by Anthology
She led him to her car, a cute little economy thing. He didn't recognize the make or model, but it suited her. He released her hand, settled his at the small of her back, and walked her to the driver's door.
When she turned to him, he caged her against the car with his arms, and he heard her breath catch. He was playing with fire, but he couldn't help himself, he wanted to be sure. “I enjoyed our time together.”
“I did too. No lie, and I'm not sorry I met you, Devon Mann.”
Her voice wavered a bit, and it killed him. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her slowly, testing her soft lips.
When he opened his lips to deepen the kiss, she pulled away. “I should say goodnight now.”
“I just wanted to check if there was...ya know, a spark of some sort between us.”
She didn't move or say anything for a moment, so he didn't either. “Just one kiss.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in.
He met her mouth, and she opened to him as soon as their lips touched. Things were heated and his dick twitched, but it panicked him, and he stopped. “Shit, we shouldn't have.” He pressed his forehead against hers while breathing heavily.
“Was it that bad?” She laughed.
He raised his head to look at her in the dimly lit parking lot. “No, that was a hell of a kiss. There was a spark, but not the right kind of spark. If you were someone else, somewhere else, I'd have you in my bed by now.”
“Hey, I'm not complaining.”
“It wasn't fair to you. God, I'm an idiot.”
“I make my own decisions. Besides, now I can live with the knowledge that I kissed the infamous sexy Devon Mann, and he rocks at it. No pun, and it gives me fodder for my spank bank.” She winked and pulled away.
He raised his eyebrows. “Women have spank banks?”
“Sure, most of us don't call it that, but we do.”
“What do you call it, then?” He stepped back and put his hands in his pockets while his dick twitched against his zipper. She was after all, female, smelled pretty, felt soft and warm, and they’d shared one hell of a kiss. She'd undoubtedly be good in bed, but despite all of that, Aria still filled his mind.
She pondered it for a moment, and then smiled. “A fantasy.”
“I'm gonna miss you, fantasy girl.”
“Don't. I'll be fine, and if dancer girl doesn't work out, tell Cindy to give me a call.”
He nodded, and stepped farther away from the car.
She unlocked the door, got inside, and while starting the motor, she rolled down her window.
“Get home safe,” he told her.
“I will. I have standing orders to call Cindy when I arrive.”
“Good.”
“Don't worry, I won't disclose anything that happened. I already told her I wouldn't.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled and drove off into the night.
Chapter Twelve
“If you don't call him, I will.” Marcy tried to grab Devon's card out of Aria's hand as they sat together on the couch. “I can't believe Devon Mann gave you his fucking phone number, his own personal line!”
“You will not call him!” Aria jumped up off the couch and ran behind it. “He just gave it to me yesterday. I don't want to seem too eager; I want to wait a couple days before I call.”
Marcy stood on the front side in a crouch, getting ready to run at a moment's notice. “Lame.”
Aria faked to the right, but went left, and Marcy stumbled. “No, I know you'll call if you get your hands on this, but I won't let you.” Aria held Devon's business card in the air.
Marcy straightened. “You're right. I give up.”
Aria stood there with her mouth hanging open. “Seriously? You're gonna give up?”
Marcy nodded. “Yep, tell me how it went down again. I wish I had been there.”
Just as Aria began to walk around the couch, Marcy, in a ninja-like move, jumped over the side of the couch and on the way over the arm she managed to grab the card away from Aria.
“You bitch!” Aria screeched and fell into a fit of laughter. “What the hell kind of move was that?”
“Me, being resourceful.” Marcy gloated, holding the card in the air.
“Fine, give me the card, I'll call now.”
To Aria's surprise, her friend handed the number over freely. “I'm gonna head out now, text me after you call him. If I don't hear from you, I'm going to call every fifteen minutes until you tell me you talked to him.”
This time, Aria dialed all the numbers and hovered her finger over the send button. She hadn't made it that far in all her attempts thus far. The phone let out a ringing sound. “Oh!” She must've hit the button. “Shit.”
“Hello?” Devon's voice sounded gravelly, like he'd just woken up.
Panic-stricken, Aria couldn't decide whether to hang up or respond. If she hung up, Devon would still have her number on record.
“Hello?”
“Please, tell me I didn't wake you.”
“I'd be lying if I did, who is this?”
Aria heard rustling noises in the background. “Uh, it's Aria.”
Silence.
“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called. You don't remember me, and now I'm so embarrassed.”
“I remember you,” Devon said simply.
“I doubt it. I'm just going to hang up now. Forget I called, all right?” She pulled the phone from her ear, but before she could hit the end button, he said something. Raising the phone back to her ear, she listened and was met with silence again. “I'm sorry. What was that?”
“I said, don't go. If you hang up, how I am supposed to get to know you better?”
Aria sighed. “You're not. Remember, I have a boyfriend. And I'm still not convinced you remember me.”
“He's not your boyfriend. You have beautiful fair skin, freckles dot your nose and cheeks, your hazel eyes shine bright, and your red hair is the most stunning color I've ever seen. You dance with such grace, it makes me want to write songs about you.”
