Page 131 of Lyric & the Heartbeats

Lyric scoffed. The heart-eyes Amber had sent from side stage during the few days they’d gotten to spend together had said enough. “You can’t be giving me advice like you are and be that oblivious.”

“That’s what I get for consoling you? Pfft.” Desi shoved her gently away and grinned. “It’s not that I’m oblivious, I just… kind of want to propose to her. Maybe I’m nervous.”

Lyric brought her hands to her mouth, hiding her grin. “Are you serious? At the end of tour?”

Brushing a hand through her short dark curls, Desi shrugged, avoiding Lyric’s gaze. “Yeah. When I get home.”

“That’s adorable. Do you have a ring picked out already?”

Desi pulled out her phone, and Lyric listened intently as Desi described just what she loved about her girlfriend. Adoration shone in her gaze, and through the camera roll of rings, and trip down memory lane, Lyric was left with a question in the back of her mind.

Was it possible to lower her barriers and let the others in like Desi had with Amber? Was Lyric even capable of allowing herself to be so vulnerable with someone in the same way?

By the time Desi left her room, Lyric closed the door quietly but didn’t flip the lock.

There was really only one way to find out, right?

Lyric crawled beneath the covers and sent off a text, then wrung the blankets with her hands until a soft knock came through the door.

It swung open silently, and Nohen’s head peeked through.

“Hey… can I come in?”

Lyric’s cheeks heated. “Yeah. You can’t cuddle me from out there, can you?”

Nohen’s lips twitched as he entered the nest and shut the door behind him, flipping the lock as he gazed warily at her.

It was the first time she was allowing one of them in her nest, so his apprehension wasn’t misplaced.

Lyric patted the bed and scooted over to make room for him. The mattress dipped as he slid beneath the sheet, and Lyric sought his warmth, wrapping herself around him and laying her head on his chest before he even got settled. She inhaled and released a deep breath, his soft, soothing scent washing over her like a cool balm. He didn’t smell quite floral, but something equally light and airy. Safe.

“Everything okay with Andi?” he asked. His voice seemed loud in the four walls that hadn’t heard anything but her own cadence in four weeks.

“Yeah. Just wanted cuddles,” she said, nuzzling into his chest.

One of his arms snaked around her and began drawing shapes on her lower back, and she melted into him.

“Not going to lie and say it doesn’t give me a thrill to know I’m the first one to stay.”

Lyric buried her smile in his torso. Her beta was so cute when he was jealous.

“Good,” was all she said, barely swallowing her giggles.

Waking up next to Lyric was Nohen’s second favorite place to be. The first would be falling asleep next to her.

He was on his left side, curled around Lyric, their legs tangled together beneath the sheets. His heart pounded a steady rhythm as sleep fell away, and he drew in a silent breath only for his lungs to fill with honey dipped lavender.

He nuzzled into her, counting the seconds and storing them in his mind so he’d never forget them.

She hummed sleepily, the sound incoherent, and seconds later, it faded, and she shuffled around before her breaths puffed evenly once more against the back of his hand. His arm was wrapped around her side and tucked into her torso, her clavicle warm against his palm.

Being surrounded by her scent wasn’t torture enough, no, he was aligned with her head to toe, and her breasts framed his forearm, her breaths barely pressing her chest into his steady touch.

Cursing everything under the sun, he carefully shifted his hips back and tried to will his arousal away.

She just wanted to cuddle, not to be woken up by—

Nohen’s breath cut off as she shuffled on the bed, following his path and bumping her ass back into the front of his hips.