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“What’s your suggestion?” Nash asked. He dropped his hand from my neck and refocused on Hugh. “The best angle?”
Hugh sighed. “Honestly? No clue. Just like I’m not sure why I agreed to take this position.” He grimaced. “You could have had anyone.”
“Cam said you were the best fit.”
Hugh threw up his hands. “Camden Grace sweet-talked me into this gig. I was doing well as a venture capitalist—”
“And hating every minute of it,” Nash said.
Hugh’s shoulders bowed. “And hating every minute of it.” He cast me a side glance. “You know what the shows are like—all the energy, all that emotion. It’s such a high. And much better than buying out companies that get sold off, bit by bit, destroying people’s jobs.”
I swallowed, thinking back to Nash’s show in London. I nodded.
“Don’t bring Aya into this,” Nash snapped. “She doesn’t need more reminders of why I’m a bad bet.”
I met his gaze. “Are you?”
He touched his thumb to my lip. “Probably. Lord Dipshit would be safe. I’m a rock star. By very definition we’re unstable, narcissistic assholes.”
“Will you be one with me?” I asked. My pulse pounded in my neck.
His gaze burned, the storms in his eyes violent. “Never.”
I nodded. “And Lord Dipshit manipulated me. He wanted my trust fund.”
All of us grimaced.
“Hurts every damn time, doesn’t it?” Hugh said.
“I hate not knowing if people want me or the fame, what I can give them,” Nash said on a sigh.
“It’s usually what we can give them,” I replied.
Nash shook his head. “Not here, not with us.”
I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder. This. I’d missed this connection. So much.
“So, back to our problem of the day….” Hugh said. “Many of Nash’s fans love him because he’s the unattainable party boy—the perpetual bachelor looking for a good time. If we say you’re serious, that could shock and alienate a large portion of his market, especially because two days ago, Aya was linked to Lord Dipshit.”
“Don’t care,” Nash growled. “I am taken, and I’m not interested in other women. Never have been.”
“But—”
“It’s done, Hugh,” Nash said, his tone final. “The ladies will get over it or they won’t, but I’m not willing to hide Aya. She’s here, she’s with me, and I plan to orient everything around keeping it that way.”
My heart fluttered in my chest.
“Ooo-kay, then,” Hugh said.
I looked between them. “I don’t want to cause problems. If the optics are bad—”
“For you,” Hugh said. “The world doesn’t like…” He sighed.
“Aya didn’t do anything wrong,” Nash growled. “In fact, she stood up for herself and got out of a bad situation. That’s how people should look at this.”
“Should doesn’t mean will,” Hugh said.
I picked up my teacup and drank a healthy dose. When I set it down, my hands were shaking. I hadn’t thought about people’s perception of me—how my leaving and coming to Nash would look. I took a deep, calming breath. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. Maybe… Even I knew I was fooling myself. I’d jumped from one embarrassment to another, possibly worse one.