Now it was her turn to go silent. Her mouth hung open, but nothing would come out. How did she even reply to that?
“Aria?” He waited a beat. “You still there?” Devon's voice was more alert now.
“Uh, yeah, I'm here. You do remember me.”
“Of course, I couldn't forget you if I tried.”
“Yes, well, I really have to go now.” She didn't, but she was on the verge of freaking out.
“I can't say I'm not disappointed, when can we talk again?”
“I'm not sure. I'll try to call when I can.” That was an empty promise, and she hoped he couldn't hear it in her voice.
“I guess that's better than nothing.” He chuckled. “Aria, have a good day. Talk to you soon. I hope.”
“Goodbye.” She managed to squeak out before ending the call.
Before she could put the phone down, it rang in her hand, causing her to jump. She fumbled the phone and it fell to the carpeted floor. Grabbing it up, she saw Marcy's name on the screen. “You can't be home already,” Aria accused. “I was hardly on the phone that long. How fast did you drive?”
“Wow, you actually called?” Marcy sounded in awe.
“I did, but I don't plan on talking to him again.”
“Why? Was he a dick?”
“No, he was kind and said sweet things about me.”
“Then what the hell is your problem?” Marcy yelled. “Have you lost your mind?”
“He seems too intense for me.”
“You've hardly spoken to him or spent any time with him, it's too early to know.”
“You're going to nag and nag until I talk to him again, aren't you?” She sighed. “Before you say anything, I promise I'll see him one more time before I make a decision whether to bail or not.”
“I love you,” Marcy sang.
Aria laughed softly. “I love you, too.”
After hanging up, Aria stared at her phone. She needed to prove to
her friend that Devon was nothing more than a passerby in life—or did she need convincing herself?
Emboldened, she sent a text to “Dev” on her phone. “Hey, sorry about hanging up so quick. That was rude of me.” She sat her cell down next to her and as soon as it left her fingers, it chimed with an incoming text.
“Not a problem. I sort of understand.”
“What do you think you understand?”
“Can I call you?”
Staring at the last text from him, all kinds of thoughts ran through her mind. He was nice, he remembered her, he was sexy as sin, but her stance on dating could be a damper on things. Knowing he was waiting on her answer, she shook her head. She had to stop letting her past get the better of her. And she had successfully gone out with Bernard a few times, but that was because he was safe.
“No.”
“Okay, maybe another day, then?”
“I'm sorry, I didn't answer that correctly, ask me again.”
This time he was the one who didn't respond right away. “Damn, did I fuck this up already?” She stared at her phone. Nothing. Groaning, she jumped up and went to the kitchen to gulp down a glass of water. When she got back to the couch, she checked her phone. Still nothing.
Should she reply? She placed her phone on the cushion beside her before she could do or say anything stupid. Her phone chimed, and her stomach knotted. Too much time had passed for anything positive to be said.
“Hey, can I talk to you later? Something came up.”
“Yeah, sure.” What else was she going to say?
“Thanks.”
There. She'd done it, she’d scared him away. “Way to go.” She tossed her phone on the table next to her and fell back against her sofa with a groan.
Even though she didn't think it was a good idea to talk to him again, here she was thirty minutes later, wanting to see him again.
After sitting and stewing for a whole two minutes, Aria jumped up and ran to her room to change her clothes. She needed to dance off some frustration.
Chapter Thirteen
An hour later, after dealing with the phone call from a local radio station about interviewing the band, Devon pulled up his texts with Aria. After reading through it again, he ran a hand down his face. The conversation hadn't gone as planned—it sounded like he was giving her the brush-off, and she hadn't argued.
Maybe it was the universe telling him to forget her and walk away. When she danced at the venue, she was poised, elegant, and beautiful. Then there was the sight of her in the restaurant, with her red hair—not in a neat bun—flowing down her back in loose curls, and damn the universe, he wanted to give it another try.
“Can I call you now?” Might as well test the waters.
There was no response, but it had been over an hour, she might be busy with something else. Or she was blowing him off.
Tossing his phone to the side, he stared at his guitar leaning against the chair where he sat. He was working on a new song, well, he was always working on something new, but this one? The end eluded him. Troy had written the vocals, and Devon had promised to play around with an idea he had on his guitar, but it had been a while since they discussed it. He should've done it sooner rather than later. Unfortunately for him, that meant he needed to meet up with Troy again to get back on track, and soon.
His phone beeped, and his heart rate increased. Was it Aria?
Her name was on the screen and he was almost afraid to open the message. Taking a deep breath, he swiped the screen.
“Better yet, come visit me?”
He didn't hesitate. “Where?”
“I'm at the dance studio over on Stonebridge Rd.”
“I know the place, be there soon.”
He jumped up, grabbed his keys, and took off for the studio. Arriving in record time, he sat in the car to calm himself, not wanting to come off as overzealous as he felt. She was a little unsure around him, so he needed to take it slow.
