26. Rickon
Chapter twenty-six
Rickon
I’m uploading a selfie of myself in the corset from the filming wrap-up gala onto my AlphaHop gallery—no point in the evening being a complete waste—when Red stumbles out of the bedroom wearing my sweater. An unfamiliar purr works through my throat instinctively as I lay eyes on her.
“Hello, Biscuit,” I say, opening my arms in invitation.
Red smiles sleepily and climbs straight onto my lap. “Hi, handsome.”
Her hair’s worked itself into wiry knots and I scrape a few off her shoulders, barely able to believe the gorgeous creature perched on my knees is my very own omega. “That sweater’s a really good look on you.”
She smirks, pure sultry seductress. “You just like that I neglected to wear pants.”
“That too,” I say with an unrepentant grin while squeezing her ass cheeks. “But I’m pretty sure you in my pullover is king.”
She plants a soft kiss on my lips. “I’ll keep that in mind, alpha. Now, what’s that delicious scent?”
“Food!” I tip her off my knees, and she chuckles as she rolls onto the couch, making zombie noises. I babble as I pull the bake out and flip the oven off, telling her about the ingredients and asking what she doesn’t like.
She frowns like it’s a question she hasn’t considered much. “Not sure, but maybe I’d like to be vegetarian?”
Silently I congratulate myself on leaving the bacon on the side as I bring flat-bottomed bowls to the coffee table. “Sorry, I don’t have a dining table. We, well, I usually eat here, if I’m home for meals.”
Red takes the bowl and my belly twists into a knot as she looks over the spinach, broccoli, and pasta bake with the cheesy white sauce oozing out into the side salad. I did my best to plate it up nicely. Her gaze flits to me and I feel like she’s examining the dusty, hidden corners of my soul. “You’re trying really hard, aren’t you?”
Shit, she’s reading me like a book. “Is that a bad thing?”
Her face softens, but she still looks super serious as she shakes her head and sets her bowl on the table. “Come.” She beckons me with a loose quiver of her fingers. When I set my bowl beside hers, she tugs me down and I settle on my knees before her.
Loose sleeves hanging over her palms, she reaches out and grabs my cheeks. “Rickon—” She hesitates, and I realize we haven’t discussed surnames.
“Jones,” I mumble. “Rickon Alexander Jones.” My birth date and Social Security number hover on the tip of my tongue in case she wants those too. Anything.
Her pink bow of a mouth flutters upward in the corners. “Well, Rickon Alexander Jones, I adore that you’re trying so hard and I’m super grateful, but you need to know I’ll accept anything and everything that you are. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her sincerity hits me straight in the heart. Has anyone fully accepted me? Ever? It’s too good to be true. I don’t have this kind of luck in my life. “What if I can’t protect you, or I pass wind in front of you, or don’t earn enough money?” Tears swim in my eyes and I swipe at my face in disgust. Now I’m showing even more weakness. “Maybe I snore.”
Red laughs, her eyes twinkling. “If you snore, I’ll sleep on the couch sometimes. If you don’t earn enough, I’ll earn more. And did you already forget about Fabby McStabby the fork?” She cocks her head and her lips quiver like she’s holding back more laughter. “And if you need to toot, how ’bout we go ahead and get the awkwardness over with now so you can stop worrying?”
My heart throbs and I feel like crying for real. I grip her knees tight. “Holy shit, I love you so much.”
Her eyes widen, and I clap a hand over my mouth, realizing I thought out loud. Well, isn’t what she’s saying roughly translating to don’t hold back ? I reach up to touch her cheek. “I love you, Red. It’s true.”
She runs one hand through my platinum hair and nods, quietly accepting my declaration. I don’t need her to say it back. Not yet. Simply expressing myself and having it accepted is more than I’ve ever had before.
I stare up at her, memorizing every sharp line of her cheek and the beautiful tan tint in her skin that suggests a mixed heritage. Then I shake free of a daze and scoot back onto the sofa. “Food time.”
She picks up her bowl in both hands and lifts it. “Bless the maker and food. Bless our coming and our going.”
I sit stunned as she balances the bowl on her knee and digs in. “Um, why does that sound familiar?”
She loads pasta into her mouth, noisily sucking the longer noodles. “I stole it from that epic movie series about the—the things.” She waves her fork in the air.
“OMG.” I stiffen. “The sandworms!”
She grins in response and digs her fork back into the pasta.
I laugh. “I like it.” And I love that she’s a movie buff.
“Except you’re the sandworm.” She shoots me a sideways glance that’s both sexy and cute. Bugger me, I wanna do smoky eyes makeup on her ASAP. She’s gonna blow the film scene apart here in Laversham.
I grin, twirling pasta around my fork. “Well, I did kind of devour you.” We share a look that says we both enjoyed it, and then concentrate on eating. But I don’t last long because I’m eager to know everything about her.
“We got a little off topic, but you said you wanted an acting manager?”
She nods. “Yeah. I need a manager so I can get started with auditions.”
“Well, if you’re happy, I’m currently available. I can get you my resume after we eat. I’m pretty good and I know a few—”
She bats my words away with a shake of her head, which tosses silky red hair in all directions. “No need. I noticed you online while I was researching, and when I saw you in the coffee shop, my first thought was I’m going to steal him from Lyra Gray no matter what. ”
I choke on my food, both her declaration and certainty catching me off guard. My body rebels and after a few polite coughs fail to deal with the problem, I throw my bowl toward the table and give up being delicate to hack into my hands.
