Page 3 of Vengeful Pawn (Adair Legacy #6)
Hendrix
S taring down at the woman I spent all night fucking, I feel a twist of regret in my gut as my written note drops on the pillow next to her head. The simple ‘thank you’ is pathetic and far less than she deserves. She doesn’t need a broken asshole hanging around, either, so it’s for the best.
Grabbing my boots on the way out the door, I quietly lock it before putting them on and heading for my truck, which one of the bikers brought over after I was dropped off and left the keys with the doorman.
In the lobby, I exchange the condo keys for them and begin the drive back home to my own shitty apartment in Pensacola.
I’ll make my way to Lilith sometime today, but right now, it’ll have to be a cold shower and about ten hours of sleep to make up for the little I got with… fuck . What is her name? I gave her mine, but getting between her thighs was the primary goal.
I’m an asshole of the worst kind it seems. More reason to steer clear of the woman.
Stopping first for the largest black coffee around, I make it home and trudge up to the bathroom, chugging the hot brew like my life depends on it. After an ice-cold dowsing, I crash in bed for a few hours, my sleep assaulted by dreams of the woman from the night before.
Upon waking, I gaze at the ceiling as my phone rings on the bedside table, the sun shines through curtains I left open, and I acknowledge my fucked-up behavior.
I should have known better than to take her to bed.
I should have fucking walked into the condo, shut the door, and slept my drunk ass off.
I should never have touched her because now I want more. So much more. More than I deserve.
“Fuck!”
Grunting while tossing off the covers, I grab my phone, which hasn’t stopped ringing for close to ten minutes. “What?” I snap through the line without looking at who it was.
“Well, hello to you, too, sweetheart.” My mother. Talia’s voice is sugary-sweet like always, and the guilt is instantaneous.
“Sorry, Mom. I was just waking up.” That should tug on her sympathy.
“On the wrong side of it, obviously.” With some snark. “Is everything alright, Hendrix?” I detest the worry in her tone for me. It’s been there far too long.
Pounding my thigh with a fist, I exhale slowly. “Yeah, just a rough night of tossing and turning.” Not mentioning that it’s because of a woman. She’d get her hopes up, and I won’t allow that to happen to me.
“Oh, well, maybe it’s time to think of some sleep aids to help?” She’s been suggesting them since I retired from the service.
“I’ll think about it.” It’s my same rote answer. “Was there something you needed?” Being an ass isn’t intentional; it just comes naturally.
“I was wondering if you’d come to dinner this week? It seems like I haven’t seen you in a month.” Probably because she hasn’t, and I feel like shit for it. It’s hard to be good company while being so fucking miserable all the time, and I never know what’ll trigger me.
“Yeah, Mom, I’ll be there tomorrow.” I’ll try, anyway.
“Oh, good!” She’s likely jumping up and down with excitement. “I’ll make some of your favorites.” She starts naming off everything she has in mind, and I try not to let the guilt swallow me whole if I wind up cancelling on her like the last few times.
“I’ve got to go, Mom. I’ll see you tomorrow.” My throat is already tightening.
“I love you, sweetheart. I can’t wait to see you.”
Hanging up, I drop back onto my bed and pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to stem the headache brewing in my skull.
Flashes of creamy skin flicker through my mind with the sounds of breathy moans, making everything worse.
My cock stirs again, thinking about my princess.
Those melting chocolate eyes, her silky soft, nearly black hair.
Her thick thighs wrapped around my hips.
She’s an addiction that won’t stop invading my brain.
“Fuck. Fucking hell.”
Leaving bed, it’s off to the shower again and a quick clean up before calling Bishop to ask him to meet me at King and Lilith’s house.
Shame beats a steady drum in my chest as I pull up to the estate where I spent some of my youthful years. I don’t deserve my family, considering all I’ve done. I don’t deserve much of anything but have always been too much of a fucking coward to end my life.
“Hey, man, you good?” Bishop asks as I approach, leaning against his truck.
“Yeah.” I frown before really looking at him. “Why?”
Bishop has always seen through me better than anyone in the family, with the exception of my younger sister, Hadley. Sometimes I think the two of them know me better than I know myself.
“You look different.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” My scowl only exacerbates the headache.
Bishop shrugs and says while walking away, “Not sure, but there’s something different.”
Following behind him, not really wanting to know but asking anyway, “Different good, or different bad?”
He glances back at me before shrugging again. I’d like to punch him in the back of his damn head right now, but the door opens, and Lilith greets us with a smile.
“Boys!” Her worried gaze floats to me. The fucking concern everyone seems to be pressuring me with makes me sick.
“Hi, Lil,” I say, and accept her hug as she leads us inside to the office.
“Castle created a folder for the land with pictures and detailed information, and the estimate of what it’ll cost to renovate the house and outer buildings before starting to expand farther outwards.
He’s thinking that hiring retired vets for security would help with the size of the property. ”
Handing her the folder, she looks through it with the critical eye she’s developed since creating her foundation to help domestic violence victims, and after meeting the MC, the now innocent immigrants attempting to flee violence in their own countries are also included.
Castle’s younger sister works as an advocate for those seeking a better life for themselves and their families. We haven’t had a chance to meet her yet, but she’s got to be one tough chick to work in this field.
“This is perfect. Has he made an offer yet?” Lil glances up at me as King enters the office.
“A soft one, until you had a chance to see the property,” I respond.
“Do it. Tell him to make the purchase and fast-track the process; we need this land sooner rather than later.” Nodding, I send the man the message.
“That all?” I ask, my body buzzing to escape the disconcerted looks I keep getting.
“Hendrix.” King barks my name, and as if I were a soldier again, my body snaps to attention.
“What the fuck is going on with you?” Grinding my teeth until my jaw hurts, I suppress an answer.
“Your parents are worried about you. Your sister walks on eggshells when she’s in the same room as you, and now you’re showing a lack of respect I’ve never seen before. ”
Shit. I don’t like talking about this shit. Feelings? Who the fuck wants them? Not me. And to rip the wounds of my past open in front of people I love and respect, hard fucking pass.
“I drank too much last night, just got a bad headache.” Neither of those is a lie; they’re just not the truth about my problems. Nobody else needs that shit on their shoulders. “I’ve got to go.”
I leave before anyone can stop me, heading to a hole-in-the-wall bar where no one fucking knows me and won’t try to analyze my behavior to death.