Slow wasn't something he was used to, but he'd try, for her.
Devon had parked in the parking lot in the back of the building so he walked to the entrance around the front. Seeing the “Closed” sign he hesitated, but then he tried the door. It opened, and a bell chimed.
Music drew him through the clean, lemon-scented hallway where he glimpsed red hair flashing by through a doorway. Aria's appearance was nothing like the other times he’d seen her—on stage in costume or at the restaurant all dressed up.
She was across the room, barefoot in a tank top and boy shorts, and damn, she was sexy as hell. Her fiery hair stood in a messy ponytail on top of her head, swinging around with her every movement causing a few more hairs to escape. Most people would probably call her a hot mess, but he'd never seen a more beautiful woman. She was in her element, and it shone from within, reflective in her movements.
The tune was slow, and she danced through a sequence of steps, but then she faltered. He figured she’d spotted him, but instead of looking his way, she threw her head back to stare at the ceiling. She paused a moment, her foot tapped to the rhythm, and then she moved into the sequence again, only to stop at the same spot. She fisted her hands and dropped her chin to her chest.
“Hello?” He knocked on the doorframe.
Aria swiveled her head and her eyes widened in surprise. “I'm sorry, I didn't hear the door. You got here quick.”
He walked toward her. “Hope it's all right I let myself in.”
She walked past him and held up a finger. She stopped the music, and then walked out of the room.
He followed and watched as she locked the front door. “No one else coming in today?”
“No, that's why I invited you here. I wanted to chat, this place is neutral, and no one's here to bother us.”
“How do you know no one will come in?” He glanced at the door.
“I own the place.” She said it matter-of-factly. “It used to belong to my parents. Come.” Turning, she led them back to the room where she had been dancing. “Mom and Dad attended the same performance school in college, they were paired up a lot, and that's all she wrote. They're still together today. I'm an only child, so when they went into semi-retirement, they gave this place to me.”
“Semi-retirement?”
“They moved out of state for warmer pastures.” She laughed. “But they couldn't stay away from teaching. They opened up a small studio where they are now, and teach part-time.”
“I understand. If I ever stop performing live, I won't stop making music. It's in my blood.”
“Exactly.”
“So, what were you working on when I came in?”
“Saw that, huh?” The corner of her mouth tilted up. “The dance is for my young-adult class, I'm working out some choreography for their annual dance performance. Can't quite decide on the final sequence.”
“Do you need to keep at it?”
“No. I was just killing time and burning off steam.”
“Something wrong?”
“Not exactly. Let me change clothes and we can go to the break room and talk.”
“I'd rather watch you dance.” He leaned against the wall.
She laughed, but when he didn't join in, she stopped. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I'm serious.”
She shook her head. “If you're for real, then okay.”
“I'm for real. Promise.”
She headed over to her phone that was set up in a dock and tapped the screen.
When the first notes of the music echoed through the room, he assumed she was playing that particular song to impress him. “Nice song,” he hollered. The volume was louder than before.
She halted her movements and turned to him, her forehead wrinkled. “What do you mean?” The blank expression on her face indicated she had no clue it was his song.
Instead of answering her, when the vocals started, he joined in, and her face lit up in recognition. She walked over to him.
After he sang the chorus his voice trailed off.
<
br /> “I never knew.”
“Knew what?”
“That this song was by Sinful Souls.”
“Actually, it's one of the few I wrote and recorded on my own.”
“Oh.” She stared at him for a moment and then her mouth popped open. “It's about Cindy, isn't it?”
Now, that threw him off. “Do you know Cindy?”
“No, but my best friend is obsessed with you guys, so I hear all the gossip she reads in the rags. She knows you guys inside and out.”
Devon shook his head. “Or she thinks she does. Never believe what you read, okay?”
“So, it isn't about losing her?”
Chapter Fourteen
A flash of pain crossed his face, and then he schooled it into something more jovial, or at least tried to, but Aria could tell it was forced. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked.” She put a hand on his forearm. Normally she wasn’t one to touch people, but there was this need to try and comfort him.
“No, it's fine.” He glanced down at her hand, and she let go of him. “Turn the music off for a minute?”
Aria turned and walked across the room to tap the mute button on her phone. “Funny, half the songs on my private playlist are ones I had my friend, Marcy, add on for me. I'm no techie, and don't have a clue, and I also don't follow mainstream music. I'm more into oldies and classics. When I hear something I like, I ask Marcy to add it.”
“Why did you ask for this song specifically?”
Aria pointed at the floor where a mat was laid out in front of a wall of mirrors. “I need to sit for this.”
They sat facing one another, their knees inches apart. Aria took a deep breath. “When I first heard it, I could relate. People interpret songs differently, but to me this one is about giving up someone not because you want to, but because you have to.” She gave him a small smile when he nodded.
“That's pretty much what it is.”
“You gave up Cindy for Troy.” She guessed it from the lyrics, and from what Marcy had told her.
Devon lowered his head. “Yes. She loved him more, and I wanted her to be happy. You know the saying...If you love something—”