Page 11 of A Song in the Night

Just like that night, I’m gripped by the need to prove Noah wrong. I close the distance between us and throw myself onto his back, intending to use my weight to get him onto the floor.

Noah doesn’t miss a beat, though. He seizes my wrists and walks over to the couch, where he proceeds to flip me over his shoulder. I land with an undignified grunt and have no chance to move before Noah is on top of me and pinning my wrists again, this time above my head.

“Seriously?” I growl at him.

He hovers over me. “You started this, baby vampire. We both know I’m stronger than you by a long shot. Own your mistake, and I’ll let you up.”

I buck my hips in an attempt to throw him off, but it does nothing. My breathing is heavy and my face burns. There’s only one way out of this, and I hate it.

Noah smirks at me, his dark hair hanging in his face, partially obscuring his annoyingly stunning green eyes.

“Get off,” I say through my teeth.

He leans down until his lips are at my ear. “Tsk, tsk. This is a place of employment, Charlie. You really shouldn’t encourage such things.”

I manage to shove my knee into his gut, and he grunts. My sense of victory fades when he drops his knee to my hip, pressing me into the couch. Our bodies are nearly flush, and parts of me are enjoying this far more than I’d care to admit.

“Ready to concede?” he murmurs in my ear.

I shiver involuntarily. “You mean you don’t want to spend all night on top of me?”

His laugh stirs the hair at my temple. “You’re so crass. I’m shocked.”

“Get over yourself, Forrest.” I tug on my wrists. “You’ve made your point.”

“Have I?” Noah leans back enough to look me in the eyes. I swallow a dozen insults and nod. He finally shifts off of me, pulling me up with him. “Good.”

I move away as soon as he drops his hold on my wrists.At least he’s finally looking at me, I think. My face feels hot, and I want nothing more than to get into a cold shower and forget this whole thing. “We’re not done,” Noah says.

“I am,” I shoot back.

“I was serious before. You’re going to learn, so you may as well get on board now and make this easier for both of us.”

“Why can’t Sylvia teach me?”

His lips twitch. “Because I volunteered.”

“Why?” I demand. “You’ve been a prick since the auction.”

Noah doesn’t answer. Instead, his eyes drop to my mouth for an instant, then he meets my gaze. It happens so quickly that I wonder if I imagined it. “Train with me, Charlie. You’ll enjoy it a hell of a lot more than you would with Sylvia,” he says.

It’s his use of my name that douses the lingering flame of ire inside me. “You are… very full of yourself,” I manage.

“For good reason, and I think you know that.”

“I think you’re delusional.”

He chuckles and walks away. “Come on.”

I sit up with a sigh. “Where are you going?”

“Basement. There isn’t enough room in here. Sylvia’s got a decent gym set up downstairs.”

I glance down at my clothes. “I need to change.”

The vampire takes the comment as an invitation to sweep his gaze along the length of my body, and I refuse to give in to the quake of self-consciousness that goes through me. Instead, I lift my chin and wait for him to finish his perusal.

This time I know I’m not imagining the throaty quality to Noah’s voice as he replies, “Sylvia might have something you can wear. Her spare sets are downstairs, too. Come on. You’re not getting out of this.”

---