Page 105 of Follow the Rhythm
“I don’t mind saying I have no idea what to do,” Deb said slowly, her arm wrapped around Claire. “But it feels wrong to say nothing.”
Claire nodded, her eyes wet.
“I didn’t know Michael. But his music was really important to me, in the darkest parts of my life,” Jess said quietly. She was tucked into Kieran’s side. “Is there a chance that being open could help people feel a little less alone?”
All I wanted to do at that moment was hold her. Because the pain in her voice broke my heart.
Claire and Deb were on board after that. Through many revisions and tea breaks, we had a statement:
Dear Michael,
It’s been over a year, and it still doesn’t quite feel real that you aren’t here with us. We’ve tried to do our best to honor your memory, but we’ve certainly failed a lot along the way.
Your songs mean so much to so many. While the grief feels immediate to those who knew and loved you, all the people you touched with your music feel it, too.
We’ll never understand why you chose to leave us here without you. We wish you were still here. And we still love you dearly.
If any good can come from losing you, we hope it can be helping those who feel alone or lost get the help they need.
We will be officially releasingReward, with all proceeds going to support suicide prevention.
We miss you, mate.
Understandably, Claire and Deb needed a breather after we finalized it and left for their hotel. Charlie had contacts in music media that he’d send the statement to rather than involving Johnny at all. And he’d already started making arrangements to releaseRewardon his dad’s label.
I carried the collection of tea mugs to the kitchen and dumped them in the sink. I took a moment there, hunched over the countertop, to catch my breath. Part of me still felt like a liar for not telling them about my involvement in Michael’s death, but another part of me was shamefully relieved that I hadn’t.
Jess cleared her throat behind me, and I turned to face her. She was wearing a simple black tank top and dark jeans, her hair up in a ponytail, but she made my breath catch all the same.
She didn’t ask me if I was alright, or try to tell me I’d done the right thing. She just slid into my arms. I breathed in her scent, which sent waves of calm through me.
After a few moments, she pulled back and framed my face with her hands. Her eyes were intent on mine. She leaned forward on her tiptoes and brushed her cheek against mine, first one, then the other. Something unspoken passed between us, a call from her Omega to my Alpha. A purr built in my chest in response. And without thinking, or considering the consequences, I finally, finally pressed my lips to hers.
Chapter 32 - Jess
Ellis kissed me, and my world collapsed at the point where our lips met. It felt surreal, almost like it was happening to someone else, the culmination of so much yearning that it couldn’t be true. But then his tongue brushed my lips, and I sighed, opening for him, and the sense of unreality broke. Here we were after all this time, and it felt so right.
His tongue slid against mine in slow, deliberate strokes as his scent filled my brain. I whimpered softly and gave myself over to him completely, while he growled softly, deep in his throat.
Right before the kiss tipped from sweet to something more, Ellis pulled back.
“Better than I could have imagined,” he whispered. I fought back a hysterical laugh because somehow, even after building it up for more than a decade, itwasbetter than my daydreams.
Then there was another scent, cherry and vanilla, and I turned to Charlie. He was smiling, almost smug, and I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, okay, I was jealous,” I said and pulled his face down to mine.
He wasn’t tentative. He plundered my mouth with his until I was gasping for air. His scent and Ellis’s were so thick I felt lightheaded, and I was sure my perfume was spiking.
Charlie broke our kiss, and I whined in frustration.
“I don’t want to be casual. Even if I didn’t realize it at first,” Charlie said. “I was stupid, and I’m sorry.”
“I think we both were, to be fair,” I said with a grimace at how much time we’d wasted.
“We want to court you,” Ellis said. “If that’s what you want.”
I looked for Kieran. He was nearby, smiling like this had all been his idea. I raised my eyebrow at him.
