Page 8 of Follow the Rhythm (Fairview City Omegaverse #2)

“So now I just need to understand how many trucks there’ll be in our convoy for set pieces and equipment. And how many buses we need for talent and crew. I’ve already got a great team picked out for engineers and tech, but I’ll defer to you on lighting and video crew,” I said to Ursula.

Her face had gotten, if not friendlier, at least less outright hostile as I talked.

“I’m relieved to see you know what you’re doing.

And yes, as soon as we get the creative nailed down, I’ll get you specs on equipment and crew needs.

Speaking of which, someone needs to tell me what the fuck this tour is supposed to be.

I’m in the dark here. Are you touring new music? ”

“No,” Kieran said sharply. “It’s a farewell tour. For me at least.”

An uneasy silence followed. A current of ill feeling was circulating between Kieran, Ellis, Karen, and Johnny that I wanted no part of. What the hell had I agreed to?

Ursula clapped her hands, dispelling the tension.

“A greatest hits tour, then. Simple enough. We’ll work with past album aesthetics and video imagery; we’ve already got plans for past set pieces we can bring back.

” Ursula was already scribbling in a notebook.

“But I’m gonna need a new designer. I fired the one you sent me. ”

Karen put her head in her hands. “Jacques is an acclaimed designer with a ton of experience; you can’t just fire him.”.

“I’m not working with some uppity shit,” Ursula said. “I’ll find a replacement.”

“I know a great local artist,” Grace said and brought out her phone to show Ursula something. I wished her friend luck; having Ursula as a boss would be a fun challenge, to say the least.

“Ellis, a word before you leave?” Karen asked. Ellis nodded and disappeared with her, Johnny, and Mitchell down the hallway. The meeting was over, apparently.

“Thanks for your hard work,” Kieran said. “I know it’s a big job.”

“Oh, thanks, man. It’s chaotic, but I like it. Like a high-stakes puzzle.”

Kieran nodded. “Sounds fucking awful. But let me know if you need anything from me to make your life easier.”

I’d worked with a lot of artists in my career, and it always surprised me how most of them were pretty humble and down to earth. But there were exceptions that proved every rule, and I just hoped Ellis Fox wouldn’t be one of them.

Jess only made me wait two minutes before buzzing me up. I had honestly been expecting longer. But those two minutes were still excruciating enough. The kid at the front desk stared at me with silent awe that set my teeth on edge.

I walked slowly to Jess’s front door so I wouldn’t seem too eager. But as soon as she answered the door, rational thought abandoned me.

She wasn’t wearing the exact outfit she’d texted me a picture of, but it was close. The biggest difference was her low-cut shirt that not only showed off her breasts but also the ring of bruises I’d left around her neck.

Somehow, I’d forgotten about marking her, and the sight short-circuited my brain.

I scooped her up with a snarl and slammed the door shut behind me.

I drew her mouth hungrily to mine and pushed her back against the wall next to the refrigerator.

She writhed against me, pressing her ass down on my rapidly hardening cock.

Her juicy lime scent was thick in the air, and I breathed in huge lungfuls.

She dropped her head back as I sat her down on the counter for better access to her throat.

I kissed my way from her jaw to her ear, then down the side of her neck where her scent was strongest. I could feel the heat of her pussy through our clothes as she wrapped her legs around my hips and moved against me.

The delicate skin of her throat was as soft as I remembered.

My teeth itched with the need to bite her, fully claim her as mine, even though that was the last thing either of us wanted.

I coasted my nose up and down where her pulse thrummed, and she whimpered in response, her scent thickening even more.

It had been less than thirty seconds, we were both fully clothed, and I was already losing my mind.

“Wait,” I panted. But Jess kissed me again, her hands spearing into the hair at the nape of my neck. I lost myself in the sweetness of her mouth and her soft whimpers.

I brushed my fingers against her pussy and groaned at the wetness I could feel through the fabric of her shorts.

She gasped, breaking our kiss, and leaned back on her hands.

“Oh god, yes,” she moaned as I dropped my head to graze her nipples through her shirt with my teeth.

Her scent and the dazed look of pleasure in her eyes had me rock hard.

Jess helped me ease her shorts down, and I pulled her hips to the edge of the counter. I slid my finger through the wet folds of her pussy, and she shuddered, opening her legs wider for me so I could circle her clit.

“So beautiful,” I crooned in her ear. “You’re so wet for me.”

