Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Hendrix hands me the bag of food, and I take a few steps back because I know how this is going to end.
I can see every muscle in Hendrix’s body lock and release as he shakes himself a bit before lacing his fingers together in front of him, telling the guy, “Bro, it’s your lucky night.”
“Hey, man. He’s sorry, Hen-” One of the guys moves in to intervene, but Hendrix holds his hand to stop him.
“No, don’t save your friend. He’s clearly asking for this because my lady told him several times to leave her alone and to not touch her. He can’t understand that so I’m going to help him remember his manners, especially when talking to a woman.”
“Man, fuck you and that stuck-up bitch, thinking she too good.” The insistent asshole turns into a drunk belligerent one just as Hendrix unlocks his fingers to wrap them around the outspoken guy’s throat. His friends sigh and disperse, with two hanging around looking ready to come to his aid.
“You don’t want to do that, boys,” Hendrix tells the men approaching. He nudges his chin toward the men who are retreating, “Ask them why it’s a bad idea.”
My heart is racing as Hendrix turns his attention to the disrespectful guy, still struggling to wrench free from Hendrix’s massive hand around his throat.
“You ignored her when she turned you down. You then said very disrespectful things to me and to her. Now, you can make a choice here, buddy. You can apologize and leave with your friends or you don’t have to and you can leave in an ambulance.”
The color drains from the guy’s face as Hedrix releases his grip. The man, visibly shaking, looks at me and winces, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that stuff. I was a bit drunk but I’m sober now. No hard feelings.”
Hendrix grunts and folds his thick arms over his chest, giving the guy a head start that he takes, running toward his buddies who hop into their cars to drive away. He then turns to me, holding out his hand so I can walk back to his truck where he holds the door open for me to get inside.
“I’m sorry about that, baby girl. I don’t want you to see me like that.”
Reaching over, I touch the top of his leg. “It doesn’t bother me at all. Brody gets the same way, but he’s always off on the road somewhere. I’m glad I have you.”
Hendrix picks up my hand, kisses the back, and never lets it go as we drive the rest of the way to his house. It’s almost 11 when we pull into a driveway on the outskirts of Conklin.
The house is simple, sleek, and beautiful. It’s a large black rectangular shape with large glass windows, letting me see directly into the living room.
When we walk up to the door, Hendrix puts in a code and the door unlocks. We step inside and the lights come on, showing a beautiful home.
“This doesn’t look like the house of someone who changes locks and makes spare keys for a living,” I mumble to myself, but he hears me.
Hendrix grins. “I know. Most of my work is actually large contract security system installations. I have a group of guys, your brother included, who I send out all over the country to do security work. If it needs protecting, I got you covered.”
“Wow, you have it all figured out.”
He chuckles, “Baby girl, if I had it all figured out, I would have had you in my life months ago. Come on, let me show you around.”
The home is only one level, but the massive living room flows into a beautiful kitchen with equally large floor-to-ceiling windows that show the backyard and the most beautiful mountains in the distance. It looks like an ominous shadow in the moonlight with the stars twinkling brightly against the violet-blue night. They feel so close it feels like I can reach out and grab one.
There’s a lap pool, dim lights surrounding it, and spear-shaped trees lining the fence around the yard.
“There’s so much land out here. It feels like we’re miles away from Conklin, from anywhere.”
He comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling against my hair. “It’s not that far out. My family owns the land out here. My brother, Hudson, is about 15 minutes down the road. He runs Heaven’s Haven Retreat with his wife Heather, and our oldest brother lives closer to town with his wife, Halo.”
“I fit right in with a name like Havana, don’t I?” I jokingly mention, but there’s something in his eyes as he turns me around to face him.
“You’re the perfect fit for me, baby girl.”
7
HENDRIX
I set the food on the dining table, watching Havana take in everything around us.