Page 116 of Lyric & the Heartbeats

“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.”