Lyric & the Heartbeats

by Kole, Lana

  “Why? Why is it so difficult?” she questioned, worry in her voice. “I’m not the only omega in the industry. I’ve never heard of issues like this. The label would have warned us. And it’s no secret I take suppressants.”

  “I want you,” he told her, the words ground out like gravel, as if he hadn’t had her twenty minutes ago. “So fucking badly. All the time. Every time I walk into the common area, every time you open the door to your nest, every time you walk by.”

  “You can have me,” she murmured, swaying into him. Her shoulder pressed against his chest and his breath caught.

  Emerson couldn’t resist, dipping down to graze his lips over her neck before he pulled back. “It’s not just me, Lyric.”

  Her lips parted, forming a perfect ‘O,’ and she studied his expression. “Oh,” she breathed.

  A smirk twitched his lips. “Yeah. Oh. Odd’s had a crush long before he met you, and Nohen carries your torch so high I don’t know how his arms aren’t tired yet.”

  Lyric swallowed. “Desi?”

  “Doesn’t affect her, as far as I know. She has Amber, and if they weren’t both betas, I’m pretty sure they’d be bonded.”

  Did she want them to come back? Would the others want to return early if Lyric asked?

  Emerson knew the answer to that as soon as it crossed his mind.

  Yes. Of course. Anything she wanted, they’d try to provide.

  Even at their own expense.

  “Do you want us to come back to the bus sooner?”

  “No, you don’t have to,” she said, words rushed. “I don’t want to cause… problems. I just like knowing you guys are all here, even if I’m not in here. But never mind. We have a hotel break next week, so that’ll be nice for everyone.” She stared up at him. “Please don’t say anything.”

  Emerson would never—ever—let this thought pass his lips. But he was almost certain why Lyric liked knowing they were ‘home.’

  It was an omega thing.

  And Lyric seemed determined to be anything but an omega.

  Today is the day.

  Lyric bounced out of her nest and down the hallway, intending to ask someone to get her a bag of gummy bears from the gas station while they were stopped.

  But she paused in the main room, realizing it was empty.

  “Fine,” she said to the empty bus, and turned to grab her wallet from her room to get her own damned gummy bears.

  At that exact moment, the bathroom door opened, and a shirtless, damp Adra exited. A towel was slung low on his hips, tied at the hip, and not doing much to conceal everything beneath.

  “Oh, sugar,” he rumbled. “I thought everyone was gone. I forgot to bring my clothes,” he explained, and turned his back.

  Lyric couldn’t form a single syllable while he walked away, his back muscles rippling under the waves of his ebony skin.

  He rummaged through his bag, which was placed on one of the unused couches.

  Lyric swallowed against her suddenly dry mouth. “It’s okay. I’m going to grab…” What was she grabbing? “Uhm, snacks from inside. Want anything?” she offered.

  “No, that’s okay. I’ll wait until we stop for good this afternoon.” With a pile of clothes in his arms, he turned and made his way back to the shower. The towel only highlighted the bulge between his legs, and Lyric swallowed, averting her gaze before she was caught.

  But that glance was enough.

  Every word Emerson said the night before rushed through her mind like the heat in her blood.

  Adra’s had a crush on you since the beginning.

  “I’ll be done in just a minute,” he said, oblivious to her flushing cheeks. “Just gotta get dressed.”

  What a shame.

  “Okay!” she chirped a little too quickly. He glanced at her for a second longer than she was comfortable with before he closed the door.

  “Down girl,” she said to herself when she entered her nest to grab her wallet.

  She cursed alphas and abs and dicks and her own horniness all the way from her nest through the bus and the gas station area until she was staring at the selection of candy.

  She glared at the empty gummy bear rack.

  “Love this for me,” she said aloud with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

  Shaking her head, she grabbed an iced coffee drink from the refrigerated section, swiped her card, and joined the others on the bus.

  Soon after she got comfy on the couch, Nohen trailed out from the back room with his hands tucked behind his back. The sheepish smile on his face is what got her attention, you know, besides him standing close enough for his knees to bump hers.

