Read Online Embracing Trouble (Trouble Series) by Dee Bridle - Free Book Online

his gaze landed on me. His eyes narrowed at me, like he either couldn’t believe I was standing there or he was pissed that I was.
    I took a deep breath and calmly turned around, making my way over to the front door. How many times did I need him to prove to me that I wasn’t even a thought in his mind? I wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. I wanted to fall into a flood of tears at how stupid I looked.
    “Hey, hotness,” said a guy touching my back as I passed him, his hand moving lower and squeezing my bottom hard.
    I pushed his hand away, panic crawling up my spine. What was I doing here by myself? What had I become? I never chased guys, especially ones who were not interested in me. He had turned my brain to mush, and I was a fool.
    I quickly pushed my way through everyone, getting outside and making my way down the steps. Guys standing on the steps called out to me, and I cringed, needing to get away from them all. I reached the driveway as a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
    “What are you doing here?” Zac growled softly.
    I pulled my arm out of his grasp and with a snarly attitude, said, “I was invited.”
    He swore under his breath and looked really angry, and it hurt.
    “I’m going now, so don’t worry about it,” I returned, trying not to cry in front of him.
    I didn’t want him to see that I was crushed.
    He stepped closer, his hand suddenly cupping my cheek.
    “You need to stay away from me,” he said, his eyes burning into mine.
    He was so close I could feel his breath on my face and see the anger in his eyes, but his hand was gentle on me.
    “Why?” I asked in bewilderment.
    He didn’t answer. It looked like he wanted to at first, but then changed his mind. He let me go and ran his hand through his hair, looking exasperated, like I was driving him crazy.
    “I get it,” I said softly, turning away from him.
    “You don’t,” he said.
    I stopped but didn’t look back to him as I said quietly, “I do. You’re not attracted to me, and I’m clearly an idiot for even coming here tonight. I’m sorry that I interrupted your fun,” I said with resignation.
    I went to move away and he grabbed my arm again, stopping me.
    He turned me back to him, asking as if in disbelief, “You think I’m not attracted to you?”
    “It doesn’t matter anymore,” I whispered looking up at him.
    His hands went to my waist, and I was suddenly against a parked car, my face inches from his. I felt the tension between us, like little sparks shooting back and forth as he looked at me with his deep intense eyes.
    “You’re fucking beautiful,” he whispered hoarsely, his hands cupping my face.
    He leaned into me, touching my forehead with his own. His words were real, and I stopped breathing with the intensity. He thought I was beautiful? Delight warmed my cheeks and my stomach flipped.
    “But you need to stay away from me,” he whispered, piercing my eyes with his own.
    “And what if I don’t want to?” I whispered.
    “You have to, Ava, because I’m wrong for you. You need to see that. I’m bad and you’re good. You need to go back to wherever you came from and stay there,” he demanded softly.
    “I can’t,” I whispered in a half sob.
    He closed his eyes for a moment as if trying to gather strength. He breathed me in, his fingers moving to my hair.
    “You don’t belong here.”
    His words hurt but didn’t match the tender way he touched me. I felt confused and turned on. I didn’t belong anywhere and that was the point of my discontent. His lips grazed my forehead and then he was stepping away from me, his hands gone.
    “Go home, Ava,” he growled softly, turning away and heading back to the party.
    I silently sobbed and wrapped my arms around myself watching him leave me. I noticed the guy who had grabbed me on the bottom come down the stairs laughing with someone and then he looked over to me.
    “She yours, Zac?” he asked, ogling me.
    Zac shoved him back onto the steps