Page 13 of Follow the Rhythm (Fairview City Omegaverse #2)

W orking with Ursula was exhilarating. I had never collaborated with another designer, or even considered this kind of work as a possibility.

So diving in headfirst with someone of her talent was like trying to learn the piano by playing a duet with Mozart, but I wasn’t completely failing.

Ursula had more patience than I expected for my dumb questions about technical things, and she was complimentary of my efforts.

But it wasn’t easy. Ursula worked from the label’s creative space, a suite of rooms designed for video production, editing and mixing, wardrobe and makeup fittings, and a dedicated studio for her to use for upcoming tours and performances.

We were usually the only ones using the space, so I didn’t have to worry too much about unwanted attention, or running into any of the Alphas I was currently avoiding.

“These label morons give me the best of everything for free. I don’t pay rent or overhead for equipment. They want to keep me happy so I don’t go somewhere else,” Ursula said when I asked why she didn’t have her own studio.

This meant a long daily commute from my apartment across town and cutting my days earlier than I wanted so I could still get the train back during normal commuting hours.

Even with descenter, going home alone late at night wasn’t an option for me, as much as it pissed me off to admit it.

Ursula was understanding, if not completely sympathetic.

But on that first Friday, I lost track of time.

We’d gotten a rough cut of the first full-length video of my animated illustrations, and I was making notes to give back to the motion designer.

It was uncanny to see them breathing and moving, and it made me feel oddly like a proud mother.

I couldn’t imagine how it would be to see them on the giant screen behind the band during a show.

When I surfaced from my flow state, Ursula was gone. I checked my phone, and it was past nine p.m. and fully dark outside.

My options were limited. I could either call someone I knew to come pick me up, like I was a child, or I could call a secure cab, which would be stupidly expensive. I hadn’t been paid for my work with the tour yet, so that was a bit of a problem.

Which was worth more to me? My pride or the $60 I’d spend on the fare?

I used the elevator ride down to decide, and by the time I made it to the lobby, pride had won.

The night security guard made it very clear I should get out of the lobby as soon as possible, thank you very much, so I went out onto the sidewalk outside to re-download the secure cab app for Omegas. The street was busy with people going out for the night, so it seemed relatively safe.

At least until a voice growled, “What are you doing out here?” from right behind me.

I yelped and jumped forward, which nearly catapulted me into the street, directly in the path of a car. Strong hands grabbed my shoulders and reeled me into what felt like a brick wall, but smelled like a strawberry mojito.

My body recognized the scent before my mind, and I turned towards it blindly, burying my face in Kieran’s chest. My heart was pounding from a potent combination of the adrenaline from nearly being run over and my unruly hormones that recognized the Alpha I was instinctively nuzzling as very compatible.

Kieran’s arms wrapped around me, and he purred raggedly, his breathing as unsteady as my own. The top of my head barely reached his collarbone. “Are you alright, love?”

I nodded. The calming effect of his purr was clearing the adrenaline from my system, replacing it with a kind of drugged arousal. I fought it before I lost myself completely.

I pushed out of his embrace. “You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?”

“I was getting some food. I live around the corner.” He pulled me away from the curb. I noticed the shopping bag dangling from his hand. “What the hell are you doing out here by yourself?”

“I was going to call a cab to take me home before you almost murdered me. Where’s my phone?”

I searched the ground at my feet, then spotted its crushed remains in the street. It was a harrowing testament to my narrow escape.

“Well, that sucks,” I said dryly.

“For fuck’s sake, I’ll get you a new phone. But you can’t be out here by yourself; it’s not safe,” Kieran growled.

“I was fine until you showed up.” My voice went squeaky with outrage.

“I’m taking you home,” he said.

“No, you’re not.” I would figure something else out.

Kieran sighed and started ticking off his fingers. “You don’t have a phone, it’s almost 9:30, and your scent is strong enough to attract the wrong kind of attention. I am taking you home.”

“All of that is your fault,” I said, which was true. If he hadn’t nearly killed me, then purred for me, I probably wouldn’t have burned through my descenters.

He planted himself in my way and grabbed my shoulders. “You’re right. I’m sorry for scaring you. But at least let me get you home safe. Please.”

I sighed, resigned. “Fine, you can call your driver or whatever.”

“Absolutely not, I’m driving you myself. Shall we?”

I looked to the sky, silently asking whatever god was laughing down at me for patience, then followed him.

“ This is your car? Aren’t you rich?” I asked, incredulous, when Kieran stopped at an old, beige, and very unimpressive sedan in the parking garage of his building.

He’d spent the entire two-block walk glaring at everyone who passed and making sure I didn’t walk too close to the edge of the sidewalk.

It would have been funny if it hadn’t been infuriating.

“This is a 1980 Jaguar XJ Series III. It is an absolute classic, and a testament to the brilliance of British manufacturing.”

“Wonderful. You’re a car guy.” I slid into the front seat after Kieran unlocked the doors. The interior was nicer than I expected, but I wasn’t going to admit that.

He started the engine and pulled out of the garage.

“It’s the car my nan drove when I was growing up.

She saved up to buy one brand-new and kept it in pristine condition until I was old enough to learn to drive.

I sold the original one when I was at uni, then bought this one as soon as I could afford it.

It’s nostalgic.” His voice was still defensive.

I sighed. “I can’t make fun of you for that.”

When I gave Kieran my address, he glowered. “You’re making that commute alone twice a day?”

“It’s only like thirty-five minutes on the train. I’m an Omega, not an invalid.”

