Quickdraw Slow Burn (Battle of the Bulls #3) - T. S. Joyce Page 0,23

next to him.

“I don’t know her,” Quickdraw growled, spinning the Jack Daniels on the rocks that Annabelle had brought him, insisting on being the designated driver tonight. Cheyenne was gonna have their hides if they got rowdy the night before interviews, but Annabelle was doing a bang-up job of keeping their boss distracted, as evident from their laughter at the bar.

They weren’t looking for men. They just genuinely seemed happy to be spending time together—Annabelle, Raven, and Cheyenne. He liked that.

For the third time, he caught Annabelle glancing over at him. She lifted her water and mouthed, Do you want another?

Quickdraw bit his bottom lip and shook his head. You having fun? he mouthed back. Her answer mattered. He reveled in every one of her smiles tonight.

She moved to the side to better see him since a dancing couple had gotten in their way. So much fun, she mouthed, and her face was earnest.

A drunk dude was butchering a Bon Jovi song right now, so Quickdraw twitched his head toward the stage. Save us.

Her eyes went round before she looked at the song-maimer then back to him. God, those gorgeous wolf eyes…

Her cheeks were pink as she leaned in and whispered in Raven’s ear. The three of the girls came back to the table. Annabelle set a shot in front of him and clasped her hands behind her back.

“For me?” he asked.

“I’m on water tonight. That’s liquid courage in case you decide to come sing with me.”

“Woman, I’m not singing a rock song, and you don’t know much country.”

“I said I didn’t like country.” She leaned in with a pretty smile. “Not that I didn’t know country songs.” She mimed him taking the shot and then made her way to the sign-up table. She talked easily to the man sitting behind it, controlling the music, and then pointed to something in the song option book.

The man grinned and said, “Let’s see what you got, girl,” and okay, now Quickdraw was curious.

The howler finished his song, thank God. Raven took the seat beside him as Annabelle took the microphone on stage. Raven patted Quickdraw’s knee. “You’re about to fall in love with a stranger.”

Too late.

Annabelle’s cheeks were still flushed, but if she was nervous, she sure didn’t show it as the first notes of a song played.

He knew this one. Fuuuuck yes, he knew this. It was a song off a soundtrack to a movie he secretly loved. Hell, most cowboys and cowgirls had seen it. He knew every word but, damn, he was shocked down to his boner that she knew it, too.

She swayed with the intro acoustic guitar, lifted the microphone to her lips, and sang that first line.

It was a duet from Country Strong. She was taking the male and female parts, and he just…got lost.

Her voice was pure and clear as a bell, pretty tone, soft vibrato. She had absolute pitch control. He bet her wolf howled like a dream when she was changed.

A few boys at the bar started singing along, and then a few more ladies on the other side of the room.

Annabelle grinned bigger and nodded, gestured for them to sing on with her. Then she lifted her hand to him and twitched her fingers. Come here.

“You gonna leave her up there singing alone?” Raven asked.

All eyes were on her right now, and this was her moment, but she kept looking at him.

Two Shots and Dead were grinning at him, like they could see his reserve slipping. Assholes.

“Aw, fuck it,” he muttered, tossed the whiskey shot back, and stood up.

Behind him, the bar whooped and whistled.

Hell, he was probably blushing, but he took the second microphone the man behind the table handed him.

She’d just finished the girl part, so he picked up the male lead in his deep, less certain voice. He wasn’t one to get embarrassed. He spent too much time in front of cameras and bucking for huge events, but singing was out of his wheelhouse. And as he looked out at the crowd, he had a moment. He wanted to hide.

There was a soft tug on his hand, and when he looked down, Annabelle was looking up at him with such openness. Just watch me, her eyes said. And he did. Even though the bar sang loudly right along with them, he just sang with Annabelle. By the last few lines, the room had faded away, and it was just her pretty voice and his gruff one, just the two of