Some force in the universe must take pity on me, or perhaps Phoenix gets the hint. Tension eases out of my body when he remains where he is for the first four songs, which is also when the calming effects of the lemon drop shot Ava bought me kick in. I decline her offer of a second shot and opt for bottled water, then finally give my undivided attention to the band's performance.

They're a spectacular blur of energy and fun. I should have accepted one of Torin's many invitations and tagged along with Ava to a show well before tonight. Their original songs are infectious, and their cover songs electrify the room. By the time they announce the last song of their set, I'm every bit as energized as Ava and disappointed there won't be more.

Ava squeals at the opening notes of the song when she realizes it's a rock cover of "Baby, One More Time," then breaks into the Britney-esque dance moves she and I used to do together in our college days after a night at the clubs.

"Come on!" she yells at me over the music.

I have no reason to protest or hold back. She claps when I join in, and we dissolve into giggles before the end of the final verse. Now I wish we had more songs to be silly and dance to, or I do until I pause for a sip of water and notice Phoenix watching us. My joy comes to a screeching halt.

"What do you think about bailing on the after party and finding something else to do tonight?" I suggest. "Maybe more dancing at Hakkasan?"

If there's one person I can't fool, it's Ava. She throws a dark look in Phoenix's direction, then turns her side-eye on me.

"Not a chance. We aren't letting that sparkle pony change our plans for the night." She tosses her hair over her shoulder, then reaches out her hand. "Can I have some of your water?"

I pass her the bottle and don't hear what she says next. Phoenix is headed our way.

"We should go." I turn on my heel and beeline for the exit. I'm already past the door and in the casino by the time Ava catches up to me.

"Whoa, slow it down. Where's the fire?"

"Hopefully not following us." I hurry past a few game tables, then turn into a row of slot machines. It's a good enough hiding spot for now.

"Sit," Ava commands. "Please remember who the hell you are, and I don't mean who you were six or eight years ago. There's no reason for you to run."

Uh oh. She's wearing the "don't-even-consider-arguing-with-me" expression that's been perfected throughout the course of her public relations career. I plop onto a seat in front of a slot machine.

"I can't help it. Seeing him brought me back there."

"Then I'm hauling you into the present, where you belong. Did you or did you not hit the New York Times bestseller list with your last novel?" She puts her hands on her hips and stares me down.

"Yes." I consider noting that it didn't crack the top five, but she fires another question at me before I can.

"How many of your novels are being adapted for film as we speak?"

"Two."

"And what person in the bar tonight wrecked his career, nosedived to the Z-list, and is completely irrelevant to anyone now?"

"Phoenix."

Ava arches an eyebrow. She appears to be satisfied with my answers. "Correct on all three. You have every reason to stand your ground, ignore him, and continue to be the stunning, successful, and strong woman you are. So let's find an Uber, go to Torin's house, and have a better time than should be legal. Besides, I have a plan."

She whips out her phone, presumably to request a ride, and motions with her free hand for me to follow her. I can head back to our room and risk a several-hour lecture during our drive home tomorrow about hiding out, letting Phoenix win, and being the most boring almost-thirty-year-old to ever visit Las Vegas, or I can play along and find out what she's up to. I swallow a sigh and get to my feet.

"What are you thinking, and why am I worried?" The gleam in her eye makes me nervous.

"We let Nash in on the backstory and you two make out in front of Phoenix for a while. He can suffer by watching you with someone else this time. You get some action, and he chokes on karma. It's brilliant."

Making out with someone I hardly know isn't what I do, but it's pointless to remind her of this. She's bound to be ready with counterarguments.

"Do you think Nash will be okay with that?" I ask instead. "It's kind of using him."

We reach a set of glass doors leading outside. Ava stops walking and gawks at me like I've grown a second head.

"It's Nash. The guy could have invented the phrase 'no strings attached.'"

"I don't know him that well," I remind her.

"Trust me. He lives for this sort of thing." Her phone chimes, and she peers at the screen. "Our Uber is two minutes away. Get yourself ready, because the real show of the night is about to begin."

Something tells me I'm about as ready for this as I was to encounter Phoenix in the first place.

༺☆༻ ༺☆༻ ༺☆༻

No lights are on in the two-story house our Uber pulls up to about twenty minutes later. It must belong to Torin, though, because Ava hops out of the car and strolls up the empty driveway, toward the front entrance. I thank our driver and also exit the car.

"Should we wait for Torin to get here?" I join her on the front stoop.

"Nope. It usually takes him a while to tear down and load out. He gave me the code so we can go inside and hang out until everyone gets here."

Ava taps a sequence of numbers on a keypad, which is followed by the whir and click of a lock unlatching. She turns the handle next and pushes open the door, then flips a light switch on the interior wall.

I follow her inside and shut the door, leaving it unlocked. She kicks off her heels, so I take her lead and remove my boots, then trail behind her through the foyer and to the kitchen.

"Torin sent a text that said to help ourselves to any food or drinks in the fridge." I expect Ava to pause in front of the aforementioned appliance, but she heads for a hallway, purse in hand.

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom. Be right back."

I set my purse on the counter and walk over to the fridge. I'm debating between a hard seltzer and another water when I hear the front door open and footsteps enter the house. It must be Torin or one of his bandmates.

"The party is in here," I call out as I continue to scan the shelves inside the fridge. "It's a little quiet at the moment."

"I can fix that. Should we put music on?"

My head snaps up. Phoenix strides into the kitchen like he owns the place. His face lights up with a dazzling smile when he spots me. It's the kind of smile that also shines through in his eyes and puts the dimple in his left cheek on prominent display.

That dimple is one of my weaknesses.

Used to be. Past tense. Except it's difficult to look away from it now.

"Um," I stammer. "Music. Yeah."

Great start. Don't I write character dialogue for a living? There's no excuse for me to freeze up or be tongue-tied, especially not after the pep talk Ava gave me before we left The Auriga about remembering who I am. And yet, now that I'm cornered in the kitchen with no one else around to rescue me or back me up, I've lost grasp of the English language.

"Any type of music in particular? I can put something on my phone to listen to until everyone else gets here."

"You choose."

I pluck a water from the shelf, even though the hard seltzer would help me more right now. Why isn't Ava back yet?

"I'm not going to bite you, Del."

His gaze flickers to my shoulder, and then to my neck. It's the wrong moment to recall that while no, Phoenix would never literally bite me, he used to gently nibble both of the places he glanced at. It always led up to him leaving a trail of kisses to other spots.

Nope. Shut this down right now. My mind isn't going there, because it can't.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

I must have imagined what he was looking at. Even if I didn't, he wouldn't dare try to flirt with me that way. The kind of audacity this would require is next level, but I feel as if we both had the same thought at the same time.

He interprets my question as an invitation to cross the kitchen and stand next to me. Every atom of my existence is on high alert.

"You looked like a deer in the headlights for a second. It was a joke. I'm not going to bite you." He pauses, then brushes a lock of my hair away from my face and tucks it behind my ear. "Unless you want me to, for old times' sake."

Holy hell.