28. Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Trix
My laughter dies, and I blink into the darkness, staring at the outline of Reeve on the sofa.
I'm pretty sure his eyes are also on me, going off the way my skin's heating beneath the blankets, and the goosebumps spreading across my arms.
In the last ten minutes, I've listened to him shuffle around on the tiny leather couch multiple times, and even though he's just hurt himself, he still isn't complaining or suggesting we switch.
I feel bad for making him sleep on the sofa, not only because he can't comfortably fit on it, but because I'm the guest here, and I think it's only right for me to be the one to sleep there.
When I hear him tossing around again, his skin sliding across the leather seat, I sit up and switch the lamp on.
"Swap with me," I say, eyes running across his curled up body, half of which is hanging off the edge.
He drops his head to the side, huffing.
"No. There's no way I'm letting you sleep on this contraption."
Shaking my head, I sigh. "Reeve, you barely fit on it, and you clearly can't get comfortable."
Thinning his lips, he glances down.
"That may be true, but I still won't be switching places."
Narrowing my eyes at the stubborn giant, I flop back onto the bed.
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I glance at the space beside me, then back to the man lying on the sofa.
With my heart hammering in my chest, and my palms beginning to sweat, I sit up again and turn toward him.
"If you're not going to switch places, then you can come and share the bed."
He lifts his head and stares at me with raised brows.
Heat floods my cheeks.
"We're both sensible adults," I state, tearing my gaze away from his to look down at the sheets covering my body. "As long as we stick to our sides of the bed, I think we'll be fine."
When he doesn't move, my eyes dart back to him.
He sits up, eyes studiously roaming over my face.
"Are you sure you're okay with that?"
I nod, nibbling on my lips as I swipe my palms across the covers.
After a few moments, he stands up, grabs his pillows and blanket in one hand, then reaches for his phone with the other before he makes his way to the bed.
Blinking, I watch as he places his phone on the nightstand, then tosses the pillows onto the bed.
Instead of lifting the covers and climbing underneath, he flattens them out, then climbs on top, spreading his own blanket across his body.
He sighs as his body relaxes into the mattress, and I watch from the corner of my eye in fascination as his muscular chest rises and falls beside me.
Although there's space between us, I can feel the warmth of his body, and there's a part of me that's desperate to get closer to him.
"Night, Red," he mutters as he shuts his eyes and shifts onto his side, his back facing me.
The large tattoo taking up the entirety of his back catches my attention.
'Loyalty' is written in large block letters across the top, and beneath that is a picture of the skull stitched into the back of every member's cuts.
I allow myself a few moments to drink it in, fingers twitching with the need to reach out and skim over the ink.
Instead of reaching for him, I twist around and turn the lamp off. I slide down, with my back facing his, and stare into the darkness of the room.
The sound of our breathing mixes into the silence, and I listen to it carefully, body tense as I wait for his to even out.
Minutes pass by, my pulse flooding my ears, sweat dotting across my skin, and my body subtly fidgeting beneath the sheets as I wait for him to fall asleep.
Squeezing my eyes closed, I breathe deeply through my nose and dig my fingernails into the skin of my thighs, trying to calm my racing heartbeat.
I feel him move behind me, and my eyes shoot open. My throat closes up, and my body locks into place, completely frozen.
"Trix."
His voice is loud in my ears, and it causes me to jump, making the breath I was holding in rush out of me.
My body, however, remains completely still.
"Trix."
I gulp.
"I know you're awake," he mutters.
Squeezing my eyes closed, I take a few shallow breaths before daring to peer over my shoulder.
Due to the dark swamping the room, it's hard to make out exactly where he is, but I can see the shine of his eyes and feel the heat of his breath tickling my shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
I nod, then realize he probably can't see me.
"Yeah. I'm good." Cringing at how shaky my voice is, I sigh. "I need to ask for something. It's going to sound really strange, but it's something I need from you, otherwise I won't be able to comfortably go to sleep."
He moves again, and a moment later, the lamp on his bedside unit turns on, bathing the room in a warm glow.
My eyes travel from his face to the phone resting on his nightstand, then back to him.
"What do you need?"
I stare at him, eyes burning, and before I speak, I drop my gaze to the blanket pooling around his hips.
"I need you to move your phone," I tell him, staring intently at the small fluffy tufts of the blanket. "Somewhere away from you. Somewhere where you'd have to get up and get out of bed to grab it."
He's silent for a minute before he sits up straighter.
"Okay," he says, then reaches for his phone, holding it out to me.
My eyes travel up the length of his body until they meet his and I frown.
He grabs my hand, flips it upside down, then places it in my palm.
