Page 61 of Follow the Rhythm
“Donottake 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 isspecificallyto make sure Ellis doesn’t get put in wardrobe that makes him look like he’s auditioning forA 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.
Chapter 19 - Jess
“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.
