Page 25 of Follow the Rhythm (Fairview City Omegaverse #2)

A fter the fuck-up with the LED screens, I decided I needed to truly keep my distance from Jess. She was the worst kind of distraction. I was there to do a job, not chase after an Omega.

It was impossible to ignore her completely, of course, but I didn’t seek her out. And she stayed away, like maybe our last encounter had spooked her, too.

Luckily, there was plenty to keep me occupied.

And since I was now giving it my full attention, the tour was going as smoothly as possible.

We’d cleared another week of dates without incident, other than Bea making a fool of herself in one of the VIP meet and greets after Ellis apparently spent too long speaking to a fan.

After that, I barred her from the room.

Thankfully, my inconvenient crush on Ellis had mostly subsided. We were friendly, and I couldn’t stop myself from flirting, but the same rules applied as with Jess: work needed to come first.

Our next break was approaching - two nights for everyone to get some extra sleep, except for me.

I was sorting out logistics for the planned European dates on the second leg of the tour.

The crew bus needed another good airing out, too.

Traveling with a bunch of sweaty techs led to an interesting combination of scents, not all of them good.

The day before our break, I found myself in the catering room along with Jess. I couldn’t help but think about the last time we’d been alone backstage.

“Hey,” I said, touching her gently on the shoulder to get her attention. She looked up from her phone, startled.

“Oh, hey,” she said.

Somehow, things had gotten awkward between us. I was more disappointed than I thought I’d be.

“Did you get some food?” I asked.

“Yeah, it was better than usual,” she said, gesturing to her empty plate. “Um. Listen. I feel like I should probably tell you something.”

My heart rate kicked up. “Oh, yeah?”

Jess blushed. “It’s not really any of your business, but I feel like you might get all Alpha about it. I’m going on a date with Kieran. Tomorrow.”

Dread pooled in my stomach. I swallowed. “Right.”

“I know we’re not… You know… but I thought it’d be better if you heard it from me,” she said.

“Thanks.” I seemed incapable of saying more than one word at a time.

My inner Alpha was, in fact, trying to “get all Alpha,” but I shut it down. Jess wasn’t mine. We’d agreed that we didn’t want anything serious. I couldn’t hold that against her now.

Why had we agreed on that? I was having a hard time remembering as I looked into her deep brown eyes with those golden flecks that always caught the light.

“Are we good?” she asked.

“Of course. We’re always good, beautiful.”

She nodded, but didn’t look entirely convinced.

“I have to go.” I left the room without eating, but that wasn’t important.

I walked blindly through the corridors backstage. This venue was nicer than normal; it had carpeted floors that looked like they were regularly cleaned, and non-fluorescent lighting. Showbills in ornate frames lined the walls.

I ended up outside the greenroom. This was stupid. I knew it was stupid, but that didn’t stop me from entering.

Grace and Kieran were there, as I’d suspected. Grace was sitting on the plush velvet couch, and Kieran was standing closer to the door. There were still a couple of hours til the show, and I almost felt bad interrupting their downtime.

“Hey, man, can I talk to you for a second?” I asked, looking at Kieran. It struck me again how tall he was, and I suppressed the instinctive rush of adrenaline that marked him out as a rival. He’d pulled his hair into the bun he usually wore when he performed.

“Sure, mate,” he said, his eyebrows raised.

Grace looked between us, smirking.

“Can you give us a second?” I asked her.

“Ooh, yeah, I’m gonna go find Jess,” she said. My heart sank. No doubt Jess would know immediately what was going on.

I was silent for a moment after Grace slammed the door behind her. I cleared my throat.

“So, you and Jess?” I asked a bit too aggressively. I took a deep breath.

He inclined his head but said nothing.

“I just want to say…” I trailed off. What the hell did I want to say? I racked my brain and tried to sort out my thoughts. “What are your intentions?”

Kieran barked a surprised laugh. “My intentions?”

“Yes. Your intentions.” I stood up a little straighter.

“I intend to court her,” he said simply. I balked at the old-fashioned term.

“It’s not just a casual thing?”

“No, it’s not, but I’m starting to understand where Jess got the idea she wanted something ‘casual.’ What are your intentions with Jess?” He took a step closer.

“Excuse me?” I retreated instinctively.

“Are you serious about her?”

“We… I…” I spluttered.

“Jess needs a pack. You seem like a solid bloke. And based on how you make her perfume, I figure something is going on there. But if you’re going to mess her about, I’m afraid I’ll have to step in.”

“Wait a second. I’m supposed to be warning you ,” I said, shaking my head.

“Funny how that happens, isn’t it?” He crossed his arms and smiled. A predator’s smile.

I sighed, defeated. “Nothing is going on between us. Not anymore.”

“Ah. Well. I’ll make things crystal clear. If Jess wants you, I won’t stand in her way. But if you hurt her, I will kill you.”

I stared at him. He was still smiling that predator’s smile.

“Mate. I’m kidding,” he said.

“Oh. Right. Ha ha,” I said.

“Figure out what you want. Because I intend to spend the rest of my life making Jess the happiest woman on the fucking planet. Maybe you could help with that.” He clapped me on the shoulder before walking out.

Anger welled up, not just because Kieran Walsh was a patronizing dick, but because he was so sure of what he wanted.

I was also pissed at myself for being such an idiot.

Because now that Kieran had planted the image of a pack with Jess at its center in my head, it seemed like the most obvious thing in the world.

Had I completely fucked my chances? Or could I still somehow show Jess our connection was more than just physical?

