Page 21 of Rock On

“Was it just a game? Some challenge while you were here?”

“No,” I denied. Letting go of one of her arms, I brushed away the single tear that had escaped down her cheek. It killed me. I’d been hurt so much in my life. The last thing I ever want to do was hurt another person—especially her. “I love you. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here with you.” I pressed my hand over her heart then grabbed her hand and brought it to my chest. “And you’re here. It’s too soon for me to propose, but I know where we’re headed.”

“We’re not headed anywhere,” she tried to deny, but her words weren’t as fiery and angry as before. “You—”

“By this time next year,” I interrupted. “You’ll be Mrs. Waterstone, and maybe, we’ll even be expecting our first baby.”I ducked my head to make her meet my eyes. “I’m not leaving you.”

She stared at me, gnawing on her lip. Then she nodded.

“Just stay,” I begged. “I have to get back on stage, but we’ll talk about whatever you want afterward. Please?”

Sky jerked another nod.

“Thank you.” I pulled her into my arms, and the crowd, whose rapt attention had been fixed on us, cheered. I just thanked God Sky hugged me back.

“I love you,” I whispered into her ear before I walked her back to her seat next to Marley. Marley didn’t appear at all forgiving. She cut her finger over her neck, ice-cold eyes glaring at me.

I shook my head, smirking at her, then after a quick kiss to Sky’s forehead, dashed back to the stage. After levering up and reclaiming my mark, I scooped up my mic to finish the concert—even though I’d just given several thousand people a real big side show that would be all over the news tomorrow morning.

“Okay, Spring Harbor,” I yelled, riling up the already rowdy crowd. “Let’s do that song again. This one’s for my girl.”

Catching Sky’s eye, I winked. Maybe, things would be okay. No, notmaybe.We were going to make it. I would fight like hell for her, no matter what.

Eleven

Sky

You’re mine. And I’m yours. Until our end.

“At least, it’s not drugs,” Marley groused beside me while we watched the band perform. Well, to be honest, I only watched Jerrin. The rest of the group could have been naked and painted green, and I wouldn’t have noticed.

“No, not drugs,” I confirmed.

Though they said love was a drug, didn’t they? And wow, Jerrin had just made a huge scene. That wasn’t the action of a man who’d been playing a game with me. And he said…

He said he loved me.

He loved me?

I stared at him while he sang my song, never taking his eyes from me, as if he were serenading me. Once, I’d been obsessed with it. I’d always felt as if it were mine, and now, the feeling had returned.

“I guess if you had to pick one of them, you picked a good one,” Marley said when the next song started, and Jerrin had tomove to the far side of the stage to play the crowd over there. “Sometimes, I think he’s the best one of the lot.”

“Sometimes? Wait, Marley?” Glancing over, I caught the expression on her face before she shuttered it away. “You like one of them, don’t you?”

“No.”

“Yes, you do. It’s not Stone. Pretty sure of that. And you’re not into girls. It must be Kyson? You have a thing for Kyson, don’t you?”

She jabbed me with her elbow. “Shut up!”

“You do!” I crowed.

“Jerrin’s not the only one I’m going to kill if you don’tshut up!”she threatened.

“Before this week, I didn’t know you were so bloodthirsty.” My gaze tracked my man while he jogged to the other side of the stage to rev up the that portion of the audience. Pride welled in my chest while I watched him work. Charisma oozed from him. How had I ever taken him for anything less than a super star?

“This job will do it to you.” She jerked her chin toward Jerrin. “So he better not hurt you.”

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