Lyric & the Heartbeats

by Kole, Lana

  The beta looked absolutely miserable, and Emerson couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. He glanced to Odd, saw the matching expression on his friend’s face, and burst out laughing.

  Nohen growled and pushed him away with both palms, and Emerson was laughing too hard to fight him.

  “Platonic? Nohen… fuck,” Emerson breathed between chuckles.

  The bathroom door opened, and he choked back the words before they could slip off his tongue.

  Lyric glared at them, suspicion in her eyes. “What’s going on out here?”

  “Just giving Nohen a hard time,” Emerson admitted.

  Her gaze dipped down his chest, landing between his legs for a moment before returning to meet his gaze. “I see that.”

  Emerson cleared his throat and shifted. So what? Nohen was hot, and his utter obliviousness was the cutest thing he’d ever seen—next only to Lyric’s own ignorance. And Emerson had a thing for wall sex, sue him.

  “Just don’t hurt each other,” she muttered, rolling her eyes and retreating through the bunk door. A second later, a squeaked, “Sorry!” and the pitter-patter of her tiny footsteps were heard racing through the area.

  “My bad!” Desi called out.

  Odd waited until the second round of laughter died down before turning on Nohen. Emerson was still trying to wipe the tears from his eyes as Odd spoke.

  “Lyric does not think of you platonically, just so you know. I swear, as grown ass men, Emerson and I should not have to meddle this much.”

  “Exactly. You’re the only beta around—besides Desi, who’s taken—so there’s a different kind of depth to your relationship than with us. Sure, she might share her body with us, a few jokes, but we’ve only lightly touched the surface of anything emotional. You guys are… she feels safe with you.”

  “You’re right. And I’m not going to jeopardize that,” Nohen challenged.

  “We’re not asking you to jeopardize anything. We’re telling you that she’s waiting for you.”

  “Don’t be an idiot and wait too long,” Emerson tacked on.

  “And that goes for both of you,” Odd added, his gaze flicking from the beta to Henry.

  Henry’s brows were furrowed, but he remained silent. He wasn’t one to share many words that weren’t in the form of a warning, even when it came to Lyric.

  Maybe Emerson would just have to organize a way to get them alone together.

  Javier sighed as he pulled out onto the highway. Lyric’s bright eyes and smile were on replay in his mind as he accelerated. He’d grown used to the clatter of pans from the back, and he chuckled as he remembered Lyric’s response to the food he’d cooked using them.

  “Good luck, pajarita,” he murmured.

  If any little bird could sing her way to the top, it would be her.

  The soft music playing in his vehicle lowered to a mute as the screen on his phone went black, flashing his sister’s name at the top. With an affectionate roll of his eyes, he swiped to accept the call on the phone mount and then turned his attention back to the road.

  His sister’s voice filled the car as she asked, “So? How was it? How’s Lyric?”

  She asked with all the familiarity of someone who’d known Lyric her whole life, even though they’d never spoken for more than a handful of moments. But that was his sister, heart on her sleeve kindness, remembering every customer that walked up to their windows.

  “You couldn’t even wait for me to get out of the city?” he asked with a tease in his tone.

  Her scoff was soft and full of all the sass he’d come to appreciate out of his omega sister. “Of course not. It’s a big deal, one of our regulars becoming such a big shot.”

  Lyric had been coming to their restaurant for years, and though she’d probably never noticed, his entire family looked forward to her visits and listening to her latest accomplishments. The omega had a charming personality, and with that—more so than just her status—people would flock to her.

  “I thought your alphas would be keeping you so occupied you would’ve forgotten.”

  “Forgotten about my baby brother driving across state lines for his crush? Never.”

  Color rose to his cheeks like steam, and he rolled his eyes again. Even though his heart ached more with every mile he drove.

  “Whatever. She’s doing fine, was thrilled to be on tour. She asked about you.”

  Emma’s shrill scream came through the line and he winced, unable to pull the device away from his ear since it was hooked in through the truck’s Bluetooth.

