Chapter 31 – Lumen
Chapter Thirty-One
Lumen
If I assumed Benji would stop this insanity, I was dead wrong.
My next mistake is thinking Riser will want me to face him, putting my back to the drums and the audience, but oh no.
He leads me to straddle his right thigh, facing the drums.
“Lean against this side of my chest,” he says, patting his right pec. “You’ll need to slide with me when I bump your knee. Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it.”
Whatever that means.
My heart beats erratically, and I stare at Riser’s drums. This is a much smaller venue than some, but there are hundreds of people all staring at the stage.
I’m not sure how they do this every night without having a panic attack.
I briefly check out the audience, and my whole body tenses.
It’s impossible to pick out individual faces.
It’s more like a sea of bodies.
I’m shocked they were able to pick me out of the pit that night Mal and Kincaid saved me. Maybe it’s because they’re used to the lights glaring directly into their eyes.
Kincaid and Malcolm go back and forth, bantering as everyone introduces themselves, and Kincaid takes over to tell the audience what’s up first.
“Enjoy the ride, beautiful,” Riser says against my ear. “You’re going to love the kick drum.”
Riser spins his sticks, tossing the left up and catching it before swirling it in some pattern that I can’t make out, even this close.
Adrenaline courses through my veins, making everything super intense.
I’m terrified of getting in his way and causing him to miss a beat, but Riser is a fucking beast on drums. He’s just as capable of landing his sticks with me in his lap as he always is.
I bet the audience is wondering why there are two random women on stage, but I finally understand what he meant about the kick drum.
He works the pedal, and his entire leg vibrates with the movement.
It echoes in my clit, and with the song they’re playing, I’m not going to get a reprieve any time soon.
Riser is unreal. He bounces between the drums and the cymbals, landing every thump perfectly. I didn’t realize how much my entire body would jostle around as he plays. I bet it’s easier for him since he knows what’s coming, so he can brace for it.
It doesn’t take long before he works up a sweat, and his pheromones spill from his skin. His chamomile scent is comforting, but every inhale also makes me hazier and more out of it.
Poor Wren’s hands are fisted at her sides, and I bet her arms would be crossed over her chest if she wasn’t blocked in by the guitar.
Tennyson looks like he’s enjoying every single second of her suffering.
I’m also having the time of my life.
It feels like Riser’s arms are wrapped around me, and every vibration of his chest against my back reminds me how hard he’s working.
Drummers are just as hot as guitarists.
Malcolm turns toward us, and I get a killer view of his forearms and hands as he strums away on his Les Paul. He winks before turning back to the microphone to back up Kincaid.
Their voices are so damn smooth together that I get chills.
Okay, I think I get why my dad was addicted to the rush of being on stage.
“Sorry about the never-ending hard-on,” Riser says, pulling me into his lap on one of the sofas in the greenroom. “You might have noticed it still hasn’t quit.”
I grin like a fool as his hands wrap around my ass, and he grinds me over him.
“It only enhanced the experience,” I assure him, running my thumb over his plush lower lip.
The facial tattoos and snake-bite piercings have officially won me over. At first, I was mostly unsure how I felt about them, but I liked how they looked on him.
Now?
I adore them.
Or maybe that’s just Riser in general.
My heart tries to beat out of my chest while a giddy excitement flutters in my stomach.
“Still pissed we dragged you on stage with us?”
“Nah, no way,” I tell him, purposely wiggling over his erection. “It was a crazy adrenaline rush.”
“It always is,” he admits, brushing his nose against mine. “But it was even better having you on my lap. I can’t wait to see what the pictures look like.”
“All right,” Parish says, dropping down on the other side of the couch. “Are we getting high or heading out to meet the fans?”
Malcolm and Kincaid haven’t made it into the greenroom yet, but they got stuck signing autographs for the people with backstage access.
I have less than no idea where Tennyson and Wren are.
Riser quirks an eyebrow. “Wanna do a line?”
“I’m down if you are.” I shrug, but honestly, I’d love to extend this feeling for as long as possible.
“Jesus, you guys are grossing me out with the heart eyes,” Parish says, laughing. “Just make out already. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”
Riser smirks, and I crash my lips against his.
That sounds like the perfect way to pass the time.
Malcolm is relentless. His hands feel far too good sliding against my body as we grind together on the small dance floor in the VIP section a while later.
After the show, the venue opened the second and third floors. Now that everyone isn’t shoved together, it’s much less cramped.
Two big, burly guys stand at the entrance to the area we’re in. There are probably fifty people scattered about, but it’s spacious enough that it’s no longer suffocating.
Several couples and single women dance to the techno the club put on after Liminal’s performance.
I’m still buzzing from that whole ordeal. At first, it really was terrifying, but it was also a lot of fun after I got over the fear that I would get in Riser’s way.
The man in question stands next to one of the high-top tables, drinking a bottle of water and talking to a small group of guys.
“You really like him,” Malcolm says against my ear, and it doesn’t sound like a question. He pulls my ass back into his erection using his hold on my hips.
“I do,” I admit. “And I like you just as much.”
“That’s a good thing,” Mal says, spinning me to face him.
Those hoops in his nose and the dimples that appear in his cheeks as he grins only make my knees weaker.
The makeup lady knew exactly what she was doing when she did his eyeliner. It’s dark and smoky, a little smudged from how badly he was sweating on stage, but it only enhances his sex appeal.
“I meant it’s a good thing that you’re into Riser,” Mal says, sliding his knee between mine.
“Like really into him. He had a horrible breakup with his ex, which you know. He always takes care of the rest of us, and I think he needs someone to choose him, not just accept him. Does that make sense?” His hands tease down my ass, cupping my cheeks before pulling me apart and bringing me back together.
