Page 81 of Her Dark Angel

“N-Nash,” I pant, my breathing heavy and my body growing slick with sweat. “I can’t…”

Nash pulls his face away from my neck to gaze down at me, his eyes filled with fire. “Come for me, Kin. I want to hear you cry out my name.”

That is all it takes for me to dive head-first over the edge of the cliff, chasing that release. Nash’s name rips from my throat in an intense shout that has my body vibrating and my knees quaking. The edge of my vision blurs just as Nash drives into me one last time, a deep groan bubbling from his throat as he finds his release, filling me completely.

My body is limp against the mattress as Nash pulls out. I just know it’s a mess down there, but I don’t have the strength to care right now.

Soft lips meet mine in a tender kiss before Nash pulls away and gets off the bed. I follow his broad back, the angel wings inked into his skin flexing with each step he takes to the bathroom. Moments later, I hear the water running, and Nash returns.

“What are you?—”

He scoops me into his arms and makes his way back to the bathroom without saying a word. My brain is still trying to catch up after being fucked into oblivion and now this act of kindness.

Does Nash do this with every woman he sleeps with?

Nash steps into the shower and lowers me onto the tiled bench. Memories from the last time I was in here come rushing back, turning my cheeks red.

“Hey.” Nash drops to his knees, running his knuckles along my cheek gently. “We don’t have to leave this room for the rest of the night if you don’t want to. Tell me what you want and I’ll do it for you.”

I drag my bottom lip between my teeth and gaze at him, hoping words will somehow form themselves on my tongue.

What do I want? The thought of going back downstairs and being surrounded by people I don’t know well doesn’t sound appealing after what we just did. Not to mention being triggered into a panic attack that nearly sent me spiraling.

And Nash is just being so… caring toward me that I’m having a hard time thinking of a reason to leave.

“Can we stay here?” The words are barely audible as they leave my lips, getting lost in the sound of running water.

The corner of Nash’s lips turns up in a half smile. His large hand runs over my hair gently before snaking around the back of my neck. “If that’s what you want, little devil, then I’m happy to oblige.”

“I just…” I inhale a shaky breath, finding the right words to say. “Thank you for earlier.”

His forehead creases in a frown. “For what?”

“For… kissing me. For distracting me from my panic. For being there.”

Nash’s eyes clash with mine with such intensity it nearly knocks the breath out of my lungs. “You would do the same for me, Kin.”

“I would,” I say without hesitation, my heart racing in my chest.

We gaze at each other for a long minute, neither of us moving an inch. The shower is beginning to steam up, sending droplets of sweat gliding down my back. That same fire burning between us from earlier has returned, but now it’s stronger with the unspoken words on the tips of our tongues. But neither of us says them, instead choosing to keep them to ourselves for the same reason we don’t want to acknowledge what is happening between us—fear.

Fear that this could all blow up in our faces. Fear that we might hurt each other. And for fear that we’re not worthy of each other because of how damaged we are. It is fear keeping us from speaking our minds and what is weighing heavy on our hearts. It’s the same fear that haunts us every day, forcing us to fight a losing battle.

Because fear wins every time with us, and that’s why we choose to stay quiet.

28

NASH

The house is a fucking mess.

I sure do know how to throw a party. After I went upstairs with Kinsley, I have no clue what happened down here before everyone finally filed out of the house around 6 am. I don’t even know when the little devil slipped out of my bed and fled like a phantom into the night.

But what I do know is that last night was the first time in a really long fucking time I slept through the night without waking to a terrible nightmare. Was it because Kinsley was wrapped in my arms with my nose buried deep in her soft hair that smelled of jasmine and coconuts? Who fucking knows, but I’m grateful nonetheless.

Stepping over a random man lying on the floor in the middle of the kitchen cradling an empty beer bottle like it’s his firstborn child, I switch on the coffee machine. The rich scent of coffee beans fills my nostrils, soothing my worry about the mess I’ve been left to clean. Instead of dwelling on the massive job that lay ahead of me, I finish making my coffee and walk to the back patio.

The sun is already sitting high in the sky, casting a soft glow over the vast backyard. Sunlight dances off the surface of the pool, nearly blinding me.

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