Page 187 of Lyric & the Heartbeats

Adra leaned up and frowned down at her. She lifted a finger and tried to smooth away the frown lines, but he nipped at her fingertip instead. “That’s our job.”

“Can’t we share the job?” Lyric asked innocently. “I mean, I’m such a generous person, you know?”

Adra chuckled, a little louder than necessary, and Emerson grumbled something on the other side of Nohen.

Lyric slid her hand over Adra’s mouth and tried to muffle her own giggles. She gasped as another hand slid over her hip and warmth blanketed her back. Nohen’s voice was smooth as silk as he murmured in her ear. “I know you guys are bonded and everything, but you’re not allowed to be this cute at four in the morning. You have to wait until my first cup of coffee is gone. My heart can’t handle it.”

Lyric sighed and tilted her head back to nudge him gently. “Wanna get matching tattoos?”

Nohen froze. The hand on her hip tracing patterns stopped, where he had been rubbing his cheek against the top of her head like a cat paused, and even his chest seemed to be still. Was he even breathing?

Lyric rolled over to check that he was still among the living, and almost laughed at the wide-eyed stare he gave her. Almost, because he cupped the back of her head and swallowed any chuckle she could have released. Their lips melded together as warmth infused her from the inside out. Her lips parted beneath his, their tongues dueling until she finally gave in. The kiss was so intense, it was like he was trying to mark her with affection alone.

When Nohen pulled away, Lyric sucked in a breath and blinked dazedly, trying to clear the fog from her head.

“Tattoos? So I can have my own mark too?” he asked, his voice hushed, but no matter how quiet he spoke, he couldn’t hide the infectious excitement that laced his words.

“You saw through that, huh?” Lyric inquired, brushing a thumb across his cheek.

Nohen chuckled softly. “It might have been wishful thinking.”

“Why do you even have to get me anything?” Lyric asked.

Henry scoffed. “Because you’re my omega. You deserve to be spoiled.”

Lyric sighed. “Fine. Let me guess what it is,” she said, tapping a finger to her chin as they walked from the last interview of the tour back to the bus. “A gun, so I can protect myself?”

Henry snorted. “Please. You’d have to get lessons first. Have you ever even shot a gun?”

“Well… no. But I play a lot of first person shooter games. It can’t be that hard, right?”

Henry almost choked, and Lyric had to pat his back once he stopped coughing. Shaking his head, he waved a hand through the air. “Hell no. But I see your point. How about I schedule some self-defense training for when we return? I know a few moves. But I’ll make an appointment with a trainer once we get back to town.”

“You just wanna get your ass kicked. Is that another kink of yours, Henry?”

Henry arched a brow and opened the door for her, waited until she stalled in the middle of the entertainment area before he sat his tablet down.

“I dunno,” he drawled, kicking a foot against her ankles gently. “Sweeping your feet out from underneath you...” Lyric stumbled and fell backwards, only for Henry’s hands to wrap around her waist and neck, catching her and holding her close. “Does have its appeal.”

He heard her breath hitch and stole her next sigh with a kiss.

“Well, I got you something too,” she said as their lips parted.

Henry frowned. “What? That’s not how this works.”

With a giggle, she regained her footing and pulled away, motioning for him to stay put. With a furrow between his brows, and a niggle of curiosity, he pulled out Lyric’s present and sat it on the table. It was wrapped in fancy pink paper thanks to the store, and he leaned against the table as he listened to Lyric mumble and grumble before a shout of success came from her nest.

“Found it!” she called, beaming as she practically skipped back to the main room. “Ooo, pretty,” she said as her gaze locked on the shiny paper of her gift.

She stuck out a small box about the size of his palm, and slapped it in Henry’s hands. “Happy kidnapping,” she said.

Henry arched a brow. “Excuse me?”

“Just open it.”

With a roll of his eyes and a pinch of curiosity, he opened the small box and blinked.

A set of matching watches gleamed in the tiny plush bed, and he glanced up at Lyric. “Matching watches?”