His Trouble Maker

Chapter 65

Chapter 65

JESSICA

it’s true.

His eyes met mine, startled, hurt before he closed the gap and his lips found mine before i could react, his hands

cradling my face like i was something precious. For a moment-one weak, desperate moment-I melted into him,

tasting rain and whiskey and familiarity.

But then reality crashed back. | pressed my palms against his chest and pushed, breaking the kiss.

“No,” | gasped, trying to catch my breath. “You don’t get to do that.”

But even as | protested, my hands weren't pushing anymore. They were fisting in his shirt, pulling him back to

me. My brain screamed to stop while ray body arched into his.

When we finally separated, both breathing hard, a chill crept over my skin that had nothing to do with my damp

clothes.

“You're always so unfair with me, Jess,” Grayson said quietly, his thumb tracing my lower lip. “You always break

up withtoo.”

The accusation stung worse than | expected. “That's not-"

“itis,” he interrupted. “You run. Every tthings get complicated, you bolt. You decide it's over before we even

have a chance to fix it.”

Rain started falling harder now, droplets sliding down my face like tears | refused to shed. Maybe this is moon

goddess giving us signs that we are really toxic for each other.

The world around us blurred but Grayson was crystal clear, his eyes never leaving mine as he leaned in again.

This time, his kiss was gentle, almost pleading. His lips brushed against mine once, twice, three times-little

questions | didn’t have answers for.

“Do you really want to break up with me?” he asked, voice barely audible above the rain. His fingers found their

family heirloom hanging at my throat. Something so stupid and small that I'd never taken off, even when | swore

| hated him. “Do you really want to do this?” he whispered, his voice so surrendered, so unlike the Grayson

who'd just thrown a man to the ground. “Because I'm not sure | can do this again, Jess.”

“I'm so tired,” | admitted, my voice cracking. “Of this cycle. Of loving you and hating you and being terrified of

what happens next.”

“Then stop fighting it,” he murmured against my temple. “Stop running.”

| wish | could. But running away from Grayson just seems to be so hard.

Thunder cracked overhead, makingjump. His arms instinctively tightened around me-protective even now.

Even when we were destroying each other.

He leaned in again, rain sliding between our lips as we kissed. His mouth tasted like desperation and promises

we'd broken a dozen times before. How many times had we stood in rain, in parking lots, in doorways, swearing

things would be different?

“Okay,” he whispered suddenly, pulling back. Rain streamed down his face like tears. “I'm done.” His hands

dropped from my waist. “We're done.”

The words hit harder than the storm around us. My stomach plummeted as

“What?” My voice sounded small, lost in the downpour.

“You heard me,” he said, voice flat. “You want out? Fine. I'm giving you what you want. We're done.”

“Grayson—"

“I've laid all my cards for you, baby,” Grayson whispered, his voice barely audible over the storm. “But you still

want out.”

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Chapter 65

The rain continued to fall around us, but | think it won't wash how much his fucking words hurt.

His hand reached up, pushing a strand of wet hair from my face. “You're on your own, Jess.”

| stared at him, raindrops clinging to his eyelashes, his jawline tense. Was he serious? This is all I've wanted but

it suddenly fell wrong

“Is this for real?” | finally managed, my voice cracking. “Are you really...breaking up with

He looked atfor what felt like forever, rain streaming down his face, his shoulders slumped in a way | wasn’t

used to seeing, Grayson-always so confident, so sure-looked defeated.

“You've been walking away for months,” he said. “I'm just finally catching up.”

Then he turned and did exactly that. Walked away.

| couldn’t move. My feet seemed cemented to the dirt watching his figure blur through the sheets of rain.

| wanted this, didn’t I? Freedom. Space. A life without the chaos that followed Grayson everywhere. So why did it

feel like someone had just ripped my heart out?

I loved him. Fuck, I loved him so much it scared me.

A movement caught my eye-something shifting behind the row of bushes to my left. | blinked away raindrops,

trying to focus. That's stupid because I'm sure Grayson and | only know this place.

1 froze. My heart tripped in my chest.

There-a shadow moving where it shouldn’t. And then | saw them: two glowing red eyes, watchingthrough

the curtain of rain.

My breath caught. Those eyes. I'd seen them before.

They blinked once, slowly, deliberately. Recognition hitlike a physical blow, followed immediately by fear that

frozein place.

It couldn't be. Not here. Not now.

The eyes moved closer, and | could make out the vague outline of a figure. Familiar in a way that made my

stomach drop.

“Grayson!” | tried to scream, but it cout as barely more than a whisper. | couldn't tear my gaze away from

those red eyes-eyes I'd hoped I'd never

see again.

A twig snapped to my left.

| jerked my head toward the sound, momentarily breaking eye contact with the approaching figure. Nothing

there. Just shadows playing tricks in the

rain.

When | looked back, the red eyes were closer. Much closer.

No. No, no, no-

“Stay back,” | hissed, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. “Stay the fuck away from me.”

| stumble backward, my heel catching on a fallen branch. Pain shoots up my ankle as | fall, palms slapping into

mud. The forest aroundspins-dark trees melting together in the downpour, branches reaching like skeletal

fingers.

“I said stay back!” My voice cracks, dissolving into the roar of rain on leaves.

| push myself backward, the earthy smell of wet soil filling my nostrils. My clothes cling to my skin, heavy and

restricting.

Then | see it clearly.

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Chapter 65

Those eyes. | knew those eyes. That stance. The rogue. The one who nearly tore my throat out.

But now that | saw him—really saw him | realized something else. Something worse.

He looked like Grayson.

B