Page 68 of Dangerous Love

I pushed the door in, the staff room empty. When I was assured no soul was in sight, I crumpled against a bench, my back collapsing on the soft upholstery.

Jesus Almighty. Make this day end already.I closed my eyes, my brain begging for all these dickheads to leave me alone in my misery. I’d had a good few days. Michael had been sweet and caring, and yet, this unsettling feeling kept dragging me down like the anchor of the Titanic.

Show gratitude, Sienna. Evelyn’s voice echoed in my head. I surrendered to my therapist’s imaginary advice and relaxed, the sound of the fish tank in the room rocking me into a deep trance. My body grew warmer, my mind letting go of all my frustrations.

When a thumb caressed my cheek, I jolted, my body surprised by the intrusion.

“Hey,” Michael whispered.

“Hey.” I smiled and straightened, my shoulders carrying me again. “Mr Boss’s taking a break too?”Show gratitude for how amazingly caring this guy is.

His thumb moved down to my chin. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

I leaned into his hand, my belly cramping at the touch. I moved back, my awkward smile a poor attempt at distracting him from my reaction. No matter what I tried, no matter how attractive Michael was, and no matter how supportive he’d been, he lived in the pathetic valley of Riley’s shadow.

“Thank you.” I chuckled. “Just frustrated.”

“Oh, I can see that.” He waggled his eyebrows. When I closed my eyes, he ran his hands over my shoulders, his fingers digging into my trapezius.

I shut my eyes, my mind visualising what it would be like to be walking on the beach, sunshine heating up my skin. Peace. Comfort. Hope. I whimpered against his hands, reassurance growing with every touch of his fingers. “This feels so good.”

“Doesn’t it?” he murmured, right above my ear. His mouth fluttered on my flesh, goosebumps crawling along my neck. “Let me make it even better.” His tone was barely a whisper as he kissed my shoulder blade.

My heart skyrocketed in my chest, the same mixed feelings I’d felt for the last couple of weeks drowning my mind at the speed of lightning. My body wanted him. He was gorgeous, confident, and charismatic. My mind? It was still undecided. The hole in my chest refused to heal, no matter what I’d tried.

Sometimes we have to accept that change is good for us. Stop living in the past, sister.When my internal monologue had effectually stifled the thoughts in my head, I turned towards Michael, my body on a winning streak. I brought a palm to his face and cupped his cheek. His light stubble scratched my hand, his breathing growing deeper.

He moved forward. His eyes stared into mine, his fingers raking through my hair as his hands lost themselves in the depths of my locks. “You’re beautiful,” he said, right before he pressed his face to mine.

I opened my mouth, letting his tongue pass my lips, my heart a weird shade of neutral, then pecked him before pulling away. “I better get back to work.”

He nodded, then turned towards the door. “I’ll talk to you later.” He was gone within a second, leaving me alone with my confusion.

If I was having a bad day before, this hadn’t helped. The guy was incredible, and in all honesty, probably the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. Yet, my body couldn’t get any higher than lukewarm when he touched me.

Something’s wrong with you.My head bounced against the back wall, frustration killing what was left of my brain cells. I needed a distraction before going back to work and being reminded I was a loser with no career prospects. I grabbed my phone out of my front pocket and swiped the screen until the display loaded to various social media posts.

A bunch of cupcakes scrolled in front of me. Tears welled in my eyes at the image of Grace pointing to Avery in their commercial kitchen as he frosted a new batch. They looked happy. In love. Not that they shouldn’t have been—for god’s sake, they’d just got married—but it stung. Life had kept going for them.

Without me.As soon as I turned the phone off silent, a string of chimes piped in the staff room like a drunken Singstar audition. For someone with no friends, it seemed I’d missed quite a bit in the last couple of hours. I swiped to the messages, my heart convulsing when I recognised Riley’s name in bold.

Oh god....My throat dried, my blood pressure rising until my eyes grew blurry. My breathing increased, shallow gulps of air taking over as my thumb pressed the unread text. Emotions filled me. But instead of anger, sadness and longing shook me as I stared at the three little words he’d sent.

I love you.

Like the floodgates of my heart had burst, a sob racked me, all the pain and hurt smacking every neuron in my brain. Images of Riley over the last few years flashed in my mind. The way he protected me, the way he nurtured me, and the way he understood me even before the words came out of my mouth.

I closed my eyes, rocking my broken heart and empty arms. The void was almost too much to bear, and lost in my own world, I ignored the little voice in my head screaming that Riley had played me like a pro. An arm around my middle, I inhaled slowly, letting the oxygen travel through my veins. Then, like I had nothing else to lose, I pressed call on the screen, my pulse jackhammering through my temples.

“Sienna...” Riley whispered on the other line.

My throat constricted when his husky voice echoed in my ears. Heart heavy, I tried to speak, but instead I just cried into the handset.

His voice grew a little louder as he interrupted my sobbing. “Baby girl, take a deep breath,” he said as he waited for me to settle. “Where are you right now?”

“At work.” I exhaled, forcing my chest to slow down. “I’m okay.”

“I’m so sorry for everything. I miss you. I miss you so goddamn much.”

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