Page 5 of Hendrix
Hendrix waited for me to draw closer before reaching out. I took his hand, and he tugged me close, helping me arrange the bed sheet around us as I settled my ass in his lap with my back to his front.
He tucked my face into his throat, and my eyes drifted to the window, “It’s beautiful,” I whispered, my eyes glued to the scene as the sun’s rays spilled into the dark purples and blues of the night sky.
He kissed the top of my head. “Yeah, baby. It’s gorgeous.”
Burrowing closer to his skin, I murmured, “Thank you for giving it to me.”
His body stiffened for a few seconds, and my body locked right along with his until, eventually, I felt all tension seep away, leaving him relaxed again.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he grunted. “You?”
“Yeah,” I affirmed softly. “I didn’t think you’d still be here when I woke up.”
He let out a soft chuckle and admitted, “Baby. Neither did I.”
“I’m glad you stayed,” I breathed.
Hendrix aimed his eyes down to meet mine and dropped a kiss on my forehead. “Me too. Dunno how it happened. I got up and put my jeans on with all intentions of jetting, but something made me land my ass on this seat and keep it here.”
The words seared through me, and I leaned up and traced my lips down his jaw. “Good.”
His mouth split into a wide grin, and the sun coming up suddenly seemed to pale in comparison to the way Hendrix looked in that moment.
Like mine.
* * *
One Year Later
Hendrix
Anna had been knocking on my door for a good ten minutes.
She knew I was here, seeing as my bike and truck were sitting in the parking lot of my apartment complex like a beacon signaling what I was silently trying to tell her.
It was over.
But I knew she’d come, so I made sure my place was in darkness when she did.
There I was, sitting in the blacked-out room, at my kitchen table, nursing a glass of whiskey, surrounded by boxes full of my shit that I still needed to load into the flatbed of my truck. My life was taking a turn. Dagger had given me his blessing to set up a new chapter in Virginia, where I had a beautiful hotel lined up to act as headquarters for my new security firm.
I had my military brother, Ace, helping me and my dad, along with a team of good men who I also hoped to call brothers very soon. Things were moving fast in Virginia, and it was time to get on with building something good.
Anna had a life here, a business, friends, and family. How could I let her give it all up for a man who couldn’t give her what she wanted? Marriage, kids, and living happily ever after weren’t in my future. I tried it once, and it all went ass up. The shit that followed wiped out any desire I might have had to settle down.
I could only be the man God had made me, and that man couldn’t be what Anna needed. We’d had a good year, and it had been fun, but it was time for both of us to move on. I thought the world of her, and she’d gotten under my skin, but ultimately, I couldn’t give her what she wanted, so I had to let her go.
The door banged again, and a muscle ticked in my jaw as I tamped down the overwhelming urge to go to her. It took everything I had to keep my ass in that chair, but I forced myself to stay put. So, I sat in my chair and took another swig of whiskey, convincing myself it was for the best.
It was for her.
Eventually, I got what I wanted. The knocking stopped, and with the silence, a hole grew in my chest so big and so cavernous that I thought it would swallow me completely. Unable to help myself, I stood and went to the window, my stare landing on the silver Audi parked next to my dad’s old truck.
It didn’t take long for her to appear. Anna walked with her head held high, looking classy in a tight skirt and sexy heels, her strut full of sass and attitude. Her sweet, round ass swung from side to side along with the glossy red hair I’d dreamed of during the weeks without her.
She beeped her locks, pulled her door open, slid into her car, and drove away, and she did it with her eyes averted, never once looking up at where I stood, watching her from my window with my heart in shreds.
