“I think you can take him, Claire,” Matt says. “I mean, you did get him to sleep with only one girl.”
Claire laughs as she rolls her eyes. “He isn’t sleeping with anyone, for your information, especially not me.”
That stuns my friends, and to my surprise, doesn’t embarrass me at all. I’m proud that I’ve only slept with one girl in two weeks. That’s a record for me. Knowing that it’s a good time for me to exit, I tap her butt to get up. I stand up behind her and then kiss the back of her head before walking around her. Looking at me, she asks, “Where are you going?”
“Off to pick the categories.”
“Why?”
“’Cause I’m the winner from the last week.”
I flash her a grin before leaning over for a quick kiss and then head off to get my songs. I should feel bad that I’m about to kick her ass in karaoke, but I guess the competitor in me can’t muster up any guilt. Too bad, too, because Claire is going down.
Chapter 20
Jude
“Okay, categories are as follows,” I say once I come back to the table.
Claire has a water in front of her that Jayden must have gotten her when he went to get a beer. They’re sitting close; probably so they could hear each other over the music because I know my brother would never cross me. We’re too close. And he knows how much she means to me. He’s probably the only person I trust at this table. Caleb probably wouldn’t do anything, but Bryan and Matt are horn dogs out for a little tail, and if I see them give my girl anything but a friendly smile, I might knock out their teeth.
With everyone’s attention, I say, “Pop, love songs, and rap.”
“Love songs!” Matt says with his face twisted.
“What the hell?” Bryan asks.
“He’s got a girlfriend now,” Jayden says with a grin. “He’s all about that mushy shit now.”
“Shut up,” I sneer before flipping him the bird. Looking over at Claire, I see that her cheeks are a little darker in color, and she’s grinning wide. Leaning over to her, I brace my hands on the chair arms, bringing my mouth so close to hers that it wouldn’t take much move moment to feel her lips against mine. “I hope you’re ready because I’m about to dominate here.”
She scoffs, rolling her eyes. “You ain’t about to dominate anything. I’m a master at this.”
“We will see,” I say before standing up.
“Oh, we will,” she says, pursing her lips up at me.
I want to give her a kiss, but she’s my competitor now, and I’m about to whoop her ass. Heading toward the stage, I take the mic and put it on the stand. I hear my name screamed by some of the girls, and when I look out to where I know Claire is, her eyes are on mine, a challenge in her eyes. She doesn’t care about the girls; she doesn’t care about anything but me. That’s freaking awesome, but I’m not going to let that distract me. She’s going down.
I know I have all three categories. I know my music, but I know she does too. She might get me on the pop one, but I’ll have one over on her in the rap and love song categories. When the music to “Say it, Just Say It” by The Mowgli’s starts, everyone in the pub goes crazy. I sing like I’m going for a Grammy, working the room, getting people to clap and scream, while knowing all the words. It’s fun; I love singing. It’s always been a passion of mine but hockey always won over it. My mom always says I could be the next Michael Buble, but I would rather be the next Wayne Gretzky.
Soon the song is over and the crowd goes nuts, even the bartender is clapping. Putting the mic back on the stand, I head over to where Claire is coming toward me, a grin on her face.
“Impressive,” she says, stopping in front of me. “But I’m better.”
With only a wink, she passes by me and I swear I’m so hard I can’t breathe. This girl gets me on so many levels, and knowing that she is as big a competitor
as I am turns me on so much I’m not sure I can move. Somehow my legs start to move and I head back to the table to drop down into the seat beside Jayden. Claire is still setting up her song, so I reach for the beer that Jayden has for me and take a long pull.
“I like her.”
I glance over to see my brother’s eyes on me. “Me too,” I answer.
“She’s great. She likes you too.”
“Good, that’s what I want.”
He nods and then turns as the music to “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry starts. Oh, smart move. It’s the hottest song out and everyone in the pub is up, dancing and singing along. Claire’s voice is nice too. She wasn’t lying when she said she liked to karaoke. She can carry a tune, and damn, she looks good doing it. But when she starts to move her body to the music in a sexy way, the guys in the pub start to holler and my body tightens with jealously. I don’t want to share her with anyone in this pub; I wish it were only us two, but I know that’s silly. She isn’t dancing for anyone but me. Her eyes haven’t left mine, and soon I’m wound tighter than a clock.