“Yeah, Jess.”
“Mr. Prescott, there’s a Tyler here to see you.”
“Tyler? Tyler who?”
“He says it’s important and he’s not leaving until he speaks with you.”
“Who the hell is this guy?” he asked himself and he vaguely remembered about Chris. “Send him in.”
He hung up the call and sat at his desk, wondering if he was remembering correctly. When Tyler entered, it only took Devon a second to confirm who he was. It was Aria’s friend and Chris’ partner.
“Hello, Tyler. This about Aria, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I came to speak to you about Aria. I have something to say.”
Devon straightened up in his chair. “All right. What is it?”
“Do you love her?” He asked the question so directly that it took Devon a minute to process.
“Excuse me?” Devon asked.
“It’s a simple question and only requires a one-word answer. Do you love her?”
There was nothing to hide. He simply replied with the affirmative.
“OK ... then why aren’t going after her and tell her that?” he asked. “She loves you and yet you’re sitting here, just letting her go.”
“Wait a minute, hold up there. I’m not sitting here, just letting her go anywhere,” Devon said. “I don’t know where you get your information, but I’ve been trying to reach out to her on numerous occasions. She’s clearly ignoring me and I’m only giving her the space now that she so desperately seems to want. But that doesn’t in any way change the fact that I love her.” He hesitated before continuing. “Besides, I’m guessing that you don’t know half of what’s going on.”
Tyler shook his head. “That’s not true. She’s told me everything.” Devon was surprised by that but didn’t falter. “That doesn’t change the fact that she still loves you. I think that you should go after her if you truly love her. She’s hurting and only you can fix it.”
Devon thought about it. He wanted more than anything to talk to her but there was no reason to believe that if he stood at her front door, she’d even allow him in.
“I’m not going to beg to take back. I don’t that shit. I am who I am. Understand?”
“What I understand is that Aria is the best thing that’s every happened to you. She’s one in a million. You could go to the spa she’s staying at this weekend. You could make a big statement and play for her heart. Fall to your knees and beg her to forgive you.”
Devon chuckled. It was obvious that Tyler didn’t know him. “I don’t fall to my knees for anyone but if I knew where she was staying, maybe I might go find her.”
That brought a slight smile to Tyler’s lips and he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. On it was everything that Devon would need to know.
“You came prepared,” Devon teased.
“I don’t like anyone hurting, if I can do something about it. She’s hurting and you need to go after her.” Tyler stood and Devon watched him go to the door. Tyler stopped and turned around. You know I’m right about her being the best thing to happen to you. And I know you care for her. I can see it in your eyes. Please do the right thing.” With that, he turned and walked out of his office.
Devon looked down at the paper in front of him. Tyler was right. He decided to make his play for the woman he loved.
THE WEEKEND STARTED off strong. They arrived at the resort and Aria felt good about being there. When Saturday came around, she felt a little less confident that she had made the right decision. All she could think about was Devon.
After lunch, Aria turned to Marisa. “What’s in store next?” she asked.
“Well, we’ll go to the sauna for some alone time and then we have a massage scheduled for an hour after that.”
Aria nodded but her heart just wasn’t in it. “I think I’m gonna head home,” she said.
Marisa’s mouth hung open. “You can’t mean that,” she said. “I don’t want to be here alone and I’m not ready for the weekend to be over. Come on, Ari. Stay.”
Aria felt badly that her mind was elsewhere, but she reluctantly agreed. That didn’t mean that she couldn’t feel her mind going numb and her tears begging to well in her eyes. They went to the sauna, where both Marisa and Aria undressed and wrapped themselves in a towel. They stepped into the sauna and the heat hit them. They took a seat and Aria leaned back against the wall of the sauna. She sighed and the relaxing element kicked in.
“Aren’t you glad you stayed?” Marisa asked.
“For now, I am,” Aria said but deep down the thoughts of Devon wouldn’t leave her. He had called so many times over the previous week that she had lost count. She had ignored every one of those calls but now wanted to call him back.
They stayed in the sauna for about a half hour and when they got out, they made their way to the massage tables. It was just around the corner from the sauna, but as they walked down the hallway, Aria had the feeling they were being watched. She stopped and turned around, but she didn’t see anyone yet the nagging feeling remained with her.
“Marisa?” she asked when they reached the desk of the massage parlor.
“Yeah?” Marisa asked as she signed in.
“Do you feel like you’re being watched?” she asked.
“When? Now?” Marisa asked.
Aria nodded and Marisa started to laugh. “No. I don’t have that feeling but thanks for putting the thought in my mind.”
Aria smiled and signed in. They were called back to their massage and there were two guys standing there. They greeted them with a smile. “Good afternoon, ladies. We are glad you have chosen to have your massage with us today. Face down on the bed and you can remove your towels. Don’t worry. We will keep this as discreet as possible.” The one guy did all of the talking. Marisa and Aria did as he said and allowed the towel to fall, so their backs were exposed. They put their heads in a hole on the bed and Aria tried to relax.
