Page 93 of Her Dark Angel

32

KINSLEY

The fire and intensity in his voice alone are enough for goosebumps to spread across my skin like wildfire. If I wasn’t frozen in fear, I would have cried with joy at hearing his voice.

Why is he here?

And how in the world did he find me?

“I’m not going to tell you again, asshole.” Nash’s voice is surprisingly level despite the harshness in his tone. “Let. Go. Of. Her. Now.”

The creep behind me releases my ass and takes a step back. The distance quiets some of the voices screaming in my head, but it does nothing to reduce the panic coursing through my body. My skin tingles with the memory of his hand against me and my stomach twists painfully.

I’m worried if I can’t manage to fill my lungs with air soon, I’m going to pass out.

Somehow, I signal my body to turn around despite how heavy my limbs feel, just in time to watch Nash shove the guy by the shoulders. The man stumbles back but not enough to fall flat on his ass.

Nash isn’t looking at me; his focus is instead on the creep who had laid his hands on me. The fire behind his mismatched eyes sends a shiver racing down my spine.

I have never seen him so enraged before and it’s because of me.

“Your girl?” Creepy Man asks with a smugness to his voice I wish he hadn’t used. It’s only going to make Nash angrier. “Last time I checked, she was alone.”

His suggestive tone makes my skin crawl.

Nash’s jaw clenches as his eyes grow hooded. “And last time I checked, you were touching her without her consent. So if I were you, I would get the fuck out of here before I get the police involved.”

This is a side to Nash I haven’t seen before. Knowing his track record, this would be the perfect opportunity to beat the shit out of this guy and get enjoyment out of watching him suffer for what he did. Instead, he’s threatening to call the police.

I never thought I would see the day when Nash chooses common sense over violence.

Nash takes a menacing step forward, towering over Creepy Man with his six-foot-four intimating height. If I were this asshole, I would be trembling in my boots.

“If you don’t get the fuck out of my sight in ten seconds, I’m going to have to demonstrate to my girl what happens to assholes who touch her.” Nash’s jaw ticks as he locks eyes with Creepy Man. When the man makes no move to leave, Nash rolls his tongue in his mouth and begins counting. “Ten…”

That’s all it takes for Creepy Man to get the hint. He steps away from Nash and throws a dirty look over his shoulder at me. As he’s walking away, I hear him mutter something about me not being hot enough to be worth it anyway before I lose him in the crowd on the dance floor.

Only when he’s out of my sight do I inhale such a large breath I almost choke on it. Within seconds, Nash’s strong arms wrap around me, holding me firmly against his chest. One hand presses against my back while the other runs through my hair, soothing the panic attempting to explode from within my chest.

“Shh, I’ve got you, Kin,” Nash whispers into my hair.

I’m in too much of a panicked state to register how gentle of a response that is for him. Instead, I cling to his body like he could slip away at any moment, leaving me once again with Creepy Man.

No one in the bar is paying any mind to us as we stand like this, likely too drunk to realize what’s going on, which I’m grateful for. I don’t need any more drama circling in the media with the current scandal.

After a long while, Nash pulls away and lowers himself until we’re at eye level. The fire in his eyes has calmed slightly, but it’s still there. He studies my face intently for any other damage. When he finds nothing, he stands to his full height. “I’m getting you out of here, okay? Wait for me by the exit and I’ll go tell your friends. Make sure a security guard is nearby.”

I barely have time to open my mouth to ask how he knows who I’m with before he’s walking through the crowd, disappearing out of sight. Leaving now would mean cutting the night short with my friends, but I’m too mentally and emotionally exhausted to stay here any longer. It doesn’t help my anxiety either knowing Creepy Man is still lurking around.

Without a second thought, I race through the crowd to the exit. Relief washes over me when I see a stocky older man with graying hair standing by the door. His features are hard as he glances around the bar, but they soften momentarily when he spots me standing nearby as if he knows I’m using his presence for protection.

Thankfully, I don’t have to wait long before I spot Nash’s towering frame emerging from the crowd of people. His long strides reach me within seconds and he wraps his hand firmly around mine.

I wave goodbye to the security guard and follow Nash out onto the street, passing by paps waiting nearby in bushes along the sidewalk. Even though Nash knows they’re there, he doesn’t slow his pace until we reach his car parked down the street.

As I slide into the front seat, I’m greeted with a moment of silence while Nash rounds the car to the driver’s side door.

This is the first time the paps have seen us together in public since the scandal hit headlines and, unfortunately, Nash dragging me out of a bar at 11 pm is not what our agencies had in mind for our first public outing together.

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