Page 45 of Follow the Rhythm (Fairview City Omegaverse #2)

N o one reacted. Ellis froze, Charlie looked alarmed, and I was mostly confused and pissed. How the hell did she know where we were?

Bea fake-pouted. “I must admit, I was hoping for a warmer welcome.”

“What are you doing?” Ellis asked, his voice strained.

“Aren’t you glad to see me?” she asked.

“Is anyone glad to see the grim reaper?” I said sharply.

Bea laughed. “You always were delightful, little Jess. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your new beau owes me quite a bit of money.”

Ellis looked sick.

“So, should we do this here? Or would you like to go somewhere more private?” Bea asked.

“He’s not going anywhere with you,” I said. Over my dead body was that happening.

Bea raised her eyebrows. On the surface, she looked as put together as always in her scarlet dress, but there was something a little disheveled about her.

Her eyeliner had smudged around her left eye, and she was tapping her fingers a little too fast on the tabletop.

I saw that one of her nails had broken off.

“Fine by me,” she said crisply. “But don’t blame me when I’ve shattered your illusions about Ellis here.”

I rolled my eyes. “Couldn’t you just leave instead? I’m bored.”

Bea turned to Ellis. “Last chance. I feel I’ve already made it clear I’m willing to ruin things for you.

I’ll leak something worse than an album next time.

” She had leaned forward in her chair to get in his face.

“Of course, the price has gone up now. I’ll leave you and your new little pack in peace for a hundred grand,” she said, gesturing to me like I was an afterthought.

Of course, it was her. It annoyed me I hadn't realized it earlier. She had access to Ellis’s phone, his email, everything.

Those realizations occurred in the rational part of my brain, while the baser part erupted into some kind of primal rage. My inner Omega stretched, preparing for a fight.

Bea was threatening my Alpha. No one threatened what was mine and got away with it.

I didn’t realize I was growling until Bea turned to look at me. She looked bewildered.

My hand shot out to grab her wrist, and I yanked her closer until her face was right next to mine. “This is your last chance to get the fuck out of here before I lose my temper.”

She laughed, a high, tinkling sound. “Is this supposed to scare me?”

Red was hazing the edge of my vision. I was growling again.

“Jess, she’s not worth it,” Ellis said, his voice registering only dimly. Charlie had his hand on my back, but I shrugged it off.

Bea tried to tug her wrist out of my grip. I squeezed tighter. Fear was dawning in her eyes. “Let go of me! Are you mad?”

“Unfortunately for you, yes. He is mine . Do you understand?” I asked.

“You can bloody have him! I just want what’s owed to me,” she said, still fighting my grip.

I ground her wrist in my hand, and she winced. “He owes you nothing. We owe you nothing. Do whatever the fuck you want, but you mean nothing to us.”

Bea squinted with malice. “I’m just trying to get the truth out there. Did you know your precious Ellis is a killer?”

Before I could think, I released her wrist, cocked my arm back, and punched her square in the mouth.

She reeled backwards in her chair, more from shock than from the force of my punch. A small bead of bright red blood welled at the corner of her mouth, the same color as her dress. “What the fuck ?” she squealed.

I didn’t reply. I just moved toward her again, my fist still raised. She scrambled out of her chair.

“Is there a problem?” our waiter asked, appearing as if by magic.

“Yes! She attacked me!” Bea said, her finger pointed at me.

I put on my best sad-Omega face. “I’m so sorry to have caused a scene. This woman is a crazed fan, and she’s been stalking us for months,” I said, making my voice breathy and broken.

“What? You lying bitch!” Bea yelled, moving towards me.

“Ma’am, please control yourself. I need to ask you to leave.” The waiter stepped between us. “This is a private dining club, and we don’t allow this kind of disruption.”

Charlie and Ellis stood, Charlie in front to shield me, and Ellis behind my chair, his hands on my shoulders. Bea stared at us for a moment, hatred written on every line of her face. I grinned and winked at her before assuming my kicked-puppy expression.

“Ma’am. Do I need to call the police?” the waiter asked. Two large men had appeared, looking politely threatening, obviously there to escort her out. The other diners were also watching intently, and I couldn’t blame them. We’d certainly caused a scene.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” she answered, trying to look dignified as the security guards flanked her. “I’ll leave. Gladly.”

Her poisonous look was wasted on us. It didn’t matter what she did now. I’d be there to protect Ellis.

The waiter apologized profusely and comped our dinner for the inconvenience.

“Thanks, man,” Charlie said, shaking his hand. “We’re sorry about all this. We’ll head out too.”