While I tried to figure that out, the door swung open again.

I turned, half-hoping it was Jess there to rip my head off, and found Ellis instead.

He was wearing his performance attire - tight black leather pants and a white button-up, a bit more frilled than usual, open to his chest. His sharp citrusy scent reminded me so much of Jess’s; how had I never noticed they were so complementary?

“Alright?” he asked, looking bemused.

“Fine,” I said wearily. Why was the universe throwing everything I couldn’t have in my face?

“Not your usual chipper self,” he remarked.

“Sorry to disappoint.”.

Ellis raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say I was disappointed. What’s wrong?”

I took a deep breath, my hands massaging my temples. “Nothing. Everything is fine.”

“Sure it is. Could this have anything to do with a certain woman? Short, curvy, bad attitude? You have that look of devastation about you.”

Fuck. Did everyone on the crew know how I felt about her? “Am I that easy to read?”

“Nah, she told me you guys ?hooked up. She had some very interesting things to say about your performance, too,” he said, walking closer. In the warm light of the greenroom, he looked even more ethereal, like some kind of faerie prince escaped from a story.

My heart jumped into my throat. The thought of the two of them talking about me had blood rushing to inconvenient places.

He stopped right in front of me, and. We were almost the same height. “Are you feeling lonely, darling? I could help.”

I searched his eyes and saw ?the same heat I felt. And I was just reckless enough to throw caution to the wind.

I didn’t stop to think. I just kissed him.

He didn’t react at first, but then his hands slipped around my waist to pull me close.

He opened his mouth to me, and I groaned against his lips, savoring his flavor - fresh-squeezed orange juice on a hot day, but with enough of a cinnamon kick to make my blood run even hotter.

His tongue tangled roughly with mine, and my head went light with arousal.

I sank my hand into his hair and deepened the kiss. It became more of a fight than anything else, his teeth nipping at my lips as I sucked on his tongue. He pushed me until my back hit the wall.

“So eager,” he said in my ear as he ground his thigh against my cock, pressing his hard length into my leg. He licked at my mouth, tasting me. “God, you’re sweet.”

“Fuck,” was all I said as he pressed his leg more firmly against me.

He kissed me again, and I lost myself to it, to the slide of his tongue, the brush of his cock against mine. The kiss grew messier, more frantic, and I knew on some level that Ellis was working out his frustrations on me, too.

A thud from somewhere outside the door brought us back to our senses. Ellis cursed and stepped away from me, adjusting himself. I did the same. I was painfully hard, but also painfully aware that we had to stop. Lust glazed his eyes as we looked at each other.

Jess barreled into the room, Bea hot on her heels.

“Ellis, take that fucking shirt off right now,” Jess yelled.

Ellis laughed, surprised. “That’s quite forward of you.”

“Do not take it off,” Bea said, pointing at him. “Volkiano is paying you fifteen grand to wear that on stage tonight.”

“First of all, I don’t give a fuck,” Jess snarled at Bea. “Second, he looks like an extra in a bad steampunk movie. It’s not approved wardrobe. Take. It. Off. Now.”

“Since when do you get to decide about wardrobe?” Bea asked.

Jess swelled with anger. “Since forever. Part of my job is specifically to make sure Ellis doesn’t get put in wardrobe that makes him look like he’s auditioning for A Midsummer Night's Dream . No offense,” she said to Ellis, offhand.

“None taken. And of course I’ll take it off.” He started unbuttoning the shirt. “I wouldn’t want you to fail in your duty.”

“This is ridiculous!” Bea cried, flapping her hands. “What am I even doing here if I have no say in these matters?”

“Great question,” Jess said.

Bea huffed and stomped out, already calling someone on her phone as she left.

In the silence, Jess and I both watched Ellis slide the last few buttons through their holes. It felt way too intimate, watching those long deft fingers work, especially since I could see how swollen his lips were from our kiss.

“There’s a weird vibe in here,” Jess said suddenly, looking between us suspiciously.

“No, there isn’t,” I said too quickly. I smiled at her to cover the awkward moment.

Ellis winked at me over her shoulder.

“Don’t let Bea do shit like this, please,” she said, turning back to Ellis.

“I’m truly sorry, darling.” Ellis handed her the shirt, and I saw his fingertips brush against her skin. “I didn’t even question her when she handed it to me.” I tried not to look at his lean chest, the corded muscles of his arms, but he was just too beautiful to ignore.

Jess froze for a moment, staring at him, then cleared her throat.

“Right. I’m going to get another shirt from Cailin. Don’t, um, go anywhere,” she said to Ellis.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, smirking.

As she left the room, a trace of her scent trailed behind her, almost lost in the fog of pheromones Ellis and I had pumped out.

“I’m sorry,” I said after a moment. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“And why’s that?” he asked, his eyes glittering. He leaned against the arm of the couch. The room was chilly, and I saw goosebumps rise along his chest and arms. “I thought we were just waiting until we had some proper privacy.”

“You’re with Bea.” I latched onto the most obvious reason.

“Don’t worry about that; we’re open,” he said dismissively. “Mostly.”

“Oh.” I moved backwards toward the door. I had a million things I needed to check on before the show started. So much for not getting distracted. “Well, it’s also not a great idea to sleep with the talent.”

“Fair enough. But if you ever want to take your frustrations out on someone again, you know where to find me,” he said with a wicked smile as I left the greenroom.

Was that what it was? An outlet for my complicated jealousy over Jess? That would almost have been a relief, since I was starting to think I had developed inconvenient feelings for Ellis, too.