Page 65 of Aria

I shook my head. “No… but you’re going to want to be as far away from me as possible when I tell you about my night.”

She didn’t step away from me like I’d assumed. The concern didn’t fade from her green gaze. She stood her ground, our bodies inches apart. “Noah, tell me what happened.”

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

CHELSIE

Iwondered if I’d invaded Noah’s personal space, but I couldn’t help it—my nurturing instincts had kicked in, and I couldn’t contain the rush of empathy I felt when my eyes landed on his wounds. Now, a million scenarios raced through my mind as his words digested.

Noah let out a heavy breath and looked up at the ceiling, as if silently asking it for courage. “Shit, I don’t even know where to begin. I guess I should tell you that I just spent the last few hours at the county jail.”

I inhaled sharply. “What? Are you serious?”

“I’m serious. I got into a bar fight. I…” His voice trailed off, his gaze fixed away from mine. “I beat the shit out of your ex.”

My knees went weak. It felt like I was holding the weight of a thousand men. Stumbling backward as his confession processed, my ankles collided with the couch, and I fell back onto the cushions.

I was speechless.

Ian?

Noah…beat him up?

“I – I don’t even know what to say,” I finally said. My skin grew hot. Bile was creeping up my throat.

“I feel like you might be in danger now,” Noah told me, his face pinched with remorse as he approached my slack-jawed stance on the couch. He didn’t sit beside me. He kneeled in front of me, right between my legs, until we were face-to-face. “I screwed up, Combs. When I put the pieces together and realized it was him, I just snapped. I thought of everything he put you through and I wanted to fuckingkillhim.”

A mix of emotions flooded me, and I didn’t know what to think or feel. Ian was clearly keeping tabs on me and my personal life; there was no doubt about that anymore. Not only did he have a vendetta against me… but now with Noah, too.

And where was Devon during all of this? Was he in danger?

So many questions—and yet, Noah was between my knees, his bruised face a mask of frenzy and guilt. All I wanted to do was tell him it was okay. Reaching out my hand, I placed it against his cheek. Dried blood crusted along his jawline, and I wiped at it with my trembling thumb.

Noah had taken punches for me. He’d defended my honor.

No one had ever done that for me before.

“Thank you,” I whispered, leaning forward and pressing a light kiss to his forehead. “I’m not used to having someone care so much.”

The guilt in Noah’s eyes flashed to bewilderment as he studied me. “Chelsie, you shouldn’t be thanking me. I put your life in danger. I compromised the band. I may have ruined Devon’s reputation. I’m an idiot,” he said. “I acted on impulse, and I did a lot of damage.”

“But you did it all forme,” I countered, as if that were undoubtedly the only thing that mattered.

“Exactly. I did it all for my bandmate’s girlfriend, which is also dubious.” Noah shook his head, sitting back on his heels and running a hand through his mess of hair. “I risked a lot of shit for you, Combs, and I don’t know why.”

My belly tickled at the admission. I didn’t know why either. I didn’t know how our relationship had evolved from loathing enemies, to reluctant allies, to trusted friends, and now to… whatever this was. It felt like a new category in our ever-changing story.

Regrouping, I fiddled with the string on my sweatpants and wondered, “Noah, what did he say to you?”

Noah stood, taking a seat beside me on the couch and exhaling a deep breath. “Nothing. He was there to size-up Devon, and I interceded,” he told me. “Devon had no idea who he was… but he does now.”

My stomach dropped.Shit.I had told Devon that no one else knew about my history with Ian. Now, he was well-aware I had confided in Noah. “Did you just… attack him?” I gulped.

Noah’s jaw tensed through a nod. “Pretty much. He said Devonhad something of his—meaning you. I just flew off the fucking handle.”

Vindication swam through me at the thought of Ian getting pulverized. He was a monster, after all; he’d deserved every blow. He’d deserved to know that I had moved on without him. I had survived and was stronger than ever. He wasn’t “it” for me, like he had tried so hard to drill into me for all those years. He wasn’t the best I’d ever have, and he sure as hell didn’t hold a candle to the men in my life now. I hoped every strike was a crude reminder of that.

“I really gave it to him,” Noah continued. “There was blood everywhere. He’sluckyif all he got was a broken nose.”

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