“I’m the biggest dickwad on the face of the earth.”
Blair scoffed. “What you are, is a douche for thinking this other woman has anything over you.” Her sister’s footsteps approached, coming to a stop beside Melody. “You’re successful as hell, and sexy to boot. I don’t care who this woman is, she doesn’t have anything on my redheaded sister.”
Melody let out another lengthy groan. It wasn’t so much the clothed package she was worried about. She’d held her own in the looks department. No professional dancer could go through life denying their appearance wasn’t a major part of their success or failure. It was the underlying issues that her sister didn’t know about.
“Want to see what I’m contending with?” She peered up from her hands and met Blair’s stare.
“Yeah, sure.”
With a self-deprecating smile, Melody pulled her cell from her pocket and reloaded the website link to the sex video. “Enjoy.” She pressed play on the clip and handed it to her sister.
As the sound of sex filled the small kitchen, Blair’s mouth gaped. “Holy shit. That’s the guy you’ve been sleeping with?”
There was no point responding, her sister was entirely entranced with the images on screen.
“He’s fucking hot. And hung! Jesus Christ, look at that bad boy.” Blair’s brow furrowed as she raised the cell closer to her face and squinted. “Is the other guy Mason Lynch? Damn, Mel, have you been hooking up with one of the Reckless Beat men? Your sex life is so unfair.”
“OK, showtime’s over.” Melody snatched the phone and quickly worked to close the browser. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quick enough to escape an eyeful of Sean drilling into Mason’s fiancée. Even fucking another woman, she couldn’t deny the man was delectable.
“So this video was taken while the two of you were together?” Blair went back to making coffee, pouring the liquid from the pot and then adding creamer.
“No.” Melody shook her head and fought to withhold another wince. Although she hadn’t checked the date stamp on the website, she knew it happened a while ago. Sidney’s hair had been cropped short and falling around her chin in the clip, when now it was half-way down her back. “It would’ve happened before we met, but Sean’s still hung up on her.”
Blair cringed and placed a coffee mug on the counter in front of her. “That must’ve been hard to hear.”
“He didn’t tell me. He didn’t have to. I could see it as soon as they were in the same room together. It was uncomfortable—the looks, the stilted conversation, the hug that lasted a few seconds too long and parted awkwardly.” She grasped for the coffee mug and raised it to her lips for a quick, burning sip. “You should’ve seen him the night we met at Mason’s engagement party. He was a wreck. I never questioned why he needed a distraction so badly. I didn’t know him at all and got caught up in the high of his attention. I stupidly wanted to believe we hooked up because he thought we had…” A spark? A future? “…I dunno.”
She shrugged it off. He’d done the right thing in not promising her anything from the start. They agreed to be adult about whatever came of their time together. She was the one who ran off course and dived head-first into a pool of psycho.
He didn’t need to apologize. She did.
“I know you’re in a panic and not able to rationalize at the moment, but I think you’ll wake up tomorrow and realize it isn’t all that bad.” Blair looked at her with pity. “I’m not going to lie. We both know it’ll be humiliating to see him again. You need to ignore it. Just pretend like nothing happened. Or pull out the menses card and claim your cycle made you flip out.” Blair sipped her coffee, not lessening the empathy in her eyes. “He’s a rock star, after all. This is probably the least dramatic woman moment he’s had. It may not have even made a blip on his radar.”
“Maybe. I guess I’m a dime a dozen to him.”
Blair frowned. “I don’t get you anymore. What happened to your confidence? I’ve never seen you fall flat for a guy before.”
Melody focused on the liquid in her cup. Denying she’d changed was a hopeless cause. She was the polar opposite of the vibrant performer she’d been not so long ago. Her family had spent months trying to lift her spirits after she quit dancing professionally. Days upon days had passed where she’d had to distort the facts to stop them prying. They didn’t know the full details of what happened, and she didn’t look forward to the day they found out. She’d lied about the severity of the accident, her injuries, and when it had happened too.
While hospitalized in Paris, she called her parents and pretended she was still on tour. It gave her the weeks she needed to recover, both in the overseas hospital, and dealing with the local Richmond doctors once she returned. It wasn’t until she’d endured almost a month of constant dressing changes and could fake a normal walk for a small duration, that she told them she was home.
They knew there was a bike accident.
“I guess I liked him more than I thought.”
“Or you’re lying again.” Blair raised a defiant brow.
“Again?” Her sister was taunting her into an argument she didn’t have the strength to participate in. “I don’t remember lying in the first place.” The deception stung. Betraying her sister was the last thing she wanted to do. Well, second to last over telling her the truth.
Blair scoffed as Melody slid from her stool and strode to the sink with the coffee mug in her hand.
“I don’t think you realize how much you’ve hurt us all, Mel.”
The defeat in her sister’s tone made Melody stiffen. She focused on the mug in the sink, certain she knew where this conversation was heading, yet not wanting to open her mouth in case she was wrong.
“We used to be much more than sisters. You were my best friend. And still you couldn’t tell me the truth about why you up and quit a fucking fantastic career.”
