Page 15 of Follow the Rhythm (Fairview City Omegaverse #2)

T he first request to keep the tour from dissolving before it even began didn’t come from Johnny, but from Kieran, who called saying Ellis had disappeared from rehearsal and wasn’t answering his phone.

I almost asked why he was telling me instead of tracking Ellis down himself, but I thought I understood.

Sometimes it was best for a neutral party to step in. And I was excellent at being neutral.

I was in the middle of negotiating hotel rates for the crew and band for our longer break after the first couple of weeks of shows, drafting soundcheck schedules, and reviewing route times with the bus and truck drivers. So a break, even if it meant dealing with band drama, actually sounded great.

I had no idea where Ellis might go when he was upset, but I figured I’d try the obvious answer first and check his apartment.

I had thought about doing just that a few times over the last couple of weeks, usually when I couldn’t stop thinking about Jess. I always stopped myself. Sure, there’d been some flirtation and lingering eye contact, but I couldn’t afford to put my job in jeopardy based on a hunch.

It didn’t stop me thinking about him, though.

So it was a relief to have an innocent reason to knock on his door.

For a moment, I didn’t think he’d answer, but then the door burst open. Ellis was shirtless, his hair rumpled, and he was hammered.

He was also gorgeous. His body was all lean muscle. I traced the lines of his chest with my eyes, down to the low-slung waistband of his jeans. His eyes were a bit unfocused, but striking all the same. I focused on the task at hand.

“You alright, man?” I asked.

“I’m just wonderful, ‘man.’” He turned away from the door and stumbled slightly on his way into the living room that was a mirror of my own; richly furnished in leather and chrome, and full of natural light. I expected a mess, but it was neat and clean. “Can I offer you a drink?”

“No, thanks,” I said lightly. It was three in the afternoon.

“So, who sent you? Johnny? The label?” Ellis said, draping himself across the largest couch, a whiskey in hand. I settled into the chair next to him.

“Kieran, actually. He wants to talk to you.”

“I’m sure he wants me to apologize to the interloper,” Ellis muttered, then gave a long-suffering sigh. “I’ll cut out the middleman. Hand me my phone.”

I grabbed it off the coffee table and passed it over. He typed quietly for a few moments, then flung it onto the couch next to him.

“There, problem solved. You’ve fulfilled your obligation, and you’re free to go.”

I didn’t get up. He seemed like he needed someone around. “Is Bea here?”

Ellis gave a harsh, sarcastic laugh. “Bea prefers the Ellis who drinks to have fun. She’s gone out with a friend somewhere, I don’t know. She’ll come back eventually.”

“Are you sure you’re alright? I can stick around for a while.”

Ellis tossed back the rest of his drink. “I’m perfectly capable of drinking myself into a stupor on my own. But maybe you have something else in mind?”

He cocked his head at me, one brow raised. He slouched artfully on the couch, his legs wide, and my eyes instinctively dropped to the outline of his cock in those very tight jeans. I flicked my eyes back up to his.

“I’m not in the habit of fucking drunk guys,” I said.

Ellis’s eyes glittered. “My my, Charlie, what a dirty mind you have. Who said anything about fucking?”

I inclined my head, conceding the point. Had I read the situation wrong? My face flushed hot and red. “I’m here as a friend. Or a colleague. Both? I don’t know, pick one.”

“That’s disappointing,” Ellis sighed. “I am sick of being a stereotype, you know.”

“What stereotype? The ‘sexy rockstar with a drinking problem and a volatile personal life’? It’s a classic of the genre.”

Ellis smirked again. “Yes, that one. But I’m glad to hear I’m ‘sexy.’”

“I’m making coffee, you want some?” I asked, changing the subject, and headed to the kitchen.

“Sure, why not?” Ellis answered.

I brought back two cups, brewed using the fancy machine that was also in my unit. Ellis had put on a shirt, but he had an expression of such sadness that my heart broke slightly. He looked up and arranged his face back into its usual mask.

“To breaking stereotypes,” I said and clinked his coffee mug with mine in a toast. He rolled his eyes but still gave me a brief smile.

I spent a few hours with him, talking through tour details that he claimed not to care about, but he asked enough follow-up questions to prove that was a lie.

