White Trash Beautiful

by Nichole Severn

  “Dead.” Her father’s matter-of-fact tone scared the shit out of her, those liquid blue eyes of his hardening in less than a second. The man she’d become accustomed to stared back at her and Trey’s heart plunged into her stomach.

  “How?”

  Cal Aston shook his head, eyes closed, movements slow.

  Trey had never known him to be at a loss for words and, in that moment, understood he’d just admitted to killing a man in cold blood. The relief that had been flooding through her veins a moment before disintegrated in an instant. “What did you do?”

  “Had to protect my investment. Any smart man knows that.”

  As if she’d taken a knife to her heart, pain erupted in her chest. The breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding burned behind her rib cage, exemplifying the ache. In small, periodic exhales, Trey tried to force the pain out, but in vain. The tears reappeared, this time falling down her face in streaks. Nothing had altered between them and she imagined not even her death would result in a change of heart from him. Her mother’s suicide had made him into a bitter old man, but Cal Aston could sink no lower. Her hope lay in the open, unfounded. “Is that all I am to you now?”

  “I think you already know the answer to that.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Should have known it the second I had to give up everything I own because of you.”

  Trey jerked herself to her feet, nearly crumbling to the mattress from the pain. Fury fed into adrenaline, giving her the energy she needed to leave. “In case you forgot when you hit the bottom of the bottle, I’m your fucking daughter.” She stumbled from the shack, out onto Main Street and kept going. She didn’t know where to go, didn’t know how long she’d be gone, but really didn’t give a shit.

  Chapter Seven

  The banging on the apartment door snapped Luke out of his shallow sleep. He hadn’t really been able to close his eyes until around 4 AM, giving him three hours until he had to be at the station. With a quick glance at the clock on the nightstand, he recognized the hour. Six in the morning.

  The banging continued.

  “All right!” he yelled into the living room. “I hear you.” Shuffling his way toward the front door, he didn’t care he only wore a pair of boxers. Whoever wanted him awake at six in the morning would have to suffer through it.

  Luke flung the door open then immediately wished he’d grabbed his robe.

  “Hi,” Trey said, raking her eyes up and down his body.

  He didn’t miss the fact that she had new bruises on her face and neck, the hole in his chest widening with anger. “Hi.” Luke cleared his throat. He hadn’t expected her to come back, let alone at six in the morning. “Everything okay?”

  She nodded, keeping her gaze down. “I just needed a place to crash.”

  Thinking of her sleeping on the moldy old mattress in Cal’s shack had Luke moving aside to let her in. “Bed’s still warm if you want to climb in.”

  Trey’s gaze shot up in surprise.

  He realized what he’d said. “I mean—” Luke licked his lips, thinking over the possibility of sharing a bed with her again, and ran his hand over his short hair. Arousal had been the last thing on his mind, but the instrument between his legs practically reached for her on its own. He stepped away from her and tried to push the thoughts away. Neither helped. “You can take the bed. I’ll be on the couch.”

  “Thanks,” she mumbled. “I won’t stay long. I just—” She cut herself off, something like embarrassment flashing through her eyes when she looked down at his waist. “I just need to get some rest.”

  Luke motioned toward the bedroom with one hand and covered the growing bulge between his legs with the other. “You know your way around. Just let me grab a blanket and a pillow.” He walked past her, feeling the weight of her gaze on his back. His promise to stay out of her life made it incredibly hard for him not to ask her where the bruises came from, where she’d been since noon yesterday, why she didn’t feel safe sleeping in her own bed. She’ll tell me in her own time. He gathered a pillow from the bed and turned to go back to the living room, but stopped short.

  Trey had followed him in.

  “You can sleep in here,” he said, moving out the door. “I have to work in an hour. I’ll leave the key under the mat so you can lock up.”

  “Will you stay with me?”

  He stopped, but only turned around partially. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Trey.”

  “Because I’m a whore?”

  He turned on her fully, frustration flooding every vein he had in his body. “Don’t you ever say that.” He got within inches of her and drove her back until the backs of her knees hit the bed. The anger that had started to pulse at seeing new bruises on her face reached an alarming level. It took him a few seconds to realize how wide her eyes had gotten and he pulled back, the rage seeping out through his pores instantly. “You are not a whore.”

  Trey only stared up into his face with resignation once he pulled away. She’d shut him out. “I’m not asking you to sleep with me. You don’t even have to touch me,” she said. “I just need you in the same room.”

  This close to her, Luke could see the bruises and cuts were fresh, especially the gash dripping blood from the side of her neck. The anger threatened to explode again and he nearly demanded to know who’d dared hurt her. Burying his initial reaction, he realized it wasn’t his place. Not anymore. He wanted to reach for the droplets before they could stain her shirt, but dropped his hand before he could. The ache to touch her intensified, ripping the air from his lungs. “You’re bleeding.” He pointed to his own neck to give her direction.

  She wiped the blood with a bare hand. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch.”

  “That’s a knife wound,” Luke said.

