blissful to try and figure out why. Instead, I snuggled close again and closed my eyes, inhaling the scent of him, memorizing it.
"So," he said, nuzzling my neck, "Do you need anything?"
"Just you," I whispered.
"Good."
My fingers danced down his back, and I loved the way his muscles flexed under his skin.
"Better stop that," he said playfully. "Unless you want a lot more of me in a second."
I giggled. "I want it all, Matthew."
"Right now?"
My voice was husky with renewed desire when I replied. "Right now and always."
He groaned and lowered his hand to my bare hip, lifting my leg over his. "Your wish is my command."
I smiled and kissed him softly, pressing my body closer. He was getting hard again and I curled my fingers around the base of his cock. "Mmm, so I see. Want to know what I wish?"
Matthew sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. "I think I can guess."
I slid my hand over his length and pulled him against my heated core, sliding the tip of him over my swollen clit, gasping at the sharp pleasure that brief touch brought.
He hunches his back and leaned down to take one of my nipples in his mouth, smothering the soft flesh in damp heat. But an instant later he let out a yelp of pain.
I sat up, instantly terrified. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he said through gritted teeth. "Just sore from the bus, maybe."
I looked down at him, taking in the sweat beading on his forehead, and how pale his face had gone. "Bullshit." I took his hand in mine. "Matthew, tell me the truth."
He shut his eyes and took a series of deep breaths, every one making my fear grow, before finally looking at me again. "You have to promise not to tell anyone."
Seven
My heart was thundering in my chest, and I could barely get the words out. "I promise. Now, tell me."
He sat up gingerly, wincing again. "I lied to you, Ellie. I lied to everyone."
"About what?"
Matthew shook his head and sighed. "You know in the accident I was lucky. Bruises and a couple of cracked ribs."
"Yeah. Was there something else we don't know about? Another injury?"
"No." He placed a hand over his stomach. "But one of the ribs didn't heal right. I don't know if I moved around too much during our time off or if one of the doctors missed something or it was just a fluke, but it's fucked up, and…" He paused and looked at me, pain and sadness filling his eyes. "I saw someone right before the tour started up again. A thoracic surgeon. She wanted me to stay at home and have a procedure, but I didn't. I couldn't."
Snapshots of the past flashed through my mind, moments when he seemed off, and there were quite a few. "Oh my god, have you been in pain this whole time?"
"It isn't constant or anything, but, yeah."
It hurt me to imagine him suffering in silence, keeping it secret from everyone. "But, didn't you have to get cleared? Or insured or whatever?"
He scoffed. "Yeah, by the doctors that the label pays. They take care of all the artists, but it's mostly bullshit stuff. They give out sleeping pills and shots if someone loses their voice, that kind of thing. All they did was ask if I felt better, and I did at the time. No one came back to check, they didn't do another x-ray or even a real exam. Just signed the paperwork and sent me on my way. I went to see this other doc on my own, just to see. I thought it was nothing, or I was just healing slower than they thought I would. By the time I found out the truth it was too late."
I didn't understand at all. "Too late for what?"
"To delay the tour. Everything was moving. Money was spent, the train was rolling."
I put my hand gently over his, feeling his slow, deep breaths. "And that's your plan? Just deal with the pain until the tour is over? How?"
He shrugged. "I'll see what kind of pain meds I can get. Just be careful with it and I'll be fine."
"Is that what the doctor said?"
Matthew turned his face away.
I grabbed his chin and made him look at me. "Tell me. Right now."
He groaned. "No, we've been emailing. She
"So," he said, nuzzling my neck, "Do you need anything?"
"Just you," I whispered.
"Good."
My fingers danced down his back, and I loved the way his muscles flexed under his skin.
"Better stop that," he said playfully. "Unless you want a lot more of me in a second."
I giggled. "I want it all, Matthew."
"Right now?"
My voice was husky with renewed desire when I replied. "Right now and always."
He groaned and lowered his hand to my bare hip, lifting my leg over his. "Your wish is my command."
I smiled and kissed him softly, pressing my body closer. He was getting hard again and I curled my fingers around the base of his cock. "Mmm, so I see. Want to know what I wish?"
Matthew sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. "I think I can guess."
I slid my hand over his length and pulled him against my heated core, sliding the tip of him over my swollen clit, gasping at the sharp pleasure that brief touch brought.
He hunches his back and leaned down to take one of my nipples in his mouth, smothering the soft flesh in damp heat. But an instant later he let out a yelp of pain.
I sat up, instantly terrified. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he said through gritted teeth. "Just sore from the bus, maybe."
I looked down at him, taking in the sweat beading on his forehead, and how pale his face had gone. "Bullshit." I took his hand in mine. "Matthew, tell me the truth."
He shut his eyes and took a series of deep breaths, every one making my fear grow, before finally looking at me again. "You have to promise not to tell anyone."
Seven
My heart was thundering in my chest, and I could barely get the words out. "I promise. Now, tell me."
He sat up gingerly, wincing again. "I lied to you, Ellie. I lied to everyone."
"About what?"
Matthew shook his head and sighed. "You know in the accident I was lucky. Bruises and a couple of cracked ribs."
"Yeah. Was there something else we don't know about? Another injury?"
"No." He placed a hand over his stomach. "But one of the ribs didn't heal right. I don't know if I moved around too much during our time off or if one of the doctors missed something or it was just a fluke, but it's fucked up, and…" He paused and looked at me, pain and sadness filling his eyes. "I saw someone right before the tour started up again. A thoracic surgeon. She wanted me to stay at home and have a procedure, but I didn't. I couldn't."
Snapshots of the past flashed through my mind, moments when he seemed off, and there were quite a few. "Oh my god, have you been in pain this whole time?"
"It isn't constant or anything, but, yeah."
It hurt me to imagine him suffering in silence, keeping it secret from everyone. "But, didn't you have to get cleared? Or insured or whatever?"
He scoffed. "Yeah, by the doctors that the label pays. They take care of all the artists, but it's mostly bullshit stuff. They give out sleeping pills and shots if someone loses their voice, that kind of thing. All they did was ask if I felt better, and I did at the time. No one came back to check, they didn't do another x-ray or even a real exam. Just signed the paperwork and sent me on my way. I went to see this other doc on my own, just to see. I thought it was nothing, or I was just healing slower than they thought I would. By the time I found out the truth it was too late."
I didn't understand at all. "Too late for what?"
"To delay the tour. Everything was moving. Money was spent, the train was rolling."
I put my hand gently over his, feeling his slow, deep breaths. "And that's your plan? Just deal with the pain until the tour is over? How?"
He shrugged. "I'll see what kind of pain meds I can get. Just be careful with it and I'll be fine."
"Is that what the doctor said?"
Matthew turned his face away.
I grabbed his chin and made him look at me. "Tell me. Right now."
He groaned. "No, we've been emailing. She
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