  “She remembers me?” she cried.

  Javier couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re both omegas, maybe that’s why.”

  She huffed. “Or it’s cause I’m the cutest and most pleasant host ever!”

  Knowing better than to argue, Javier hummed in response, calculating the drive back. They weren’t that far, just three hours. He’d driven longer for catering orders, though it was rare.

  Murmuring in the background came through the line, and his sister mumbled a response before catching his attention. “Okay, hermanito, I’ll continue dreaming of the day you meet an omega of your own, since Lyric didn’t work out.”

  Javier ground his teeth together. “Stop that, it’s disrespectful.”

  “No it’s not. What’s so bad about me wanting your crush to work out? She’s a customer. It could still happen. Maybe after tour she’ll come eat again.”

  His phone screen lit up again with another call, and his heart stopped. “Emma, I have another call, I gotta go.”

  “Alright, drive safe! Adios!”

  “Te amo, Em.”

  He quickly switched the call and cleared his throat. “Javier Rivera here.”

  “Javier! It’s Henry, Lyric’s tour manager.”

  As if Javier didn’t have his number proudly saved in his phone. “Hello! I hope things are well?”

  Had he made a mistake with the food? Did someone complain?

  “Very well actually. I was wondering… could you run me a quote for catering the rest of tour? It comes out to about three weeks, we can discuss it more in detail when you have time, but I wanted to reach out before you got too far away from our next destination.”

  His heart tripped over its rhythm before doubling to catch up.

  “The whole tour? Every night?” he asked breathlessly.

  “Yes, assuming you could make it work. You can make your own schedule, just let us know what works for you.”

  “I can’t give an exact quote at the moment, let me get back to you in just a bit.” Javier directed his truck to the nearest exit, aiming for a lot to park in while he did the math.

  “Alright, look forward to hearing from you.”

  “Can I ask why you’re looking to hire for the rest of the tour?”

  Henry chuckled, a warm sound that made Javier think of fond memories of home. “It’s simple. Lyric liked you. Talk soon.”

  The call clicked off before Javier could respond. It took a moment before the words fully registered, but when they did, his lips curled up into a wide grin.

  Maybe Emma’s daydream would come true a little sooner than she expected.

  Lyric jolted awake with a snap, blinking into the soft glow of light through the curtains in her nest. The sun wasn’t even up yet, so why was she?

  She listened carefully, but no sounds reached her, at least not anything past the rumble of the road. She hadn’t slept well, anxiety chasing her through her dreams, her feet unable to move fast enough to avoid it.

  But this time she couldn’t say her restlessness was from the suppressants. At least not directly.

  Henry.

  He was always the first one up.

  And she needed to talk to him.

  Lyric sat up, scrambled out of bed, and pulled on a pair of leggings. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she carefully opened the door to her nest and snuck through the bunk area. The others were sleeping peacefully, a soft snore drifting from Adra’s bunk that ma
de her lips twitch.

  Her smile fell as she opened the bunk door into the main room. Henry glanced up as she entered, and he tilted his mug at her.

  “Morning,” he said softly. His voice was still raspy, and heat colored Lyric’s cheeks.

  “Morning,” she answered.

  After she’d fixed herself a mug of coffee, she wiggled her way behind the table to sit beside him on the couch.

  “What are you doing up so early?” he asked.

  Lyric sipped her coffee, hiding behind her mug both to conceal her blush and to avoid the intimacy of the early morning.

  The quiet before the storm.

  “I wanted to talk to you about something,” Lyric hedged, tracing the design on her mug with a fingertip.

  The tablet he carried everywhere tapped softly against the table as he sat it down, the side button clicking as he locked it.

  “Everything okay?”

  The concern in his voice tightened the vines of guilt crawling through her stomach.

  “I was looking for a sweatshirt yesterday” —a detail he definitely didn’t need, but she was stalling, okay?— “and I found my pack of suppressants. I’m four days behind.”