  Trey didn’t explain further.

  “I’ll sleep on the floor,” he resigned. He dropped the pillows and blanket beside the bed.

  “Okay.” She crawled into the bed fully clothed after kicking off her sandals.

  It took a few minutes for her to settle, but Luke listened from the floor as Trey’s breathing evened out and eventually grew quiet. He wouldn’t be able to go to sleep now. Anxiety made it impossible.

  Lying on the cold hardwood floor, he hated himself. The love of his life had fallen asleep in his bed, begged him to stay with her, and he couldn’t even bring himself to touch her. Friends, coworkers, homeless. Who hadn’t slept with his woman?

  ****

  Trey woke to the sound of a television. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but enjoyed the relief spreading throughout her body at the realization. Luke’s apartment. She pushed herself out of the warm bedspread and set her feet onto the hardwood floor. Everything had remained in place as far as she could remember from waking up for four years in this same room, even the photos they’d taken together. First date at Parkvista’s ice cream shop. One year anniversary marathon, both of them smiling from ear-to-ear as they collapsed in a heap together at the finish line. The guitar she’d bought him after seeing how much he’d enjoyed their first rock concert leaned up against the wall to her right as the mirror over his dresser reflected the worn woman still sitting on the bed. Only one thing was missing from the room: Luke.

  His pillow and blanket had been thrown onto the end of the bed and Trey realized it was time for her to go. It would be best for them both if she left before he got home from work.

  Strapping her sandals back on, Trey made her way toward the living room then to the television. She turned it off.

  “Hey!” a voice whined from the kitchen.

  Trey jumped at the sound, spinning around to confront the man behind her.

  “I was watching that,” Tucker complained, holding an armful of potato chips and dip with one arm and a pack of beer in the other. “They were just about to go to a Playboy photo shoot.”

  “Sorry.” Trey quickly turned the TV back on, her heart in her throat. It’s just Tucker, she told herself. They can’t find you here. “
I didn’t know anyone was here.”

  “I hear that a lot,” he said with a smile. A quick wave of his eyebrows made her smile.

  She’d always liked Tucker for his jokes, but remembered the last time they’d talked. She’d been in cuffs. “About the other night...” Trey didn’t have the patience to relive it and pushed forward. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

  “You mean because you were drunk,” Tucker said, balancing the beer and chips carefully. “Or because of what you were caught doing?”

  She hesitated, unsure how to answer, and looked for a distraction around the small living room. Her eyes connected with the clock on the barely-used stove. “It’s 5 o’clock? I’ve been asleep for eleven hours?”

  Tucker commandeered the couch with his treasure and started eating. “Yep.” He chomped down on a chip and Trey’s stomach growled.

  She inhaled slowly, trying to calm it down. She could go a bit longer without food, but not much. Trey picked up her wristlet from the coffee table, unable to remember setting it there. “I have to go.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Tucker stood, nearly dumping his snacks onto the floor. “If I don’t keep an eye on you, I don’t get to watch the Kardashians.”

  Trey could barely hold back a smile. “Just tell him I snuck out the bedroom window.”

  “Nuh uh. You’re not going anywhere. I have strict instructions.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “That sounds like a challenge, Tucker,” Trey said. “Are you sure you want to try this?” She watched his Adam’s apple bob down and then back up as he swallowed.

  Then the apartment door opened.

  “Shit,” she whispered, dropping her chin to her chest. Trey didn’t have to turn around to know Luke stood in the doorway, but she did anyway.

  He only stared at her for a moment, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Didn’t think you’d still be here.”

  “Wasn’t planning on it.” It was the cold, hard truth. The more time she spent with him, the more he’d become a target. She had to get home before her father got the wrong impression.

  “I think I’ll go now.” Tucker made his way out the door, but not before Luke took possession of the chips in his arms.

  “These stay here.”

  “Yes, sir.” Tucker closed the door behind him.

  They were alone. Again. She tried to look anywhere but at the eyes that had promised so much. Shame, disgust, self-loathing. They’d all played their part after she’d left him two years ago, but right now, they consumed her. Over and over, she’d imagined his exact expression when he’d found her note on the pillow that morning, each more crushing than the last, and couldn’t stand to see it in person.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “I should get going.”

  “Why?” His question had been more of a demand. Luke stripped the holster from around his waist then walked to the kitchen counter to set it down. “Got another client to get beat up by?”

  The words took her breath away. Trey didn’t have to stand for this. She stomped toward the door then reached out for the doorknob. “Well, it’s none of your business, is it?”

  “I know what he’s doing to you, Trey.”

  She froze.

  “You really think you can hide all those injuries?”

  Trey turned toward him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Really?” Luke stalked toward her, his uniform ruffling at the movement.

  The beige color only accentuated the chocolate, mocha tint of his skin and before she could help it, Trey envisioned it pressed against her body. The memory of their first time together forced its way across her mind. Eighteen and in love with the quarterback of her high school football team, Trey had no idea Luke Johnson had set his sights on her. Not until prom when he’d asked her to dance after her date scampered off with a cheerleader. That night, she’d found the man she would spend the rest of her life with. He’d been gentle and slightly awkward since it’d been the first time for both of them. She didn’t fault him for it. In fact, his hesitation had only made her want him more. Eight years later, he still had the same effect on her.

