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Chapter Thirty-Three

AURORA

T he ride back to the hotel with Austin is quiet. Uncomfortably so. I have no idea how to talk to Austin, and I’m not even sure that I want to. The alcohol is heavy in my system. I let my head lean against the window as he drives, starting to fade a little bit. The gentle hum of the car is slowly putting me to sleep.

“So, did Theo tell you what he did?” Austin asks, pulling me from my near slumber.

I blink a few times, feeling a little dazed. My mouth feels dry before I manage to speak. “What did he do?” I don’t even know what Austin’s talking about. But it’s Theo. He’s always doing something that makes people talk. Meddling. Conniving.

His silhouette is dark in the car next to me, hands gripping the steering wheel as he turns into the hotel parking lot. “He went and threw a fit to Nathan about that promo I cut. The one where I called you a slut. I got fined and pulled from the match. That’s why things are pivoting straight to Micah.”

Maybe it’s because I’m drunk, but it takes longer than normal to process all of that. Theo complained to Nathan because Austin called me a slut? It was a promo. This is wrestling. People call each other shitty names all the time—in and out of the ring. I wasn’t offended.

But clearly Theo had been.

“I…didn’t know that.” It’s all I can say. What does he want me to do, apologize for Theo’s actions? That’s not my job. He’s not my responsibility.

Austin scoffs and shakes his head, pulling the car into a parking spot. “Dunno why you’re fucking him, Rory. You could do so much better.”

“I’m—I’m not.” I fucked him once. One time. So what if that one moment lives on repeat in my head and haunts my fantasies when I close my eyes at night? So what if I’ve gotten myself off a few times remembering the way his tongue felt on my pussy, how he looked at me?

Austin doesn’t respond. Either he doesn’t believe me or he doesn’t care. Discomfort floods over me, and I’ve never been more thankful that we’ve made it to the hotel.

I get out of his car and Austin follows me. When I stumble slightly, his hand goes to my arm to steady me. His grip is tight, bruising almost. I jerk away from him.

My brain is firing off warning signals. Something is off. I fumble to get my phone out my pocket, but my fingers keep pressing the wrong button when I try to unlock it. Giving up, I shove it back into my back pocket.

We’re back to silence as we enter the lobby, the one that looks like every hotel that I stay at on the road. Austin leads me to the elevator, and I mutter that I’m on the fourth floor.

One quiet elevator ride later and I’m so close to my room. No more bad vibes. Tonight was not the night that I needed. There was no forgetting about Theo. There was just the realization that I want him more than anything .

It’s taking every ounce of self-control not to go find his room and spill my drunken guts to him.

When we come to a stop outside of my door, I reach for my key. Suddenly, I’m being shoved back against the door. Austin’s larger body has me pinned to the door, the scent of alcohol on his breath invading my personal space.

Panic floods through me. My breathing picks up. My arms are going numb and tingly. Austin’s hand goes to my hip before slipping back to my ass, grabbing a handful of it.

“Austin.” I put my hands against his chest, giving him a pointless shove. He’s stronger. I’m drunk.

I could scream. I could stomp on his foot and scream until someone comes out to see what’s going on.

Before I can, he huffs and steps away, shaking his head. “That’s what I thought. He’s already ruined you, Aurora. Remember that I gave you an opportunity to save yourself.”

As much as I want to know what the fuck he’s talking about, I want to get away from him. Putting a door between the two of us seems like the smartest thing I could do. I scramble to get my key, having to press it to the keypad a few times to unlock my door because my hands are shaking.

I slam the door behind me, leaning against it as my heart pounds in my chest.

Jules.

I know she’s busy, but I don’t want to be alone. I’m drunk and scared and I need someone. I need the kind of comfort that only a best friend can give you.

When I reach for my phone, it’s not there. I check my other pocket and come up empty as well.

“Fuck,” I mutter to myself. I must have dropped it when I went to put it in my back pocket earlier.

Going out into the hallway means I risk running into Austin again. That terrifies me. I’m also drunk, and I don’t want to be stumbling around the hotel hallway and make GRW look bad.

I’ll have to eat the loss and hope that some kind soul will drop it off at the front desk tomorrow.