Chapter 29 Summer
SUMMER
I was up to absolutely no good with this outfit.
Boots: high.
Skirt: short.
T-shirt: oversized and hanging off one shoulder.
It was also not mine. I’d stolen it from Jae, and he had no idea.
I put the finishing touches on my makeup—one more generous swipe of gloss, why not?—and stepped out of the bathroom.
“Holy fuck, is that my shirt?”
Jae picked his imaginary eyeballs off the ground and stuffed them back into their sockets. I was getting my first proper look at him, too. He was gorgeous. All in black, rings on his fingers, and a necklace that I wanted to borrow indefinitely.
I gave him a spin so he could appreciate the full three-hundred-sixty-degree view. “I take it my outfit works for tonight?” I asked, adding a hair toss to truly devastate him.
“I wanna stay home,” Jae said enthusiastically. He was valiantly attempting to both hold and admire me at the same time. “I suddenly have other things I’d much rather be doing than going to a gig.” His wandering touch came dangerously close to slithering beneath my skirt.
Of the three brothers, Jae was the one who utilized our arrangement to its maximum potential.
I would give him a hearty butt slap while passing him in the hallway and find myself being eaten out a minute later.
We had zero boundaries over each other’s shower time.
He would come in, already hard, pushing me against the glass and sliding home.
And I’m pretty sure he put on a boring movie the other night on purpose so I would suck his cock instead.
I liked that we were on the same horny wavelength.
Mercer was all about sleepy morning side-fucks in my nest and giving me sex eyes at work that he thought no one else would notice. I fell asleep every night deliciously wrung out from the amount of time he would spend with his head between my legs.
Lucien was not getting with the program, though. Sweet? Yes. Attentive? Sure, if he could tear himself away from his laptop.
But out of his mind needing to pounce on me like that one night? Zip, zilch, nada.
I would have to sort him out soon and work out what his deal was.
Jae was still trying to get acquainted with my vagina. “You must control yourself,” I said, pretending to be stern. “And we have to go because you want to continue having a successful career.”
“But…” He appeared genuinely sad. “Have you not seen how you look?”
“You can do it.” I patted his cheek and he sighed in defeat.
“I made you coffee, by the way. It’s on the counter,” he said, settling for a kiss on my palm instead.
“You’re sweet, thank you.” I’d taught Jae how to make my slow-drip coffee using beans my parents imported, sweetened with condensed milk. While there was definitely a time and place for a Beans ’n Bliss beverage, nothing beat this.
Jae watched me sip, breathing a sigh of relief when I gave him an amused thumbs-up. “I feel bad making you go out after you’ve worked all day,” he admitted.
“Don’t feel bad. You’re not making me. I want to.” Because Jae asked me. Because he wanted moral support. And so I could roundhouse kick this slag who thought she could touch him. “Let’s go,” I grinned, hoping he could not read my violent thoughts.
The Howler Room was born from the bones of a former movie theater, trading 35mm film for screaming guitars.
Its peeling walls were held together by sound waves, sweat, and pure drunken luck.
A far cry from Starlight Grove’s illegal karaoke bar run by Salvatore the mailman in the basement of the post office.
Posters for the headliner were plastered along the brick walls, but I knew Jae was here to see the opener, Fitzroy Ghosts.
It had been cute hearing him talk about them on the drive, excited by their harmonies and genre-blending sound.
We bypassed the line snaking around the corner after a quick word to the bouncer.
I tried not to let it go to my head and was unsuccessful. “That was really hot,” I giggled.
His fingers entwined with mine, and he kissed my hand. “Do you like feeling special?” he teased.
“No! Who do you think I am? Why would I—yes, I do actually,” I said, dropping the charade when he started tickling my side.
Jae held me possessively against him, keeping me close as we made our way through the crowded venue. His palm splayed across my stomach, staring down anyone who dared to give us more than a cursory glance.
I was in severe danger of imploding in smug omega hormones.
“We’re up here,” he said, pointing at a roped-off section on the raised platform along one edge of the main room. There were a few people already there, professional and well-dressed, and suddenly I was second-guessing my outfit, even though I fit in perfectly with everyone else.
Jae instantly sensed my apprehension and slowed his approach.
“See that guy in the blue shirt?” he murmured close to my ear.
