Light My Fire (Rock Royalty Book 1) by Christie Ridgway Read Free Book Online Page A

Instead of moving her away, it made him want to bury both hands in the stuff and bring her closer.
    Without thinking, he tilted back her head and turned his, aligning their mouths—
    And the room went dark.
    The surprise made him release his grip. He huffed out a breath and dropped his hand to his lap. When a spotlight shown on the stage, highlighting his half-sister, Ren spun his chair around, careful to create more space between him and Cilla.
    Cami sat on a simple stool, a guitar cradled in her lap, her focus on her fingers as they began to pluck a rhythm on the strings. The crowd went quiet. Ren had worked with musicians for over a decade and he recognized when one was comfortable in their skin while at the same time supremely aware of their audience. His half-sister snuck a short look in the direction of the table where he sat with Cilla and he wondered if their presence made her nervous.
    Then she started to sing and he no longer thought at all.
    Her voice, throaty yet pure, was perfect for the folk/bluegrass vibe of the first song about a wandering lover. As the last chord was strummed and the crowd broke into applause, he shared a glance with Cilla. She smiled at him. "I've heard her before. Great, huh?"
    "Great," he confirmed, wondering if Bean had ever seen his daughter perform or even knew she played. Ren regretted this was his own first exposure to her talent.
    Then Cami swung into the next song, a cover of Colby Caillat's "Brighter than the Sun." His half-sister smiled as the audience started clapping, taking up the rhythm. At the chorus, she stopped picking and strumming to drum on the body of the guitar while she sang the lines a cappella.
    After that, the crowd was hers and the set ranged from country covers, a pop standard she made new with her own little twist, and then a sweet rendition of "Baby, Now that I've Found You," reminiscent of Alison Krauss. As the applause from that died down, Cami stroked her thumb over the guitar strings. "This will be the last number of the first set, but I'll be back for a second."
    Ren glanced at the table of single ladies he'd spotted before. The minute his half-sister left the stage, he'd head for them. When he returned his attention to Cami, it was to see her peering through the glare of the spotlight directly at him and Cilla. "This one's an old spiritual that's been covered by a number of artists. I hope you'll enjoy my version."
    She started to pick out the notes on the guitar, then leaned into the mic and sang:
     
    Motherless children have a hard time
When their mother is gone
Motherless children have a hard time
When their mother is gone
Motherless children have a very hard time
All the weepin', all that cryin'
Motherless children have a hard time
When their mother is gone
     
    The verses continued and she delivered them in a voice filled with heartbreak and loneliness. As the song's last word faded away, Cami didn't wait for applause, but just slipped through the curtain behind her.
    It wasn't until the house lights came up that the audience reacted, clapping wildly. Ren joined in, noting that Jewel was looking over at Cilla in concern. He whipped his head around and caught her wiping away tears. Surprised by the show of emotion, he scooted close and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "Are you okay?"
    "Sure." She pushed at his hand and grabbed a cocktail napkin to blot her cheeks. "I'm an idiot."
    "No," he said, pushing back his chair. "Hold on. I'll be right back."
    Without a second glance at the table of pretty women, Ren stalked past them to knife into the crowd gathered at the bar. He was back to Cilla in moments, glasses of wine for her and Jewel in hand as well as another shot glass—this one filled with tequila.
    "Drink," he said, pushing the hard stuff toward Cilla. "You look like you need it." The tip of her nose was pink and she hadn't let go of the balled-up napkin. In his mind, he could still feel the dampness of her tears against his skin.
    "I'm fine,"