Page 98 of Her Dark Angel

“Ah, yes, the scandal.” I lift my eyes to meet hers. “What you saw in those photos… it isn’t what you’re thinking.”

Kinsley tears her eyes away from mine. “How can I believe you, Nash? You’re a known womanizer, so why would I think you could have suddenly changed?”

I exhale sharply as my hands flex at my sides. “You want to know what I think? I think you do believe that what you saw in those photos is not the truth. Why? Because you’re scared to admit you care about me just as much as I care about you. You have this idea in your head that I’m just fucking around with you and everything that has happened between us is just so I could get my fix. But you’re wrong.”

The words I want to say get caught in my throat. I’m not one to lay my emotions out on a silver platter for anyone, but it’s especially hard with Kinsley because I find myself caring what she thinks about me more and more as the days pass. I don’t want her to see me as some asshole rockstar who doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself like she did the first day she barged into my bedroom, a fire lit in her eyes.

I want to be… better.

You don’t deserve her. She’s too good for you.

You’re going to be alone for the rest of your days, Nash.

“Nash,” Kinsley calls, her voice barely above a whisper.

I shake my head, unable to continue speaking for fear I might reveal too much of my soul. “Look, believe what you want, little devil, but as much as you think I’m out to hurt you, that’s the last thing I want to do.” Before she can say anything, I turn to leave the room, allowing her some privacy to get dressed and to shield my hurt heart. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

I feel her eyes burning holes in the back of my head as I walk out of the room.

Kinsley and I walk into the building of her agency and ride the elevator up to Adam’s office. The silence that befell us when we left the house is fucking suffocating, to say the least. The unspoken words about what happened last night hang in the air like a bad smell, neither of us wanting to comment on it first.

I’m fairly certain I know where Kinsley’s head is at with the whole thing because she told me after I made her come for the third time last night that it couldn’t happen again. And then I made her come a fourth time and the topic wasn’t mentioned anymore, especially because my cock was buried deep in her throat. But now I’m not sure what she’s thinking and it’s driving me insane.

The elevator doors ding open and I follow Kinsley out of the small metal box and down the hallway to her manager’s office. When we step inside, James is already seated next to Adam on one of the couches in front of a large mahogany desk, leaving the other couch free for us.

“I know it’s the weekend, so we appreciate you joining us,” Adam says as we sit opposite them. His eyes flick between us, suspicion swirling in them. “How did you arrive at the same time?”

Kinsley’s eyes widen before she shifts her frame to gaze at me. She’s silently pleading with me not to mention her spending the night at my house, and as much as I would find enjoyment in telling our managers we hooked up last night, I don’t want to start an unnecessary fight with the little devil.

I shrug and lean back against the leather cushion. I’m itching for a fucking cigarette, but Kinsley hates the cancer sticks, so I’ll wait until after the meeting. “Perfect timing, I guess.”

Adam nods, but the crease in his forehead tells me he wants to say more. Thankfully, James beats him to it.

“So, I was speaking with Adam just now about the photos of Nash and that woman circulating the media,” James begins. “After some major damage control, we think we’ve managed to defuse the situation by making sure everyone believes the story we spun about the woman being a crazed fan who made her way onto the property to meet Nash. The photos snapped of you both leaving Limelight last night certainly give credit to said story. But now we need to get you two together in public again to show the media and fans that you’re a united front and stronger than ever. The sooner the better.”

When I eventually answered James’s call the day the photos were leaked, I made sure he understood my side of the story and how I had nothing to do with Kitty showing up at my house like that. He had the same uncertain tone in his voice that Kinsley had this morning, but after a long conversation, he believed me and instantly got to work rectifying the situation.

I hate that this is even an issue, but this isn’t my first scandal and it certainly won’t be the last. I just hate that Kinsley got dragged into it.

“What do you have in mind?” I lift my ankle to rest on my knee, my eyes flicking between Adam and James.

Adam clears his throat and focuses his attention on Kinsley instead of me. “We thought either of you might have an idea in mind. It needs to be something other than going out for dinner or to a bar. We want everyone to see you both having fun with each other.”

Kinsley taps her chin thoughtfully, her tongue poking out between her lips. I bite back a smile, not even remotely caring about coming up with an idea when the little devil is more entertaining to watch.

After a moment, her eyes brighten as if a light bulb just switched on inside her head. “I have an idea. Why don’t we go to a drive-in?” She poses the question to me more so than our managers.

I raise a brow at her. “A drive-in?”

She nods eagerly, like a little kid who just received candy. “It’ll be a lot of fun, trust me. And it’s a public outing that will show us having fun. It couldn’t be more perfect.”

“Okay, fine. Let’s do it,” I agree. Not because I think it’s a good idea at all, but because she’s so excited about the idea. I can’t find it in me to say no. “I get to choose the movie though.”

Kinsley opens her mouth to disagree but instead snaps it shut when I shoot her a pointed look. If she gets to choose the activity, then I get to pick what movie we see. “Okay, you have yourself a deal.”

Adam and James are staring at us with confused expressions on their faces, but they recover quickly.

James claps his hands together. “Okay, wonderful. Make sure you visit the drive-in next Saturday night, and I’ll make sure the information is tipped to the paps to ensure some are there waiting to snap photos.”

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