“That’s Aaron. He’s in marketing. Don’t get sucked into a conversation with him because you’ll be hearing about user-generated content until you die.
The older man is Joey—I know, I don’t think his parents thought through that he would eventually be a grown man when they named him—and, um, that’s Alyssa.
Both are A&R.” At my questioning look he clarified, “Artist and repertoire reps here to scout.”
Alyssa was model-tall, ice-blond, and all in black, like an oversized bat. Or cartoon movie villain. Taking a quick detour before she flew off to consume children, no doubt.
She matched Jae, and I hated it.
“Is she the one?”
“Yeah.”
Got it. I mentally slapped my crosshairs on her. There was another girl, too. Bambi-like, nervous, and downing her drink way too fast.
“I don’t recognize her but she’s probably Joey’s assistant,” Jae guessed.
Knowing who everyone was before I met them helped unravel the twist in my gut. “Thank you,” I said softly.
“Of course.”
Alyssa was the first one to notice us being allowed past the velvet ropes. Not even a blink when she saw me. Jae gave everyone quick hellos and introduced me. Alyssa hung back so she would be last.
“Jae, it’s been too long.” She greeted him with a cheek-to-cheek kiss, and my blood instantly boiled.
I was already this close to taking off my earrings and starting a brawl.
Two more seconds and just a little more deliberate pressure and it would’ve been a scent-mark.
“I hope you’ve been having a good break in Starlight Grove. ”
Oh, she was good. Being completely normal so I felt crazy.
“It’s been great,” Jae said cautiously. “This is Summer.” His hand remained firm around my waist.
Plenty of alphas had a natural dominance, but Alyssa’s was like quicksand. Treacherous. My designation rarely made me feel inadequate. But right now, as I fought the pull from my omega instincts to defer to her, I wished biology had worked out differently for me.
“I’m Alyssa.” A perfectly manicured hand was extended to me, and I had no choice but to take it.
“Nice to meet you,” I lied.
“And what do you do, Summer?” she asked, releasing me. I fought the urge to wipe my hand on the nearby leather seating.
“I own a Vietnamese bakery in Starlight Grove.”
Her brow lifted, making the connection between Jae and me.
“How charming.” She kept me on edge with that perfect, close-lipped smile.
Then she turned to Jae, her attention on me discarded.
“If all goes well tonight, I want to get them in studio with the Revolver Twins in LA as soon as possible. It would be good of you to join.”
“You know I’m in London with Rowan.”
“Is that still happening?”
“Of course it is. He’s worked his schedule around this writing session.” Even though Jae’s cross tone was directed at Alyssa, it struck me like collateral damage. I knew he was leaving, but the reminder stung.
“But that’s not for another six weeks, right? We can fly you in and out and have you back in your cute little hometown before you know it.”
Cute little hometown . The way she said it was downright slander. Yes, we were cute and we were little, but she was not allowed to call us that. Especially not the way she said it.
“I’m not sure that works for me, Alyssa.”
“After you’re done with Rowan, then. We can work something out. You know we always have people wanting to work with you.”
Did they really? Jae didn’t look surprised by this.
“But think about LA at least,” she said, unbothered by his refusal.
She ran a familiar hand down his arm, and by the time he moved away she had already released him like that was her intention all along.
“The Revolver Twins? Not an opportunity you want to miss. You should definitely meet the Ghosts’ manager at least. Let me introduce you.
Natalia,” she called to the assistant. “Summer needs a drink. Will you escort her to the bar? I would hate to have an unbonded omega wandering around alone in a place like this.”
There were layers and layers to the way she said unbonded omega . Implying I wasn’t Jae’s. Emphasizing the weakness of my designation.
I didn’t miss the sirens flashing behind Jae’s frozen stare.
Summer, get your shit together . This was exactly what he needed your help for. Alyssa thought I was weak. Then why shouldn’t I give her what she wanted?
“Actually, Jae, will you come with me?” I made sure to put an extra dose of helplessness in my voice. Poor little small-town me, so lost in this strange, noisy world. “Please, alpha.”
It was wild seeing the effect those two words had on him. I swear I had activated him like a sleeper agent.
“Sorry, Alyssa.” Jae grabbed my hand. “We’ll be back.”
He practically power-walked me to the bar. “She seems nice,” I said, my short legs trying to keep up. “I think she imagines gouging out my eyeballs every time she smiles.”
