Grayson.
And like always, my brain immediately malfunctions.
That muscled jawline. Locked tight, like he has so much to say. Those lips? Full. Tasty. They probably whisper the sweetest things. Just not to me. Some other lucky girl, maybe. Someone prettier. A girl that gets lost in those deep-set eyes. Dark hazel and intense. Eyes that pin me in place.
And he’s so tall. Way taller than me. Like... he probably hits his head on things.
He grins, looping his thumb lazily into his waistband. His other grips the top of the doorframe as he leans forward to peek into my room, casual and confident.
He’sperfection.
All guys are perfect, though.
“Remember me?” he says, his voice deep and hypnotic… and yep, there it is. His shirt has lifted just enough to flash those V-lines. The kind that disappear into low slung jeans and short circuit my entire nervous system.
I gawk, like an idiot.
He tries again, taking off his ballcap and stroking his short, dark hair. It’s neat, low maintenance. He doesn’t have to try to look that good. Unlike Brax, who is so careful in every detail of his appearance.
“I’m Rowen Grayson. But everyone calls me Grayson. Remember from high school? I was a senior then.”
I remember.
Too well.
Me. Younger. Foolish:
He walks past the bus, unbothered, so intimidating even back then. But I’m ready this time.
Grayson fell asleep in class. Got chewed out by the teacher. Finally,finally, something I can use.
Heart pounding, I lean out the window.
“Hey, Grayson!” I call, all sugar and forced bite. “You looked real cute drooling on your desk. Not!”
Shoot. It came out shaky. My voice cracked. And I don’t even know if he drooled.
But I want to see him flinch.
He doesn’t.
He just turns his head.
Slow. Controlled. His eyes lock onto mine, so intense it sucks the breath from my lungs.
And then—
Thew!
A hot streak lands on my cheek. My chin. My collarbone.
I freeze.
Not because of the spit.
But because of the way he looks at me after. He watches me. Watches it drip.
Then adds in a dark, menacing voice, “Ugly bitch.”
