GRAYSON


    I squeered my fists so hand my knuckles popped “Your drunk, Jess?” iharked, grabbing her wrist before she could stumble thefucking


    Sheughed again, threw her head back, and try to touch my face. I backed her up on her as hit the side of my car with a hollow that. Her dress code up, Bashing bare thighs and the edge of palece where she hadn’t bothered with proper clothes tonight


    No one’s around.


    No one would slop the


    I could open the door, shove her inside, and drive until this entire fucked up vige was a smear in the rear vie


    I could take her far away from everyone and everything and no one would find us until it was toote.


    I dragged my gaze over her–filthy, hungry, sick with it–drinking in every drunken, ruined inch


    Fuck, the her up, steal her, fix her.


    “Get off me,” she mumbled, voice slurring, hands weakly pushing at me. Pathetic little shoves that didn’t even fucking move me an inchiughed low, mimacing,


    Itaged her in harder, pressing her into the side of the car until she felt every inch of the weight of me. Felt how hopeless it was felt how much could crush her if I wanted to


    Her body went rigid, and I could feel her pulse quicken, the rapid beat of it against my chest. She was scared. But she’d never admit it


    “You think you can still tell me what to do, baby?” rasped, voice low and soaked with a venom I was sure she could feel vibrating through her


    “You think you can still fucking run?” I gritted out, moving my mouth closer to the shell of her ear<b>, </b>brushing my <b>lips </b>against the side of her neck. I could feel her shudder, but it wasn’t from the cold. It was fear.


    Good. I wanted that


    Her body Trembled violently under mine, a stark contrast to the way her mouth kept spitting out lies. “You’re getting married,” she <b>said </b>again, her hands shoving at me like it meant anything. “Damn you! You freaking <b>asshole</b>”


    She had no fucking clue. No idea what she was <b>really </b>up against.


    Lepted her pain because it


    the only thing I could do for her right now, <b>it’s </b>all i could do.


    Jess kept pounding at my chest with those tiny hands, those pathetic, desperate little <b>ps</b><b>. </b>But each time they hit, they felt <b>weaker</b>. caught her wrist–quick, brutal–pulling her hands above her head <b>and </b>pinning them to the <b>car</b>. She gasped, <b>a </b>sh of panic flooding her face. Her lips parted, breathing shallow, but the anger still wing at her face. She was so fucking beautiful, so goddamn broken,


    Fuck her for making me want this


    “Listen,” I growled, jerking her ann just <b>enough </b>to make her wince. My other hand went to the back of her neck, holding her in ce while! let my <b>eyes </b>roam over her body. She was soft. Vulnerable, Drunk, Mine. “Do you think you’re the only one hurting here, Jess?”


    She tried to jerk away, but I pinned her tighter. Held her there, Held us both there. “You think this is what i fucking wanted” snarled against her mouth. “You think I wanted to stand there tonight, wearing a ring that means nothing, dancing with a girl I don’t give two <b>fucks </b>about crushed her wrists harder into the wall, my whole body shaking. “I don’t <b>have </b>a <b>choice</b>, baby,”


    My volce cracked. “I never fucking did.”


    Jess whimpered, <b>salt</b>, broken. Her eyes glistened, but she blinked the tears away like she hated herself for it.


    I couldn’t take it anymore.


    I crushed my mouth down on hers–savage, brutal–like I could shove the words she refused to hear straight down her fucking throat. She struggled for half <b>a </b>second, her body writhing against mine, and then her lips opened and she kissed me back<b>, </b>angry and desperate and


    furious


    “Grayson<b>…</b>”


    I drank her in, kissed her like I was drowning, like she was thest breath I’d ever g get. “Give me a week I broke the kiss just enough to growl against her mouth, my forehead mming lightly into hers. “Just a fucking week to <b>sort </b>this out.” Another kiss–harder<b>, </b>harsher – biting down on her lower lip until she gasped. “I don’t care if you hate me,” I rasped, tasting blood and wine and pure goddamn heartbreak. “I don’t care if you want to kill me.” I kissed her again, dragging her bottom lip between my teeth until she whimpered. My hand slid down from her wrist to the side of her face, holding her jaw, forcing her to look at me.


    Her eyes were wild–ssy with anger and confusion and the kind of grief that mirrored my own.


    I’ll burn


    ?????


    it all down, Jess,” I <b>said</b>, voice wrecked and raw. “This wedding. My fucking family. Everything. Just say the word,”


    She shook her head, a sob catching in her throat.


    “No–no<b>, </b>you can’t-”


    “I will,” I cut her off, fierce and unrelenting. “I’ll destroy it all for you. Just…” I swallowed hard, the words wing their way up my throat. “Just don’t walk away from me yet”


    Jess sucked in a shaking breath, tears spilling over even as she shook her head again, her whole–body trembling under my hands.


    I kissed her again–rougher this time, like punishment, like prayer.


    My thumb brushed her cheek<b>, </b>catching a tear.


    <b>“</b><b>Give </b>


    me a week” I begged against her mouth. “Just a fucking week baby and i’ll make us work.”


    Jess pushed at my chest, weak, useless, drunk. “You’re a liar,” she choked out, hitting me again with the softest fucking fists. “You’re getting married. Why would I trust you? Theard you talking about her with Pierce.”


    I grabbed her wrists again, mmed them back over her head, pinning her to the car so hard the frame groaned. “<b>So</b>, that’s why you’re angry at me? Why <b>you </b>ended us?”


    She whimpered, twisting, but I didn’t let her gg. Couldn’t. I needed her to hear me eavesdropping make sure to finish the damn conversation.”


    needed her to understand. “Next time, if you’re


    I told Pierce <b>I’ll </b>marry the girl. That girl is Jess in my mind, I just couldn’t drop that shit because she wanted <b>to </b>hide us


    “I hate you,” Jess whispered, eyes ssy, mouth trembling, after I told her that.


    I kissed her – savage, feral–swallowing the lie from her lips. “<b>No</b><b>, </b>you don’t,” I growled against her mouth. “<b>You </b>fucking love <b>me </b>and you hate yourself for it”


    She cried then–real, broken sobs that tore out of her chest and ripped through mine like barbed wire.


    loosened my grip, just enough to cradle her face in both hands, holding her like she was thest fragile thing left in my <b>fucked</b><b>–</b>up world.


    “I’ll fix this,” I swore, forehead pressed to hers. “I don’t care if I have to burn the whole fucking world down. I’lle back for you.”


    Jess sobbed harder, her hands fisting into my


    shirt like <b>she </b>couldn’t decide whether to punch me <b>or </b>pull me closer.


    I kissed her onest time–slow this time, lingering, like memorizing a wound I’d never be able to heal before forcing myself to <b>pull </b>away


    “I love you,” I said, the words breaking something open inside me as they left my mouth. “Goddess help me, Jess, I love you more than my own fucking life.”