Page 47 of Dangerous Attraction

Mouse's shoulders instantly tense, and his eyes slowly drop away from the TV until he's staring at the floor, brows drawn deep, and his lips pressed into a thin line.

Ah, shit. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

Guilt gnaws in my gut as he remains silent, body coiled tight, and eyes unblinking as he stares at the floorboards, seemingly lost in his head.

Music filters up the stairs, along with faint, mumbled shouts, and I use that as my excuse to leave.

"I'm sorry, Mouse," I mutter, then stand and quietly exit the room.

When I make my way back downstairs, Warren and Milo are no longer sitting at the bar, but Reeve remains on the stool.

"What were you doing?" he asks when I round the bar, grab a water bottle from the fridge, then crack it open.

I shrug. "Cleaned upstairs and was just having a conversation with Mouse for a little while."

His brows raise, and he drops the glass bottle he was holding.

"You were talking to Mouse?"

I nod, frowning.

"Is there an issue with that?"

His mouth gapes open and he stares at me as if I have two heads.

"When you say you were talking to him, you mean that literally, right? Like, it was just you who was speaking?"

Huffing in annoyance, I roll my eyes and shake my head.

"No. I mean, I was having a conversation with him. As in, I was saying words to him, and he said words back to me. I know you clearly struggle to communicate with people, but I'm sure you still know what having a conversation entails."

A puff of air pushes its way through his parted lips.

"That's impossible," he mutters, eyes dropping to the bottle in front of him. "Mouse doesn't talk."

I scoff. "That's quite rude. Sure, he's a quiet guy, but he does talk. Maybe you just haven't bothered to try."

"No," he says quietly, his troubled gaze moving back up to mine as he leans over the wooden surface between us. "I'm serious, Red. He doesn't talk. At all. Not to anyone."

His words settle in my mind, and my brows draw down as my eyes flick between his.

"In the whole five years he's been a part of this club, he's never spoken to a single one of us."

My heart stutters in my chest.

Holy shit.

I'd already known Mouse was a quiet and reserved guy, and that's why I felt a strange sense of pride and gratitude when he'd spoken to me before, but knowing he's never spoken to anyone else here, and yet he chose to speak to me, has my stomach twisting as I go over the way our conversation ended upstairs.

He was already opening up to me, more than he has with anyone, and I pushed for more than what he was willing to give, causing him to completely shut down.

God, why am I always fucking shit up?

Chapter Eighteen

Reeve

Trix excuses herself, pushes away from the bar and all but runs toward the bathroom door, as I watch her in confusion.