The Girl's Got Secrets (Forbidden Men #7)(120)

I gaped at her, stunned.

Damn it, she was amazing.





Asher drove me crazy by sticking around as I sang the first song. And not only did he linger, but he watched me the entire time I sang. And the way he watched me was...affectionate.

It was enough to give a poor girl ideas, make her think his will was softening toward her, like he might actually one day forgive her.

But after the brutal way he’d turned me away last night, I knew better. I’d sung my heart out to him, told him with each lyric that I loved him and was sorry for hurting him.

And how had he responded? He’d told me right back that there was too much bad blood between us and that he was better off without me.

Ouch.

Message received. Painfully.

I was never going to have another chance with him, ever.

So why the hell was he still watching me? As the song came to an end, he shifted closer, squinting as if confused. “How’d you know to sing that specific song?”

“Huh?” I frowned and glanced at the machine. “I just remember you once mentioning that was their song.”

“Oh.”

He continued to watch me as if I’d done something wrong though, so I said, “Was I supposed to sing something else?”

Shaking his head, he murmured, “No. That was perfect. Thanks again for doing this for Pick.”

He reached out as if to pat my arm and maybe call me a true friend as he used to do when I’d helped him with something, but then he furrowed his brow, his hand retreated, and he turned away to stroll off.

I watched him, his hands in his pockets, which lifted the back of his tux jacket and pulled his pants snug against his ass.

Damn, he looked good dressed up. It was hard to believe I’d had him naked and under me once in my life.

“You’re drooling,” Big T said into my ear, making me jump. “And...we still need more music.”

“Shit.” I spun away from Asher’s backside and unconsciously wiped at my mouth as if I really had been drooling. Then I returned to the karaoke machine and started song after song.

The night progressed, alcohol flowed freely, and my cousin picked up a few songs for me so I could rest my voice. I chugged water and watched the dancing and the laughter and the comradery. But mostly I watched Asher. He fit with this crew. His coworkers continually jostled him and laughed, joking and bantering.

It was nice.

He looked happy. Which made me glad, and yet sad because I’d never get the chance to make him happy again.

When it came time for the bouquet toss, Reese and Felicity wheeled Sarah onto the floor, and they helped her catch the flowers. Afterward, all the guys shoved a stumbling Asher into the middle of the dancefloor by himself as Pick removed Eva’s garter. He turned and tried to get Mason and Knox to join him, but they both shook their heads and said they were practically married, so Asher found Noel’s two younger brothers, Colton and Brandt, and dragged them out there with him.

I laughed and shook my head, amazed I remembered everyone’s names. But Asher had talked about them enough, describing them all perfectly when he’d thought I was a guy, that it was easy to tell who was who. I almost felt as if I knew them as well as he did.

Brandt ended up catching the garter after Asher dive-bombed out of the way. Grinning, he waved it like a flag before carrying it over to Sarah and slipping it around her head like a headband.

When I started to play the group-dance songs like The Chicken Dance, Limbo, and Cha-Cha Slide, I couldn’t help but give Asher a shout out, when it came time for the Hokey Pokey.

“Hey, everyone,” I called into the microphone. “The best man’s going to need a little help from all the ladies with this next song because...” I placed my hand over the mike for a bit to make a face, then I removed my fingers to lean forward, confessing, “He doesn’t know his left from his right very well.”

He laughed and shook his head even as he flipped me off. But then he gladly accepted all the help from Reese, Eva, Felicity, Caroline, Zoey and Aspen, who hurried forward to do the Hokey Pokey with him.

Afterward, I passed the microphone to Big T so he could entertain everyone with the Mexican Hat Dance song. The best man saw me taking a break and strolled forward in that sexy male saunter only Asher Hart could perfect, shaking his head and still chuckling.

“Thanks a lot, smart-ass,” he said. “I can’t believe you remember me admitting that.”

I sent him a small smile as I sipped my water. “I remember everything about you.”

His eyes heated at my confession, and I knew he was remembering things too. Nipples hardening and my panties growing moist, I cleared my throat and tried not to get too aroused, even though I failed.

A giggling pair of drunk girls stumbled up to us, breaking into the moment. When I realized it was the bride and maid of honor, I straightened respectfully.

“Remy,” Reese called, glassy-eyed and swaying into Eva as she grasped my arm. “Can you sing ‘Dear Future Husband’ so I can dance for Mason? I think it could really help cheer him up.”

I ground my teeth at the request for a Meghan Trainor song. I’d been hoping to avoid all of her music tonight in the hopes of not irritating Asher’s ire further by reminding him of “All About That Bass.” But Reese had been through a lot of shit lately, burying her mother-in-law, taking on a teenage sister-in-law. I couldn’t tell her no.