  Five now. Because she’d missed her chance to get him alone the night before.

  Slow, she risked a glance up, lifting her gaze from the design on her mug to his face. Instead of anger or disappointment, she only found curiosity.

  “Can’t you double up and get back on track?”

  “Well… that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I was thinking about… not taking them at all.” She dropped her gaze, the vines in her stomach piercing as she stared hard at the edge of the table.

  She braced herself for a chastisement, but after a long moment, Henry rapped his knuckles on the table quietly.

  Lyric’s eyes crawled up his chest to eventually meet his gaze. “Are they hurting you? I haven’t seen you take any pain relievers the past few days, but I assumed you’d just taken them while I wasn’t around.”

  Her throat tightened. She didn’t know if it was because he paid such close attention to her that he noticed, or that his voice was softer than she’d ever heard it. His gaze was purely curious, absent of judgment or condemnation like she’d expected.

  “It’s nothing… dramatic,” she answered hesitantly, unable to tear her gaze from the swirl of concern that mirrored the swirl of greens and browns and blues in his shining hazel orbs. “They just give me head and body aches sometimes. I’ve been sleeping better the past few days too. But they dampen my scent, so I didn’t want to put anyone on the bus in jeopardy and suddenly—”

  “Lyric, despite what your experiences in the past are, alphas aren’t animals—at least not most of them—and especially not the ones on this bus. We’ve been around omegas before, we can handle it. If you want to stop taking your suppressants, that’s your decision, and I’ll fully support you not only as a manager, but as a friend.”

  Lyric’s throat grew tight and she sipped her coffee to wash it down, but it only returned a split second later. Clearing her throat, she returned her gaze to Henry and blinked away the rising tears.

  “I thought you’d be mad,” she whispered.

  His expression shifted to surprise. “What? Why?”

  Lyric shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been on suppressants for so long, it feels like I’m doing something bad by not taking them.”

  Henry’s hand covered hers on the table where she’d been scraping her nail over the edge.

  “You’ve been taking them for a long time, right? Several years?”

  Lyric nodded.

  “That’s a long time, so I understand why you feel like it’s wrong to stop. That’s your normal, so a change in routine is liable to throw you off. Will you be okay adjusting without them?”

  His concern made her chest ache, and she sipped her coffee, adding to the warmth already flooding her body. “I should be okay.”

  “But if not, you’ll let me know, right?”

  Lyric was snared in the trap of his gaze, all warmth and concern and offered comfort. So much more than she expected, hoped for, and she didn’t know what to do with the relief in her chest. Throwing herself at him for a hug seemed like too much. Tightening her hand around the table edge, she fought the urge and finally settled for a soft smile. “I will,” she promised.

  Henry searched her gaze for a moment longer, time stretching on as everything around them seemed to pause, a strange limbo where their surroundings waited for what came next.

  “Alright. When do you want to tell the others?”

  The moment dissipated like the steam off the dark pool of her coffee, and she shrugged. “As soon as possible would be best. Maybe once everyone wakes up.”

  But waiting for them all to trail into the main area was torture. One by one, everybody woke up and eventually came in search of coffee. Nohen was the last one to join them, taking his seat beside Emerson and handing him a controller.

  “Maybe you can kick my ass since I’m still half asleep.”

  Emerson scoffed, glared, and eventually snatched the controller out of Nohen’s hand. “Fine.”

  Lyric tapped her finger against her mug. The second cup of coffee was probably a mistake, only adding to her nerves, but she couldn’t help it. A nudge against her arm pulled her out of her head, and she snuck a glance over at Henry. His single nod was enough to settle the pressure in her chest momentarily, and she replaced the weight of her decision with a deep breath.

  “I want to stop taking my suppressants,” Lyric announced. Her gaze couldn’t decide whom to land on, whose reaction she wanted to take in first.

  Emerson shrugged. “Okay, that’s cool,” he commented and elbowed Nohen. “Ready for a rematch?”

