Page 135 of On The Edge
“No problem, really.” He nods and grins before holding his hand out. “After you.”
I’m showered,moisturized, brushed and braided, curled into the big, puffy white sheets, finally closing my eyes. It feels like it’s been years since I slept well. In a bed. With no time limit.
I know for a fact that tomorrow morning we’re leaving at the crack of dawn again, so I know I have a time limit, but it can’t take away from how amazingly comfortable this bed is. I never want to leave. Manchester’s hotel rooms are where it’s at.
I sigh happily, pulling the blanket up to my nose. My eyes flutter closed right as I hear the softbeep, beep, beepof the door opening in the other room.
“MELODY SULLIVAN!” Kai roars, and I sink deeper into the bed. I knew they’d be mad and hurt that I skipped the concert.
“She’s not in here,” Markus growls, probably checking the small living room area. Their boots thunder through the rooms as they search for me, but instead of facing the music like an adult, I cover my face completely with the blanket.
“You don’t think—” Adam says loudly and I can hear the trepidation in his voice, while Reis snaps, “No.”
The bedroom door opens and the blankets are ripped from on top of me rather rudely.
“Hey!” I yell, reaching for the blankets only to find Kai standing at the foot of the bed looking murderous.
“She’s here,” he calls just loudly enough to make my chest vibrate. Kai stares me down angrily, his fists clench at his sides, and his nostrils flare as he breathes in deeply. “How. Could. You?” he snaps through clenched teeth as the rest of the guys storm in looking equally as angry.
“I’m sorry I missed the concert,” I say, pushing up to sit and rub my hand down my face.
Reis cuts me off. “Do you think we care about you missing a concert? Fucking really?” He shakes his head and growls. “No, Melody, we’re furious because you fucking left without a word.”
Pot calling the kettle black,I think, but purse my lips.
“The only reason we didn’t stop the concert the moment we looked over and found you weren’t there was because Paul told me he got you sorted,” Markus snaps, moving his hand through the air like he’s cutting through the bullshit. “We were really fucking scared.”
“I told Louis to tell you guys.” I look down at my hand, rubbing my palm softly. I know I should’ve probably waited. I didn’t need to fully leave the venue; I could’ve just gone to the dressing room, but Louis just… got to me.
“They were all… into it.”His voice floats through my mind and I screw my eyes closed to try to get his words out of my head.
“Louis? You think we trusthimwith you? Fuck no,” Adam snarls, stepping closer into my space, smacking his hands on either side of the foot of the bed aggressively. His light eyes look at me like he’d somehow absorb me into his skin so he didn’t have to go through this shit again, if there was any way to actually do so. There’s anger, yeah, but I can see a lot of other emotions brimming underneath.
Anger’s just the loudest right now.
I’m not scared of them. I know they won’t touch me in any way but how I like andencourage,but all of them standing around me, brimming with this possessive, frustrated energy, lording over me… it’s hot. It’s really hot.
In fact, my hands drop between my bent knees as I clock how his forearms pop while his hands dig into the mattress. He must not have changed because my eyes drag up his bare, tattooed arms to where his deep cut T-shirt hangs and reveals his heavilytattooed and leanly serrated torso. I know my mouth starts to water because I bite my lip to close my mouth, but my eyes… My eyes keep drinking him in.
And that’s when my whole body locks up.
There’s lipstick on his neck.
Smeared as if he tried to wipe it off.
Slowly, locked onto him, I move from sitting to kneeling, eyes narrowing at the mark and grit my teeth.
“Whatthe fuckis that?” I growl menacingly and point to it.
“Fuck,” Markus says under his breath and my eyes dart to him.
“Confessing already?” I taunt, anger and devastation churning through my gut and turning my ache into bite.
“No, absolutely not,” Markus says quickly, crossing his arms over his chest so his black T-shirt pulls tightly against his chest. “There’s nothing to confess, Songbird.”
“That?” I move closer, pointing at Adam’s neck and he sits back, rubbing his skin aggressively. “That’s nothing?”
“Don’t try to turn this around, Sync,” Kai argues as he grabs my arm, surprisingly gently for as abrupt as he sounds. “You left. Why?”
