Page 83 of Her Dark Angel

I don’t bother responding before I slam the gate shut in her face, my anger spiking through the roof. Shoving both of my hands through my hair, I tug at the roots. My good mood from spending the night with Kinsley has just been ripped out from my feet, leaving me on my fucking ass in the dirt.

A pap just snapped a photo of me with a half-naked woman leaving my house. In a matter of hours, the photos are going to be splashed across every tabloid and newspaper in this goddamn city. The chances of James and Adam not seeing the photos are not in my favor, which means Kinsley will also see them by the end of the day.

Fuck.

This is not good at all.

When I spin around, the pap hiding in my bushes is nowhere to be found, leaving me with the cluster fuck of a mess they just threw my way.

As I predicted, the images of Kitty and I have been circling the media all afternoon. No matter what television station I switch on, I can’t escape seeing myself in sweatpants and no shirt escorting Kitty away from my house in lingerie. The pap who snapped the photos knew exactly what he was doing.

I wish he hadn’t fled before I got the chance to get my hands on him. He would’ve regretted taking those damn photos once I was done with him.

With this scandal out of my control, I decided to drown my worries with alcohol and ignore every phone call from James.

I could hear his voice in the back of my mind scolding me for what happened this morning, so instead of facing the music, I sat on the couch with a bottle of Jack in one hand and a cigarette in the other for the rest of the day.

I managed to block out the incessant ringtone of my phone after an hour or two, allowing myself to get lost in my thoughts as I drank myself stupid. I wish I could say I had the option to prevent the events of this morning, but it seems my past lifestyle is starting to catch up to me. And at the worst possible time, too.

Everything has been going well with Kinsley, and I just know this scandal is going to destroy whatever is happening between us.

It’s a kick in the teeth, really.

Whatever progress we have made with this deal is going to go up in fucking flames all because of Kitty and there is nothing I can do to stop it. I just have to sit back and watch the fire continue to burn until it’s licking at the tips of my toes, ready to consume me.

I have no idea when the sun set and darkness consumed the room or where the hell Johnny went after I told him to get the fuck out of the house. Being alone is better than having him hover around me.

The house is still trashed, but I’m not bothered to clean it up. I don’t have the energy to do much else other than drink and smoke.

As the last drops of Jack hit the back of my throat, the doorbell sounds loudly throughout the house. Glancing at the clock on the wall above the television that is quietly showing the evening news, I realize it’s already 7 pm.

I haven’t moved in hours.

A slow chuckle falls from my lips when the doorbell rings again, followed by loud knocking. I don’t need to see the person standing on the other side to know it’s the little devil. And she sounds fucking pissed.

I toss the empty Jack Daniels bottle to the other side of the couch and stand on wobbly legs. Fucking hell, I’m more wasted than I thought.

Somehow, I manage to reach the front door in the dark without tripping on the trash still littering the floor, and rip the door open.

Kinsley is mid-knock when our eyes clash. Her usual ocean-blue doe eyes are cold and icy as they stare back at me. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Despite knowing she is pissed at me, I have no shame drinking in her usual work attire and the way the fabric of her clothes cling to her soft, toned body.

I close my eyes and steady myself on the door frame, seconds away from collapsing at her feet.

“Are you seriously fucking drunk right now when we have a major problem?” she sneers.

Before I can answer, she’s shoving me backward by my shoulders so she can walk into the foyer. She slams the door behind her and flicks on a light switch overhead.

A hiss falls from my lips at the sudden assault of light, forcing me to watch her through squinted eyes as she folds her arms over her chest.

If looks could kill, I’d be fucking six feet under by now.

“Nash, what the hell is going on?” she demands, a fire in her tone.

“Hey to you too,” I slur with a smile. I know the little devil can’t resist my smile.

She rolls her eyes, not taking any of my shit. “Care to explain the photos of you and a half-naked woman circling the media?”

“I can explain,” I murmur, licking my dry lips. “It’s not what it looks like, I promise.”

---