She felt oil being drizzled, then hands spreading over her back. She heaved a sigh, relishing in the feel of his hands. They were smooth and even felt manicured. He pressed down on her back and she let out another sigh. She heard Marisa doing the same. She closed her eyes and just went with it.
He left her back to squirt some more oil and rubbed her back again, kneading his hands into her back and her eyes shot open. For a moment the hands felt way too familiar. In fact, if she was having to wager a bet, she would have said they belonged to Devon, but that was ridiculous. She was now thinking about him in the massage. She moaned as the two hands seemed to hit her every spot.
Then she heard his voice. “I’m sorry, Aria. You have to trust that I ... I love you.”
She froze. She grabbed her towel and looked over her shoulder. She wanted to cover herself, in case the other masseuse was still there. “Devon? What are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you. We need to talk.” She quickly shook her head.
“No ... we don’t,” she said.
She got up and wrapped the towel around her, careful not to give anyone a peep show, then hurried from the room, knowing she just left a confused Marisa. She grabbed a robe before escaping the next room and slipped it on, then pulled it tightly around her as she ran from Devon.
“Aria ... please, just wait up and hear me out,” he argued. She reached the elevator and breathed a sigh of relief. She reached the floor they were on but he was already at her door. She stopped walking and he stepped up and faced her. “Give me five minutes. If you don’t want to see me beyond that, I’ll go. But just hear me out.”
This was crazy. He was still playing games. Five minutes and then he’d have him out of her life forever.
WHEN THEY ENTERED HER room, Aria said nothing. She turned to him and waited for him to start talking. “May I sit down?” he asked.
“Whatever.”
He walked over to a chair and sat down, while Aria sat on the edge of the bed. “For starters, again ... I do apologize. I’m sorry that I hurt you. But what I sa
id is the truth. I am madly, deeply, passionately in love with you, Aria. I need you to know that.”
She looked up and met his stare. “Just get on with the reason you wanted to talk to me,” she said as her eyes turned crystalline.
“All right,” he said, looking away. “I have always been someone who has mixed sexuality with control. Ever since I was kid, women have come easy and sex has been more sport than feeling.” He held out his arm and pointed to his tattoo. “I got this tattoo when I was in a band. You’ve never heard me talk about my father—only my grandfather. My dad had a drug problem, a nasty one. It killed him eventually. It fucked me all up. And it broke up my family. I was angry, I guess. I was in a rock band, did more than my share of drugs. I ran with a tough crowd. I learned that I was the only one who could protect me and I learned that sex was just for the emotional high that came with it. Sex became sort of a game. Was it wrong? Maybe, but I don’t think so. Or, at least, I didn’t think so.”
She looked away from him. She was nervous standing there with him spilling his emotions, but she just listened.
“My grandfather saved my life. Made me who I am. But somethings I’ve never changed. I played games with women to see how far I could push them, to see how far they’d allow me to take it. My dad used women, too. Not just my mom and grandpa—everybody. Used them to feed his habit. I learned that from him. It’s not an excuse. I just want you to know. Love is a weakness and I can never show weakness. I clearly have my faults and you, better than most, have seen those faults. When I met you, I wasn’t planning on falling in love. I saw you as someone that I could bed like all the rest, but you’re different.”
He turned and gazed into Aria’s eyes. “And I took it too far and for that, I apologize. And in the middle of all my games I fell in love with you, Aria Nolan.”
He took a deep breath and stopped talking. He hadn’t heard her say anything. She hadn’t even looked his way until now. He spoke from the heart and could only hope that it was enough. Tears began to fall from her eyes.
“Is it my turn to talk?” she asked. He slowly nodded. “Devon ... I never expected to fall in love with you, either. When it happened, it was as if the whole world was shining down on me but then things happened that made me question what I wanted. You had me at hello and that scared the hell out of me. But all this that’s happened ... it’s like I could feel myself losing a part of me and that scared me even more. I thought maybe you didn’t have the ability to love and maybe I was just some pawn in your game. I didn’t want to feel that way.”
“I’m sorry I made you feel that way,” he said.
“But through it all, the truth was that I was madly in love with you and every minute I spent away from you was like an eternity. I don’t want to feel that again. I want to experience everything with you. I want to be open to everything and anything. This isn’t about sex or any of that. I’d do anything with you but trust goes both ways. I don’t want to ever feel used, manipulated.”
He stood and walked to her, kneeling at her side. “I can’t say I’ll never make any mistakes.”
“I would never ask you to say that.”
“I can’t say that my past won’t find a way to sneak back in.”
She smiled. “I look forward to hearing more about your past. But Devon ... we’re in this together. If we’re going to do this, then we’re going to do this ... together.”
He grinned and felt himself softening. “I love you,” he said. “And my job is to be the best man I can be to you. Always.”
“And I love you.”
Devon swooped her up in his arms and let himself feel vulnerable and in love as tears flowed freely now from Aria.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Aria held Devon’s hand as they watched little Paul, Jr., opening his birthday gifts. He sat so close to her on the couch that they were nearly sitting on one another’s lap, but Aria wouldn’t have it any other way. They were that close to each other.
