Page 45 of (Un)Rivaled

I could hear my teammates clambering for details behind me, but I didn’t care, not when I was the closest I’d been to Devyn in years. She rushed through the crowd, and I had to hurry to catch up. She was dressed professionally, as if she just stepped out of the courtroom. I knew from my parents Devyn had gotten a job at a major firm right out of law school. It didn’t surprise me. The girl had more determination in her left hand than the rest of us had in our entire bodies.

Once I got close enough to reach her, nerves kicked in. Would she even want to see me? Even though there’d never been a defining end to our friendship, it had ended. It had been years since we’d last spoken. Maybe Devyn preferred it that way?No.I refused to believe that was true. If she felt at all like me, it was like someone had ripped out the other half of my soul. I wasn’t complete without her.

Before I could second guess myself, I reached out and touched her elbow lightly. “Devy.”

She instantly froze, hearing her name despite the echoes of the surrounding casino. As she turned around and her big, brown eyes met mine, it was like time had stopped. The air was sucked out of the room, and nothing else matteredbut her. The world could be crashing around me; even so, all I would see would be her.

Gone was the girl I’d grown up with, replaced with the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Her pale blonde hair was curled around her shoulders, her brown eyes wide with shock. Deep red colored her plump lips, and all I wanted was to kiss it off her.

I always knew there was something between Devyn and me, an instinct that hinted we were meant for so much more than friendship, but I’d never allowed myself to consider it, not until now.

My heart pounded in my chest as she stared at me, as if trying to see if I was real. But after a long moment, a slow smile crept onto her lips. “Hey, Grayson.”

I stepped closer, matching her wide smile. “What did I say about calling me Grayson?”

“The same thing I told you about calling me Devy,” she retorted, still staring up at me. “What are you doing here?”

“Celebrating with my teammates. Our team won?—”

“The World Series,” she answered for me, a blush coloring her cheeks. “Yeah, I saw.”

I dared to step closer. “You watched the game?”

She nodded, tucking her lip between her teeth. “I watch every single one.”

The quiet admission broke the dam inside me, and I needed her so much closer. I pulled her into my arms, holding her against my chest. She settled in my embrace and wrapped hers around my neck. That familiar scent of jasmine and sandalwood filled my senses, and I instantly felt at ease.This.This was what I was missing for so long. While everything else in my life was going well, nothing had seemed quite right until this moment, until Devyn was in my arms again.

She cleared her throat and stepped back, nodding behind us. “I think your teammates want you back.”

I glanced over my shoulder, suddenly not giving a fuck that I was supposed to be bonding with the guys. I looked back at Devyn. “Come hang out with us.”

She chewed on her lower lip. “I shouldn’t.”

“Devyn,” I sighed, shifting so close, she had to tilt her head to meet my eyes. “I’m not taking no for an answer. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, and I miss my best friend.” I held out my hand. “Say yes, Ace.”

She rolled her eyes but placed her hand in mine. As I pulled her into our roped-off area, she bumped into me and said, “So you missed me, huh?.”

I looked down at her and smiled as I led her inside. “You have no fucking idea.”

A couple of hours later,the drinks were still flowing, and most of my teammates were ready to move on to the next club. I didn’t care where we went—as long as Devyn stayed at my side.

When she first joined our group, she was her usual standoffish self. Most people thought it was because Devyn was cold, but I knew her better than that. She was always apprehensive around new people, taking a while to let them in. But my teammates were a stubborn bunch of assholes, and they decided from the moment she came over that she was going to be their best friend. I had to give them credit—it was working.

Devyn laughed at Damien’s side, and my instincts flared. He brushed something away from her shoulder, and I saw red. We were friends and spent many early morningspracticing together, but right now? I was one move away from breaking his throwing arm.

I walked over to Devyn’s side. When she smiled at me, her pose a little wobbly because of all the drinks, all my anger rushed away. I glanced down at her, placing my hand on her back. “You okay, Ace?”

She beamed back at me. “I’m always good when you’re here.” She turned back to Damien. “Did you know I’ve loved this guy almost my whole life?”

He smirked back at me. “Is that so? This asshole?”

Devyn smacked him on the shoulder. “Don’t call him that. Grayson is the best guy in the entire world.”

But I barely heard any of that, too busy fixating on the words that had just come out of Devyn’s mouth. I shifted, blocking Damien from her view. “You loved me?”

She rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Gray. You knew that. It’s not like I was very subtle about it.”

“No,” I said, shifting closer to her. “I didn’t. I thought you just wanted to be friends.”

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