Jess bit her lip, then kissed me again as I plunged my finger inside her. She clenched around me, sucking on my tongue as I curled my finger up, caressing the spot I already knew drove her crazy.

My lips found her throat again. Her scent was so thick, so sweet, all for me. Jess clenched ?me even harder when I scraped my canines gently across her skin. It would be so easy to bite.

I used my thumb to stroke her clit until she came, whimpering, her pussy pulsing around my fingers and slick dripping down my wrist.

“Fuck,” I rasped as I pulled away. I stumbled backward until I hit the opposite counter and gripped it tightly. The space between us throbbed with tension.

Jess looked as shaken as I felt. She had kicked off her shorts, and the sight of her in those fucking knee-high boots, her pussy gleaming and pink, nearly killed me. The gold flecks in her eyes caught the light as she held my gaze. She didn’t speak, so I broke the silence.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yep. All good over here. You?”

I nodded. “Fine.”

We panted, five feet apart.

“Could you pass me those shorts?” she asked almost politely, nodding at where they’d fallen near my feet. I tossed them to her. She pulled them on as quickly as possible.

“You were going to bite me, weren’t you?”

“No, absolutely not,” I said quickly.

“Liar. I was about ten seconds from letting you. Which is very off-brand for me.”

My heart pounded as triumph and terror fought for dominance.

I had stopped myself, had kept control. That was what mattered.

I wouldn’t think about what might have happened if Jess had asked for a bite, or even pleaded like she had during her heat when my knot was locked inside her, her pussy pulsing on me as we came over and over and over. I gripped the counter harder.

“I should’ve known better. And Austin was right,” Jess groaned, pushing off her hands to wrap her arms around her waist.

“Who the fuck is Austin?” I growled. My Alpha was too close to the surface.

“My very platonic friend, not that it’s any of your business,” Jess replied with a hint of her usual attitude.

“Okay. This platonic friend. What were they right about?”

“That the ‘friends with benefits’ concept doesn’t work between Alphas and Omegas. They said we’d end up bonded, and based on this situation, they were right. Which I hate ,” she said. “I underestimated the whole scent compatibility thing, obviously.”

I considered that. It was true that a scent had never affected me as deeply as hers. “I’ve had repeat clients before, so I thought I could handle it.” I mused.

Jess’s face twisted, her lip curling in a snarl. “Please don’t talk about fucking other people right now,” she growled.

I raised my hands in surrender. Jess took a few deep breaths. “Sorry,” I murmured, even while my heart leapt at the thought of her being jealous.

“I shouldn’t be surprised. Being an Omega has fucked up every other part of my life, so why should I expect to do normal things like hook up with hot idiots?” She hopped down from the counter, her arms still wrapped around her waist.

“What about tooth caps?” I offered a bit desperately, ignoring the “hot idiot” remark. My dick didn’t want to give up so easily.

“Can you afford to buy them over the counter? Cause I definitely can’t,” Jess said.

I shook my head. Heatsync provided the medical-grade teeth caps for their Alphas, and they were not cheap or reusable. There were more affordable versions, but I didn’t want to trust my future to a knock-off piece of silicone.

“I think our arrangement was doomed from the start.” Jess mimed wiping away a tear.

“We controlled ourselves. We just have to be more careful.”

Jess rolled her eyes. “Can you honestly say you would have controlled yourself if I were begging for a bite as you fucked me? Or if it was your knot inside me, rather than just your finger?”

Just the thought of sinking inside her again had me clutching the countertop behind me like a lifeline. Jess raised an eyebrow.

I wanted to argue, but I also didn’t want to end up bonded to an Omega who not only said she never wanted a pack, but whose contempt for me was pretty palpable.

Not to mention the fact that I didn’t want to bond with a virtual stranger, either.

I had a lot more I wanted to accomplish before I considered shackling myself to someone else, no matter how enticing they smelled.

“Well, that is a shame because we are very good at sex,” I said nonchalantly, pushing off the counter, and clenching my hands into fists to keep myself from reaching for her.

Jess followed me to the door. “You mean I am very good at sex. You’re… okay.”

I laughed despite myself as I stepped back out into the hallway. “Maybe I can come for your next heat?” I suggested in as offhand a way as I could manage.

“Doubt it,” Jess said with a venomous smile and slammed the door in my face.

It was a good thing I didn’t care about her at all, or that might have hurt my feelings just a little.