  He was so cute she couldn’t help but smile.

  “Can I help you?” she asked with a quirked brow.

  “No, but I got you something,” he announced, and Lyric heard the crinkle of the plastic bag behind his back.

  She leaned up, grinning and staring up into his pretty gold eyes. “What’d you get me?”

  Nohen pulled his hands from behind his back, showcasing a bag of gummy bears. Lyric gasped and snatched the bag from his fingers before holding them to her chest.

  “You must have gotten the last bag! I was so sad they didn’t have any,” she admitted before glancing up. “Thank you.”

  Nohen’s tanned cheeks turned pink, and he scratched a hand through his hair. “No problem. They made me think of you.”

  Her heart did a silly little flip in her chest, and she did her best to ignore it… and failed. Without thinking, she reached up, grabbed Nohen’s hand, and pulled him down onto the couch with her. She thanked him again and pecked him on the cheek.

  “Jeez, you’d think the guy had just proposed or something,” Emerson grumbled across from her arms crossed like a pouting child. She stuck her tongue out at him like a mature adult. Then, like the good little bandmate she was, she split the bag of gummies with Nohen.

  Once they’d eaten their way through the little bears, they watched Desi as she compulsively checked her phone for the hundredth time. Adra was seated on the couch to her left, sadly fully clothed, and buried in his phone.

  “What’s up?” Lyric asked her.

  “Tonight’s the night!” Desi cheered and clapped her hands.

  “Is Amber driving up?” Lyric asked and took a seat beside Adra. She curled her legs up crisscross and rested her elbows on her knees, propping her head up and staring at Desi across the bus.

  She was impatiently tapping her fingers on her knee.

  “Yes. She’s been sending me updates, and I think she might actually beat us to the hotel.” Desi lifted her phone, pressed the side button to view the empty notifications screen, and put it down before lifting it only a few seconds later to repeat the same process.

  Lyric’s lips curled up in a smile. “When’s the anniversary again?”

  Desi sighed. “Four days from now.”

  She would just be missing it. That afternoon, they’d be pulling into a hotel to stay for the next two nights, and then hitting the road fresh.

  “I bet she’s excited to see you,” Nohen said.

  Desi rolled her eyes, cheeks flushing. “She better be. I’m excited. We’ll be lucky if we even leave the hotel for dinner before the show.”

  “It’s basically your anniversary, you’ve gotta do something nice,” Lyric teased.

  “Oh, I’ll do something nice alright,” Desi retorted, and waggled her eyebrows.

  “What are you gonna wear?” Lyric queried. “This will be… what? Almost two weeks you’ve gone without seeing her?”

  Desi glanced down at her jeans and tee, her flannel abandoned in her lap after the trip into the warm morning sunshine. “I don’t know yet. Not this.”

  “If you’re not going to leave the hotel room, why does it matter what she wears?” Emerson questioned.

  A chorus answered him.

  “She might want to impress her girlfriend,” Adra reasoned at the same time Nohen answered, “It’s like the first impression all ove
r again.”

  And Lyric chimed in with them all, saying, “It’s a special occasion, why wouldn’t she dress up?”

  Emerson waved his hands through the air. “Fair points. Look, all I’m saying is if you really haven’t ever been apart for this long, Amber’s probably not going to care what you’re wearing. She’s just going to be happy to see you.”

  Lyric blinked at him. That was so… sweet.

  “I want to make sure she hasn’t forgotten how hot I can be,” Desi answered.

  Lyric chuckled at her response, but then the afternoon passed in a blur as they helped Desi pick an outfit. By the time they were parking at the hotel, Desi was bouncing in her ankle boots, tight maroon pants, and a dark button-up with white embroidery around the collar. Her chin-length curls bounced around her face as she paced up and down the aisle of the bus.

  They watched her walk back and forth, holding back their chuckles on her behalf. Desi was nervous enough as it was.

  When the bus finally rolled into the parking lot, Desi’s phone rang, and she answered it before the first ring could finish.