No. Melody shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She hadn’t wanted them to know. In reality, the truth would be all over the Internet for them to find if they searched hard enough. She’d covered her tracks as best she could. She’d played it cool, and made up a cover story to appease their curiosity.
“Mom, Dad, and I all vowed not to push you. Dad even warned me not to go snooping into your life. Don’t ask me why, because frankly, I think we had a right to know. But I did anyway. I know there was more to your accident. I gather you quit because you needed time to recover, or they were pissed that you were so reckless while touring. However, I still don’t understand how you could lose your confidence and drive to succeed. Did the accident scare you that much?”
Time to leave.
“You don’t understand how much you’ve hurt me,” Blair continued. “I lost you, without explanation. Do you know how much that stings?”
Leave. Leave now. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.
“I was actually relieved to the point of tears that you spoke to me on the phone earlier today.” Blair’s footsteps approached behind her, putting Melody more on edge. “You don’t even call anymore. So when you showed up, I was hoping I was going to get the old Mel back. The one who puffed her chest out and told the world who was boss. The same person who used to fill me in on all her sexual escapades without eluding a single detail. But that’s not the case, is it? Because although you’re here talking to me, I can tell you’re not the person I used to know.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” Melody turned, giving her sister a brief glance before focusing on the archway leading to the front door. “I better get going.”
“Christ, come on, Mel. Can’t you even talk to me anymore?” Blair raised her arms in exasperation. “What the hell happened to the sister I used to know?”
She died from the overwhelming self-pity that followed a life-changing motorcycle accident.
“You’re right. I am different.” Melody kept her gaze lowered as she passed her sister. She tried to keep her bitterness in check. It crept up on her like always. There was no control to s
top it. “And I’m sorry I hurt you. That was never my intent. But I didn’t come here tonight to discuss my career.”
She’d needed someone to talk to. Anyone. And there weren’t a lot of options left when she’d shut herself off from those who had previously been a part of her life.
“I know.” Blair’s fingers gripped gently around Melody’s upper arm. “Please, talk to me.”
The need to be comforted was overwhelming. She wanted someone to hold her. To tell her this disastrous part of her life was only a blip on the radar, not a defining moment to change her forever. She needed guidance and support. She just wasn’t sure she could take losing her last ounce of pride to be able to expose her flaws to the one person she truly admired. Whenever she closed her eyes, the fond memories of the past were shattered with the remembrance of the darkened, raw flesh on her leg.
“I lost myself, Blair.” Tears stung her eyes as she stepped away from her sister, needing space to keep herself emotionally detached. “I had the perfect life, and everything I’d ever wanted, and now it’s all gone. I’m never going to get it back.”
Blair’s brow furrowed. “Is this about Simon?”
“No.” The denial left her mouth without thought. Apart from the careless way her ex discarded her in the hospital, she tried not to think about the bastard at all. She never really cared much for him. It was sex and companionship. There was no love. There wasn’t even a hint of the thrill she’d experienced with Sean. “This has nothing to do with him. Well, the accident did. But the aftermath doesn’t involve him at all.”
“Then tell me.”
Melody swallowed over the bile rising up her throat and lowered her gaze to her left leg. This moment was inevitable. In the back of her mind, she’d known it had to happen, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. She raised her chin, met her sister’s gaze and lowered the waistband of her pants to expose the scarred flesh to mid-thigh.
“Oh, Jesus fucking Christ.” Blair raised a hand to cover her mouth.
There were no placating words. Her sister stared, letting the horror in her features speak louder than anything else could. Melody broke out in a cold sweat. She was stripped bare, her heart in Blair’s hands, and all she wanted to do was hide.
“I’m actually lucky.” She spoke to fight the need to run. “Or so the doctor said. There was no muscle or bone damage. Only skin.” Almost all her skin.
“And you went through this all by yourself?” Tears glittered in Blair’s eyes as she raised her focus to Melody.
“I didn’t want it any other way.”
“And you’re all right now, aren’t you?” Her sister was breathless. “Apart from the scarring, you’re fine?”
“I’m in pain. All the time.” She pulled the waistband of her pants back into place and gave Blair a sad smile. “Although the wound has healed, the nerves were severed. They’re constantly trying to reattach themselves to something that isn’t there. Sometimes I can ignore the consistent throb. It’s when I’m emotional or stressed that the pain increases.”
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
Melody released a derisive laugh. “You said that already.”
“This isn’t funny. I’m…” Blair shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing you can say, which is why I kept it to myself. Your reaction was exactly what I expected, and the main reason I didn’t tell anyone. Especially Mom.”
“That’s unfair.” Blair dropped her hand to her side with wide eyes. “You didn’t prepare me. I had no clue. You can’t spring this on to someone who cares for you and not expect them to be shocked.”
“I expected the shock. It’s the revulsion I can’t stand.”
“Jesus, snap out of it, Mel. I’m not revolted by this. I’m heartbroken. I’m angry and bitter and surprised. But I’m not revolted. You had an accident. You have a scar. That’s it. End of story. I’m just devastated you can no longer dance because of it.”
