Page 58 of Follow the Rhythm
Jess furrowed her brow but nodded after a moment.
“Then trust me when I say that I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone. You’re all I think about. And not just because you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, or because your scent makes my mouth water. Your passion, your sense of humor, your fierce loyalty to your friends… I mean it now more than ever that I don’t want something casual with you. I can’t.Because I’ll never stop wanting more.” Jess’s chest heaved as she watched me. I felt like I’d ripped my heart out of my chest and handed it to her.
Jess’s eyes glazed with sudden tears. “You don’t mean that. You can’t. You barely know me.”
“I assure you I do,” I said.
“Fuck,” she said, and dashed her tears away irritably. “Fine.”
“Fine?”
“We can go on a date. If you insist,” she said with a scowl.
My heart thundered. “You don’t have to.”
“Oh, shut up,” she said, cutting me off by launching herself at me. I caught her in a tight hug.
I held her, breathing her in. The moment lengthened. Jess relaxed in my arms as I idly played with the dark hair that fell to her mid-back.
“I need a shower,” she murmured into my shoulder and traced a finger along the side of my neck. “Any chance you’d join me?”
“You minx,” I groaned as my groin tightened at the thought. But I intended to keep my word. “I’ll go to my room.”
She crawled out of my lap and stood in front of me. With a wicked smile, she pulled the dress off and tossed it on the ground. I caught my breath at the sight of her in a black sheer bra and panties. She was as breathtaking as I’d imagined, with her tiny waist and hips that flared deliciously. “Your loss,” she said and sauntered to the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on and, not for the first time since meeting her, cursed my sense of honor.
Chapter 18 - Charlie
After the fuck-up with the LED screens, I decided I needed to truly keep my distance from Jess. She was the worst kind of distraction. I was there to do a job, not chase after an Omega.
It was impossible to ignore her completely, of course, but I didn’t seek her out. And she stayed away, like maybe our last encounter had spooked her, too.
Luckily, there was plenty to keep me occupied. And since I was now giving it my full attention, the tour was going as smoothly as possible. We’d cleared another week of dates without incident, other than Bea making a fool of herself in one of the VIP meet and greets after Ellis apparently spent too long speaking to a fan.
After that, I barred her from the room.
Thankfully, my inconvenient crush on Ellis had mostly subsided. We were friendly, and I couldn’t stop myself from flirting, but the same rules applied as with Jess: work needed to come first.
Our next break was approaching - two nights for everyone to get some extra sleep, except for me. I was sorting out logistics for the planned European dates on the second leg of the tour. The crew bus needed another good airing out, too. Traveling with a bunch of sweaty techs led to an interesting combination of scents, not all of them good.
The day before our break, I found myself in the catering room along with Jess. I couldn’t help but think about the last time we’d been alone backstage.
“Hey,” I said, touching her gently on the shoulder to get her attention. She looked up from her phone, startled.
“Oh, hey,” she said.
Somehow, things had gotten awkward between us. I was more disappointed than I thought I’d be.
“Did you get some food?” I asked.
“Yeah, it was better than usual,” she said, gesturing to her empty plate. “Um. Listen. I feel like I should probably tell you something.”
My heart rate kicked up. “Oh, yeah?”
Jess blushed. “It’s not really any of your business, but I feel like you might get allAlphaabout it. I’m going on a date with Kieran. Tomorrow.”
Dread pooled in my stomach. I swallowed. “Right.”
“I knowwe’renot… You know… but I thought it’d be better if you heard it from me,” she said.