  Nohen snorted. “Think you’ll finally win? Doubtful.”

  Lyric’s cheeks flushed as everyone continued eating breakfast and drinking coffee as if she hadn’t spoken. Movement caught her attention, and she glanced over to see Henry hiding a chuckle behind his hand. She narrowed her eyes… only to let it go.

  Her shoulders relaxed, and she let the tension fall away.

  They didn’t care if she was on suppressants or not, Henry was right. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

  She glanced over and studied the alpha. He held up his mug in a salute, and she let her lips curl into a smile.

  “Javier? You’re back?” Lyric asked, her voice carrying to Henry a few seconds before she came into sight.

  She sat up on the couch, and Henry balanced the tray of sauces the chef had thrust at him when he’d come to collect lunch during their stop.

  “Turns out I’m here for the next few weeks, pajarita.”

  “I thought it was just a one-night thing?” she questioned, cocking her head. Her cheeks flushed at the phrasing, but Henry hid his smile behind the tray before he met her gaze.

  “Yeah, the label wouldn’t approve it for just one order. For the rest of the tour, however…”

  Lyric blinked once, her lips slowly curling into a smile as Javier situated the pile of lunch wraps on the counter. “So you’re here for the next three weeks?”

  “Yeah, why not?” Henry asked, handing the sauces off to him. “Their menu seemed expansive enough, and if what Andi said was true, they were the best place in town.”

  “Andi’s a smart woman, whoever she is,” Javier declared and passed a plate to Lyric.

  She thanked him before settling back on the couch, taking her first bite with a smile.

  “So we get to eat this for the next four weeks?” Emerson asked, munching into the wrap halfway through his question.

  Henry chuckled. Yeah, Lyric wasn’t the only one who’d enjoy their chef’s presence.

  “That’s the idea,” the chef offered. “Well, not this exactly,” he continued. “I can make pretty much anything on or off the menu. I’ll take requests and suggestions any day.”

  “You can make anything, really?” Lyric asked. The excitement in her
tone only solidified Henry’s judgment. He’d made the right decision. Their omega was happy.

  “Are you sure about this?” Henry inquired once again.

  Lyric nodded eagerly, though the smile on her face seemed a little forced.

  Henry’s ass was planted on the couch, and he stared up at none other than Lyric.

  “This isn’t something that will rub off. It’ll be there forever.”

  “You’re making me nervous. Just do it,” she growled.

  Arching a brow at her, he searched her expression for any unsurety, but instead he only found nerves.

  Normal for someone getting their first tattoo.

  After Emerson had stolen the others off the bus, it left just him and Lyric alone.

  Sure, maybe he could’ve found something to fuck around with in the venue, something to supervise, but…

  A small part of him wanted Lyric all to himself. Okay, fine. A big part. All of him.

  “Here’s what it will feel like, ready?” he asked.

  He leaned over her thigh, laying his latex covered palm on her smooth, warm skin, and tattooed a single dot of ink on the creamy canvas.

  Beneath his touch, her muscles tensed, and he lifted the needle from her skin to stare up at her. “Good?”

  “That’s not the word I’d use, but I can handle it,” she said, speaking loudly over the buzz of the gun. Her teeth were clenched, and her whitened knuckles were wrapped around the edge of the table.

  “If at any point it gets to be too much, just tell me, okay?”

  She nodded, and he leaned back over her to trace ink into her skin over the design. They’d arrived at the venue hours early, and the others had fucked off without giving them a heads-up.

  Left alone, of course they’d end up right where they were—her foot planted precariously on the edge of the couch between his spread legs, his hands all over her smooth skin, depositing ink into the canvas of her velvety soft flesh.

  It was the hardest job he’d ever tattooed. And not because of the art, though Adra had done a beautiful job on the design.

  No, what made the situation difficult was the potent scent of Lyric surrounding him. It lapped at him like waves on a shore he’d washed up on.