Page 5 of Dangerous Attraction

Sighing, I shake my head.

"It wasn't just that." Rubbing my hands along my arms, I drop my gaze to the floor. "We all know it's my own fault for the charges not sticking."

They both make disgruntled sounds.

Liam walks over to me, using his knuckles to nudge my head back until I'm forced to look at his smooth, pale face.

"You don't get to blame yourself, Trix. Those photos were personal, and more importantly, they were consensual. The video Hudson took wasn't, and it was his decision to take that video without your knowledge. It was also his decision to then send the video around campus and tell everyone about your personal life."

"He's right," Emery adds, jumping up from the sofa and coming to stand beside Liam. "I won't allow you to blame yourself for anything Hudson did. None of this was your fault."

"I broke up with him."

"And you had every right to!" Liam exclaims. "He cheated on you, Trix. Multiple times. Then he hurt you."

"Breaking up with him over his wrong doings didn't give him the right to torment you and tell everyone the things he knew about you. And it certainly didn't give him the right to share an intimate video of you," Emery tells me. "One you didn't even know he had, might I add."

"Deep down, I know it's not my fault," I admit, tightening the hold on my arms as my eyes dance between my best friends. "But I can't help but think about all the things I could've done differently to prevent all of this from happening."

Liam sighs, then glances around Emery's small apartment.

"Okay, that's it. We're not doing this," he declares, walking over to the sofa and grabbing my duffel bag. "We're going to the trailer to drop your stuff off and get you settled. Then all three of us are going to Mabel's diner for food."

Emery and I look at each other, grins slowly forming on our faces as our eyes light up with joy.

Chapter Two

Trix

Liam drives us across town, and the closer we get to the trailer park, the more my stomach turns.

Although it's midday and the sun is blaring down on us, the deeper we drive into the town, the darker and colder it feels.

Maybe it's because we're driving closer to the coast and the cliffs, or maybe it's because this part of Blackrock Point is rundown compared to the rest of the town. Either way, I don't like it, and I certainly don't miss living here.

When we reach the edge of town, we drive along a narrow, winding road—the one no locals dare to use because it only leads you to the trailer park and toward the Steel Devils clubhouse—just as the wooden fence encasing the trailer park comes into view.

Liam turns, slowly inching past a sign that's covered in dirt and grime, with the letter 'A' missing and the 'I' hanging upside down from the words Blackrock Point.

The cobbled path crunches beneath the car's tires as I direct Liam past rows of trailers, and through multiple little lanes toward my childhood home.

His eyes scan our surroundings, his gaze snagging on some of the more rusted and dilapidated trailers.

Although he's hiding it well, I can sense his distaste.

We reach the back of the park, and I tell him to turn left, nervously shifting in my seat.

I'm worried about his reaction when he sees where I used to live. Liam's not a judgmental person, but he's the son of the richest man in town, and I'm certain he's never set foot in a place like this before.

"It's this one on the right," I mumble, focusing my gaze on the rusted metal with flaking paint and crooked, crumbling wooden steps.

He parks the car on the small patch of grass beside the trailer, then turns the engine off.

We sit in silence for a few moments before I clear my throat and unbuckle my seatbelt.

"I'll just drop my stuff inside and check everything out, then we can get out of here and go to the diner with Em."

Opening the car door, I climb out quickly. Closing it quietly behind me, not wanting to draw attention, I spot Liam doing the same, albeit louder than me.