Page 11 of Vengeful Pawn (Adair Legacy #6)

Hendrix

S taring at the note on the counter, I fluctuate from rage to blind fury. The threat is obvious and filled with intent. Telling her that she can’t hide from him. I don’t care who the fuck they think they are, Mia is under my protection, and I won’t let anything happen to her.

She’s in the shower now, trying to calm her hyper-sensitive nerves, while I’m supposed to be making her dinner.

I have every intention of taking Mia to my parents, but I also know that I need to call Castle to make him aware of the threats to his sister.

He’s going to insist I bring her back home.

The problem is she’ll be more exposed to whoever is after her while she’s there.

After checking on Mia to find her still in the shower, and as much as I’d like to join her, I go back to the kitchen to make the chicken, bacon, and ranch salad she requested with strawberries and watermelon.

The chicken and bacon have been chopped and are cooking while I wash the vegetables for salad.

It’s another twenty minutes before Mia appears, wearing one of my T-shirts and a pair of thick socks, with a towel wrapped around her hair.

“It smells good, Hendrix.”

I can’t keep my eyes off her as she approaches, taking a seat at the counter and reaching for a carrot.

“Buttery steakhouse seasoning,” I tell her, tossing the cut vegetables into a bowl and mixing them. “You want something to drink?” Tugging open the fridge door, I let her have a look.

“Cranberry ginger ale, please.”

I watch her rubbing her stomach as I pull a can out and pop it open.

“Ice?” She declines the offer and takes a sip after I hand it to her. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Just stress from what’s going on has my stomach upset.” I watch her take another sip before pulling out a bag of crackers.

“The pills still working?” She shrugs her shoulders. “What can I do, Mia?”

Sighing, she nibbles on a cracker as she stares down at the counter. “I don’t know.” The vulnerability in her tone cracks my heart open. “This wasn’t how I pictured my life being, you know?”

“I do.” More than I could ever explain. Being a broken man hadn’t been what I envisioned as a child.

Her eyes meet mine briefly, and I see a flicker of empathy before she drops them again. “Can I tell you something without you being angry?”

“Of course.” I don’t think I’ve ever been intentionally angry towards her before. At least, I fucking hope not.

“When I thought of having kids, I had always imagined being married first. Creating a home with a husband who loved me fiercely. Not a one-night stand gone wrong.” The tension in her shoulders tells me she still anticipates my anger.

“Do you believe I can’t love you, MiaBella?”

Placing my hands on the counter, I study her body language. Each inhale of breath, the stress lines she tries to hide on her face. The tension in her shoulders and neck…even the way she’s hunched over. The expectation of rejection is all over her.

“I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t. It’s not like you asked for this.”

Jesus. Have I really given her that impression?

Rounding the short island counter, I cup her chin in one hand and bury my other in her hair, shoving the towel off her head.

“Do you know the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw you?” She swallows roughly, biting her lip.

“How much I wanted you to be mine.” Her eyes widen in shock.

“If there was ever anyone who could convince me to want a life with a woman and children, it was always going to be you.”

“Really?” Her eyes water as she gives me a half smile.

“Fuck yes.” I can’t believe I ever ran away from her. “I took the coward’s way out because what you made me feel was scary as fuck, but I knew after a week of dreaming about you that I was always going to find you again.”

Blowing out a deep breath, Mia rests her hands on my chest and opens her thighs so I can step in closer to her. “You genuinely believe you can love me?”

Bending forward, I press my lips to hers.

“MiaBella, my beautiful girl, I’m already halfway there.

” Without letting her get a word in, I deepen the connection, sweeping my tongue into her mouth and kissing her lazily.

Taking my time to taste and explore because every time I get my hands on this woman, I discover something new to enjoy.

Before I’m able to pick her up, her stomach grumbles in protest. Her nourishment comes before my wants or desires, so I pull back. Pushing her hair off her face, I lean down to take another kiss, however.

“Food first.” We eat together, mostly in silence. As I’m cleaning up the dishes, my phone rings and Bishop’s name flashes on the screen. “Hey,” I answer.

“I got a grainy image from the building’s security. You can’t see his face, but he’s driving a white Tacoma, and there’s a blue and gold arrowhead sticker on it; Mississippi College is my guess.”

“Thanks, man, I owe you one.” Bishop always comes through for me.

“You’d do the same for me, man. You know I’ve always got your back.”

After we hang up, he sends me the pictures. He wasn’t kidding about the image quality.

“Is everything okay?” Mia comes up beside me.

I slide the phone to her so she can look at the pictures. “Bishop couldn’t get a clear image of the guy's face, but the truck with the sticker could come in handy.”

“Jeff.” She hisses out the name.

“What?” I stand up straighter.

“My ex, Jeff Gold, he went to Mississippi College.” She swallows before looking up at me. “He drives a white Tacoma, too.”

The fear that enters her eyes pisses me off. There’s no way in hell I’m going to allow this to slide. This asshole is mine.

Pulling her into my arms, I begin formulating a plan to get this guy off her back and maybe have him meet a watery grave if he further pisses me off.