Page 50 of Finding Emotion

Skylar moved the few steps back to the couch, her hands grabbing his face and tilting it up to hers. “Why are you so… so…” She groaned, leaning down to kiss him. Her lips were hard and brief, and she sighed against his mouth at the end. “Fine. You order. I’ll shower.” Her fingers slipped from his skin as she turned away and disappeared into her room.

Damon let out his breath, the tingles from his lips not quite fading before he rose to search for the suite phone. He ordered a mix of things, some healthier than others, then went to his room to change into something clean but nearly as comfortable. His sister had roped him into agreeing to check in on their dad that day.

He stared at his phone after returning to the living room. A couple of messages from Jimmy, but none with the video. It was too early to worry about his manager coming up to interrupt them. He wondered when he’d stopped enjoying his friend’s company. It must have been the tension about poaching Skylar from him. Not that Damon had. Not really.

Skylar saved him from his thoughts. Her eyes flicked down to his phone. “You watched it?”

Damon shook his head.

“I—” Skylar cleared her throat, looking away.

Damon stood but didn’t cross to her. He waited, letting the silence flow.

The elevator dinged, opening to show the food cart and server. Damon had them set up the breakfast buffet at the bar instead of the table, then added a tip to the bill. The older gentleman was neutral and not a fan of either of them, which was nice.

Erin snagged one of the barstools, then lifted some of the lids off the trays. “How much grub did you order?”

Damon joined her. “I wasn’t sure what you would eat.”

“Which is yours?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she studied the different plates.

“The omelet if you’re not tempted by it,” he admitted, snagging the plate when she waved it away. They’d provided the salsa he’d asked for, and he dumped it out on top before reaching for a fork.

Skylar lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as her hand hovered over the options. She sighed as she dragged the yogurt and grainy-looking oatmeal her way, but then she snagged a dry pancake, ripping her teeth into it. Her eyes closed as she chewed. “I’m gonna sic Mandy on you if she finds out.”

“There’s syrup.” He gestured to it as he smiled.

“Don’t tempt me,” she muttered, taking another big bite.

She stuck to the one pancake, spooning up the yogurt next and making a face as she swallowed.

Damon thought it was cute as hell and wanted again to tell her she should eat whatever she wanted. He kept silent as he finished his omelet and the bacon and sausage that had come with it.

Skylar’s eyes shifted to him as she put down her spoon. “Hey, I—” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

“What do you want to say?” he asked. He watched her bite her lip. “After your snoring last night, I think I can handle anything.”

She snorted. “I don’t snore.”

He pushed away his plate, propping his head on his hand as his eyes traced over her face. “No, you don’t.”

“Jerk,” she muttered, but she was smiling. “It’s nothing.”

“Not if you’ve wanted to say it twice,” he said.

Her hands gripped the counter hard enough the fingers whitened. “Maybe don’t watch the interview?” She didn’t look at him, but glared down at the remaining yogurt.

Damon’s chest felt like it was being squeezed again.

“It’s not that it’s that bad. I just—” She groaned. “Look, I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay,” Damon agreed.

Skylar glanced at him. “Seriously?”

“Well, I can’t promise that Jimmy won’t give me the gist of it, but I won’t watch the video myself.” As if mentioning him conjured the man, the elevator dinged and his manager headed toward them, though his normal smile wasn’t present. He had a box in his hand, a red ribbon around the thing.

Damon’s stomach sank. “Where?”

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