“Yeah, we might be getting slightly different smiles.” Jae shuddered. “This is how it usually starts. All business except for the casual touches. Then a few drinks in and somehow everyone is gone and it’s just us.”
His frustration was tinged with something I didn’t like.
I melted in close, making a secret hollow for us among the chaos.
His scent was a cliff face consumed by a bitter wind.
Sand whipping needlelike at bare ankles as gray loomed on the horizon.
“It’s not your fault,” I said quietly. “You shouldn’t have to work with her. ”
“I can’t burn the bridge with the label and everyone else they’re connected to in the industry.”
Helpless, I stroked his cheek and he breathed in my scent from my wrist, his eyelids shuttering. “Come on.” The cheeky glimmer returned to his eyes. “I wanna buy a beautiful girl a drink.”
Jae got me a berry cider and stuck with soda for himself.
We hung back near the bar for the start of the opening set instead of returning to the VIP area.
To my inexperienced ears, I thought they were great, quickly turning a restless crowd into fans.
Since Jae’s mood was lifting rapidly, I finally decided to ask him something that had been on my mind.
“Jae, who are the Revolver Twins?”
He huffed, shaking his head. “They’re producers. Creative directors and artistes if you ask them. They’ve worked on a lot of big records.”
“Are they actually twins?”
“Oh. God no, I don’t think they’re even related. But they always wear identical outfits.”
Jae laughed at the fifty-fifty blend of confusion and petty judgment on my face.
“It’s a branding thing. Very LA. You kind of get used to it after a while.”
He was from such a different world than me. I tried my best to numb the feeling that I didn’t belong here with him. We returned to the others and I saw how easily he was able to talk shop when he wasn’t paralyzed by Alyssa’s advances.
Maybe he should go to LA.
If he wasn’t in Starlight Grove, would he have said yes already?
Morbid thought. I excused myself to go to the bathroom after I made sure Jae was trapped with Aaron discussing organic reach and Alyssa was deep in conversation with the Ghosts’ manager.
The shabby door swung open while I was washing my hands. Clack. Clack . Spiked heels drew closer as the paper towel scraped out from the dispenser. She stopped at the basin beside mine, examining her makeup in the smudged mirror before pulling out a powder compact.
“The please, alpha was a nice touch,” Alyssa said, mocking my tone. High, breathy, and disdainful.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The snap of her compact echoed in the bathroom and I jumped.
“Don’t insult me, Summer,” Alyssa said coolly.
“You omegas are all the same. Relying on your designation to get alphas.” Judgment pricked all over as she looked pointedly at my shirt.
“I never understood the appeal. Every one I’ve met is insipid,” she sighed.
An eye roll confirmed that I was part of that club.
“ Alphas , however, are much more…thrilling.”
“Is this some kind of sport for you? Jae’s a fucking person, not a prize for you to win,” I said, incensed.
Alyssa looked bored out of her skull. “Jae deserves an equal. An alpha who can match him. It’s actually quite delusional that you haven’t realized how inadequate you are yet.”
She pinned me with her eyes. Shit . Now I wished she would go back to boredom. Dismissal. Exasperation. Anything but this sensation of shrinking to be less significant than a stain on the floor.
I tried to surface and draw breath. Her smoky scent filled my lungs instead.
“Stop holding him back.”
Gunpowder and ignition.
“You should go. There should be cabs outside.” Alyssa turned back to the mirror. A tissue appeared from her purse and she blotted her lipstick carefully. “How much do small-town bakers make? Do you need me to spot you?”
“No thanks,” I said, my throat raw.
She grinned. Too many pearly white teeth. “Good for you.”
I was surprised the floor didn’t drop out from under me as I silently pushed open the door. She was fixing her hair, not even watching me leave. Like I truly didn’t matter.
I needed fresh air. Needed to clear the invasive scent burned into my nostrils. I stumbled toward the entrance and tapped the bouncer on the shoulder.
“Can I step out for a second, please?” I made a vague gesture behind me. “All the scents are getting overwhelming.”
“Once you leave, you can’t get back in,” he said brusquely. Flashing my special wristband did nothing. The bouncer was desensitized to excuses and reasoning after years of people trying to wheedle their way past him.
I looked past him, hopeless, and saw a cab pull up. Like a sign, waiting for me.