“Ivy, here, come over here.” Ella took her hand and led her to a chair by the wall.
Ivy bit her lip, the tears flowing. That was unlike any scene she had been in before. There was no connection with them. The spark they had fed over the last couple of weeks was suddenly gone on that stage. Gabe didn’t move them forward tonight; he moved them back.
“It’s okay.” Ella patted her knee.
“I couldn’t say what he wanted me to say,” Ivy sobbed.
He promised her this was about wiping the slate clean, not making her apologize.
The compassion in Ella’s eyes made Ivy look away.
“We all have limits,” Ella said. “Whatever he asked of you, it was too much, at this moment anyway.”
Ivy laughed hollowly. Could it be considered a limit? The unwillingness to offer a fake apology to ease something in him? Something that was broken? As his sub, shouldn’t she be able to give him what he wanted?
“Ivy.” Ella rubbed her fingers over her hands. “Take it from me. Sometimes saving them from being in a ditch is the best act of submission you can give.”
Ella stared at the older, kind woman, then she let out a shuddering breath, put her head between her legs and cried. For the first time, she felt seen.
CHAPTER NINETEEN – GABE
Shewasn’tsorry.
His blood roared in his ears. He paced back and forth, sending pebbles flying with his steel toes.
Fuck. Her face when she called red, he’d never forget the pain in her expression.
The door swung open, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“What’s going on, Gabe?” Quinn strode over to him.
“I was about to ask that,” Zee said, pushing through the back doors. “Gabe, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you got to get it figured out before you come to my club again.”
“I can’t believe this. Don’t the new rules say we need to call a vote or something?” Gabe kicked the wall.
“Hey man, are you all right?”
“Did you all show up tonight?” Gabe asked as Logan came through the doors.
“Your submissive is being looked after by Ella and Clara. Simone’s showing Harper something on her phone. The girls aren’t in the mood to play tonight,” Logan said.
“This is unreal,” Gabe muttered under his breath.
“Gabe, your job as a dominant is to take care of your sub. To protect her,” Logan said.
“My head was not in the right place tonight. I know. I’m going to take Ivy home and forget this happened.”
“I’ll get her,” Zee said.
“What, you won’t let me go in?” Gabe stared down at the older man, his muscles taut with tension, ready to uncoil.
After a moment, Zee nodded. “Go in, get your girl, and stay the fuck away.”
Gabe brushed by Logan, who glared at him and shook his head. They didn’t have the whole story, and they rushed to a conclusion. He didn’t want to go into details about his family or how he had just come from that dinner where his dad and brother made him feel like he wasn’t measuring up. He wanted to be known as the guy who fixed problems, not caused them.
He found Ivy sitting next to Ella, her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking softly.
How vulnerable she looked there. So completely lost. He wanted to wrap her in his arms, take her home, throw her on the bed and never leave the house again.