A moment later glass clinks and a warm hand rubs my back. “You okay?”
I nod and splutter. “Went down . . . the wrong way.”
Red offers me the glass of water she brought over, and I sip, blinking to clear my watery eyes. “Did you really think that even before meeting me?”
She nods, smirking. “I thought you had serious style and were fine . Since you’re available, you’re hired on the spot.”
I shake my head in wonder. She’s so confident, like she knows exactly what she wants and how she’s getting there. “Just like that?”
“Mm-hmm.” She winks at me, and then lifts her carb-loaded fork. “And damn, Rickon, this is delicious.”
“Thank you.” I beam, thrilled my omega likes my cooking. Not to mention I just found myself a new job. Life’s looking up.
She studies me intently as she chews and swallows. “So, what auditions are coming up?”
“Hm, I know of an action one about a high school student who has to go on the run after she’s implicated in a school shooting, or we could try a drama about a lonely woman who finds healing working at an animal rescue center, or—” Her brow furrows and I hurry on, amazed at how attuned I am to her every expression. “Depending on your resume, we could audition for Director Yun’s next project. It’s a romance drama movie about a beta jockey who awakens unexpectedly as an omega but wants to stay in the sport.”
Red’s eyes light up. “Yep, that’s the one we’re auditioning for. Sounds fun. “
I hum under my breath. I only saw a little of the concept and script when Lyra looked it over, but it won’t be an easy role. “It’s a pretty complex film, with racetrack settings, bullying, and love interests from the OCB who investigate a crime ring at the track.” I tap my bottom lip while I think and then a bigger realization zips into my head. “You ever ridden a horse?”
“No.” Red shrugs and grins. “How hard can it be?”
I groan softly. “Very hard, especially at speed.”
Her tongue darts out to wick across her lips, and I track its progress. “You sound like you’re talking from experience?”
“Yeah, well, Callisto comes from money, and I hung around his place enough. His mom used to have horses.”
Her face falls at the mention of Callisto, and my stomach swoops with the same feeling. She doesn’t seem like the kind of person to wallow, though, because the next moment a smile’s back on her face. “Great, you can teach me.”
I keep my doubts to myself about how quickly someone can learn horse riding. If she can meet the rest of the requirements, they’ll use a stunt double and green screen the up-close riding scenes, but it creates more work for the production team.
I run a hand through my hair. “Okay, do you have an acting resume? If not, I’ll grab my laptop, and we can type one up for you.”
The couch creaks as I lean forward, anticipating that I’ll have to type one up. If she doesn’t have a document like a birth certificate, she probably won’t have a career listing either. We’ll need to get an IMDB profile launched as well. I’m curious about the secrets she’s keeping locked up, and what’s brought her here. I want to know everything about her, but I know better than to pry all at once.
A guarded expression crosses her face, and she squeezes her knees together. “It’s all foreign. Nothing will translate here.”
A furrow digs into my forehead. “We don’t need to translate them. Most foreign films are dubbed—”
Red shifts, turning her face away from me, and Callisto’s warning rings in my mind. An ‘in’ to a movie career. Nausea worms through my belly. “Red?” I clear my throat. “You have acted in a movie before, haven’t you?”
Her lovely blue-gray eyes flit to me before darting away to examine the empty bowls on the coffee table. “I’ve acted . . . In fact, I’m a superb actress. You’ll see.”
A chill creeps down my arms, making my hair stand on end. “But you don’t have any actual film experience.”
She turns slowly to meet my gaze, pale eyes sheened with emotion. Her silence confirms my theory.
I slump back in the seat. “Acting school?”
More heavy silence.
“Shit,” I mutter, my knee bouncing to bleed off the icy adrenaline rushing through my veins.
Of course I’ve built up contacts within the industry through years of work, and several directors have said to contact them if I ever find myself in trouble, but this is a blind leap of faith in a person I met twenty-four hours ago. That’s assuming Hannah Sorentito and Lyra Gray haven’t destroyed my entire reputation in a couple of days.
I swallow hard, my mouth overly damp. “Red—” Recommending an actress who’s not fit to act would tank my career, no doubt about it.
Her shoulders stiffen, like she’s tensing for a blow.
The micromovement halts my train of thought. Red’s beautiful wildness has been shrinking steadily throughout this conversation, and it’s a bitter sensation I recognize all too well. Her past left her without a birth certificate or birthday, reliant on a fork weapon she carries in her purse, and her first alpha basically rejected her.
What this wondrous woman needs most is someone who believes in her.
What good is a career if I break my omega’s trust now? Better to spend the rest of my life flipping burgers than to remove even a fraction of her spark, or worse, miss out on her entirely.
I slide over on the couch and take her hands. “I’ll call Director Yun and see if he’ll accept a meeting. If it goes well, he’ll need you to read some parts and might even do a screen test. Are you prepared for that?”
The look on her face puts the rising sun to shame. She glows. I squeeze her hands, and she throws her arms around me. “I promise you won’t regret it,” she blurts out. “I’ll work hard to become the best actress in the country.”
I believe her. She’s already shown me so many expressions, which is essential for a great actress. I rub her back and drag my cheek across hers, marking her with my faint scent. “Anything for you, Red.”
When she lets me go, I jump to my feet and dig my phone out of a pocket. I flash her a smile that’s more solid than I feel, and thumb through my contacts. “Time to make the call.”