His Trouble Maker

Chapter 59

JESSICA

My eyes burn, swollen from sleep or crying or both. I don’t remember when I stopped sobbing. Only that I did. I stare at the ceiling for a long time, hoping for numbness. Hoping maybe if I worship it long enough, it’ll show mercy. Maybe it’ll numb me. Maybe it’ll split open and take me back.

However, no one takes pity on the weak. I know that now. I’ve earned that knowledge when Theo took advantage of me. So, I decided to continue my day as if everything’s alright.

“There she is!” Pierce eagerly shouted tapping Grayson’s shoulder. I saw both of them having their morning coffee and discussing something. “Going somewhere lil sis?”

I ignore him completely. My focus is entirely on Grayson, whose eyes widen slightly as he takes in my appearance–the dark smudged makeup I didn’t bother washing off, the hickeys I didn’t try to hide.

Without warning, I straddle Grayson’s lap, knocking his coffee against his chest. He hisses at the heat but I silence him by crushing my mouth against his. My hands tangle in his hair, pulling just hard enough to hurt.

When I break away, I smile at the shock on both their faces. “Can we talk?” I whisper against Grayson’s lips. “Privately.”

Pierce clears his throat. “Uh, is that a fucking hickey Jessica?!”

“Pierce, you can go,” he says, voice terrifyingly calm.

Pierce snorts. “Dude, this is my house.”

Grayson’s hand slides up to my throat, thumb pressing against one of Theo’s marks. His eyes never leave mine. “Go.”

The door slams a moment later. Grayson’s fingers tighten slightly around my neck.

“Who touched you?” he asks, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Who. Fucking. Touched. You.”

I feel his rage like a physical thing–a storm building inside him that will destroy everything in its path. Good. That’s what I want. Destruction.

“I’m cheating on you,” I say, feeling his fingertips press deeper into my skin. “You have to break up with me.”

Please be mad at me, Grayson.

need you to be

black. Without warning, he flips me onto my back, the coffee table crashing beneath us. Pain

he growls, hands finding my throat again. This time, he squeezed until I’m struggling for air. “You

choke out, tears stinging my eyes. “Last night. I let

hand crashes into the wall beside my head, plaster cracking. “Stop lying to

me,” I plead, voice

air. My lungs burn, my constricts. I claw at his hands, my nails drawing blood

1/3

Chapter 59

what I

like he’s somewhere

One last desperate scratch across his forearm finally breaks through

washing over his face as I roll to my side, coughing violently, gulping down air like I’m starving

sorry!” His voice breaks, hands hovering over me, afraid to touch.

shouted, stepping away from him. I stumble backward, knocking over a glass that shatters against

I whisper, my voice a painful rasp. “You were really

“Jess, I swear to Goddess, I don’t know what happened. It was like I wasn’t

couldn’t control…“.

A text from Theo: “Did you

and he moves faster than I can

betrayal washing over his features. “You weren’t

forward, but he sidesteps me, already scrolling through

grows pater with each

nails rake across his cheek, leaving angry red lines. He barely flinches, just scrolls through more messages while holding me

give up the phone, I found myself slapping him hard across the

snaps to the side from the impact, phone still clutched in

hit me,” he whispers, sounding more bewildered than

have I done?

me like a predator as I