Page 26 of Follow the Rhythm (Fairview City Omegaverse #2)

“I ’m so glad you finally took pity on him,” Grace said as I got dressed for my date with Kieran. “He’s fully obsessed with you.”

My stomach, which was already full of leaden butterflies, lurched. Not for the first time, I berated myself. What the hell was I doing? There were only two ways “courting” ended for Alphas and Omegas: bonding or never seeing each other again. I didn’t want either of those outcomes. Did I?

I considered cancelling. But then I thought about Kieran the morning after my ill-advised night of drinking; how good it felt waking up in his arms, how gentle and sweet he’d been.

How my whole heart melted when he said he cared about me.

We hadn’t even kissed yet, but that morning had felt ten times more intimate than a kiss.

For the first time since I’d presented as an Omega, I wasn’t so sure that I needed to be alone for the rest of my life. Which was terrifying.

“He’s not obsessed with me,” I said to Grace. We were in her room because I had exhausted my limited wardrobe, and I thought maybe she’d have something I could borrow. I was very wrong. The contents of her suitcase were exploded across her bed. “Do you turn all of your shirts into muscle tanks?”

“I mean, wouldn’t you?” She flexed her admittedly impressive biceps with a smug smile.

“This is pointless.” I tossed a ripped-up shirt back onto the pile. “I’m going to have to wear something he’s already seen me in five million times.”

“Where are you going? And can I come and watch from a respectful distance?”

“No idea. And absolutely not. No stalking.” I pointed at her sternly and she pouted dramatically.

“Ugh. Fine. I’m just so bored,” Grace said and flopped dramatically onto the pile of her clothes.

“Go find someone to hook up with, then.” Maybe if she had her own situation to focus on, she’d stop meddling so much in my life.

Grace sighed. “I would, but I kind of have a crush right now. You know Stevie?”

“Stevie? Drill-sergeant Stevie? The woman who tried to break the spirit of your poor, innocent friend?” I placed my hand over my heart and gave her a doe-eyed look.

“You get along now ,” Grace said earnestly. “I’m getting vibes from her. What do you think?”

The only vibe I’d ever gotten from Stevie was that she still kind of hated me, no matter how well I did my job. “She’s a completely asexual being to me. But there’s only one way to find out, I guess. Go for it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m gonna text Charlie and see if he knows where she’s hanging out tonight.”

The mention of Charlie made my stomach clench again, this time with annoyance. I didn’t appreciate his running to Kieran right after I gave him a heads-up about our date. I should’ve just let him find out on his own.

He didn’t want anything serious with me, and someone else did. End of story.

I ignored the little voice in my head that whispered he was jealous because he did want something serious after all. I would not waste my time trying to find deeper meaning in an Alpha’s behavior.

In the end, I wore dark jeans and a black velvet top with lace sleeves and a row of white, pearly buttons down the center.

It was impractical for the heat of early summer, especially since we’d made our way to the middle of the country and St. Louis felt like a wet, hot blanket.

But once an emo girl, always an emo girl.

I also slathered on descenter. I didn’t trust myself around Kieran.

I met him in the hotel lobby at seven, after a couple of restless hours pacing in my room.

It was incredible how used to sleeping on the bus and in hotels I’d become in such a relatively short time, how the hotels we stayed at were all blending into one.

But I thought I might remember this hotel lobby for a while, thanks to him.

We were staying at a refurbished historic hotel from the 1920s.

The lobby was pretty small and felt even smaller thanks to the warm brown wood paneling on the walls.

Kieran seemed to take up all the available space, and looked like a time traveler dropped into the wrong era in his jeans, brown leather boots, and flannel shirt.

His long hair was down and extra curly in the humidity.

If I didn’t know him better, his intense expression would have intimidated me, but now it just made my heart beat faster. I recognized the heat in his gaze.

Before I had time to get nervous, I was standing in front of him.

“You look incredible,” he said and slid one of his massive hands around my waist. It spanned my entire lower back. His scent - sliced sweet strawberries muddled with fresh mint - enveloped me.

“You too,” I replied with a smile. Was I being coy ? Disgusting.

“Shall we?”