I turned on a baseball game at one point, the Giants versus the Rockies.

After making fun of me for liking the world’s most boring sport, we got into a heated argument about whether baseball or soccer was worse to watch on TV.

He didn’t get up to get another drink.

“Is it your father?” Ellis asked after a few minutes of quiet.

“Is what my dad?” I asked warily. I never wanted to talk about him if I could help it. My opinion of him rarely matched ?what people wanted to hear.

“You know how to deal with human disasters quite well. I’m wondering where the practice comes from,” he said. I was a little embarrassed that he’d seen what I was doing, trying to distract him.

I gave him a rueful smile. “Between him and the rest of North Portal, I’ve had a few test subjects for my methods.”

Their last tour, a reunion that should never have happened, had been a never-ending nightmare of public feuds and crises that only ended after my father’s on-stage stroke.

“Was he always like that? A mess?” Ellis’s eyes really were remarkable. When he looked at me like that, like what I was saying was the most important thing in the world, I couldn’t look away.

“Maybe. He wasn’t around much when I was growing up. And when he was, he always seemed like he wanted to be somewhere else. Not the best male role model. Luckily, I had Kristopher, my mom’s other Alpha, as a better example.”

“You grew up in a pack?”

I shrugged. “Barely. Considering my mom only had two kids, and my dad was hardly around, I think it was pretty much like any other family.” Truthfully, the main feeling from my childhood was loneliness, but I didn’t want to bring down the mood.

Ellis nodded, still watching me with those icy blue eyes. “And do you want that for yourself? An Omega and a family and all the rest?”

I laughed a little and considered telling him I’d been with more Omegas than many Alphas would ever even meet. It honestly made the whole concept of bonding seem unnecessary and old-fashioned. And my parents hardly seemed happy, even with a bond mark between them.

But then I thought of Jess. Whatever the connection was between us, it felt vital and important. What would life be like with her specifically, not just a faceless Omega?

“I really have no idea. What about you? Do you want a pack?”

Ellis leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, looking into the middle distance.

“It was just my mum and me growing up. Then I went to boarding school, and it was just Jess and me. I don’t know if I’m cut out for that much complication.

And lately, I’ve realized I’m much better off on my own.

Or with Bea, I guess. Which amounts to nearly the same thing. ”

“You and Jess were really that close?” I asked. Jealousy that I didn’t want to examine too closely tangled in my stomach.

“We were, yeah. But I messed that up, too,” Ellis said with a self-deprecating smile. “I do appreciate your company. Truly.” That sadness was back in his eyes. “I haven’t had an afternoon like this in quite a while. I’m just sorry you had to give up your free time babysitting the talent.”

“You’re surprisingly good company for a sexy, troubled rockstar,” I joked.

He rewarded me with a genuine smile, so different from ?his usual ironic ones.

It lit up his whole face and made him look younger.

Or maybe just less cynical. I knew then that I was in danger of becoming addicted to his undivided attention.

“And you’re not what I expected, Charlie Bennett,” he said, as if he was testing out my name. “You’re much more interesting.”

“Thanks, I think,” I said, smiling in spite of myself.

“You know, I’m feeling quite sober. Would I meet your criteria now?” he asked, settling onto the couch again, his arms spread along the back. His scent heightened, like fresh orange zest with a hit of spicy cinnamon.

“For what?”

“You said you don’t fuck drunk guys. Was my state of inebriation your only objection?”

My throat tightened. What was it about him that put me so off balance? Before I could formulate an answer, or just kneel between his spread legs, Bea burst in through the door.

She looked surprised to see me, but recovered quickly. She crossed her arms, her stack of expensive-looking bracelets clinking, and glared at Ellis. “Are you done having a sulk, then? We have reservations with a rep from Volkiano; they’re interested in a brand deal.”

Ellis rubbed his temples. “Sounds wonderful.”

Bea looked at me pointedly.

“I’d better go,” I said, as if it were my idea, and stood to leave. “Have a great night.”

“Thanks again, mate,” Ellis called after me. I waved over my shoulder.

The hallway was cool and quiet. I took a deep breath and prepared to dive back into the mountain of work that was waiting for me.

But first, I pictured Ellis’s smile, the real one, and wondered how I might see it again.