the blame all on him. Some inner part of me knows that not every feeling I’ve felt for Luke was contrived by him. None of them were, if he’s to be believed.
His soulful green eyes find mine. He smiles, never again removing his gaze from me, singing every word straight to my heart. I feel dizzy at the proclamations, even if they’re someone else’s creation. I can’t help but wish that each lyric sung was chosen by him for me. That he truly means every word. Foolish girl.
I internally berate myself for allowing such thoughts to infiltrate my mind, yet no matter how much I try in this moment to change my feelings, they can’t be helped. Simply listening to his voice has my knees quaking, threatening to buckle underneath me. My body feels electrified, a feeling similar to when I recharge. Every synapse is firing on all cylinders, and it feels euphoric.
