Page 74 of Her Dark Angel

Get a fucking grip, Kin.

Shaking my head, I swing the door open and make my way to Nash’s house. As I walk up the pathway to the front door, I feel the eyes of the people standing in the front yard following my every movement until I walk through the into the foyer. The music inside is ten times louder than on the street. Everyone having to yell over the music doesn’t help the ringing in my ears, either.

I swallow hard and push my way through the mass of sweaty bodies clad in denim, fluoro, and leather, trying to reach the living room. I try not to inhale too much of the musty, smoke scent filling the air around me, and instead force back a cough. Men and women dance to the beat of the rock music blasting throughout the house, grinding and singing without a care in the world.

So far, this is exactly what I imagined a party would be like thrown by a rockstar.

When I step into the living room, I spot Nash sitting on the couch with Hudson, a blue-haired woman I don’t recognize, and creepy Johnny. They each have beer bottles in their hands as they talk in a small circle, not fazed by the number of bodies dancing around them.

Somehow, almost as if he could sense me in the room, Nash’s mismatched eyes lock with mine. The intensity behind them sends a shiver down my spine and a bolt of electricity straight to my core.

Shit. Being around him tonight is going to be much more difficult than I thought.

Nash lifts his tattooed arm to beckon me over to the couch. Knowing I need to switch on actress mode, I force a confident smile onto my lips and push my way through the crowd until I’m standing beside him. His large hands don’t hesitate to wrap around my thighs and tug me down until my ass is planted firmly against his crotch. The black denim of his jeans is rough against the back of my thighs and I feel the outline of his cock through them. Nash splays out his hand on my thigh, the cold bite from his chunky silver rings sends a cold shiver across my body. The goosebumps trailing in its wake are more than obvious, so I’m sure he’s seen them.

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

This is just for show, Kin. There is nothing to worry about. You have a part to play, so act cool.

“You made it.” Nash’s deep voice rumbles throughout the room, despite how loud it is in here. “I didn’t think you were going to show.”

I swallow hard, feeling the weight of three pairs of eyes on me as I turn to smile at Nash. “Of course I came. How could I possibly miss one of Nash Beck’s infamous parties?”

My eyes tear away from the smooth features of his face to take in the Poison band shirt with the sleeves rolled up, reminding me I still have the shirt he gave me. The muscles in his bicep beneath his tattoos constrict as he moves me further up his lap, and I have to close my eyes at the sight.

I know I need to remember my mantra of behaving myself whenever I’m with Nash, but it’s hard when I’m only human and he looks like that.

Nash runs a hand through his inky curls. “Well, I can only call it a successful party if someone ends up in the pool, passes out in one of the rooms, and a fight breaks out, usually over someone’s girlfriend talking to another guy. Those events are typical at parties of mine, but if they don’t happen, then it wasn’t a good night.”

“Don’t forget about public sex in the kitchen,” Hudson says with a laugh. “I have seen more than enough men’s bare asses than I care to admit. Excluding the one’s in my bed, of course.”

The blue-haired woman beside him laughs a rather contagious sound. “Watch out, if you drink too much tonight, Huddy, that might be you.”

Hudson playfully rolls his eyes and slings his arm around her petite shoulders. “If you want to be the lucky girl, Iris, just say the word and I’ll make your wishes come true.”

“No fucking in my kitchen, Hud,” Nash says sternly. I can’t help but laugh. “If I catch you doing it…”

Hudson holds up his hands in defense, feigning innocence. “I would never, I promise.” He points at me, making my eyes widen. “Would you like a drink? We have plenty of options.”

I lick my suddenly dry lips and shake my head. “I’m okay, really. I drove here, so?—”

“Find the fruitiest drink in the kitchen,” Nash interjects, making my head whirl around to eye him. But he’s not looking at me. “If you can’t find anything, I have a bottle of wine in the back of the alcohol cupboard.”

Hudson stands from the couch and salutes Nash before heading to the kitchen, Iris hot on his heels. Thankfully, Johnny leaves too when a group of guys come up to him and they begin talking, leaving Nash and me alone.

I raise a questioning brow at him and he simply shrugs. “What? I know you like fruity drinks and wine.”

“Yeah, but I need to go home at some point tonight,” I point out.

He runs his tongue over his lip ring, his eyes locked with mine. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, little devil. But for now, enjoy yourself, okay?”

Exhaling slowly, I nod in agreement. He’s right. I should enjoy myself tonight because it’s not often I get invited to parties like these, so I want to be able to have a good time without worry. Being stuck here for the night crosses my mind and my cheeks flush slightly at the idea of spending the night with Nash.

My gaze drifts down to his bare tattooed arm, tracing the lines of the ink embedded into his skin. A lot of the designs are simple, yet detailed. I’m sure these all hold some form of meaning to him, especially the guitar and microphone, or some could be the result of him stumbling drunk into the tattoo parlor and asking for whatever first came to mind. But one of the designs on his bicep sticks out to me.

“What’s the meaning behind this tattoo?”

Nash’s eyes follow where my finger is pointing. The corner of his mouth turns up in a half-smile. “Oh, yeah. Luca thought it would be a good idea for the four of us to get matching sun tattoos when we were going through tough times just after high school. We were broke, had terrible home lives, and the band hadn’t taken off yet.” He shifts on the spot, his hand stroking my thigh gently. “He said whenever we were feeling down, we could look at the sun and know that one day, there would be brighter days ahead. I thought it was all bullshit until I realized just how often I was glancing down at it, hoping it’ll make me feel better. And I hate to admit it, but I still look at it every day.”

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