Page 71 of Dash

Dash turns to look at me. He gives me a big smile as he reaches out and takes my hand. “Because I promised your daughter that I was gonna prove to her that I loved her. And I thought the best way to do that was to shout it to the world.”

Oh, my God. My heart just melted. He did tell me he would prove it, and by proving it, he allowed the world to see it.

“How…What…You mean to tell me that you released these pics on a dare?”

“No. It wasn’t a dare.” He takes a deep breath. “We both have secrets. We both have a past. I wanted to show the woman that I love off to the world.” I smile. “And I agree with her. Who cares what the people think. She and I know the truth, and that’s all that matters to me.”

My father pushes his chair back and comes to stand in front of his desk. “So, you’re saying you love her?”

Dash stands from the couch and bows his chest out but places his hands in his front pockets of his jeans. I take a quick look at how hot his ass looks in them. “Yes, but you already know that. And if you’re mad at me over the pictures, I understand why. I did it behind your back. But if you’re about to tell me that I need to pick a side—racing or her. I pick her. Because, yes, I love her.”

Hearing him say those words to my father has me smiling like a huge idiot. I jump up from the couch and loop my arm into his. My father looks over at me with hard eyes; I try to hide my smile, but it’s just not possible.

“Is this how you feel about him?” Before I can answer he adds, “I didn’t know it was this serious.” He places his arms over his chest and leans back against his desk.

“Yes,” I say simply, “it is that serious.”

He looks away from me to look over at Dash for a few seconds. He finally uncrosses his arms and reaches out his hand to Dash. “Okay. Then. I expect this won’t affect your racing?”

“No, sir.” Dash responds as he places his hand in my father’s to shake.

My father takes his hand from Dash and walks back to sit at his desk. “I’m going to make a call. Maybe we can spin this in our direction.” He starts to go through papers on his desk, and I give a sideways glance at Dash. He’s staring at me with a smile on his face. “You two will do an interview…”

“No,” I say in a panicked voice. “I can’t give an interview.” I’m horrible with interviews. I mean, I never even gave one for Rodger. His father always wanted us to do one, but I always said no. That was one thing Rodger never pushed, and I’m pretty sure it was because he knew I would just make the world think that he was dating an idiot.

“You’ll be okay,” Dash says running his hand down my back.

I shake my head quickly. “You don’t understand; I can’t even give oral reports in school. I get terrified.”

“You’ve never had a problem with giving me oral,” he whispers, and I shove him. He laughs. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Why do we need to do an interview?” I whine.

“Because we need to clear the air. Your pics are public, yes. But now we need a headline to go with those pics. Plus, it will get Dash’s name out there.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Dash asks.

“The more you’re in the public, the more people will watch you race. Motorcycle racing isn’t as popular as like say…football. The more people who see you will mean more who will cheer for you. Plus, everyone loves a love story.”

“So, you wanna use Dash?” I ask in a rush. “Daddy…How could you?”

He holds his hand up. “The interview will only be about your relationship. You guys wanna go public with it? This is how it needs to happen.”

I take a deep breath and look over at Dash. The smile on his face helps reassure me that I can do anything.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

DASH

It’s been three days since I leaked the photos to the public. It was the best decision I have ever made. After our yelling match in her parents’ kitchen, which ended in us making up and being stronger than ever, I realized just what she wanted. She told me to prove it and that was exactly what I had to do. We were past the point of no return. We had tried to survive without one another, and it just wasn’t working. So, why not dive right into what we both want? Each other.

After she left her parents’ house, I went into his office and found that guy’s contact information. I called him up and paid him a very pretty penny in order to leak them. Yep, it was that easy. To be honest, I didn’t think he had the resources to release them that fast to the right people. But it worked. Now I’m just waiting for him to release a statement saying that I paid him to release them. I’m hoping he won’t but only time will tell.

We just finished the interview, and I must say that for as nervous as Tabatha was, she did amazing. They asked us question about how long we had been together. They asked us what it was like for her to be seeing someone who works for her father. They also asked her a few questions about Rodger, but she refused to answer any of those. All in all, it went well.

What didn’t go well was the phone call I got right after we walked out of Mr. Knight’s office. My cell rang, and it was my mother. She said she had seen my face on the local news and wanted to meet this girl who I had my hands all over. To say I have been avoiding her is an understatement. But I can’t hold out anymore. I have three days before my race, and we fly out in the morning for it. So here Tabatha and I are, pulling up to my parents’ mansion. The same house where I first met Tabatha. The same house where Tabatha and I had sex. A shiver runs up my back, causing my body to jerk.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, placing a soft hand on my shoulder.

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