Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
Grace
The rehearsal studio was a battlefield.
Not literally. No one was throwing punches. No one was yelling. But the tension inside the massive, glass-walled space was so thick it could probably be cut with a knife.
Dominic stood in the center of the room, arms crossed tightly over his chest, jaw locked as he watched the band run through their choreography.
His hair was slightly damp from the intensity of rehearsal, the sleeves of his black shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing the tense line of his forearms.
Riley missed a step.
Dominic’s voice was low, clipped, sharp. “Again.”
Ezra groaned, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. “Dude, we’ve done this set ten times already.”
Dominic didn’t even blink. “Then you should have it perfect by now.”
Theo huffed out a sigh, but didn’t argue. Jaden simply adjusted his earpiece and got back into position.
The music started again, the heavy bass vibrating through the walls. Flawless, precise movements. And still—Dominic’s brows were furrowed, his expression unreadable as he observed them like a commander watching soldiers.
I leaned against the doorway, watching him.
I knew this side of him.
The perfectionist. The workaholic. The man who never let himself slow down, because slowing down meant failure.
I wasn’t sure if he even realized how tense he was.
I let out a breath, then walked toward him, stepping past the sound crew and the stage assistants.
Dominic didn’t notice me until it was too late.
My arms wrapped around his waist from behind, my forehead pressing lightly against his back.
He froze.
A beat of silence.
The band stopped moving immediately, turning toward us with wide eyes.
Ezra was the first to react. “Oh, shit.”
Riley grinned. “He’s gonna break.”
Dominic stiffened under my touch, as if his brain was trying to catch up to reality. I could almost hear the thoughts racing in his head—he was in the middle of work, in the middle of controlling everything, and I had just completely dismantled his focus in two seconds.
And I didn’t care.
“Relax,” I muttered, my fingers pressing lightly into his stomach. “You’re scaring them.”
Dominic exhaled slowly, but he didn’t pull away. His fingers twitched slightly, as if debating whether to grab my wrists and pull me off—or just let me stay.
I could feel every muscle in his body, tight with stress.
I leaned in, voice low. “You’re allowed to breathe, you know.”
Riley snickered. “Holy shit. Look at his face.”
Ezra grinned, folding his arms. “This is history, folks.”
Theo shook his head, smirking. “The Great Dictator has been compromised.”
Jaden didn’t say anything—he just nodded, like he had already seen this coming.
Dominic finally snapped out of it, his hands reaching down to grab my wrists—but instead of pulling me off, he just held onto them.
His grip was tight, like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to let go.
“You know you just humiliated me, right?” His voice was low, slightly rough.
I smiled against his back. “You’ll live.”
Another snicker from Riley. “You guys seeing this? She’s the only one who can tame him.”
Dominic sighed, rubbing his temples. “Remind me again why I haven’t fired all of you?”
Ezra smirked. “Because you love us, obviously.”
Dominic finally turned around, facing me, and the moment I saw his expression, my heart clenched a little.
There was something exhausted in his eyes.
Something tired, something I knew he would never say out loud.
I reached up, smoothing a hand over his jaw, feeling the tension there.
“Break?” I murmured.
His hands found my waist, fingers digging in slightly. “I don’t take breaks.”
I arched a brow. “Yeah? Well, I’m making you take one.”
He exhaled, something in his shoulders loosening slightly. He glanced at the band. “You idiots can go, then.”
Ezra clapped his hands together. “Sweet. I’m getting a smoothie.”
Theo muttered, “Finally.”
Riley threw me a wink. “Keep him tamed, Grace.”
I rolled my eyes as the band filed out, still snickering.
When it was just the two of us, the air shifted slightly.
Dominic’s fingers were still curled around my waist, his body warm against mine.
I swallowed, suddenly very aware of how close we were.
“You can let go now,” I muttered.
He didn’t.
Instead, his hands slid slightly lower, his grip firmer. “I don’t want to.”
My breath hitched. “Dominic.”
He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. “You walked in here like you owned me, Dauntless.”
I shivered. “I did not.”
His teeth grazed just below my ear, his voice a low, dark whisper.
“Then why do I feel like you do?”
Heat shot through me so fast I almost forgot how to breathe.
I glared up at him, pressing my hands against his chest. “You are the worst.”
He smirked. “And yet, you keep coming back.”
I huffed out a breath, but my fingers curled slightly into his shirt.
I had walked in here intending to calm him down.
Somehow, I had ended up in a completely different kind of situation.
Dominic pulled back just enough to look at me, his dark eyes searching mine, something undeniable flickering beneath the surface.
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry.
“I should go,” I said.
His grip on my waist tightened slightly, like he was testing something. “Stay.”
I hated how easily that one word messed me up.
But I also loved it.