His lips found mine, his kiss matching the sweetness of our fucking. Slow, steady, intense. Until the build was more than I could stand. He seemed to know it, too, as he slipped his hand between my ass cheeks and applied a pressure that shot me straight over the edge. Everything tightened below my waist, between my thighs. My toes curled. My breathing shallowed. And then the scream of my release came straight from my gut and tore from my throat before being swallowed by Sebastian’s kiss.
Sweat clung to my body as I rushed across the hall and into my cabin. I had to be at the theater at six o’clock to meet with Jimmy and prepare for the night’s show. Between the pain meds after a quick doctor visit and my thorough all-day workout with Sebastian, in his bed, I felt like a renewed woman, ready to take on the world.
But first, a shower.
After cleaning myself up, I threw on a baby-doll dress and heels. When I walked into that theater today, I wanted Jimmy to see how healthy I looked. I’d already covered up the bruises with a little makeup, knowing the sight of them would only make him question my readiness to get back out on that stage.
Sebastian said he had some business to take care of, so when I left my cabin, I headed straight for the stairs. A ridiculous smile was plastered on my face the entire way to the theater. I even started humming the opening show tune from Angst and Grace on my walk.
Even after everything I’d learned the day before, I felt great. Better than great. I’d always known Sebastian had a reputation, but it was nice to learn that there was far more to that story. While Sebastian had made mistakes, he wasn’t the only one to blame. And he’d been trying to move on from his past mistakes ever since.
With just one foot inside the door of my dressing room, I caught a pair of familiar eyes staring back at me in my vanity mirror’s reflection. I froze. The woman raised a brow in response. She was holding a makeup brush an inch from her face, far too comfortable in my chair.
Fire rushed through my veins, and I started shaking. “What are you doing here, Claudette?”
Her smile started at the corners of her mouth as her eyelids narrowed into slits. “Well, hello to you too.” She set the brush down and swiveled around in my chair. “You look well.” Her gaze dropped then drifted back up my body. “Better than expected, unfortunately.”
“Funny thing. I feel even better than I look.”
She laughed, her head falling backward for dramatic effect, and my insides rang with an anger I’d never known I was capable of.
I took a step forward. “You can leave now. I need to get ready.”
Claudette was still laughing, and an image of her and Sebastian flashed in my mind—him miserable by her side while she soaked up all the limelight before sneaking off with Dirk behind his back. I hated her—so intensely that a rush of fire blew through me.
“Is there a reason you’re in my dressing room, contaminating my makeup, Claudette? Or are you just reminiscing?”
Her laughter faded, and her expression morphed into a glare. “Actually…” She stood from her chair, calling attention to the tights and bralette she was wearing. They were the same ones I wore for the opening number. My eyes swept over her again, catching on a pair of glittering silver heels strapped to her feet. Someone must have replaced the pair I’d tossed in the trash. “You’re the one in my dressing room. And I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Dread spread through me. “Excuse me?”
She swung back around with a sigh and caught my eyes in the mirror. “Don’t worry. I saved you a front-row balcony seat to the show.” She sat back down in my makeup chair and reached for the brush she’d been holding when I walked in. “Get out, Kai.”
Chapter 40
Sebastian
Preparations took longer than I’d planned, and I hadn’t had much time to begin with. I’d told Kai I had a meeting with Dirk, but I’d really spent the last two hours running around the ship, putting together a surprise that I hoped she would love. I think I was more nervous about her reaction than I’d ever been while playing for thousands of people in a huge arena. Time was up, though. I took one final look at my creation before I ran for the theater.
When I arrived backstage, Kai’s dressing room door was closed. Just as I held a hand up to knock, a backstage assistant with a headset spotted me.
His entire body practically sagged with relief, and he reached for my arm to drag me away. “Got him,” he said into the headset before addressing me. “You’re on in two. Let’s move.”
I tossed a look over my shoulder at Kai’s door, wishing I’d come even a minute sooner. I always wished Kai luck before the show. However, In the grand scheme of things, my not seeing her would only make what I had planned for later more exciting. I’d never been called a romantic before, but Kai would beg to differ after tonight. My smile couldn’t have been cheesier as I sat down at my piano and chugged a bottle of water.
“Hey, Bash,” said Gem. “Everything okay with Kai?”
I beamed and waved a hand in the air. “Don’t worry ’bout Kai, mate. She’s better than ever. And don’t tell me how well you blokes got on without me last night. I still have a massive ego.”
Gem let out what sounded like a nervous laugh. “Okay, then.” He nodded. “Glad to hear everything is okay.”
The other band members were all staring at me, and I was sure they thought I was nuts. After I’d missed the last night’s performance, they were probably stunned and confused. I gave them all a wave as I put my earpiece in and caught the show caller just as he was giving me my cue to begin.
My fingers immediately went for it, dancing across the keys, filling the theater with the opening notes of the pop-rock tune. The curtains opened, I turned my head toward the seats, and a smile lit my face. The lights in the first number were so bright that I couldn’t see past them. Everything seemed perfect.
The rhythm and pacing were fine, the audience was already getting into the opening number, the lighting looked great, and the chorus dancers were hitting their marks, from what I could see. But I couldn’t escape a heavy feeling in my chest telling me something was wrong.
It could have easily been the fact that I’d missed a performance the night before though I’d sworn to never do that again. But I shook that idea away almost as soon as it hit me. I felt zero guilt for spending that time with Kai instead of sitting behind the piano. The decision had come very easily, and nothing could have convinced me to make a different decision.
As I transitioned from that song into the next, I kept trying to get a glimpse below when I knew Kai would be dancing. I’d seen her perform many times during rehearsals, but it was different when the glare of the lights was practically blinding me. My eyes were forced in one direction—the crowd—not that I could actually see anyone.
At one moment during one of the final pieces, when Kai would dance a solo, the lights were trained on her instead of me. That was the one time I could get a good glimpse of everything—the stage and the crowd. My eyes moved over the theater. I loved making that intimate connection with the audience and always felt that it made them a part of the story instead of onlookers. It was a like a little zap of energy every time I caught someone’s gaze, like they were feeding me with their excitement at watching the show.