Page 29 of Aria

"Devon just texted me to meet him at Marley's."

"Fuck yeah!" Julia exclaimed, chugging down her daiquiri and flinging her purse over her shoulder. "Let's get out of here. I am totally having sex with Noah tonight."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lisa said. She grabbed Julia’s hand to hold her back. "Are we even invited, Chelsie? Is this just ayouthing?"

My face beamed with excitement as I turned the phone around to my friends, Devon's text message in full view:

Devon:I miss u. Bring your friends and meet us at Marley's.

Thirty minutes later, my arms were linked with Lisa’s and Julia’s as we strolled into Marley’s. The last time I’d been there, the night had ended in heated words and a swift, embarrassing exit.Luckily, I was feeling optimistic tonight—I had smoothed over my volatile relationship with Noah, and Devon sounded eager to see me.

It was going to be a good night.

When we made our way inside, I heard my name echo through the crowd.I looked up to find Devon waving at me from atop the balcony, so I waved back with a schoolgirl grin and marched up the stairs to the V.I.P. room.

"Hey," Devon said. His handsome face broke out into a genuine smile. "I'm so glad you could make it. I've been meaning to get in touch with you all week."

I reached over and gave him a hug, a delicious shiver creeping up my spine as his body pressed against me.He smelled of musky cologne and expensive liquor, and I couldn’t help but nuzzle my face into the crevice of his neck and breathe in the intoxicating scent of him. Devon responded by running his hands up and down my back.

“Hey, how come you never greetmelike that?” said a familiar voice to my left.I pulled myself away from Devon and smiled at Noah, who was leaning against the wall with a beer in his hand. Our eyes met, and Noah shot me a playful wink.

“I see you two are finally getting along?” Devon glanced back and forth between us, hesitant but hopeful.

“For now,” I shrugged, turning my attention back to Devon. I took him by the hand and led him over to our customary corner of the room. “We should probably talk about how things unfolded last week. I want to explain myself.”

Devon held his hand up, stopping me before I could continue. “No need. I know exactly what happened. My bandmate is a dick.”

A chuckle slipped out. “I won’t argue that. But I want you to know that the person you witnessed that night wasn’t me. I’ll have a drink every now and then, but I don’t get… blackout drunk. You know?”

“Chelsie, I know this,” Devon reassured me. He lifted his hand and tucked a strand of rebellious hair behind my ear.

My heart rate quickened, my eyelids fluttering at Devon’s touch. I inhaled sharply as his fingers swept through my long locks. “I didn’t freak you out?”

He shook his head. “It takes a lot to freak me out. The reason I didn’t call you was because the band got a pretty amazing opportunity and it took up a lot of my time. I wanted to contact you when my mind was clear.”

I hardly heard him because his hand was stroking my cheek, causing my legs to quiver. I pulled him over to the adjacent couch with a flirtatious grin. “Sorry, standing is becoming problematic.”

Devon’s blue eyes sparkled as he studied my face. “God, you’re beautiful.”

Swallowing, I lowered my gaze to escape his intense stare.

“Hey, look at me,” he said, taking my chin between his thumb and finger and raising my head until we were face-to-face. “I mean it.”

When our eyes locked, I knew he’d meant it. I hadn’t heard anyone say it with such sincerity before. The only time Ian ever told me I was beautiful was after a beating, or a rape—it was his way of “apologizing” to me; of reeling me back into his powerful, destructive hold. Those words had fallen on deaf ears ever since.

I responded in the only way that felt right, leaning into Devon and kissing him hard. He kissed back with an equal amount of fire, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling my body against his. In that moment, I decided…

I wanted this.

I’d been running from men for too many years, and it was time to gain back control of my life. My power.

Men were not the enemy.Devonwas not the enemy.

“Where do you want to go from here?” Devon asked, pulling back slightly to speak. His voice was husky and full of promise.

I sat up and swept the hair back from my face, not entirely prepared to answer that question. “I don’t know. All I know is that I want to keep seeing you. I’ve never dated a famous person before… so I’m sure there’s more to it.”

“Famous or not, I’m still just a guy who likes a girl. We don’t have to complicate this.”

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