Our Deceptive Heat (When it Raines Omegaverse #3)

22. Ryn

Chapter twenty-two

Ryn

Stealing kisses that taste like forever- Ryn Raines

They are dedicated in their practice, and I wish they weren’t, singing that awful song until I want to claw my damn ear drums out of my head. It’s never going to be a hit. It may destroy their careers.

But since the day they took me back to their hotel room, they’ve been different. Determined. Sneaky and secretive. Every night, one of them comes and steals me from my hotel room, carrying me back to their room. Even when I protest, they just ignore me and carry me back.

Sometimes, they fuck me in the bed. Digs moving slowly in and out of me while the others sleep. His hand over my mouth to muffle the moans.

Mako took me over the kitchen island, pounding into me from behind while, Envy and Tyr watched.

I can’t get enough of them, and they can’t seem to get enough of me, all except Envy, who is like a mountain of calm. Like none of this affects him, and I hate myself for wanting to break him, for needing to see him shattered, wanting me.

His soft, teasing kisses are killing me. I want something I can’t explain, and no amount of alpha knots are filling the void.

At night, we sit around in their hotel room, and we write the new song. The one that I wrote the lyrics for .

I’m currently sitting in Envy’s lap, highly aware of the hard, twitching rod of flesh pressed up against my back. He has his guitar in front of me and is strumming and singing softly.

He’s mesmerising when he sings.

I don’t think about it. I join him. My voice twining around his, rising and falling in perfect accompaniment.

Tyr stops moving and stares, his expression turning soft as he moves closer.

Mako is sitting on the island, watching us, and Digs has twisted around and is lying on the couch upside down, his eyes closed.

“I missed your voice,” Digs says when we’re done. “You used to sing with us all the time, but no one else knows, do they?”

“Just Locke and Lia,” I murmur and blush.

Envy snuggles his face into the back of my neck and kisses me. I shiver.

Tyr clears his throat and walks into the bedroom. He comes out with his phone, frowning.

“Apparently, we have a last-minute signing.”

“That doesn’t sound right,” I protest. I slide off Envy’s lap and check my email. “There’s nothing on my calendar.” I dial Tony and chew my lip while it rings. He answers with a gruff sound. “Tony, do you know anything about an impromptu signing?”

There's silence, and then Tony growls. “No, that damn woman is going to be the death of me. Let me handle this.”

“Get dressed,” Tyr says.

“You don’t think Tony can handle it?”

“I think she’ll blackmail him into doing what she wants, and we’ll be heading out, anyway.”

I nod and pull on my jacket. Ten minutes later, I get a text message from my father telling me to have the band downstairs and signing autographs or to risk their careers.

I show it to Mako, who growls.

“Guess we’re signing,” Digs says with a wink. “Could be worse.”

I follow them downstairs and set myself up at the back of the room. Tara pushes Tyr into the front and ignores Digs and Mako completely. Even when they speak to her, she doesn’t acknowledge them. Envy, she watches with a lusty eye, but he is a mountain of ice she has no hope of climbing.

I shift in my seat, trying to rein in the jealous rage that is threatening to spill out of me.

She looks as polished as she always does, but this time, her bra and shirt are barely holding her breasts in, and she keeps leaning towards Tyr .

He’s doing his best to ignore her, but I can see the rage almost vibrating off him. All his tells, the way his jaw is clenched, the line of his shoulders, the clip of his voice.

Envy remains expressionless and doesn’t react to her touch at all. I swear it hurts me more than him.

He acts like the bitch isn’t even there.

Instead, they focus on the fans, smiling and laughing with them. Signing t-shirts, photos, magazines, and skin. They take photo after photo with them, but the clientele isn’t the normal fans we see. These are younger and well dressed.

I glance around. The venue is a bar, and I’ll bet half these girls aren’t even legal. I rub my chin. There’s no food and drinks. The only security we have are Nial and José.

I move towards Nial and lean in close. He has to bend slightly, so I’m close to his ear because he’s just so damn huge.

