Page 155 of When Hearts Awaken

I arch my brow, waiting for her to speak.

“I never thought I’d say this, but that was good.” She motions toward the stage, where the crew is beckoning us back for a curtain call. “Youdodeserve Odette.”

Throwing my head back, I laugh as I head toward the front stage. “Odile. I shine as Odile,” I hurl back at her. “And I’m damn proud of that.”

At the curtain call, which is stretching twice as long as normal with the crowds cheering and clamoring for more, I smile, euphoria rushing through me. I scan the private Anderson box, seeing Dad standing, his eyes shining as he claps.

Belle is leaning over the railing, her baby son strapped to her chest, wearing the cutest little baby noise-canceling headphones. She lets out a shrill whistle as Maxwell hauls her back against him and shakes his head, a grin on his face. Ryland cups his mouth and hollers at me as Millie jumps in place next to him.

Ethan grins and I see him holding up his phone and my heart skips a beat because I know he’s streaming this performance to Alexis, which technically isn’t allowed, but no one gives a fuck when you’re an Anderson. Alexis is still at the hospital, slowly recovering, but we will be there with her every step of the way.

Rex and Lana are making heart signs with their hands, and I see Olivia in a neighboring box with her family, clapping loudly. Grace and Steven are sitting with them as my sister practically climbs onto Steven’s back, waving her hands in the air and I swear I can hear her scream, “That’s my sister!”

I look for the one man who has awakened my heart—that gleaming blond hair I’d recognize anywhere—but he’s nowhere to be seen. A niggle of disappointment pinches my chest, but I brush it away as I dip into another low curtsy before walking backstage and head to my dressing room.

As soon as I open the door and step inside, a strong arm yanks me toward him, his scent of bergamot and cedarwood sifting to my nostrils. I catch a glimpse of Charles’s eyes, the color of the hottest fire, before he slams his lips on mine and kicks the door closed at the same time.

I barely notice the click of the lock engaging because Charles has his tongue buried inside my mouth—swiping, tangling with mine like he’s famished for me.

“You were fucking amazing,” he rasps, his voice rough. “A temptress on stage. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

His lips trail to my neck and he scrapes his teeth on my tender flesh and I whimper, the sensations shooting straight to my clit.

“Charles, oh shit. What’s gotten into you?”

My mind grows hazy as Charles hoists me up and I clamp my legs around his waist, finding him already hard and throbbing underneath his tux.

“You. You’re buried so deep inside me, I’m addicted. I take one look at you up there, owning the stage, setting everything aflame, and I want to kiss you, make love to you, tether myself to you. You set me on fire, minx. I’m burning for you.” He tosses me onto a chaise lounge chair in the corner of the room before he climbs over me.

His fingers deftly loosen the ties at my back because he knows I’ll kill him if he damages this beautiful costume. He smirks, as if he knows what I’m thinking.

“I’m not an idiot, despite what you might think,” he rasps after the ties are loose and he yanks down my bodice, exposing my breasts to the air.

“That’s debatable,” I moan when his lips capture my nipple and he pinches the other one. A scream tears out of my mouth and he quickly slams his hand over my mouth.

“Naughty minx, what will other people think? Our prima ballerina getting railed after her performance?”

Wetness leaks out of me and I writhe under him, trying but failing to align my pussy over the bar of steel inside his pants.

Charles lets out a low chuckle and moves down my body, spreading my legs so one falls on the floor and the other is hoisted against the side of the lounge chair, fully exposing me to him.

He rips the seams of my tights and I whimper as he does the same thing to my panties. “How many pairs of tights are you going to ruin?”

“All of them, because I have a new kink now—fucking ballerinas in their costumes.”

With a growl, he buries his face in my pussy, his talented tongue swiping at my folds before his teeth play with my piercing. The sensations quickly spark out of control as I arch against him, my legs trembling, my body quickly burning up when he spears his tongue inside me.

I bite my lip to keep from screaming, my eyes fluttering shut as blinding pleasure takes over my body and my mind grows hazy.

Smack!

The jolt of pain snaps me back to the present.

“Not yet,” he rasps.

Quickly, I hear him unzipping himself, and he splits me in half in the next second.

My mouth drops open from the pleasurable intrusion as he slams into me repeatedly, fanning the flames inside me once more. My breathing comes out in quick pants and I grip his shoulder for dear life.

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