“Where are we going?” I asked as we ventured outside, Kieran’s hand still at my back. It was proof of how weak I’d become that I didn’t shrug it off. He guided me to a shiny black sports car waiting at the curb. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“I was sick of being driven around,” he said with a shrug as he opened the door for me, a faint blush staining his cheeks above his beard. “And I wanted to have some privacy.”

Kieran drove us through the streets of Victorian townhomes that reminded me of the neighborhood I’d lived in at the Omega Center. We parked outside one that was converted into a restaurant called “The White Willow,” presumably named after the enormous willow tree in the front yard.

It was cozy, with just a few tables in a dining room dominated by a large fireplace, and complicated plasterwork floral designs on the ceiling.

I was impressed that Kieran had found such a quiet place. We were sitting at a table in the back corner, which felt even more private. None of the other diners, mostly older couples, even looked twice at us.

“This is nice,” I whispered after the server took our drink orders. I had ordered the one glass of pinot that I would allow myself to drink that night.

“Why are you whispering?” Kieran whispered back.

“I don’t want them to think I’m too easily impressed.”

“Of course, we wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation.”

I’d been worried that he’d be hard to talk to, since he was always so quiet, but conversation flowed easily. He told me about growing up with Michael in what he called council housing, and spending most of his time with his grandma, or Michael’s family.

“When did you start playing music?” I asked.

“My dad played bass and left his behind when he fucked off. I taught myself how to play, and Michael bought some drums off a guy who most definitely stole them.” The corner of his mouth tipped up. “We started so many shit bands with other kids on the estate.”

It was nice just listening to him talk. I figured I could listen to him talk about anything - maybe I’d even let him tell me all about cars someday. His voice was deep and gravelly in the best way.

“What about you? I know you went to a fancy boarding school with Ellis, but that’s about it.”

I pressed my lips together. I was never good at this, at mining my past for the acceptable, easily digested anecdotes other people had about growing up.

No one wanted to hear the whole depressing story.

But Kieran had been open with me, and I remembered what he’d said: that he wanted me, not just because I was an Omega, but because I was me.

I told him the short version - that I grew up with my mom and Aunt Natalie until my mom passed away from cancer.

“My mom was an artist, not professionally or anything. I have a few of her paintings.” I hadn’t had the courage to hang them up yet.

“She was an Omega?” he asked.

“No, she was a Beta. My dad was an Alpha, though.” It was rare for Omegas to be born to two Beta parents.

“Did he pass away too?”

“No, I just never met him. My mom didn’t talk about him either, except once.

I was being a little brat, begging her to tell me who he was so I could invite him to this stupid ‘Daddy Daughter Dance.’ I could tell it made her sad, but I did it anyway.

She finally just told me he didn’t want us. I stopped asking about him after that.”

“How old were you?”

“Like eight. After she died, and I was old enough to understand, my aunt told me the details.” I paused, considering how much I should share. “My mom had been with a pack for years, but they found an Omega and kicked her out while she was pregnant with me.”

Kieran’s eyes blazed. “What? That’s horrible.”

I nodded. “That’s why I don’t trust Alphas. Or… haven’t trusted them. Historically.”

“I’m sorry, love. I don’t blame you for being skeptical.” He reached for my hand across the table.

I cleared my throat, embarrassed. “Enough of my sob story. What’s it like being rich and famous?”

Kieran looked at me closely. “It’s not a ‘sob story,’ it’s your life. I’d like to know more.”

“No, you don’t. Trust me,” I said bitterly.

“Yes, I do. I want to know everything about you.”

Anger blazed through me, sudden and irrational. Why did he want to know everything ? Everything wasn’t fun or sexy or mysterious. I pulled my hand away and clutched both of them together in my lap.

“Why?” I challenged.

His eyes were intense. “Why do I want to know you? I would have thought that’s obvious. You intrigue me.”

I scoffed. “Oh, I see. I’m the interesting, damaged girl you can fix.”

“What? That’s not-”

“You want to know everything? Fine, here it is. After I presented as an Omega, I dropped out of college because the thought of joining a pack when my mother had been rejected from one made me so anxious I couldn’t function.

Then my aunt Natalie, the one fucking constant left in my life, got sick, too.

And she died. And I didn’t want to do it anymore.

” I said it all in a heated rush, throwing it in his face.

“Didn’t want to do what?” he asked quietly.