"Put it wherever you need to," he says, curling my fingers around it. "You can go and lock it in the safe hidden in my wardrobe if you want to."
Huffing a laugh, I take the phone and turn around, opening the drawer of the nightstand and placing it inside.
"Can I ask why you'd struggle to sleep if I had my phone within reach?" he asks.
Turning back to face him, my eyes dart around the room, and I shrug.
"It's complicated."
He studies me for a moment, then tucks his knuckles beneath my chin, drawing my attention back to him.
"Is it to do with your dad?"
Rolling my lips, I shake my head.
Brows drawing deeper, he strokes his thumb along my jaw.
"Another man?"
Shutting my eyes, I nod.
Tremors run through my body as memories assault my mind.
The only person—besides the police—I've ever told the whole story to is Emery, and it was hard enough telling her. I've had time to come to terms with what happened, and I think I can give him a vague understanding of the situation without getting too upset.
Although I'm not sure I'm ready to dive into it all with Reeve, I do feel like I owe him some sort of an explanation.
Not only did he race off to defend me, but he's also protected me and shown me that he cares.
He's invited me into his space and made me feel welcome.
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."
Trying to get my erratic breathing under control, I let my words swirl around the room while I wait for Reeve to say something.
When he remains silent, I peek my eyes open to find him watching me with darkened eyes and a scowl on his face.
"What happened after?"
Sniffling, I shrug. "I broke up with him."
Pulling a few inches away from me, he narrows his eyes and squeezes my arm gently.
"And?"
"He retaliated."
"How?" he bites out, voice firm and angry, even though his touch remains soft and comforting.
Sighing, I rub my thumb along his busted knuckles.
"He clipped the video, took out all the parts where I was struggling and crying, and then he sent it around to everyone at college.
Everyone found it hilarious, thinking it was just a simple sex tape, and they were constantly taunting me about it.
" Biting into my bottom lip, I tighten my hold on his fisted hand between mine.
"One of the most traumatic nights of my life was constantly being shoved in my face, and I couldn't cope with it. "
"Did you go to the police?"
I nod.
"Not that it mattered." I scoff. "He had the money to pay for a great DA. They dragged up pictures I'd sent him in the past and claimed I had consented to the video being taken, but then he broke up with me, and I was a scorned, jealous girl from the trailer park who wanted money from him."
His brows shoot to the top of his head.
"People believed that?"
"Unfortunately, yeah. His word against mine." I huff. "After that, I left college. I was tired of having to relive that night. I didn't want to be around him or see him or have to be around the people that believed and supported him. So I dropped out and moved into Emery's apartment."
"This all happened this year? Before summer?" he asks, surprised.
Smiling weakly, I nod again.
He leans forward, and brushes his lips against my hands, the bristles of his beard scratching at my skin.
"Thank you for trusting me with that."
"No, thank you for giving me your phone so easily, and for believing my story."
Silence stretches throughout the room once again, but this time, it's a peaceful, comfortable silence, one that doesn't set me on edge and have my pulse ringing in my ears.
Unwrapping my hands from his, I smile, then roll over, and tuck my hands under my pillow.
Sighing, I let my eyes fall closed once he turns off the light, but sleep doesn't come easily.
The bed dips with Reeve's movements as he tries to get comfortable, but with all his huffing and puffing, I think he's also struggling.
"You're stiff," he says quietly.
Rolling my shoulders, I shake my head.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not. You're still uncomfortable."
I remain silent, because he's right. I'm still not completely comfortable and I can't relax and go to sleep.
A low groan escapes him, then he shuffles closer, squeezing one arm under the pillow beneath my head and wrapping the other one loosely around my waist.
"Relax," he breathes, pressing his body against mine.
"What are you doing?" I squeak, my eyes wide.
"We're cuddling," he states. "There's nothing to it. It's purely so you know where my hands are at all times. Plus, it'll be easier for you to know if I move away from you and get out of bed whilst you're sleeping."
My brows crease, and my lips quirk as my body begins to relax into him.
"Oh," I whisper.
"Is that okay?" he asks quietly.
I take a moment, allowing my body to melt into his hold while feeling the heat of his skin, and taking note of the calmness overtaking my mind before I nod.
Weirdly, I enjoy the feel of his arms cradling me.
"Yeah, I think it's okay," I reply, stifling a yawn.
Curling my legs up toward my body, I readjust his hold around my waist. Placing his arm above my hip, I let his hand rest on my stomach, then pat it before I let go and snuggle into my pillow.
My eyes instantly grow heavy, and the tension leaves my muscles as I sigh and let my eyes fall closed.
For the first time in a long time, I feel safe and secure.