Melody stopped dancing and frowned. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, but I could tell she didn’t believe me.
“Let’s take five,” Melody said, and jumped off the stage, rushing over to me. “You look really pale, LiLi.”
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“Who are you?” Melody asked.
“Doom.”
“What kind of a name is Doom?” Melody demanded.
“It’s his club name,” I provided. “You can let me go now, Lincoln.”
He settled me in one of the chairs and stood, crossing his arms. “How long ago did you take a pain pill?”
I checked my wrist which was void of a watch. “Oh, about five o’none of your business.”
“Did you take one at four?” Melody asked.
“No,” I said.
“Why not?”
Again, this came from my sister.
I sighed. “Because I need to be able to think tonight.”
“You won’t if you’re in pain.”
This came from Doom.
“Yeah, what he said,” Melody retorted.
“Both of you need to walk away right now.”
“And if we don’t?” Doom challenged.
I forced back frustrated tears as I took several deep breaths. I needed everyone to stop fussing over me. I hated fussing. It put me on edge.
“Oh, shit, my sister is going to cry,” Melody informed Doom. “And if Lyric cries, the world ends, so I’m going to find Harmony and get her some pain meds that she is going to take, even if I have to force them down her fucking gullet.”
She stalked away and Doom hunkered down in front of me. “You gonna cry, Angel?”
I glared at him. I couldn’t handle him giving me a sweet nickname while he was standing in front of me looking positively edible, because he was right, I did want to cry and that wasn’t in my M.O. “I don’t cry.”
As if to prove I was lying, he swiped his thumb over my cheek and gently wiped a tear away. His touch scorched me and I leaned back. “Don’t.”
He slid his thumb into his mouth and sucked on it, staring at me as he did it, and my girly bits contracted with need. I was pretty sure he knew exactly what he was doing to my body and I had to look away.
I hadn’t had sex in close to three years and my body was suddenly in dire need.
“What’s this about not taking your meds at four?” Harmony demanded as she arrived with Melody in tow.
“I need to be on point, NiNi. I can’t be foggy.”
She handed me a bottled water and a pill and leaned down. “Take it.”
