Page 136 of Just Wait

“Where did you and Riser go?” he asks. “I asked him, but he told me to talk to you if I wanted to know.”

“I needed a few supplies and to wash the sheets. Riser was kind enough to come with me to keep me company.”

“The roadies wash all our laundry. They would have done your shopping too. Unless you just wanted to get off the bus.”

His head tilts as I grab the bags from the floor, dropping them onto the blanket.

“Riser mentioned that.” I smile, trying not to be awkward.

Based on the frown on Kincaid’s face, I don’t think I succeeded.

He steps inside the bedroom, sliding the door closed behind him. He crosses his arms over his chest, and I freeze.

Oh, God.

Did our test results come back?

Is it bad news?

He really doesn’t look happy.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. “Did you lie to me last night? Did I hurt you? Everything seemed fine when we fell asleep⁠—”

A slightly hysterical laugh escapes my lips. “I’m fine. You didn’t hurt me.”

“Be real with me, Lumen,” he says, his tone pleading. “If I fucked up, I need you to tell me that, so I can fix it.”

“Oh my god,” I groan, bringing my hands to cover my face. “My period started. That’s it. You didn’t break my vagina.”

“Huh,” he says, sounding far too smug.

I jab a finger at him without looking at him. “That’s not something to get cocky about.”

He chuckles, skirting around the bed and coming to a stop at my side. I have no idea how he does it, but he picks me up, turns me toward him, and tosses me down on the bed.

He plants a knee between mine, stretching out over me languidly. His chest presses against mine, and he lowers until our lips brush. “If you need a little all-natural pain relief, let me know. I’ll be happy to give you as many orgasms as it takes for the dopamine and endorphins to kick in. It’s really the least I can do.” He nips at my lips, and I open for him.

My hands weave under his and around his back, pulling him even closer as he shoves his tongue into my mouth.

The kiss is sensual and slow. It’s crazy to think he was once again worried he hurt me, but God, I hope we can move past those fears quickly. Although it’s literally a nonissue, I know how irrational worries can be.

I’m still worried how my conversation with Malcolm is going to go.

If I sign that contract…

I just want to make sure that his song will remain his own, but I’m worried it’ll hurt his feelings if I tell him that I can’t work on it anymore.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Malcolm

Our practice goes smoothly, but afterward, Lumen asks me to stick around so we can chat.

I have no idea why a monstrous-sized pit forms in my gut. It could be the look on her face or that the energy is off.

Something is wrong though, and I hate it.

This isn’t a breakup conversation, right?