  “Are you here?” she asked, leaning over the couch to peer through the blinds. “Wait, I see your car. We’re pulling in.”

  Desi hung up and slid the phone in her back pocket.

  “Holy shit,” she breathed and shook out her hands.

  “Don’t be nervous. She’s just as excited to see you,” Lyric reassured her.

  “I know. I know. I can’t help it.”

  When the bus finally parked, Desi was the first one off the bus, and she took off across the parking lot. Lyric grabbed her bag full of clothes and the blankets from her bed and followed, more than a little excited to see Desi reunite with her girlfriend.

  Her feet hit the asphalt right as a girlish squeal rang through the parking lot.

  A grin was curling her lips before she even caught sight of the two. A brunette woman had thrown her arms and legs around Desi, tucking her head into her neck. They spun for a minute before Desi came to a stop, and while Lyric was too far away to hear anything they said, she was sure it was sweet enough to give her cavities.

  Alongside the excitement for her friend, a sliver of jealousy snuck in the longer they hugged one another.

  She wasn’t jealous of Desi or Amber, she was jealous of… what they had. Lyric couldn’t remember a moment when she’d ever run into someone’s arms like that. When someone had run their hands all over her just to make sure she was real, like Desi was doing to Amber.

  Lyric turned her gaze elsewhere as they kissed, refusing to intrude on their moment more than they had.

  “That’s so fucking sweet,” Nohen said. “Aww…”

  “I know,” Lyric agreed, and sent him a smile. “They’re adorable. I can’t wait to meet her.”

  “If we ever do.” Nohen chuckled and pointed.

  Lyric returned her gaze to the couple and grinned. Amber was dragging Desi alongside her, bag thrown over her shoulder as she locked her car with a key fob. They disappeared through the sliding doors of the hotel, and Desi shot them a thumbs-up over her shoulder.

  “Well, we won’t be seeing her until Wednesday.”

  “Good. Maybe someone besides you can be late for bus call for once,” Henry commented and clapped Nohen on the shoulder.

  Lyric chuckled as Nohen sputtered. “It was like, twice.”

  “Three times, to be exact,” Henry corrected. “Be at the venue by…?”

  Her and Nohen’s voices overlapped as they answered in unison. “Seven forty-five.”

  “That’s right. Don’t be late,” he ordered, and arched a brow at Nohen.

  “Okay! Okay,” he said, lifting his arms innocently.

  When Henry was out of ear shot, and after Lyric had shamelessly checked out his ass in his painted on jeans, Nohen grumbled, “Someone so bossy shouldn’t be allowed to be that hot. It was only twice. Right? Twice.”

  Lyric shrugged, ignoring the first comment. “I block Henry out most of the time. And that includes whenever he’s scolding you.”

  His chuckle was light and bubbly. “I’m not the only one he scolds.” He deepened his voice and rumbled out, “Lyric, have you had water today? Lyric, did you take your suppressants today? What about food?”

  Laughter rang out of her as they walked to the lobby. “Trust me, I know.”

  But she had to admit her vocal cords were doing better than she expected, even with the extra strain put on them each night. And it might have something to do with all the water Henry forced on her.

  But she’d never ever admit that out loud.

  After spoiling herself to room service after the show, then a long soak in the giant tub in her room, she sighed and reached for her water cup only to find it empty.

  “Dammit, Henry,” she muttered. It was all his fault she even had the damned thing. He’d brought it to her with a demand of, “Empty it twice a day, and if you drink a little more after, that’s even better.”

  Lyric grabbed a pair of sleep shorts and pulled them on under her giant tee shirt before slipping into a pair of sneakers, grabbing the ice bucket and her room key, and leaving the room.

  She grumbled silently the whole way to the ice machine, barely paying attention to the bland hallways and beige walls. The bright light from the ice room spilled into the hallway.

  A thump and a soft grunt sounded nearby, and Lyric slowed. When it didn’t sound again, she continued on—

  And pulled up short a few steps away.

