Page 57 of Her Dark Angel

When I don’t say anything, Nash shakes his head and stands from the bench, showing me his broad, toned back. The angel wings inked into his skin is slick with water. “Forget it. You can go now.”

His dismissal of the situation ignites a fire in my stomach, forcing me to my feet behind him. “Stop doing that.”

Nash turns to face me. Water slips from the soaked curls falling in front of his eyes, and landing on my cheek as he gazes down at me. “Doing what?”

“Stop running away,” I clarify, tilting my head. “That’s all you ever do, Nash. You just run away from your problems and act like they don’t exist, but they do.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes running is easier,” he utters. “It leaves less room for me to get hurt.”

I drag my bottom lip between my teeth and try to steady my breathing, but it’s hard when my heart is beating rapidly against my rib cage. “Nash… I’m not going to hurt you.”

Nash’s jaw ticks as he stares down at me, unmoving. I see the battle he’s fighting behind those mismatched eyes, and it’s taking a lot of self-restraint to not ask what he’s thinking about. I know how to push his buttons, but I also know when I need to leave him be and allow him to express himself on his own.

In the blink of an eye, Nash’s right hand cups my cheek, and the other wraps around the back of my neck. A gasp leaves my throat when our foreheads touch, his lips barely brushing mine. His usual woodsy scent consumes my senses, and I can’t help but inhale deeply.

“What the fuck are you doing to me, Kin?” he breathes, his voice so low I almost don’t hear him. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing whenever I’m with you.”

I exhale a shaky breath and close my eyes. “I’m not doing anything, Nash. Maybe when you’re with me, you can finally be your true self and that’s what scares you the most.”

Opening my eyes, I find he’s already looking at me. A fire burns deep in his irises, sending a bolt of electricity straight to my core. The way he’s looking at me… Shit, it’s a lot to handle. Nash is an intense man, but this look on him is next level.

I’m painfully aware of how close we’re standing and the fact that the shower is still running and we’re fully clothed, soaked to our core. But I don’t care. If he were to touch me more than he already is, I’m sure I would combust.

We shouldn’t even be doing this, I know, but for whatever reason I can’t force my feet to take a step back or signal my arms to push his hard body away from me.

I can’t seem to do anything but stand here and wait for Nash to make the next move. The ball is in his court.

“Shit,” he breathes, his jaw clenching as his eyes search my face. “I want to kiss you so fucking bad that it hurts.”

I swallow hard and try to find my voice. “Then do it.” The words are quiet and have a slight tremor to them, but they are meaningful all the same.

I have never wanted Nash Beck to kiss me as badly as I do right now.

Nash searches my face for any sign of hesitation, and when he doesn’t find it, he closes the small gap between us and presses his lips against mine. The contact makes my head dizzy and I have to grip Nash’s shoulders for support. I’m afraid if I let go of him, I will fall to my knees. And I just know he would enjoy that too much.

His lips move against mine feverishly as his hand gets tangled in my hair, holding me firmly against him. I barely register the moan that explodes from deep within my chest when his tongue meets mine, hot and wild in my mouth.

Nash uses his large mass to walk us back to the bench. When the back of his legs hit the edge, he lowers himself ever so slowly, refusing to break the kiss.

Without hesitation, I straddle his lap. My eyes nearly bulge out of my head when I feel his hard length pressing against my ass through the thick material of my jeans.

Jesus Christ, what does he have in there? I’m almost too afraid to find out.

Nash’s hands snake down my waist and over my hips to rest on my ass. He uses his large hands to press me firmly against his crotch, and my eyes nearly roll to the back of my head.

Holy. Fuck.

My lungs feel like they’re on fire and my skin is feverish. I’m struggling to think straight as Nash devours my mouth like a man sitting on death row eating his last meal. Being in a steaming hot shower is only making me feel hotter, like my head could explode at any moment. It’s too much, and yet, I can’t stop either.

Nash’s skin is slick with water and sweat as my fingers drag down his chest. My fingertips skate over the waistband of his sweatpants, causing Nash to groan at the soft touch.

His lips part from mine long enough for him to utter, “Holy fuck, little devil.”

In response, I grind my ass against his crotch and smile when his eyes nearly roll to the back of his head. I continue to tease him by running my fingers across the waistband, relishing in the way his mismatched eyes are lit with a fire that could match the surface of the sun. And it’s all for me.

You’re such a good girl, Kinnie.

My body shudders at the whisper deep in my mind. Black ink seeps into my skin, stilling my hands. The tension in my shoulders makes my head pound painfully to the point my vision blurs. I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to silence the voices.

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