Page 53 of Gabriel's Album

“When do you need me in the Pit?” she asks.

She leans forward to kiss my neck and I can’t help but smile. Her lips are warm and soft, and I can’t stop myself envisioning them wrapped around my now hard erection.

“I’ll get someone to come and get you,” I say, putting my arms around her and pulling her closer to me. “Or we could just skip the concert altogether and stay here forever.”

“That doesn’t sound like a terrible idea,” she laughs and presses her lips to mine.

I open my mouth and our tongues intertwine as I rub my hands up and down her back. When the kiss ends, we’re both panting for breath.

“It probably is a terrible idea, though,” she says as she slides off my lap to sit next to me and indicates to my crotch with a wicked grin. “You should also probably try and sort that out before you walk onstage in front of thousands of fans.”

“Hey, they might like it!” I wink at her.

“Are you nervous about tonight?” she asks.

“No more than usual, really, except for one particular song,” I tell her.

“What song would that be?” A smile plays on her lips as she teases me.

Only the most important song I’ve ever sung in my life. At least, that’s the way it feels right now.

“The one I’m singing to you, of course, and you know it,” I nudge her gently with my elbow.

“Do you think the crowd might not like it?”

“No, I’m almost certain they’ll love it. I just hope that you do, too.” I kiss her softly on the lips.

“I’m sure I will,” she says, and gives me a reassuring smile.

“You’ll have to be honest with me if you don’t,” I tell her, doing my best to look serious.

“Yes, sir,” she replies with a mock salute, and I laugh loudly.

“Okay, I guess we’d better go,” I sigh. “Icouldjust stay here with you for the next two hours instead, though. What do you think?”

“I think that you love performing and you’d regret it if you did. Plus, the other guys would be beating down the door as soon as you didn’t show, anyway.”

“You have a point.” I remove my arms from around her before standing up. “All right, let’s go.”

Ariana stands as well and starts walking toward the door. Just as she reaches her hand out to turn the handle, I snake my arms around her waist and pull her back against me.

“Gabriel,” she says in a warning tone. “We don’t have time for this.”

“I know,” I say as I dip my head and kiss her neck before turning her around to face me so I can claim her lips with mine.

I’m pleased as hell when she kisses me back. We stand together, limbs tangled and exploring each other’s bodies, for far longer than we should.

“Okay, okay,” I say when I finally pull away from her. “No time, let’s go. Try to look a little less sexy, would you?”

“I’ll do my best,” Ariana says as she opens the door and winks at me over her shoulder.

We head toward the area just behind the stage, walking hand in hand. Hayden is already there, as is Tanya, and both of them look at our linked hands.

Ariana lets go of mine at once and walks over to sit down on a stool that’s near the steps to the stage. I’m disappointed, because it’s unnecessary to hide our relationship from people who already know about us. I walk over to Hayden, who greets me with a smile as Tanya walks away.

“All sorted for the setlist change?” I ask him.

“Yeah, Russell wasn’t thrilled, but he’ll work it out.”

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