Page 21 of Conquest

Evan lifted the instrument from its case with the tenderness of a father lifting his child from its crib. He set it against his left shoulder to check the tuning, placing a soft white cloth where his chin would go since the model didn’t have a chinrest, and when the final adjustments were made, he said, “It’s been a while since I’ve played, so don’t laugh at me if I screw up.”

Jesse shook his head and sat down on the stool for the harp. “Never.”

Evan raised the bow and closed his eyes, calling the song he wanted to play to his mind. The music flowed through his mental ear, telling him the notes he needed. He settled the bow on the strings and played the first gentle notes of Pachelbel’s Canon in D major.

Jesse’s lips parted, the pure, divine sound of the violin stealing his breath to add to its essence. Like a heavenly being residing in the mortal realm, Evan wove the notes together with expert fingers and created a blanket of music that wrapped around them both. Though the piece normally called for more violins, Evan’s rendition and skill made it so the other instruments weren’t missed. Enraptured, Jesse stared at him, at his lips that looked so soft, at his fingers of such deft skill, and in that moment, the newly awoken part of himself became fully alert, and he knew then it was his very soul that Evan had roused. It responded to Evan, called to him, and there’d be no silence within himself until Evan was his.

Evan summoned softer notes from the violin as he brought the song to its end. He lowered the bow and opened his eyes. “So, what do you think? Think you can do it?”

Jesse blinked himself out of his daze. “What?”

“Play the violin. Do you think you can do it?”

Jesse sat silent. He had been so wrapped up in his internal musings he hadn’t paid attention to Evan’s fingering or strokes of the bow.

Evan laughed. “Weren’t you paying attention?”

Jesse lowered his eyes. “I got wrapped up in listening.”

Evan cradled the violin in his arms. “That’s alright. I got wrapped up in playing.”

“That violin has a beautiful voice.”

“He should. He’s a Stradivarius.”

Jesse fixed his eyes on the violin, in shock at sitting so close to such a piece of musical history. He caught how Evan spoke of the violin as a “he,” not an “it,” showing the level of respect Evan held for the instrument, and thought it was only proper to do so. “They’re so rare, where did you get him?”

“I had been looking for a Strad ever since I could afford one. Actually, I had come across one at an auction a few years ago, then had the opportunity to view two others from private collections, but I passed on each one. For some reason, even though they were Strads, they didn’t strike me. Then I saw him.” Evan ran his hand lovingly over the body of the violin. “He was part of the collection at the Nippon Music Foundation. It took me several months, but I finally convinced them to sell him. I had to have him and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.” He chuckled softly and lifted his eyes to Jesse. “I guess I was a bit obsessed. Sort of like when you see someone you want so badly for your lover, your mind won’t let go of them. It creates images and sounds so sharp, you feel like you already know their touch from your dreams.”

Jesse glanced down at the floor. Evan couldn’t know how he felt, but those words made it seem like he understood perfectly. How was he supposed to respond to something like that? His emotions would betray him no matter what he said. He turned on the stool toward the harp and ran his fingertips over the strings, creating a cascade of harmonious notes.

“I can’t believe you live in this big house all by yourself. Doesn’t it feel empty or lonely?”

Evan startled inside at the sudden topic change. Jesse hadn’t taken the opening he’d created for him. Things had been going so well and now it felt like Jesse had withdrawn. Uncertain whether to move forward or not, Evan cleared his throat. “Well, like I said, I haven’t been here very long so I’m still getting used to it. But being alone doesn’t bother me. I prefer privacy to an entourage. I’ve thought about getting a dog, if that counts. Or maybe a cat. And who else do you think I would have living here?”

“Don’t you have a few dozen girlfriends?”

Evan shook his head in confusion. “Why would you think I have a lot of girlfriends?”

Jesse shrugged and plucked a few more strings on the harp. “I just remember when you were performing you always had a different woman with you at every award show or big event. So I figured you probably have a lot of,” he turned his eyes to Evan in a meaningful glance, “lovers.”

Evan couldn’t keep his smile at bay. And there it was. The piece holding Jesse back, and of course it would. They had only just met, so obviously Jesse would know Evan the Entertainer better than Evan the Human Being, and the persona he had presented to the world was that of a very straight male, thanks to Greg. In order to keep his sexuality hidden, Greg had insisted he take dates to events where the publicity would be hot. Greg always arranged who his date would be, and the woman, so eager and excited to be on his arm, ended up irritated and disappointed from a long evening of being ignored by him. He didn’t feel it was his responsibility to keep them entertained since if he had it his way he’d go to the events alone, if he showed up at all. Unfortunately, the charade of being seen with so many different women and never having a steady girlfriend branded him with the reputation of a playboy, and he always knew it would come back to haunt him someday.

“You’re right, I always did go places with a lot of different women, but out of all those women, did you ever hear of one referred to as my girlfriend?”

Jesse laid his hands on the harp strings to silence them and looked sharply up at Evan. “No, but isn’t that where the whole being a player comes in?”

An amused grin quirked Evan’s lips. How bold Jesse was, practically demanding to know if he had other lovers, as if already staking a claim to him. He wasn’t used to people acting like this with him. Other men never cared if there was someone else in his life so long as they got their turn in his bed, but Jesse was already making it clear he wouldn’t tolerate anyone else. A pleased sigh passed through Evan, and he decided to answer Jesse’s question.

“Stand up,” he said.

“What?” Jesse asked, confused.

“You want to try and play the violin, don’t you? Stand up and come here.”

Surprised by Evan’s commanding tone, Jesse wondered if he’d been too pushy in trying to get him to open up about his personal life and had offended him. Now Evan was probably trying to brush it off by focusing on something they could both agree on. Music. Jesse stood and walked the few paces to Evan.

“Turn around,” Evan said.