“Is that even a safe part of town?”

I huffed. “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I live in a secure Omega-friendly building with a doorman and everything. Why do you care?”

“I want you to be safe,” he said, merging onto the expressway. Even with minimal traffic, the drive would take at least thirty minutes.

“Me specifically, or just Omegas in general?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Because if it’s just me, you think I can’t handle myself despite not knowing anything about me. And if it’s Omegas in general, then you’re a condescending prick,” I replied, settling back into the surprisingly comfortable leather seat with my arms crossed.

Kieran scowled as he drove. “Do you know how some Alphas talk about Omegas when no one else is around? There are men out there who see women not just as property, but as property they are entitled to simply because of their genetic makeup. I don’t think you’re incapable or that Omegas are weak.

The opposite, actually. I can’t imagine what you have to deal with.

But I know how disgusting these men are, and I won’t leave you vulnerable to them. ”

It was the most I’d heard him say, and certainly the most passionate I’d ever heard him be. He was gripping the steering wheel hard enough for the leather to creak under his massive hands.

Any descenter left on my skin didn’t stand a chance against the arousal that coursed through me and sizzled in a flush of heat. Apparently, even vaguely feminist rants were enough to turn me on.

“Oh,” I said, my mouth dry.

“But I am sorry for overstepping. You’re right, it isn’t any of my business.” Kieran switched lanes aggressively.

Fuck . A sincere apology and admitting he was wrong? That put me over the edge. My scent billowed to fill the car, and I crossed my legs against the sudden rush of heat between my legs. I choked back a whine. Not the time , I thought desperately.

Kieran inhaled, then rumbled softly on his exhale. He shifted in his seat. “Are you alright?”

“Fine. Sorry,” I blushed so hot my face felt like it was on fire.

Kieran’s scent was intensifying along with my own until the car was a soup of pheromones that made my head spin.

He rolled down the windows just a crack, and fresh air spilled across my face. I sighed with relief.

We rode in very awkward silence for what seemed like an hour, but the dashboard clock said it was only five minutes.

Kieran cleared his throat. “I don’t understand something. How did Ellis not recognize you immediately? I’ve only known you a few weeks, and I won’t forget the experience any time soon.”

I wasn’t sure how to interpret that. I studied his profile, but he was giving nothing away. “It’s Ellis. He’s a self-centered prick. Or maybe I’m only memorable now because I’ve got the exciting kind of pheromones. I thought I was just a Beta back then.”

“Pheromones have nothing to do with it,” Kieran said, still watching the road intently. The breeze from the cracked window had tugged a tendril of his long hair out to stream alongside the car. “So he was always an arrogant little shit, then?”

“Oh god, yeah. We used to have the most pretentious conversations about music. And he always knew he’d be famous.”

I knew the story of how the band met; Ellis was playing in a pub, Kieran and Michael recruited him to start a new trio, and the rest was rock history. But I found myself hoping Kieran would tell the story. I wanted to hear it from his point of view.

“Is that why you’re a fan of our music? Because of him?” he asked instead.

I considered my response. “At first it was. But then the music started meaning more to me. Home of the Free came out right when I presented as an Omega. I was so pissed and scared, and that album got me through it.”

“I’m honored,” he said.

In the kind of emotional whiplash that only hormonal Omegas can experience, I started getting choked up. That had been before Aunt Natalie had gotten sick, when I still had a sliver of hope that my new designation wouldn’t completely upend my life.

I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms, and exhaled slowly. I would not cry in Kieran Walsh’s car after perfuming for him.

“Michael would have loved meeting you,” Kieran said, his voice horse, and I realized he was also fighting back emotion.

My heart surged with empathy. “He would’ve grilled you for all the embarrassing shit Ellis did, so he could take the piss out of him.

And he would have loved to hear all your pretentious opinions on music. ”

“I would’ve loved to meet him, too.”

Kieran nodded, but kept his eyes on the road.

I instinctively grabbed Kieran’s hand and squeezed. I knew what it was like, having all that grief inside with nowhere to go.

He finally looked at me, surprised, and squeezed my hand back before rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. It was very unfair, but the gesture caused a cascade of full-body tingles.

I considered making a joke, deflecting the genuine moment into something easier. But I didn’t. I just held his hand.

We rode in silence again, but this time it was easier.

He insisted on walking me up. I tried to argue, but he went temporarily deaf. Darrell, the night doorman, checked our IDs carefully before I scanned my pass to get inside. I hoped that would make Kieran feel bad for implying I lived in a dump.

Kieran didn’t speak again until we reached my door. “I know this might be a bit forward, but I’d like to take you out.”

“Out?” I repeated.

“A date,” Kieran said and blushed. It made his eyes seem greener in the warm light of the hallway.

I almost felt bad turning him down. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t date, and I especially don’t date Alphas. I only do casual.” This was not exactly true, because my only attempt at a casual arrangement with Charlie had ended before it began, but Kieran didn’t need to know that.

“That’s a shame,” he said roughly. “I’m not interested in something casual, especially not with you.”

My inner Omega really liked that. I clenched my thighs together and tried to compose myself.

“That is too bad. Guess I’ll see you around the office. Oh, and you owe me a phone.”

I unlocked my door and turned back to face him.

“Goodnight, Jess,” he said, and I tried not to show how much I liked hearing him say my name.

“Goodnight.” I darted inside before I’d be tempted to drag him in with me.

I stood in my dark kitchen, catching my breath, half hoping he’d knock on my door. I waited a full thirty seconds until I heard his footsteps retreat.