Page 52 of Dangerous Attraction

Sometimes I do when I'm in a rush, but this morning, I woke up on time, and when I was waiting for Reeve to pick me up, I remember being on the phone with Liam, walking around the trailer, tidying up, then turning all the lights off before leaving.

Automatically, my mind jumps to the worst possible conclusion.

He's back.

My arms and legs stiffen, locking up completely, and ice fills my veins as my breathing turns shallow.

The car rolls to a stop but I remain in my seat, unblinking stare fixed on the door.

Reeve's warm voice filters through the air, but the sound of my thumping pulse and the blood swooshing through my body blocks out his words.

My vision blurs, and I can feel my hands tremble from where they're resting in my lap.

A large, calloused hand grips my jaw, while fingers dig into my cheeks as my head is gently forced to the side until I'm no longer focused on the place that sends shivers down my spine, and am instead, staring into the deep blue pools of Reeve's eyes.

"Hey. Trix? You good?"

The sound of his voice wraps around me and stills my spiraling mind. The feel of his skin against mine diminishes the violent tremors that were working their way through my body.

His grip loosens, and he strokes his fingers against my cheek as his concerned gaze darts around my face.

"What's wrong?"

Drawing a deep, shuddering breath, I shake my head, forcing his hand to drop from my face. I blink rapidly, clearing the cloudiness from my eyes as I tear them away from him and grab my bag from between my feet.

"Everything's fine," I tell him, forcing a smile onto my face when I glance at him. "Sorry, zoned out there for a minute."

Releasing a choked laugh, I slide my bag onto my shoulder and hurriedly open the car door.

"Thanks for the ride! See you Monday." Hopping out of the car, I quickly shut the door behind me, then round the hood before slowing down as trepidation spreads within me when my gaze locks back onto the trailer door I'm now walking toward.

When I reach the wooden steps, I throw a glance over my shoulder at the car that's still parked in the middle of the lane.

Reeve's leaning over the steering wheel, watching me intently through the windscreen.

Despite the nauseous feeling in my stomach, I shoot him a smile, then force myself to turn away, and grab the handle of the door.

Gulping, I push down on it, pull the door open, then silently slip inside. My eyes roam the inside until I find who I'm looking for.

Sprawled out on the floral sofa cushions is my father.

His thin, dark hair is plastered across his forehead, which is drenched in sweat. The white tank he's wearing is covered in dirt and grime, and so are the ripped blue jeans covering his legs.

Hesitantly stepping further into the small space, I pull the door closed behind me as quietly as I can, although with how loud his snoring is, I doubt he'd hear it even if I slammed it.

The sight of him has tears springing into my eyes, and I clamp my lips together as I feel a choked sob building in my throat.

With shaking limbs, I carefully move through to the bedroom. I shut the door behind me, lean my body against it, then slap a hand across my mouth before allowing the tears to fall and the sobs to rip free.

Rifling through my bag, I pull out my phone and text Emery, asking where she is, and while waiting for a reply, I squeeze my eyes closed and greedily gulp down air in an attempt to calm my erratic emotions.

It only takes a few seconds for her to reply, but when I read her message, my whole body slumps in defeat.

She's at a party with Liam.

Of course she is. It's a Saturday night, and she's a college student.

She's been cooped up in her apartment for months because of me and my issues, and now she finally has time to go out again and enjoy herself.