Page 57 of Breaking the Alpha
He flipped through his social media and added a picture he’d taken earlier that day, a decent selfie of himself against the sunrise view from his apartment balcony.After adding a few hashtags, he posted it, closed the app, and let himself zone out until he was deemed ready to go.
“Okay, babe, I think we’re done here,” the lead makeup artist said, her bright blue eyes scanning his naked torso with a mix of clinical indifference and feminine appreciation.“You look perfect now.”
Yeah.Now.
“Thanks.”He stilled for the stylist when she walked by and touched up his hair.
The makeup artist hung around until everyone else vacated the immediate area.“What are you doing after the shoot?Any big plans?”
“Yeah.Going home and showering all this shit off.”
She smiled at him.“A few of us are heading out to a lounge up the road.Why don’t you join us?I promise a better time than going home alone.”
She was gorgeous in that perfectly done-up way.Friendly.Treated her staff decently, from what he saw.She was also at least twenty years older than he was.
But what she wasn’t was a pretty little bohemian who he refused to think about more than a thousand times a day.
His phone buzzed and he glanced down, saved by Birch’s call.“Hey, man,” he answered, giving the artist an apologetic shrug as he got up.He walked away, not bothering to hide the slight hitch still present in his gait.“How’s it going there?”
“Business is good, the other stuff still sucks.What are you up to?”
“Prepping for a denim photo shoot.Posing like a show pony.You know the drill.”
“You killed it on that tuxedo spread thing.The women around here are still drooling over you.Jocelyn’s mom included.”He could hear the smile in his brother’s voice and it sunk into a knot in his gut.“I told you you’d own that fucking town.”
He gave a noncommittal grunt.“How’s Grey?”
“Still good,” Birch said, the jovial tone gone.“I don’t know, Riv.He dove right back into his courses and is kicking ass.But I keep waiting for the shoe to drop, for the breakdown I know has to be coming.”
“Take the win for now and just be ready,” he counseled, knowing he was the last guy on earth who should be giving life advice.“I better run.Tell Jocelyn and Grey hi for me.”
“Will do.But wait, River,” his brother called out moments before he hung up.“Yesterday I stopped by Wholly Yours to invite Angelina over for dinner.She said you two broke up.”
Turning his back to anyone in the vicinity who might see his expression, he cleared his throat.“Yeah, we did.”
“She said you two broke up the night before you left.Jesus, River.Why didn’t you tell me?Are you okay?Is she?”
“Baker,” Jodie’s voice called over the din of photographers, stagers, and stylists.“You’re on.Get that ass into those stonewashed bootcuts.”
Fighting the urge to run his hand through his hair, he sighed.“I’m fine.Life out here just got busy.I really gotta go.I’ll call you later this week.”
This time, he hung up without hesitation.Shoving aside every question he wanted to ask Birch about his meetup with Angelina, he grabbed the jeans and hiked them over his hips.He closed his eyes for a moment to bring up the memory he needed and gave his bloodstone pendant a squeeze.Putting on his best fuck-me-ten-ways-from-Sunday expression, he walked into position.
*
Angelina reached underher counter, pulled out an emerald-green pendant necklace, and passed it to Zoe.“This will look spectacular with that shirt.”
Zoe ooh’d and aah’d over it and clasped it around her neck.“You always have the perfect accessories.What do I owe you?”
“A grand total of don’t-even-think-about-it,” she huffed, doing her best to give a stern look at her friend and failing miserably.“What time is he picking you up?”
“In ten minutes,” Zoe replied absently, admiring her reflection in the ornate wrought iron mirror hanging on the wall.“It’s not too late to join us.”
She laughed and shook her head.“Thanks, but no.I’m sure Dylan would prefer to have you all to himself.Besides, I have plans.”
“Put off Indulgence Night until tomorrow and come,” Zoe insisted.“You’ve been sad since last Sunday.Did he call or something?”
There was no need to specify who ‘he’ was.
