My Grumpy Old Bear - Jayda Marx Page 0,23
Noah. Isn’t he gorgeous?” Cheers and whistles rang out as I waved to the crowd. I looked over at Brooks, who was brooding and glaring at all of the men in the bar. They should consider themselves lucky that looks couldn’t kill.
“Noah has a very special treat for you all tonight don’t you, darlin’?”
A cry of ‘Take off your pants!’ came from a table in front of me, immediately followed by, ‘Shut your fucking mouth!’ I didn’t even have to look at Brooks to know that last shout came from him.
“Goodness, you boys are rowdy tonight,” Brent replied, fanning himself. “Unfortunately, Noah will be leaving his clothes on, but he’s promised to sing us a song. And I have it on good authority that he’s very talented with his mouth.”
“God dammit, Brent!” Brooks yelled again, and Brent’s naughty grin nearly cracked his face.
“Take it away, darlin’.” Brent left my side and plopped down into a chair in front of me.
“How’s everyone doing?” I asked, positioning the guitar on my knee. More cheers and catcalls sounded from the group. “Awesome. Well, like Brent said, my name is Noah and I’d love to sing for you all tonight.” I’d never been shy, and even as dozens of eyes stared at me, I wasn’t nervous, though I was a little shaky from the sheer excitement of the moment. I’d never played in front of a crowd before.
“This song sums up how I’m feeling tonight and I hope you all enjoy it.” I played the first few notes of Josh Turner’s Your Man, and the crowd erupted again. I was worried about how the song would be received since it wasn’t as old as some of the others that were being played here, but the crowd seemed pleased, and were watching with rapt attention.
I meant what I said about the song portraying how I was feeling; the lyrics spoke of being so happy and turned on just by being with your special someone. As I crooned each and every word, I didn’t take my eyes off of Brooks, hoping he understood I was singing directly to him. The uncharacteristic dreamy grin he wore told me he knew.
When I strummed the last note, the men in the ‘honky tonk’ as Brooks called it jumped to their feet. They cheered and whistled and I got all shaky again from the overwhelming feeling of pride and happiness. My first experience singing in front of a crowd was a success, and I knew this wouldn’t be my last time.
Pleas of ‘Sing another!’ and ‘One more!’ came from the group in front of me, but I just smiled and handed the guitar back to Brent, who hung it on the wall again.
“Sorry boys,” I told the greedy crowd, “I need to get back to my dinner date.” The bartender flipped the music back on, and by the time I reached Brooks’ side, the men had settled down.
“Sunshine, that was incredible!” he gushed, wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug. “I had no idea you could sing like that!”
“Thanks, honeybear,” I murmured into his neck where my face was squished. “I’m glad you liked it.” He released me and we both took our seats in the booth again. “When I was younger, I had dreams of being a singer and touring the world,” I confessed.
“You could do it,” he insisted, nodding his head. “I’ve never heard a voice as good as yours. You sing like a fucking angel.” The compliment sounded so wrong and so perfect at the same time. Before I could thank my man and bask in his praise, a pair of legs in my peripheral vision caught my attention. I turned my head to find a thick man wearing just a vest and tight jeans. He had a bushy black and gray beard and a hungry grin.
“Hey there,” he said, tipping an imaginary hat at me. “You sounded mighty nice. Not to brag, but I’m pretty talented with my mouth myself. How about you and I make some music of our own?”
“Listen here, asshole,” Brooks started, but I stopped him with a caress to his arm. He got riled up quickly, but responded to a simple touch from me, and damn if I didn’t love it.
“Sorry cowboy,” I told the man with a smile. “I’m already spoken for.”
“Ah.” The man gave me a tight smile and looked to Brooks. “Didn’t mean to step on your toes, partner. You’re a lucky man.” He held his hand out for Brooks