Until Alex - J. Nathan Page 0,19

But it didn’t mean I agreed with her.

Because the only people I got sent to ended up broke, wounded, or dead.

But, man, I’d be an idiot not to be affected by her words. They stole the air right out of my lungs. She saw me as someone worthy of her friendship. Someone she sought comfort in. Someone she could rely on.

Except for Remy, no one had seen me that way before.

Heads turned as Alex passed by. Her gorgeous face. Her hot body. Her innocence. It was all there for the entire bar to see. And they saw. How could they not?

She stopped at the DJ table beside the stage. Her eyes finally snagged mine from a safe distance away. Before I could acknowledge her, her attention shot to the DJ. They exchanged a few words before he handed her a microphone.

Oh, shit.

Alex climbed up onto the stage.

Center. Fucking. Stage.

She leaned against the wooden stool, her right foot resting on the lower rung like a rock star ready to belt out a ballad. She grasped the microphone stand, popped the microphone in, and lowered it to her height like she did it for a living.

I prayed it wasn’t the alcohol making her brave. Because for a tiny thing, she’d just downed two beers and a shot of tequila.

Music to the eighties scorned girl’s anthem “I Will Survive” filled the bar. The women broke into wild cheers. I sensed a fucking sing-along. Maybe their voices would drown out Alex’s.

She lifted her head, her green gaze holding mine like we were the only two people in the bar. Even across a congested room, I sat captivated by not only those amazing eyes, but by the owner of those eyes. Her lusty expression made my body twitch. I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to.

The lyrics tumbled out of her pouty little mouth slow and sexy as she explained she was afraid and petrified.

I sucked in a breath. Her words flowed out in tune. The girl could sing. She could really sing. I raked both hands through my hair, letting the relief wash over me. Thank Christ.

When the beat of the song picked up, Alex jumped to her feet, ripped the microphone from its stand, and worked the stage from left to right and back again.

That little vixen.

She knew exactly what she was doing, swaying her ass around up there in those tight jeans and knee high boots like a fucking rock star.

She threw her arm into the air declaring she’d survive, and the women in the bar jumped to their feet and sang along. Even the men whistled and cheered, hanging onto every raspy note and intentional swing of her hips.

Watching her up there, exuding confidence and sex appeal, struck me speechless. There was definitely more to Alex than met the eye.

It made me wonder. What “tough times” had she been through? What was she surviving? I wished I didn’t want to know. I wished I didn’t need to know.

As the final note drifted through the speakers, those who weren’t already up jumped to their feet. The wild noise reverberated throughout the room like a full-blown concert. I rose to my feet wearing a big dopey grin, awed by Alex. A girl I hardly even knew.

She looked out over the crowd from her spot on stage. Her lips split into a giant grin as if the shit she’d been carrying just vanished. And if it only lasted for a fleeting moment, the moment had been worth it. For her. For me. For everyone in that damn room.

She stepped down into the crowd with the help of two guys at the front of the stage who were more than willing to put their hands on her. As she maneuvered through the room, she laughed as people reached out and slapped her hand.

When she finally reached our table, her eyes were alight, her face filled with joy. Without warning, she threw her arms around my waist with an adorable giggle and buried her face in my chest.

Instantly, my body stiffened. I didn’t speak. I didn’t breathe.

Sensing my discomfort, Alex dropped her arms and stepped back, plastering on an insincere smile and sliding into her seat.

I hated myself in that moment for not being able to control that part of me. The fucked-up part that kept people at a distance. It was a defense mechanism. My very own alarm system that kicked in when things got too uncomfortable, or in this case, too close to