“I wouldn’t want to be with anyone who was using Ry to get to me and K. ”
“I’m not an omega,” I say, my head tilting as a terrible thought occurs to me. “You know that, right?”
“I never said you were.” Malcolm’s eyebrows rise as his forehead wrinkles.
“I mean, I wondered at first. I’ve never seen you take suppressants or use scent blockers, so I figured you must be a beta.
That doesn’t matter to me.” He pulls me even closer, grinding my panties over his knee.
“I like you. We have so much in common. You smell better than any omega I’ve ever scented.
I get hints of roses and pears, but there are these electric, stormy undertones that I’m obsessed with. ”
My jaw falls, and I try to find my voice, but no words come out.
He smells the same way to me.
“I always thought only alphas and omegas could be scent matches,” Malcolm says, staring straight into my eyes.
“But you’re mine. I’m sure of it. Maybe more than a scent match.
I’m addicted to the way you smell, but I like you even more now that I know you as a person.
Hell, I followed you around for days, trying to get you to notice me. ”
My stomach twists uncomfortably.
Malcolm is so earnest that I want to believe him, but I also understand how the world works for alphas and omegas. And I especially know how things go for betas who break the rules and fall for them.
“I like you too,” I choke out. “A lot.”
A dazzling smile breaks out on his face, and he slams his lips to mine. His hands flex on my ass, and my dress rides up as he digs his fingers in. It makes my core ache, and a cool breeze tickles my ass cheeks.
The man knows how to distract me by wrecking my self-control. He grinds me over his knee, kissing me far too sensually when we’re located in a club full of people, but it’s also easy to get lost in the moment.
These men are going to destroy me before all of this is over, but I’m already far too addicted to walk away.
“Can I cut in?” Kincaid asks in his low, gravelly tone. “You’ve been monopolizing all of Lumen’s time, and you’ve got a line of women desperate to ask for your autograph and a selfie.”
A dangerous growl rattles out of Malcolm’s chest, and I jolt as he pulls his tongue from my mouth.
I’m not scared of him.
It was just shocking.
“Hey, don’t growl at me,” Kincaid says. “You picked this job. We’ve done our best to keep the fans busy, but some of them clearly want to leave, and you’re the only signature they’re missing.”
“I would be one of those people ruthlessly waiting to get your signature,” I admit, patting Malcolm’s forearm as his fingers dig into my hip. “Don’t disappoint the fans. It won’t take too long.”
“Man, I want a real vacation after this tour.” Mal sighs, rolling his eyes. He leans in close, pecking a kiss on my lips. “Don’t worry. K will take good care of you while I’m busy. Won’t you, Kincaid?”
Kincaid smirks. “Definitely.”
If Malcolm is playful and enthusiastic, Kincaid is intense and downright sinful. Malcolm would not stop massaging my ass, but Kincaid seems to be a big fan of my hips and thighs. Not to mention that roll of softness on my lower stomach that this dress hides perfectly.
While my ass is to K, he continually cups my belly, pulling my back to his chest. When I’m facing him, he teases his hands up the outside of my thighs before sliding the backs of his fingers dangerously close to my pussy and back down again.
“You were right. This dress really is soft,” Kincaid murmurs, turning me in his hold.
He’s definitely squatting a little because the front of his jeans grinds perfectly between my ass cheeks.
He teases his fingers along the outside of my thighs, and I wait for him to cup my stomach like he was doing before.
His hands are so large that they cover the entire front of my legs.
My head falls back against his shoulder. Yeah, he must really be bending his knees because normally my head would land on his chest.
Kincaid pulls my hair away from my face, getting close to my ear. “I love seeing you in something I bought.” His tongue flicks down my sweat-slicked neck, and he stifles a growl. “It’s even better knowing you’re going to smell like me after all the grinding we’ve been doing.”
My nipples bead under the thin material of my dress as he teases his hand up my thigh.
These men.
Riser drove me crazy during their performance, followed by a pretty heavy make-out session in the greenroom. Malcolm made it his personal mission to destroy my panties as we danced, and it seems Kincaid has taken up the mantle.
You can torment them too, you know.
I most certainly can.
Shoving my hips back, I grind against Kincaid’s zipper, stretching my hand around to dig into his thigh. It gives me leverage to pull him even closer, and he chuckles darkly.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, sweetheart,” Kincaid says. “Especially when all I can smell is your slick cunt.”
His crass words only make me needier, and I’m desperate to see what happens when he snaps.
He sucks on my neck, flicking his tongue over my skin.
The music is dark and seductive, and I swear I can feel the bass echo in my veins.
Spinning without warning, I find his face close to mine. It’s easy to wrap my hand around his neck when he’s this low, and I do exactly that as I capture his lower lip.
Kincaid buries a hand in my hair and the other lands on my ass. He growls, fighting my tongue for dominance. It’s sexy as hell, and I give in, letting him take control. His hazelnut scent is all I pick up as I gasp for air between tantalizing kisses.
I thought I got what they meant when betas said they got a light high from smelling compatible alphas, but I clearly wasn’t getting the full effect from Theo.
Maybe that means I’m more compatible with Kincaid, Malcolm, and Riser than I was with my ex?
That must be it, right?
Because holy shit.
My head is a hazy mess, and my skin buzzes with the need to be as close to him as possible. I won’t even get into the fact that I’m physically hotter when I’m close to him, like I’m burning from the inside out.
“Jesus, Lumen,” Kincaid growls as he pulls back. “We gotta get out of here. You smell too fucking sweet, and my instincts are hanging on by a razor’s edge. If anyone gets too close to you, I will snap.” His arm tucks under my ass, and he lifts me, hiking me up his front.
I bite my cheek to keep from groaning as my soaked panties rub against his jeans.
Yeah, going somewhere private might not be a bad call.