Page 53 of Flawless Aria

“This is Aria Mitchell, Jax’s fiancée. I’m Gavin.” He slaps his chest for emphasis. “This is Beck, Zion. and Holden.” All the guys look awkward when they say hi and I do the same.

“Introductions are over, now get the fuck out.” Whoa, what has Gavin ever done to Jax to make him loathe him the way he does?

“Bro, take a fucking chill pill,” Zander warns when heading this way.

Ace’s hand lands on his shoulder and gently squeezes. “Dude, he was just introducing himself and the band to Aria. He knows better than to mess with our women. He’s just being friendly.”

Remind me to ask Jax who pissed in his cereal this morning because I’ve never witnessed this kind of behavior before. Micah looks confused when Gavin makes a comment as he walks by.

“Jax, what the hell did you do?” Micah’s right in his face but Jax doesn’t flinch. I can’t help thinking I made a mistake by coming here. The last thing I want is to interfere with the tour in any way.

“Brian, can you come over here please?” Zander beckons him with a crook of his finger.

“What’s up, boss?” I’ve never met this Brian before, but he looks all business. Does he work for the venue?

“Do me a solid and stay with Aria while we’re on stage. And don’t let any other guy get within five feet of her.” Is he serious?

“Absolutely. Anything I need to know?” he asks.

“Gavin introduced Aria to the band and apparently Jax feels threatened by him.” What I can’t believe is that Jax is just standing there, mute. Not fighting back. Until Brian chuckles.

“You got a fucking problem with me now, Brian?” Jax growls. When he takes a step towards him, Ace grabs his arm.

“Just doing my job, boss.” Crossing his arms, Brian glares at my man.

“Jax, take a walk. Now.” When Jax goes to grab my hand, Zander shakes his head. So my man storms off without me.

“Bro, you know he’s heading straight for Gavin’s dressing room.” I’m afraid Micah might be right.

“Heads up, ladies, you’re up in five.” The guys give Drew the finger when he ducks back inside.

“Fuck, someone needs to go after him, otherwise the show’s going to start late. Guess it’s going to be me.” When I try following Zander, Brian lays a gentle hand on my arm.

Why didn’t the girls warn me about all of this drama beforehand?

31

Jaxon

I’m so fucking pissed,I see red. I’ve no idea what just came over me but when I witnessed Gavin heading towards Aria, I just lost my shit. Or my head for that matter. What the hell was I thinking? He doesn’t have a history with Aria like he had with Harmony since they dated in college for a hot minute. Yeah, I’m acting just like Ace did when he found out that bit of news.

I sure as fuck don’t own her and have no control over who she talks to. Do I feel threatened by him? Maybe. He has this cocky assuredness that just ticks me off. Like he’s better than all of us. I don’t know but I need to calm down before the show.

“There you are. You, okay?” Zander leans against the wall, watching me.

“I really don’t know. That never happened to me before. I wanted to kill him.”

“Well, take all of that anger and frustration out on your kit, because the show’s about to start. In fact, I think we’re late to our own party.” Scratching his stubble, he gauges my reaction.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” We pride ourselves on always being on time.

“Don’t bust yourself up about it. So we play a little longer and give the fans more bang for their buck. Let’s get going.” Thank God our makeup was done and we’d already changed when I had my meltdown. I just hope Aria can forgive me for making an ass out of myself.

Drew’s fuming by the time we get there. “I’m sorry, guys. I lost my shit, and it won’t happen again.” All the guys mumble no big deal and slap me on the back.

Feeling guilty, I turn to Aria and I feel gutted. She looks so sad. The thought of her being disappointed in me is breaking me apart.

Holding her jaw, I tilt her head so we’re eye to eye. “I’m sorry, baby. I promise it will never happen again.” When Drew calls my name, I crush my mouth to hers before saying, “Love you more today than yesterday.”

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