Obsession His Runaway Bride (Noelle and Adrian) novel Chapter 130

Chapter 130: All of You

Her lips met his like a decision already made. It was a soft, sudden press that was both unsteady and sure. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t rehearsed. But it was real. And that was what undid Keegan.

For a heartbeat, he froze. Not out of hesitation, but awe before he began to kiss her back.

His hands found her waist, not to pull her closer, but to steady himself. As if he needed anchoring to believe this was happening. The warmth of her mouth, the trembling certainty behind it, the taste of starlight and slow healing all of it consumed him.

But he didn’t deepen the kiss. He didn’t push, didn’t take more than what she offered…because this wasn’t about his want.

When she finally pulled back, just a breath away, her fingers still fisted in his coat, Keegan’s eyes opened slowly, dark and stunned and filled with reverence.

“Grace…” he breathed her name nearly a whisper. Like saying it too loud might scare her away.

But she didn’t run.

She didn’t even let go.

She looked up at him with eyes wide open and cheeks flushed from more than just the kiss. There was something fragile in her expression and it hit Keegan straight in the chest.

“Why are you not mad?” she asked quietly, like the question had been sitting inside her for a long time. Her voice wasn’t anxious… it was honest and innocent. Almost childlike in its

confusion.

Keegan blinked, caught off guard. “Mad?” he repeated, brow furrowing. “Why would I be?”

Grace’s gaze flicked away. She tilted her head slightly as a hint of embarrassment slipped through, but not enough to mask the truth in her voice.

“The last time I kissed someone…” she began. “I didn’t go well. He kind of… yelled at me. Called me disgusting.” She awkwardly laughed off as her mouth lifted at the corner, a half- smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“But that’s okay. I’m used to that. I liked him a lo, though. For a long time.”

Keegan stared at her, stunned into silence. His heart dropped like a stone. He didn’t know what was worse-the cruelty she described so casually or the way she looked when she said it. Detached. Numb. Like pain was just something she had learned to live with instead of heal from.

“What?” he breathed, barely able to get the word out.

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Chapter 130 All Of You

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Grace shrugged,. “It’s pretty normal, right? People have standards.”

She said it so plainly, like it was a fact. Like it made perfect sense that someone could kiss her and recoil.

But to Keegan, it felt like someone had driven a blade through his chest.

“Grace…” he said. “That’s not normal. That’s not okay.”

She looked up at him again, confused by the intensity in his voice.

“You are not disgusting,” he said, firmer this time. “God, Grace, how could anyone-” He broke off, jaw tightening as he tried to reign in the fury pressing against his ribs. “You’re… you’re incredible. You have no idea how much. And if someone made you feel less than that, then they didn’t deserve even a second of your heart.”

Her lips parted slightly, surprised by his reaction No one had ever defended her like that.

Keegan reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face with a reverent touch.

“You deserve to be kissed like you’re the most precious thing someone’s ever held,” he said softly. “Because you are.

And in the silence that followed, Grace didn’t smile. She didn’t cry.

She just stood there, stunned, holding on to his words like they were the first solid thing she’d been given in a very long time.

“What?” she blinked.

Keegan’s eyes never left hers. “You deserve to be kissed like you’re someone’s entire world.”

Her expression flickered just briefly before she laughed under her breath. Not the soft, content kind. This one was sharp around the edges and self-mocking.

“Don’t,” she said, turning her head away like she couldn’t bear to hear it. “You don’t have to do that, Keegan. You don’t have to say things jus to make me feel better.”

“Is that what you think I’m doing?”

She let out a small scoff, bitter and tired. “What se would it be?” she asked. “Look at me.”

He did. He didn’t stop.

“I’m not that woman. Not the one people write songs about. I’m awkward half the time and closed off the rest. I’ve never known how to be graceful with affection. Most of the time, I feel more like a shadow than a person. And honestly? probably kiss like someone learning to walk again.”

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Chapter 130 All Of You

But Keegan said nothing and let her speak.

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Grace’s arms crossed tightly over her chest like she was shielding something raw. “And I’m not soft. Not in the way men like. I’m blunt, too serious. My voice gets cold when I’m nervous, and I forget to smile when I should. I was homeschooled and hidden like a secret. I didn’t grow up knowing how to be wanted, Keegan. I grew up knowing how to disappear.”

Her voice cracked slightly, but she didn’t stop. “I don’t wear lace or heels. I don’t flirt well. And half the time, I feel like I’m made of thorns. You can’t want that. No one ever has.”

Then she added almost in a whisper, “The last man I kissed looked at me like I had ruined him. He told me I was disgusting. And I believed him. God, I believed him.”

Her laugh this time was bitter. “So yeah, maybe I kissed you tonight because I wanted to remember what it felt like to not be ashamed of wanting something… but that doesn’t mean I believe I’m-”

“You don’t get to do that,” Keegan cut in gently, but firmly..

Grace blinked, startled by the interruption.

“You don’t get to talk about yourself like that in front of me,” he said, taking a step forward.” You don’t get to rewrite who you are to make yourself easier to dismiss.”

She swallowed, hard.

Keegan moved in front of her. “I see you, Grace. I see the way you hide your hands when they shake, and the way you second-guess even the simplest choices because you were never allowed to make your own. I see how you steel yourself for disappointment even in joy.”

His voice softened. “And I still want all of you…”