Page 74 of Finding Emotion

“I need to—”

“Stand around and wring your hands? Nope, let your friends handle that.” She’d pulled out her phone from he didn’t know where in that skintight dress and held it to her ear as she continued to pull on him. “Mandy? How fast can you get my guitar here?”

It was like her manager had been waiting in the wings with it, or time had lost all meaning, as Skylar was trying to push the instrument on him soon enough. All he kept being able to see were the photos of the woman beside him, with red the color of blood dripping down her face. His throat felt too tight for words, much less to sing. When he shook his head at her, Skylar grabbed his chin to stop the movement.

“Don’t let someone take this from you.” Her hazel eyes had shadowed, the blue and green colors muted behind the curtain of the stage. “Don’t let them take anything.”

Damon’s hands still didn’t want to grip the guitar. He curled one around hers where she still held his face, linking their fingers as he pulled it away. “Will you play with me?”

Skylar blinked at him. “It’s not really my type of song.”

“I don’t want you out of sight. Not yet.” Not ever, he added to himself as he waited for her answer. Only that wasn’t realistic. Especially not now.

“Come on,” Skylar said, pulling him out onto the stage.

Most of the guests weren’t fans. No, most were rich and high-end business associates, potential clients of Erin’s husband. The other guests were local employees from the recent businesses Nicholas had taken over. The charity was a publicity stunt, and Erin had been the one to invite Damon to sing. She’d said it’d be like a private showing. He’d had her in mind all along, though, not the other people, or even the media she’d invited.

His sister had never fallen in love before. She’d barely even dated. She stood in her own little bubble with the man that adored her, happier than Damon had ever seen her, though she’d always faked happy really well. Damon was one of the few that understood the difference.

Skylar dropped his hand, shifted her guitar, and played his music. Damon wasn’t surprised that she’d memorized the melody. She had an ear for music, one that rivaled his own.

Without the equipment, the music didn’t carry as far. Silence came over the audience as the notes of Damon’s love song unfurled. His eyes wouldn’t leave Skylar even as she rolled her eyes at him and transitioned back to the beginning because he’d missed his cue for where the lyrics were supposed to start.

As the clouds shifted above the stage and the sun shone on the person Damon couldn’t seem to stop staring at, he sensed his mother’s presence there with them. She was often in his thoughts. She would have liked Skylar.

His throat loosened, and he finally began to sing.

He’d written the song for Erin. His sister had been his biggest fan over the years, even while she’d kept him grounded. She grinned at him from the audience, but his mind couldn’t stay on her.

Weaving his voice with Skylar’s playing felt natural. His hands ached for his guitar, wishing they could play together. As he moved closer to her on the stage, he heard her low humming of the words, and his heart beat harder.

When their eyes met, instead of ending the song, she transitioned one more time into the chorus, using the bend that she’d suggested, and everything was just right. Her voice rose, the husky edge of her unusually low contralto wrapping around his own tenor, mingling perfectly.

“You’re not for me. Never.

Only I wanted you to be.

No longer pushing but pulling,

Always a part of me.

The gift that keeps giving.

Sent, shared, shown.

The gift that keeps giving.

A love that I will own.”

Erin’s catcall was the first thing he could hear over the pounding of his heart. She climbed onto the stage easily enough with those long legs of hers.

“That was fantastic, Dame!” Her laughter wrapped around him.

Over her shoulder, he saw Skylar attempting to escape.

“Wait, hold on.” He reached out, his hand grazing her arm. “Don’t disappear. It’s not safe.”

“Not safe?” Erin frowned as she studied them. She turned to Nicholas, motioning for him to move the charity crowd along before she turned back. “Is there someone I need to bodycheck? I’ve got a mean headbutt.”

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