Page 120 of Forbidden Harmony

“Preacher? What’s wrong?” Even Addison’ssoft voice seemed too loud.

He grimaced and gripped the doorframe forsupport. “Migraine,” he managed to spit out.

“Come in.”

Thank Christ, she didn’t ask more questionsor say anything else.

He stumbled into her small apartment andleaned against the wall. He needed to take his boots off, but his stomach waschurning, and his head was on fire. If he leaned down, he would either passout or throw up.

He realized that Addison had crouched andwas unlacing his boots. She tugged them off his feet before taking his hand.“Come lie down, Preacher.”

Squinting, trying not to vomit all over theback of her head, he stumbled down the hallway to her bedroom. Sunlightstreamed through the window and he groaned and shielded his eyes.

Addison quickly pulled the blinds, plungingthe room into darkness. He breathed a sigh of relief as she led him to thebed. Remaining silent, she helped him strip off his clothes. When he wasnaked, she urged him into her bed. She pulled the covers to his waist and leftthe room.

He kept his eyes closed as his head pulsedand throbbed. It would only get worse and he wondered if he should ask Addisonto take him to the hospital. He didn’t want to go. He knew from experience thatit would be too loud and too bright and the pain meds they gave would maybe dullthe pain if he was lucky. He didn’t need that. He just needed dark andquiet. His head felt like it was going to explode but it would get better. Italways did…eventually.

Sex will help.

Yeah, it would. For some migraine sufferers,orgasms helped to ease the pain. Sometimes it even made the pain disappearcompletely. That didn’t usually happen to him, but an orgasm did provideenough relief that he might be able to avoid going to the hospital. He wonderedif Addison would freak out if he masturbated in her bed. He pictured the lookof horror on her sweet face when she returned to find him yanking one out andwould have laughed if he didn’t believe it might make his head detonate like abomb. Even thinking about moving his goddamn arm back and forth made himqueasy.

Ask Addison to do it. You don’t have tomove – she’ll do all the work.

Jesus, he wished his inner voice would justshut the fuck up. He could only imagine what Addison would say if he asked herfor a hand job right now. At best, she’d think he was a fucking idiot, atworst, she’d think he was faking the migraine just to get laid.

She was back, he could smell her sweetscent in the room, and he tried not to wince when she sat on the bed and itjostled his aching head. A cold cloth was placed on his forehead and hegroaned at the pressure but didn’t move it. Sometimes cold helped.

“Do you have medication?” she said.

“Doesn’t work,” he grunted out before clenchinghis hands into fists. Fuck, he was going to vomit. He struggled to sit up asthe cloth fell to his lap with a wet plop. She pressed her hand against hischest.

“What’s wrong?”

“Gonna barf.” He was about three secondsfrom throwing up all over Addison and her bed. He’d never make it to thebathroom in time.

A bucket was pushed into his hands and heimmediately vomited into it. He threw up again and again until his stomach wasempty, and he felt shaky and weak. He dry-heaved a few times as she rubbed theback of his neck with her cool hand. When he was done, she helped him ease backonto the bed. The bucket was pulled from his hands and a cool cloth wiped hismouth.

“Okay?” Her tiny hands stroked his chest.

“Yeah,” he grunted. It was a lie. Whilehis stomach was no longer churning, the vomiting had made his head hurt evenmore and the pain was fucking blinding him. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “I’ll be rightback.”

She disappeared and the foul smell of hisvomit disappeared with her. Faintly, he heard the sound of a toilet flushingand a few minutes later, Addison was back.

“Sorry,” he rasped again.

“It’s okay.” Her cool hand rested on hisforehead. “What about the hospital? I can call Gideon and ask him to give usa ride to the hospital. They can give you stronger pain meds and maybe someoxygen.”

“Not going to the hospital,” he saidwaspishly. “Just need to be left alone.”

“Do orgasms help?”

He opened his eyes. She was staring at himwith no embarrassment in her gaze and he closed his eyes again. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” Her soft little hand slipped underthe covers and wrapped around his dick and he groped blindly for it.

“No.”

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