Melody broke eye contact and focused on trying to stop her heel from thumping against the floor in an obvious display of anxiety.
“Mel?” Shit. “What else are you hiding?”
“Fuck it,” Melody muttered to herself. There was no point lying anymore. “The wound will never stretch. I had to have skin taken from my right thigh to place over the wound—four grafts, which were brutal. But…” She swallowed, already anticipating how her sister would react. “I can still dance. My movements are no longer inhibited, apart from a little additional pain if I overextend.”
“Then why—”
“Don’t go there, Blair.”
“You can dance, right? So why did you quit performing altogether to become a choreographer?” Blair screwed up her nose. “I know you. There’s no way you’d be satisfied with your work in the studio.”
“I’m satisfied.” Plain and simple satisfaction. It was nowhere near the undiluted euphoria of working in her dream job, but it was as close as she would ever get.
“Don’t lie.” Her sister’s voice rose. “I’m sick of the god-damn lies.”
“You expect me to perform like this?” Melody waved a hand toward her thigh, matching the annoyance in Blair’s tone. “No celebrity wants a disfigured dancer on their stage. Simon reiterated my thoughts as soon as he was faced with the damage.”
“Yeah, well, Simon’s a fucking asshole. The guy’s a douche, and the only reason I didn’t tell you sooner is because I knew he was only a fling to keep you company on tour.” The color began to creep back into Blair’s features. “And why did he continue with the tour? Wasn’t he in the accident as well?”
“Yeah,” Melody murmured. “But he was smart enough to have full riding leathers on. He hired a Harley and had been cruising the Paris streets for two days. My ride wasn’t planned. I jumped on the back of the bike in a dress, and was lucky one of the stage crew threw me his jacket before we took off. The crash wasn’t that bad. Simon wasn’t going fast when he lost control in loose gravel.”
“So it was a case of bad luck.”
“More like stupidity and fate,” she whispered. “I’ve lived a blessed life for so long it was only natural the tables would turn.”
“You think you deserve this?”
Melody shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know much of anything anymore. All that’s clear is that what I had is gone, and I’m never going to perform again.”
“Well, shit, Mel.” Blair strode back into the kitchen and opened the cupboard beside the oven. “You were right about needing something stronger to drink, and I’m not even talking about the drummer of yours.” She retrieved a bottle of tequila and a novelty salt shaker in the shape of a half-naked male. “I don’t have any lime, but I think I’m good to drink without it tonight, how ‘bout you?”
Melody smiled. “I can’t. I have to drive home.”
“No. Spend the night.” Blair cracked the lid on the bottle. “Please. I’m not ready to let you leave yet. I finally have my sister back. We have so much to talk about. And besides, we need to figure out a game plan for when you catch up with your stud tomorrow.”
Melody no longer had the desire to dwell on her situation with Sean. Her sister calmed her, the same way she had in the past. Her love was a heady sensation after being without family for so long, and she vowed to herself to fix her isolation from her parents as well. In time. “OK. I just can’t drink too much. I have to get up early in the morning.”
“That’s cool. As long as you’re prepared to share all the juicy details on this drummer of yours.” Blair waggled her brows.
“He isn’t mine.” Melody chuckled as her sister pretended to make out with the side of the tequila bottle. “And I can’t tell you much, anyway. We only had sex in the dark, so I can’t even tell you what his assets look like.”
“Well, you can,” her sister countered. “We just might need to revisit that sexy porn video to refresh your memory.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Sorry I’m late.” Sea
n dropped his keys and wallet on the wooden bench and focused on Red seated in the middle of the studio floor.
“No problem. Start warming up, so we can get straight into it.” She flexed her legs, not meeting his gaze as she reached for her toes to stretch.
“Melody, I’m sorry.”
“I heard you.” Her voice was chipper, entirely fake, along with the smile plastered on her lips. “And like I said, it’s no problem.” She stood, brushing the non-existent dust off the ass of her loose pants and strode for the sound system in the corner. “If necessary, we can run a little later tonight to make up for lost time.”
He’d stewed on his stupidity all night, not sure whether he should get out of bed and go see her, or leave it until now, when she’d had space to figure out all the questions she’d need answers to. “We both know I’m no longer talking about being late.”
She ignored him and pressed play on the stereo. “Sean, I’m exhausted. I didn’t even have time to get home and have a shower before class this morning. Let’s just get through the task at hand and ignore what happened, OK?”
His chest throbbed. Spots may have even blurred his vision. “You didn’t sleep at home?” Christ. Mason was right. He should’ve gone after her last night.
“You need to get into position.”
She sashayed forward, starting the routine as music began to fill the room. She approached, bringing them toe to toe, then turned, giving him her back. He knew the drill. He remembered the moves. She was going to side-step away from him, starting the tease.
Not today.
He clamped his hands on her waist and dragged her back. She stiffened, and for a moment, they remained silent. He heard her breathing. He could feel it, too. Her back rubbed against his chest, torturing him, killing him with the thought of her being with another man.
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