8. Kash
Chapter Eight
KASH
“What are you doing here?” Naina asked.
She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the SUV, mirroring my pose. We stood facing each other, the distance of a parking spot between us. Above us, I heard the sound of a window closing.
“I wanted to stop by to check if you’ve had a moment to think about my offer.”
I’d already found out from her sister that Naina hadn’t decided anything, which wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no, either. Maybe I could convince her today and leave here with a fiancée.
The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. A marriage was never something I had wanted. Not because I aspired to be a fifty-year-old bachelor chasing after twenty-year-olds. Because I didn’t want to inflict my family upon anyone else. It was bad enough I had to deal with them on a daily basis.
As with everything else, my father didn’t leave me with a choice.
“You realize stalking is illegal, right?” Naina asked.
I had no shame in admitting that this rejection was a first. I had good genetics and generational wealth on my side and those two together did a brilliant job of hiding all the generational and parental trauma.
The fact that Naina didn’t want any of it was a little humbling. And I needed to fix that.
“It’s not stalking if I assume you’re a bit hardheaded and need a couple of days to realize the obvious right answer,” I said.
“Stop, you silver-tongued devil, don’t try to charm me,” Naina said, her tone flat.
I tried not to smile because I had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well. She might have despised me and thought I was the most despicable human she had ever met. But I also liked that? I liked her.
It was why I kept coming back, even though I knew better. Six months of telling myself that and here I was, asking her to marry me. That was new, too. I’d never had a problem resisting trouble and temptation until Naina Hollister walked into my life.
I wondered what she would do if she knew that. Or if she found out I had been jerking off to her since I first saw her. Probably best not to think about that in case she could read minds too.
“I didn’t think you had it in you to be charmed easily,” I said.
Naina sniffed, wrapping her arms tighter around herself. There was still a chill to the wind and she was out here in a thin sweater which probably provided no heat. The least she could have done was wear a jacket.
Putting my coffee cup on the ground, I slipped off my jacket and held it towards her. Naina eyed it suspiciously, like I was handing her a snake.
“You’re cold,” I explained. “Unless you want to invite me inside.”
Naina chewed on her lip, eyes still on my jacket while she stood there shivering. I would have forced her to put the jacket on if I didn’t think she would punch me.
“It’s just a jacket.”
“I know that!” Naina huffed. “I just like to take time to think things through. Not all of us have the privilege of making rash decisions and being unconcerned about the consequences.”
She stepped forward and took the jacket out of my hand before going back to her corner. My jacket was a little big on her. Some possessive, animalistic part of me thrilled at seeing her wear my clothes.
“Thank you,” she said begrudgingly.
“You’re welcome.”
A lightbulb had gone off in my head when she said she didn’t have the privilege of making rash decisions. It explained why she never called me, why she was thinking about the easiest option available to her. It also opened my eyes to how she saw me . A privileged asshole who wasn’t concerned about the consequences.
My whole life was spent worrying about the consequences. The consequence of being born a Sutherland and all the shit that came with it. There was an image to be maintained, a formula for our lives we had to follow, the right friends, the right life-partner, the right education.
The consequence of never having a choice because choices were for the privileged.
If, for one second, you thought you could do something just for yourself, then my father was quick to remind you that his way was always right.
I wasn’t going to tell Naina any of that. It was more information than she needed. She had lost her parents, she was on the verge of losing her livelihood and she didn’t need some privileged rich asshole to tell her how unfair his life has been.
“Have you made a decision, then?” I asked. The sooner we began our charade, the faster I could get my father off my back. This whole situation was taking up more time than I had to give.
It wasn’t like I was asking her for forever. That was never going to happen.
Wait a minute…
“You’re not upset that I didn’t ask you out, right? Because that’s not going to happen,” I said. I cringed as soon as the words left my mouth. Way to get the girl on your side, idiot.
Naina narrowed her eyes at me.
“Has anyone told you you’re a real charmer?”
“Actually, I get that all the time because I am charming.”
I gave her my most charming smile and she just glared back at me. Yeah, I deserved that. I should have just kept my mouth closed.
“Why do you need a wife? You didn’t clarify.”
“My family wants me to get married and I am not interested in that, with anyone. No marriage, no relationship. I just need time.”
Naina scoffed. “Oh my god, you’re one of those. Should have known.”
“No, I’m not one of those ,” I said, offended she would think that. “Wait, what do you mean by that?”
“That you’re the type who doesn’t ‘believe’ in marriage or relationships. The only thing you believe in is sex because it’s easy and you had a tortured childhood.”
My jaw actually dropped open.
“You’ve got me in one. Saved me a huge therapy bill.”
She actually wasn’t wrong about the tortured childhood part.
Naina blinked at me, wide-eyed. Her mouth twitched and she turned her head to hide her smile. A chink in the armor. Finally! I only caught a glimpse of it before she turned away, but she had a beautiful smile. Wide, natural and stunning. Not one she had to practice in front of the mirror for hours just to get it to look natural.
Clearing her throat, she turned to look at me, her eyes still smiling at me.
“I’m sorry for judging you,” she said. “I’m sure you have a very good reason for not believing in relationships and even if you don’t, you don’t have to share that with me.”
“Thanks.”
“For the record, I still don’t understand why you need to get married so you don’t have to get married. It’s like going in the opposite direction of where you need to be.”
I could tell her what the world knew about the lawsuit and cite that as an excuse. I sure as fuck couldn’t tell her the real reason. No one could know, especially not Naina. She was mighty, but she was fragile. I could withstand my father’s wrath, but I was never going to put her in that situation.
“My father doesn’t take no for an answer, Naina. If he wants something, he expects it to be given to him.”
I’d played that game my whole life. If I was ever going to put an end to it, it wasn’t going to happen by marrying Crystal.
Naina heaved a breath and tilted her head back to look at the sky above us. She didn’t know yet that we were both fighting for our family legacies.
“Naina?”
She shook her head, shuffling her feet.
“I guess you can come inside so we can talk,” she said. Her eyes met mine momentarily before she looked away. Turning around, she opened the back door of the car and pulled out her purse.