I stood on shaky legs. Now that Bea was gone, the adrenaline was fading, but I still felt keyed up and antsy. A pounding headache was developing above my right eye. The waiter nodded and showed us out towards the elevator.

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you or anything,” I said while we waited for the doors to open. I felt a little nauseous, or maybe just anxious. “But no one gets to threaten you like that. Any of you.”

The elevator chimed. As soon as the doors closed, Ellis pulled me into his arms. His scent was dizzying in the close space. “You incredible, fierce creature,” he whispered in my ear. His hands skated down my spine, then to my hips. “You can defend my honor anytime you like.”

My knees buckled as he pressed me against the clear evidence of his arousal. I whimpered in the back of my throat. I didn’t feel ferocious anymore; I felt like a quivering mess.

“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” Charlie agreed, his lips on the nape of my neck. He placed his hands over Ellis’s and rocked me against Ellis’s cock. We both gasped at the friction, and my perfume spiked. “We need to get home.”

The walk outside was fraught. With each step my thighs brushed together, which in my current state was enough to cause more than a little flutter of pleasure. The humid summer night air was oppressive, and my floaty dress felt suddenly heavy and itchy.

I heard Charlie muttering something to Ellis, but I couldn’t focus because Charlie was drawing small circles on my wrist with his fingertip.

I remembered with perfect clarity how he’d circled my clit the same way.

Ellis gathered my hair up in his hands to get it off the back of my neck, and I suppressed a moan as a breeze blew across my overheated skin.

My eyes were closed against the lights of the city, which suddenly felt too bright.

I buried my face in Charlie’s chest. His sweet scent was making my mouth water.

“I want to go home,” I said blearily.

“Kieran is on his way; he’ll be here soon,” Charlie murmured. He started purring softly. “It’s alright, beautiful.”

Much later than I should have, I realized my heat had arrived, early and without the usual warning, and I was in danger of combusting right there on the sidewalk.

A wave of intense cramping hit me low in the stomach, and I whimpered into Charlie’s chest. His purring grew louder, and Ellis blew cool air against the back of my neck, which was a helpful distraction.

I hadn’t had pain like that in years. Had protecting my Alphas from Bea thrown something out of whack?

Or was I just finally experiencing the delayed consequences of denying my impulses for the past five years?

“This sucks,” I whined.

“We’ll take good care of you, darling. Kieran’s almost here, and we’ll give you everything you need,” Ellis said.

The thought of my huge yet gentle Alpha caused another round of cramping and a rush of heat. I sobbed a little. I was so hot and so wet, and I needed someone to touch me where I was aching.

“Damn it, she’s burning up,” Charlie said, his voice rumbling through his purr.

“Where the fuck is he?” Ellis said.

“That’s him, thank god,” Charlie said sharply. “Come on, beautiful, let’s get you home.”

Charlie lifted me easily, and then I was in the cool interior of what had to be Kieran’s car. His scent closed around me, enveloped me like a sleeping bag zipping shut, and I took a deep inhale. I was on Charlie’s lap in the backseat, and Ellis slid in next to me.

“What the hell did you do to her?” Kieran growled.

“Just drive,” Ellis snapped. “She’s in pain.”

I whimpered in response. Kieran cursed and sped up, jostling me on Charlie's lap. I keened softly at the faint brush of his cock between my legs and ground into him.

“Someone needs to tell me what’s going on before I lose my mind,” Kieran said.

“She’s in heat,” Charlie said, still purring. “Come on, beautiful, let me help you.”

Kieran cursed again as Charlie turned me so I was facing Ellis and reclining against the door. I let my legs fall open at his touch, one heel on the seat and the other foot on the ground.

“Darling. Look at me.” I opened my eyes. Ellis was there, his eyes almost glowing blue in the car's darkness. He circled my ankle with his hand. “Can I touch you?”

“Yes, please, someone fucking needs to,” I panted in frustration.

Ellis smirked, then drew his fingers up and up, his hand disappearing under the skirt of my dress, and right to the aching bud at the apex of my thighs. He drew my panties aside and stroked me softly. I was almost sobbing with relief. “Fucking hell. You’re so wet, darling.”

He gathered some of the slick dripping from my pussy and stroked my clit again. I couldn’t see what he was doing, only the movement of his hand under my dress, which heightened every sensation.

“Is he making you feel good?” Charlie breathed in my ear, dragging his teeth along the outside curve. I closed my eyes against the onslaught of pleasure as Ellis sank a finger inside me. My pussy clenched on him.