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Never again.
Frankly, it was going to be hard for me to be in rehearsal with him at all after this. He was relentless, picking on everything. Not only with me, butespeciallywith me. The digs about my lateness kept on, even when I had to break in new shoes in the middle of rehearsal because he was making us dance them to death.
I swore Asher was seconds away from decking the man. It was only me touching him that held him back.
The dress rehearsals were as rough as we expected, but we made it through. Of all the cohorts, we were the least lucky in performing first. We had the least time. But I was going to look that smug bastard in the face after curtain call and smile, showing him he didn’t fucking break me.
Shrill shrieking entered my consciousness. I sat up, whirling around for the noise only for Gabriel’s arms to come around me. “Woah, little one. You’re okay.”
My heart pounded in my chest, and I fell back onto the bed with him holding me. The alarm on my phone. That’s all it was. I smacked the screen to turn it off. “Fuck.”
He kissed softly under my jaw. “Breathe for me.”
“I’m breathing,” I promised. “I’m breathing.”
It was opening day. I needed to get to the theater for class and last-minute brush ups before the show. Makeup and costumes. Three performances and I could have a breather for a few days.
I closed my eyes and allowed myself to inhale Gabriel’s scent, turning into his chest. Hisbarechest. I didn’t even remember getting to his bed last night. “How did I get here?”
He chuckled softly. “You fell asleep on the bar.”
“Sorry about that.”
Pulling me hard against his body—letting me know that waking up with me was affecting him just as much as it was me—his face went stern. “Don’t apologize for something that’s not your fault.”
His shirt was gone, putting us nearly skin on skin. He was overwhelming, chest and upper arms covered in tattoos you couldn’t see when he wore clothes, giving a glimpse of the Alpha underneath. There hadn’t been time for me to explore, but I wanted to touch every inch of him. His eyes, locked on mine, burned with the words he’d said.
For the first time I saw the truth of it. The agony and the fury. Gabriel cared about more than just me. Every day there’d been catering, extra massage therapists staying late for anyone who needed them, and the company was covering cabs to and from home if anyone needed them.
He was always smiling at the theater. I’d barely seen him enough to realize how angry he was about all of it. I already knew there was no chance he would let it pass unanswered. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know yet,” he admitted. “Figured I should wait until I think I can be in the same room as him without punching him in the face.”
“But watching that would be fun.”
He brushed his lips over mine. “Don’t tempt me, little one.”
I reached over for my phone and saw the time. “Shit.”
It was later than I thought. We were going to have to book it to get to the theater on time. Rolling out of Gabriel’s arms, I nearly fell off the bed and winced. Where were my bags?
There.
Wherever I ended up sleeping, they made sure I had what I needed. “I’m sorry,” I said.
“Sloane, I’m going to take you over my knee and turn your ass red if you keep apologizing.”
My face flushed even as I frantically pulled on fresh tights and a leotard. I never thought I was the spanking type, but these Alphas hadn’t even fucked me yet and they proved I wanted all kinds of things I hadn’t realized.
Gabriel’s laugh told me he saw me blush.
“See you later?”
“Yes you will.” A promise.
Jace stood at the bottom of the stairs with Ash, smoothie in hand. They were good, and didn’t fuck me up in class like I’d expected.
Catching me around the waist, Jace kissed me. “Break a leg, baby girl.”
