Page 80 of Dangerous Attraction

Even when I asked for his phone, he willingly handed it over without hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, I open my eyes, watching for his reaction to my next words.

"My ex," I tell him quietly.

The creases on his forehead smooth out, and I watch as his jaw ripples beneath the dark hair covering it.

"What did he do?"

Sighing, I remove his hand from my face, lie down on the bed, then tuck the covers around myself.

Reeve follows suit, and we stare at each other for a couple of minutes.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Gulping, I shake my head, drawing in a deep breath while trying to build up the courage to tell him.

"If you're not ready—"

"I was with my ex, Hudson, for just over a year," I blurt out, cutting him off before I can talk myself out of doing it. "It was a stupid relationship. Nothing serious. Honestly, I was only with him because it gave me a reprieve from reality. We had fun together, constantly went to parties, and enjoyed being stupid college kids—getting drunk, hooking up, distracting ourselves."

Tightening my hold on the blanket around me, I release a shaky breath before continuing.

"The last party we went to, I wasn't feeling too great. It was at his friend's house, so he told me to go lie down upstairs, and he said he'd be up later. I passed out pretty much as soon as my head hit the pillow."

Reeve pulls the blanket away from my chin, reaches for my hands and holds them in his, offering me comfort as if he knows how much I need it right now.

"I remember thinking I was dreaming, or having a nightmare, or something, I don't know. I was in pain, and I was finding it hard to breathe, like I was being squashed. When I finally opened my eyes—realizing that what I was feeling was in fact real, and not a figment of my imagination—the first thing I saw was a bright light shining into my eyes from over my shoulder."

Squeezing my fingers around Reeve's, I close my eyes, scared to look at him.

"I felt sluggish and confused. I was trying to figure out why there was a flashlight on me when Hudson pushed down on the back of my head, forcing my face into the pillow and pressing his body into my back. That's when I realized he was the reason I was struggling to breathe—he was crushing me beneath him."

Reeve releases one of his hands from mine and brings it up to the bruised side of my face, sweeping my hair behind my ear.

"It's okay, Red," he whispers, thumb stroking my cheek. "You've got this."

"All at once, it finally registered as to why I was in pain." Gulping, I blink my eyes open, a tear trickling down my cheek, which Reeve swipes away. "He'd undressed me, pried my legs open, and was forcing himself inside me."

Eyes swirling with anger, his grip on my hands tightens, and he looks away from me, staring up at the ceiling.

My lips wobble, and my vision blurs.

"I'm sorry," I mutter. "I shouldn't—"

He turns back to me, shaking his head.

"No. Don't apologize." He leans forward, pressing his forehead against mine. "Carry on. Get it all out."

Closing my eyes again, I take a deep breath before continuing.

"I was frozen in place for what felt like forever before I finally started begging him to stop and struggled against him. It was whilst I was fighting back that I realized the flashlight shining down on me was from his phone… he was recording the whole thing."

He wipes the tears from my cheeks and then places his hand against my arm, rubbing it gently, encouraging me to carry on.

I've already told him more than I planned to, and although I want to stop, the words continue spilling from my lips as if they're grateful for finally being let free again.

"He wouldn't stop. Told me I had to wait until he finished." Hiccups jolt my body as I pause. "Once he was done, he let me go, and although I felt sick to my stomach and could hardly see through the tears in my eyes, I ran all the way back to the dorms."