  “What about the bruise on your face or the cut on your bottom lip?” he asked, his voice bringing her back to the present. He’d stopped in front of her. “How about that broken right rib?”

  “What’d you do? Examine me while I was asleep?” She’d meant it as a joke, a smile on her lips from the memory she’d just replayed in her head, but Luke’s silence made her realize exactly how far he’d go to make her life Hell. The smile disappeared, panic taking over. She backed away from him. “You didn’t...” If her father found out Luke had touched her—

  “You didn’t give me a choice. I had to make sure you weren’t seriously hurt.”

  “I’m alive, aren’t I?” The words came out harsher than she’d meant them to. “I can’t do this right now. I have to go home.”

  “When are you going to stop finding excuses to run away from me?” Luke asked. “You could have a good thing here. You could be happy here.”

  The talk again.

  “I’m a whore, Luke!” She waited for it to sink in for him, but knew it wouldn’t. “How long is it going to take for you to realize that I can’t just stop?”

  He took another step toward her, using his body as an obstacle. “First of all, I told you never to say that again.” He towered over her, heat coming off his Polynesian skin. “Second, believe me when I say, I will never give up on you and I’ll do anything to get you out of this life.”

  Trey knew him too well. Luke had already done something. “You went to see him, didn’t you?” From the expression on his face, she knew it to be the truth. Her heart sank as her eyes widened in disbelief. “You don’t know what you’ve done.”

  “Trey.” Luke reached for her.

  She pushed him away with all the strength she had. “Don’t touch me!” Tears slid down her cheeks. “You just signed your own death warrant!” The words came out through a sob. She couldn’t handle the knowledge that her father would kill the man she’d been in love with since she’d been eighteen.

  Luke backed away.

  “I have to go. I have to go.” The words barely made it past the lump in her throat. She tried to push past him, but he wouldn’t budge. She stared straight at him, hoping her next words would sink in. “He’s going to kill you if you don’t let me leave.”

  Chapter Eight

  “I’m not letting you get away this time, Trey.” Luke meant every word.

  “He’ll kill you,” she whispered, her light green eyes begging for him to understand. “You know he will.”

  “He can try.” He put a smile on his face, something to reassure her that he could handle himself. He wouldn’t let her leave his sight. If her pimp had a problem with that, he could come get her himself. Luke would wait. “But for tonight, I want you to stay with me.”

  Trey scoffed, switching her weight from one foot to the other. “You never give up, do you?”

  “Would you want me to?”

  She found something very interesting to stare at behind him instead of answering.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you some dinner.” He turned his back on her, praying she wouldn’t walk out the door.

  “You don’t have to do this,” came her response.

  Stopping halfway between her and the kitchen, Luke pivoted around. “Do you remember our first date?” He did and had been replaying it every day since.

  “You mean prom?”

  Heat rose up his neck and into his face at the memory. “Yeah.”

  “That day was a lot of firsts for us.” Trey took two steps closer to him, a playful light in her eyes. “First dance. First kiss. First time we had sex.”

  A chuckle escaped his throat. Those had been all well and good in his mind, but something more memorable pulled at the edges of Luke’s consciousness. “It was also the day I knew you were the only woman for me.�
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  A smile bloomed across her features, a beautiful sight he’d missed over the past two years. “Prom night was the first night we met.” She stepped even closer, merely inches away as she looked up at him with those sea-green eyes. “Are you telling me it was love at first sight?”

  “When we were eighteen, I’d already been in love with you for three years.”

  “Really?” Her tone took on a breathy note. Trey swallowed loudly. “Since you were fifteen? I didn’t even notice you until you asked me to dance.”

  “I know. I made sure to take my time so you wouldn’t think I was just another guy who wanted to get into your pants like the loser who ditched you that night.” He nodded to himself. Raising his hands to her biceps, Luke used the pads of this thumbs to stroke her pale skin. “I swore to myself I would do anything to keep you for myself, including cooking dinner.”

  “Why are you telling me this now?” she asked, but didn’t pull away as he’d expected.

  “Because you didn’t need to hear it until now.”

  Ten minutes later, onions, peppers and mushroom were sautéing on the stove. The warm aroma made his stomach growl and he sank further into the comfort of their old life. How many times had she sat on that stool? His heart lurched. Trey had given up this life, a safe and secure life, and for what? Money. Rebellion. Fear.

  “When did you learn to cook?” Trey asked. She tried to pick a piece of cheese from the cutting board in front of him, but Luke smacked her hand away.

  He winked at her with a smile.

  For the first time in a long time, she smiled back at him. The tears were gone and the beautiful woman he’d fallen in love with years ago presented herself. Hope blossomed in the center of his chest. Perhaps he’d be able to save her after all. With cheese.