Page 35 of Defending her Heart

“Excuse me. Are you Nash Humphries?” An irritating feminine voice asks from behind me.

“I am, but I don’t want to be rude to my friend here.”

Once again, the adoring fan doesn’t take the hint. “I watched you on TV the other night.”

I roll my eyes and snicker. Nash catches it, but his fan club doesn’t.

“The team appreciates the support. If you don’t mind, I’m in the middle of a conversation here.”

“Oh. Okay.” The redhead glances down at me and I swear she sneers. “But you took pictures with other people.”

Nash closes his eyes and reins in his patience. I guess I understand why he doesn’t go out much. He’d hate this even more if Paisley was with him.

Taking pity on him, only because I want to hear how he’s going to explain his behavior last week, I stand.

“Don’t go.” Nash reaches for my hand and tingles work their way up my arm.

Of course my body is going to respond to his touch. It’s chemistry. Something that has been around since the dawn of time and doesn’t know the difference between a nice guy and an asshole.

“I’m sorry, honey,” I say to the barely legal girl. “We were just leaving.”

Nash picks up on thewepart and jumps to his feet. “Have a nice evening,” he says to her as he places his hand on my lower back and ushers me through the growing crowd and out the door. “Thank you for saving me. I’m really sorry about that scene. I wasn’t thinking when I suggested we meet here. It was more for convenience.”

“I’m sure you get mobbed everywhere you go.”

“I don’t get out much. And when I do, I wear a hat or hit up places that aren’t as conspicuous.”

“Hm.” We walk with no direction in mind. The rain has settled to a mist and is no doubt making my hair a nest of frizz.

“You’re getting wet,” he points out the obvious.

Right now, it’s all on the outside. It’ll take some time before he makes my underwear wet again. No matter how attracted I am to him, I’m not a helpless female who succumbs to her sexual needs.

At least, I try not to be.

“Do you want to talk in my car? Or yours?”

“Wherever.”Listen, don’t argue. Listen, don’t argue.

We head down a side street and over to a parking garage. If there wasn’t a chill in the air, I’d suggest we talk outside the car, but I’m cold and wet.

He presses a button on his key fob and opens the passenger side door for me. I don’t say anything as he gets into the car and turns it on, pushing the button for my seat warmers. We sit in silence for a few minutes while the car hums.

“You can turn it down if it gets too warm,” he points out the obvious once again.

“Mhm.”I’m listening, Row, just like I promised. But he’s not saying anything.

Nash turns off the music and lowers the heat while his left hand nervously taps his thigh. “I’m sorry, Kendall.”

“So you’ve said,” I snap. Shit. I didn’t last two seconds.Listen, don’t argue.

“I owe you an explanation.”

Well, shit. There goes my theory on him not being a douchebag. Explaining his reasoning for calling me a slut? There is none. Explaining why he had no problem kissing the everloving breath out of me then pushing me away like I was an STD? None for that either.

“I didn’t push you away like you had an STD.”

Shit. I guess the voice in my head came out of my mouth. I take Rowan’s advice and don’t respond, even though I wholeheartedly disagree.

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