  She was standing in the middle of the hallway, feet frozen to the floor. Because right inside the vending machine room, Emerson was pushed up against the snack machine, his body eclipsed by Adra’s. Emerson’s hands were clawed on either side of Adra’s body.

  Lyric couldn’t see Adra’s hands, but she could imagine they were fisted in Emerson’s shirt where he’d grabbed him and pushed him up against the machine only a few seconds prior to smashing his lips to Em’s. He tilted his head, and she heard them both suck in sharp breaths before their lips met again.

  Lyric knew she shouldn’t watch. Knew she should turn her back and give them their well deserved privacy and try to forget how delicious they looked together. Emerson was always so… aggressive when he was with her.

  And in every other situation so far, Adra was polite and quiet and… the man didn’t use cuss words, for god’s sake.

  The idea of him pushing Emerson into the machine was more appealing than she was ready to admit. But part of her wished she’d arrived only a few seconds earlier so she could have witnessed the whole thing. She shook her head. No. Because then they would’ve seen her—

  “You just gonna watch the game or do you wanna play?”

  Lyric didn’t register Emerson’s breathless question at first. She registered their bodies pausing, Adra’s stiffening with tension, and she lifted her gaze from where Em’s big hands gripped at Adra’s sides to their faces.

  Two sets of eyes were locked on hers. Emerson’s were filled with heat and want, while Adra’s embarrassment was overshadowed by the lurking, hopeful need that reached out to her like an invisible touch. It pulled her closer before she even realized, completely under the spell of the two of them together. Her hand clenched around the ice bucket, the plastic bag inside crinkling, and their gazes dropped.

  Lyric knew she shouldn’t. Knew it was probably a bad idea. But all she could think of was that morning, the vision of Adra in that towel and nothing else. The way her hands had itched to reach out and touch.

  And as if the universe had manifested her forbidden desire… there he stood.

  It seemed even Lyric had her breaking point.

  Her lips parted, and instead of an apology for the interruption, what came out was, “I’ll play.”

  When Lyric’s words reached Adra, he froze, his fists clenched around Emerson’s tee, and his feet planted to the floor like they’d decided to take up roots.

  In hindsight, should he have let Emerson rile him up to the point
where he had to shut the other alpha up any way possible before he did something worse?

  No. But Emerson knew exactly what buttons to push to set him off, and it was a dangerous game he liked to play.

  A game where they both usually came away winners.

  Lyric appearing had not been in the game plan, but now that she was here…

  Adra’s blood ran hotter, burning away the disbelief as he stared at her over his shoulder. Her gaze had been focused on Em’s hands and the way they clawed into Adra’s sides before her eyes rose to the both of them.

  Adra turned back around to face Emerson, his lips red and plucked full by his own mouth. “What’d she say?” he asked.

  Emerson grinned like he’d won the lottery and pushed Adra back a step before sliding around him.

  Adra turned and watched carefully as Emerson approached Lyric, removed the bucket from her hand, and chucked it at Adra. He caught the thing, the plastic bag crackling at his touch.

  “Fill that up,” Emerson demanded over his shoulder.

  He narrowed his gaze at the order, but obeyed… for now.

  Adra missed what words were exchanged as he stepped forward and placed the bucket under the dispenser, and then the loud noise of the ice machine filled the small space, blocking everything else out.

  As he watched the ice crash into the plastic, his mind tried to conjure a million reasons why this was a bad idea… but of all the thoughts rushing through his mind right then, he couldn’t latch onto a single one.

  Instead, he came up with so many better ideas and removed the bucket once it was full.

  “Come on,” Emerson called. “Our room.”

  He was holding Lyric’s hand, and she followed after him, her steps totally silent against the carpeted floor.

  In every other situation, Adra was the one calling the shots. He was the one telling Emerson to get to his knees or slamming their mouths together until he quit talking.

  But this time Adra dutifully followed, and his gaze traced over Lyric’s figure. The shirt she wore was large, covering her from neck to knee, and he wanted to peel it away from her.