“Does this seem weird to you? Like these girls aren’t normal Fate’s Choice fans.”

“I heard these are the daughters of a friend of Tara’s that she’s trying to schmooze.”

I grind my teeth. “That explains it.”

Nial grunts. “I didn’t have enough time to get anyone else or look this place up online. I don’t even have the proper transport. So if we need to leave, I gotta leave everyone but the guys behind.” He frowns and glances at José, who nods and moves in closer, his arms spread wide as he moves the crowd back.

“We’ll be fine. Just keep them safe.”

I look at the band. They are working hard, but they must look at me too long because Tara’s glare finds me in the back of the room.

I shudder at the look in her eyes. It’s a mix of rage and calculation, and I just know I’m going to have problems with her.

Slowly, she makes her way to me and stands at the table I’ve claimed for my own. She reaches out and picks up a cherry, spinning it in her fingers before she puts it back.

“What are you even doing here?”

“I’m helping them with their image. You know that, my father informed you.”

I can’t hide the scorn in my voice. How dumb is this bitch?

“Your father is a brilliant man. If you were a tenth of the person your father is-”

I raise a hand, cutting her off. “Are you sleeping with him?”

She blinks, but her eyes look away too quickly. Oh, yes, she is Typhor’s new squeeze and, by the looks of it, is trying to use the guys in the band to make him jealous.

“First off, let me give you some friendly advice. My father will never willingly divorce my mother. Get the idea of being the next Mrs Typhor Raines out of your head right now. Second, he doesn’t care about you or what you want. It’s all about him and what he needs. ”

She snarls, but I’m not done.

“And third, if you touch one of the band members, he won’t get mad or jealous. He will simply make it so you can’t work anywhere in the industry again. That’s what Typhor Raines is like.”

Tara just smiles, her calm confidence taking over the anger that had shown through a moment ago.

“You’re just as pathetic as he said you are.”

I’ve made her angry, and now she’s fuming and trying to put me in place, but she’s fucking my dad. She’s just screwed herself.

“He hates all women. You are not special.”

“You think I haven’t noticed you all flirting? The touches and looks? You’re sleeping with them, and when he finds out, and he will, you’re going to be in big trouble, Beta Raines.”

I wince at the sneer of my fake designation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that. But let’s face it, Auryn, you have nothing. I’ve got your job, your father. The world respects me, it knows me, and soon, I will have your band. You’re not even in my league.”

I laugh lightly. “If you weren’t threatened, you wouldn’t have spewed that entire tirade out. You have it all because Typhor Raines gave it to you so he could get his dick wet without the stress of going somewhere to find anyone. My father isn’t going to keep you. You aren’t special. No one is. And I might be no one and nothing and perhaps not even in your league, but I am a Raines, and I have one thing you are seriously lacking: talent.”

Tara reaches out, putting her hand over mine, digging her nails in. I refuse to flinch, even as she increases the pressure.

“I’m going to destroy you.”

“Go ahead and try.”

“Tara, what the hell is this secret signing?” Tony barks out, bustling up between us. “You can’t just create signing events without letting the manager know.”

“I’m sorry ,Tony, didn’t you get my email? It was a last-minute thing,” Tara purrs.

“I don’t care if it was last minute. You email, and if you don’t hear from me, you call. I do not hear about signing events from my band. You contact me. What even is your job? Aren’t you just supposed to be the songwriter? Why are you organising signings?”

Tara stands up taller. “I am the songwriter, choreographer, band liaison, and marketing director.”

I cast her a quick look. Well, that’s new. Looks like my father has decided to reject my proposal of shifting the band’s image darker and more adult. He’s replacing me, he just hasn’t got around to letting me know .

Why am I not surprised?

They leave me, and I look back towards the pack, finally allowing myself this small moment of weakness, only to find Envy staring at me from the back. He’s not signing anything, but his eyes are on me. He looks worried. I give him a reassuring smile.

But it doesn’t feel reassuring. It feels brittle and like this house of cards is about to collapse.