Lights, Camera, Omega (Hollywood Omegas #1)

Since it’s her first time getting situated with another person, I do my best to guide her into place without being too handsy, though the round of her thighs, and her ass in those nearly white faded jeans is all but begging to be touched.

Ever a gentleman, I give her as much space to adjust as possible, considering we’re both riding on the back of the same animal—even if my thoughts are less than gentlemanly.

“Is this alright?” I ask, reaching my arms tentatively around her waist and underneath her own arms to grab Jasper’s reins.

“Don’t be shy, you hold on to me as tightly as you need to—especially if we start to book it,” Daphne assures me, already gripping the saddle horn for dear life, though we haven’t started moving yet.

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” It comes out between a chuckle and a growl before I can stop myself.

“Whatever you need to do to keep me on this thing,” she laughs, a little short of breath.

With her back against my chest, and the top of her head just below the level of my chin, I lean forward, careful not to brush my unshaven stubble across her cheek as I say quietly into her ear, “I promise I won’t let you fall. We’re gonna have a great ride, just relax and trust me.”

I can feel her immediate ease. Her posture softens as she leans against me slightly, that warm, golden apricot honey scent of hers like the sun about to rise just beyond the horizon.

“Ok, Sol. I trust you,” she breathes, and I help Jasper into a trot toward set.

As we get closer to the field, there are people swarming with cameras and remote controlled drones. The artistic director is talking with the unit supervisor behind the camera line, and I can just make out a few press reps seated with Barton under a pop up canopy.

“I can’t believe Benton dragged all these people out here to see if I can manage not to look too dumb riding a horse,” Daphne laughs, weakly.

I braced my arms against her sides and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“Just trust me, darlin’. You let down your hair, you hold on to that saddle horn, and I’ll take care of the rest,” I soothe.

“Sol! We’re only going to get one shot at this the way we really want it—you ready to go?” Benton calls by megaphone as he saunters from his folding canvas director’s chair to the waiting off-road vehicle he plans to follow the shot in.

“Yessir!” I shout back, adjusting myself to take off at a gallop at the director’s cue.

“Ok, you heard the man, let’s get ready.We have approximately two hundred seconds before that sun is going to start to rise. Get those drones higher or they’ll be in the first ground shots. Let’s go!” Benton shouts into the megaphone, buckling himself into the backward facing seat on the camera kart.

Time seems to pass so quickly. Before I know it, the clapper has been snapped and Benton calls ‘Action’ on the scene.

Jasper, Daphne, and I are off like lightning. There is nothing but the sound of the rushing creek racing beside us, and the thunder of Jasper’s hooves on the packed earth as we ride onward, the golden beam of the sun sweeps in just behind us.

Daphne, who had begun the ride cowering inside my arms as if she could retreat into me like a hermit crab into its shell, sits upright—head high and flaxen hair flowing in the wind as the sun inevitably catches us in its golden rays.

I hear her laugh, a fuller more ringing sound than the giggles I had swooned for earlier.

This isn’t the first time I’ve ridden with a beautiful woman. Not even close. So why in the world am I going to pieces over this little blonde ray of sunshine?

Part of it is biology, certainly. Our whole pack has been figuratively and sometimes literally hurting for an omega for longer than we’d all care to admit.

I feel like a dog with a bone—forming this new infatuation with Daphne. Guiltily, I remember Julian mentioning an appointment with an omega from the placement agency later this week. I had been excited when he told me, but now I—remarkably presumptuously—feel as if I’d be making a terrible mistake to give up this totally non-existent chance with a relative stranger who I’ve suddenly become smitten with.

Daphne’s voice, high and clear, breaks me from my catastrophizing and brings me back to the beautiful moment.

“Is this as fast as we’re gonna go?” She calls over her shoulder, obviously delighted.

“This is as fast as we can go on this stony ground.” I shout back, the whirring of drones draw in for a tighter shot at the periphery of my attention as I push Jasper toward the upward break away from the creek, into an open field of wildflowers with the sunlit mountains in the background.

“Is it weird that I was scared at first, but now I wanna go faster?” She laughs giddily, tossing her hair and leaning further back against me.

“It just feels so good!” Her laugh turns to a gasp and something about her words stokes a heat inside me, and it’s all I can do to hope that I don’t end up hard, giving myself away, pressed so close against her.

“Hold on, Sunshine. Once we get into the open, we’re gonna see Jasper’s flying pace,” I warn, dropping my chin so that our faces are nearly side by side as I kick Jasper into a breakneck gallop. The field of wildflowers approaches becoming little smears of color as we fly through the meadow.

For a few seconds of golden delight, we ride the edge of the sunrise, the flowers whipping past us like shooting stars. I hear one last chime of laughter from Daphne, warm and gilded as the sunrise in my arms.