Page 22 of Edge of Heaven

It’s already been a long day and Karnal Death has a show tonight, which I’ll be expected to attend.

I close my phone and stick it in my purse as I make my way through the airport.

I wrangle my suitcase and get in a cab to take me straight to the arena. I’m dreading a confrontation with Callum, but I have to find a way to navigate a balance between having him continue to pay for Toby’s treatment and me winding up with some kind of venereal disease. Or worse.

Callum is waiting for me the moment I get backstage and immediately wraps his arms around me.

“I missed you, baby doll.”

Yeah, right.

I push away, shaking my head. “You missed me so much you cheated on me,” I say dryly.

He sighs. “Look, you know how I get. I haveneeds.”

“That’s not an excuse.”

“If you didn’t leave me for a week at a time, I wouldn’t need to look elsewhere for some relief.” He looks down at me with what might actually be considered contrition. “And anyway—a little head isn’t cheating. I didn’t even kiss her. Literally, she just sucked my dick. No intimacy, no diseases.”

That, at least, is a relief.

And Ryleigh did say once they were interrupted, Callum stalked off in a huff.

“Come on—don’t be mad.” He leans in to kiss me, but I turn my face.

“Don’t, okay?” I keep my voice low since we’re not alone. “You know how I feel about you sleeping with other people and bringing shit back to me.”

“And I just told you I didn’t. You can’t get a disease from a blowjob.”

Actually, you can, but the edge in his voice is back, and I know to tread carefully—it doesn’t take much for Callum to get mad. Once he goes over that edge, it could take days to talk him down, so I don’t want to risk it.

“Are you going to do that every time I go out of town?” I ask finally.

“Are you going to keep going out of town every month?” He meets my gaze with a fixed stare.

“I have to,” I whisper.

“Then I guess you have your answer. But don’t sweat it, baby doll—no diseases from head. So think before you start a fight and piss me off right before I play.” With that, he tugs a lock of my hair hard enough to make me flinch, and then turns and heads in the opposite direction, calling to his guitar tech.

Asshole.

Tears of frustration well up in my eyes.

I don’t care if he cheats, but I can’t risk having him dump me for someone else. Not yet. Everything is so much more complicated than I anticipated.

On top of that, I don’t have anyone I can talk to.

Ryleigh has extended more than one olive branch, but I’m too embarrassed to tell her the truth of my situation.

I know I can depend on Mick, but I have to be careful with him because I think he has a crush on me.

And the truth is, I might have a little crush on him too.

But I can’t do anything about it, so it’s better to keep my distance.

Five-and-a-half months until I’m free.

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