Page 94 of Hard Rock Sin

Cameron did as well.

Was somebody inside?

I broke out in a cold sweat. The hairs on the back of my neck tingled with warning.

Had somebody broken in?

With my heart in my throat I inched away, plastering myself to the exterior of my car. Shivers wracked my body, my fingers cold and trembling.

I tried to calm myself down. Tried to reason with myself.

Maybe Cameron had ordered pizza, and the delivery guy was still in the foyer.

But there wasn't a delivery car in the long driveway.

Maybe the housekeepers were in a rush and had forgotten to close the door behind them.

But Cameron said the housekeepers only came on Wednesdays, and it was Friday.

The anxiety was clouding my mind. I couldn't talk myself out of it. My breath came in short pants. My legs wavered. I hit the pavement, landing on my butt. I scooted back against the car as far as I could, as if the vehicle could protect me.

I heard myself struggling to breathe, wheezing as I sucked in air. My vision was beginning to go fuzzy around the edges.

A sudden thought occurred to me, briefly piercing the clouds. I could jump back in the car and lock the doors. No one would be able to get to me, then.

With shaky hands I fumbled for my purse. I clutched the keys in my hands. The feel of the cool metal calmed me somewhat.

I had a plan. I could get out of this.

My heart still jackhammered in my chest from adrenaline, but the tightness in my chest loosened some.

There wasn't anything to fear.

I closed my eyes and I took a long, slow breath. I counted to ten. I let it out. My mind began to clear. Some of the panic began to subside.

I was finally able to breathe in shallow breaths. My racing heartbeat began to slow. I wiped my clammy hands on my skirt.

The gravel of the pavement was digging into my skin. The slight pain reminded me that I'd fallen to the ground in my panic.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I pressed my palms to my face, feeling the hot flush of embarrassment.

I chided myself for having gotten so worked up. An open front door shouldn't have sent me into a panic like that.

Strong arms wrapped around me, tugging me to a warm, firm chest.

"Fuck, Lily, are you okay?"

I opened my eyes, finding myself pressed against Cameron, my head under his chin, my legs tucked under his.

"Did something scare you?" he asked, sounding worried.

"No. I'm fine," I said through a shaky breath. "I just—"

I hated having to explain that an open front door had sent me into a panic.

But I was a bit proud of myself, too. I'd fought through the panic. I'd made a plan.

The first time, Cameron had found me hiding in the bathroom, about to pass out.