She heard oohing and aahing from adoring friends and family members as people took pictures and Marisa and Paul thanked them for the gifts. He leaned over to her ear. “Picture you and me opening gifts for our son.” When he said the words, she blushed. It was something she desired and in talking to Devon, she knew he was open to the idea as well. He kissed her cheek and she smiled.
“Ahhh ... that’s so cute,” she said, as Marisa revealed an outfit that was from one of their friends. The front of the outfit said, Mommy’s little man. Marisa looked over and kissed Paul and Aria was awed by their relationship. She did long to start her family.
When they finished with the presents, the kids almost immediately began running around the house. “I think now would be a good time to have cake,” Marisa said, laughing.
“I’ll help you,” Aria said. She rushed off to the kitchen with Marisa, nearly bumping into a kid. Devon watched her as she laughed, a smile crossing his face. The thought of having a child with Aria excited him. Being at little Paul’s party wasn’t something that thrilled him, exactly, especially when the kids started to get crazy, but he certainly didn’t mind it. He was happy to be there with her.
He got up from the couch and went over to Paul. He looked up and smiled. “How’s it going?” Paul asked.
“Not bad. Pretty good, in fact. How are you?”
“Doing well. Hard to believe the youngest is a year old. How time flies,” Paul said.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Devon said, smiling as he turned to the kitchen area. Aria came out of the kitchen with her hands full of cake she placed on the table. She looked over and her eyes met with his. She winked at him and he smiled as she went back to the kitchen.
She was cutting up a couple more pieces of cake when Marisa came into the room. “I would say that things are going rather nicely for you and Devon. Wouldn’t you?”
Aria smiled. “Uh yeah ... I would say that. We’re getting closer every day.”
“I’ll say,” Tyler said as he came into the kitchen. “You were nearly sitting on his lap just a few minutes ago.”
They laughed and Aria pretended like she was going to throw the piece of cake at him. “The truth is that it’s going better than well. He’s here with me after all and I don’t need to remind you both that this is not his idea of fun.” She chuckled. “But he’s trying and that means a lot to me.” She smiled and headed out of the kitchen with the two pieces of cake in tow. She put them down and looked around the room. Devon was no longer talking to Paul. She looked around to find him.
She went over to Paul. “Hey, have you seen Devon?”
“Not sure. He was just here.”
She smiled. “It’s OK. Thanks.” She walked over to the kitchen again, when she felt someone grab her hand and pull her into the hallway. She turned to find Devon standing there, a sneaky grin on his face. He stepped closer and pulled her into a kiss. She smiled as they parted.
“Enjoying yourself?” he asked.
“I am. Can you tell?”
“Just a little bit. I have news for you, this party isn’t half bad,” he said. That got her to laugh loudly.
“Yes, but I should help with dishing up the ice cream,” she said.
He nodded. “You should, but first ...” He leaned up against her ear and whispered something. She strained to hear it but didn’t catch what he said.
“What was that?”
“Look in your apron pocket, Aunt Ari. Uncle Devon got you a little surprise.”
She looked confused. “It’s Uncle Devon now?” She winked at him. “As you wish,” she said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a diamond ring. She looked up at him. Her eyes were shining and her mouth was open. “What? How did you put this here? Are you serious?”
He laughed. “You ask way too many questions, Ms. Nolan, when it’s me who should do the asking.” He grabbed the ring from her hand and got down on one knee. “Will you marry me, Ari, and make me the happiest man on this or any other planet?”
Her head was spinning but her heart was doing somersaults. She wanted nothing more than to be Mrs. Aria Prescott and she nodded with happiness, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Yes ... Yes, I’ll marry you!”
He slipped the ring on her finger and stood up, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
He then whispered in her ear, “Since we’re so good at this, I say we make five babies.”
Good Girl, Bad Boy Free
Thank you so much for selecting my book. As a token of my appreciation, receive another steamy romance for FREE. CLICK HERE to join my newsletter and get my novella, Good Girl, Bad Boy, in your inbox today.
He’s mega rich and used to getting everything he wants.
But I don’t give a shit about his money.
Or even that I once wanted more than anything for Jesse Valentine to be my first.
Now he’s walked right back into my life.
And wants me to pretend I’m his fiancée.
What the f***!
Download Good Girl, Bad Boy by Marcella Swann here.
About Marcella Swann
Marcella Swann is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of heart-thumping and heart-melting contemporary romance. She's plied her trade in the newspaper business, written and produced a way off Broadway play, and is the proud mama of a singer-songwriter. When she's not trying to save newspapers from imminent doom (by subscribing to them all), she loves to take her readers on dreamy journeys to that place where all the men are hotties and the women are beautiful and strong. She also swings a mean kettle bell at the gym and likes people watching at Grand Central Station on a busy day. For more information, visit www.marcellaswann.com. Marcella loves to hear from her readers! You can follow her @MarcellaSwannRomance on Facebook and @Marcella_Swann on Twitter or contact her at [email protected].
When I Dream of You: A Valentine's Day Romance Page 25