I was so fucked.
4
Savannah
Hendrix’s tongue teasing mine.
The sharp bite of delicious pain as he teased my bottom lip.
His hands—electric against my skin.
His lips, warm and hungry as he kissed my thigh—
Four days.
It had been four days, and I still couldn't get the taste of Hendrix out of my mouth. It didn't matter how many times I brushed my teeth, how many types of mouthwash I used. It was like his kiss had branded his flavor on my tongue.
Or more like the sensation of his lips on mine. His hands on my body. I’d never felt so alive, so wild, so reckless, or so wanted before.
And I wanted more.
Humiliation curled up inside me like dying petals on a flower. The way he jerked away from me the second he recognized me, like I was a hot branding iron. The way he locked himself in that closet as if I were the one to fear.
But that kiss? Every second before he found out who I was?
That was worth another try. I mean, good God, the man knew his way around my body. And it was an unbridled type of need. And now I knew only one person had the power to unravel me so thoroughly.
Hendrix Malone.
Despite the mortification of his reaction, despite my fury, my absolute rage at the fact that he would touch literally every other woman on the planet but me, I was even more determined than I had been that night of the costume ball. There would be no better first than Hendrix Malone. I knew that just from one kiss. The question was how to convince him.
"Hey, beautiful," London said by way of greeting as she walked through the apartment door. She scanned the living room, eyebrows raised as she set her keys and book bag near the drop station by the front door. "The place looks immaculate," she said with an air of hesitance. "Are we still fuming?"
I blew out a breath and shrugged. Had I been anger cleaning for the last two hours? Maybe. I slumped onto our couch, and London instantly took the seat next to me.
"What are we more frustrated about right now?" London asked without any hint of annoyance. "The kiss thing or the dad thing?"
I huffed out a laugh because my best friend knew me so damn well. Knew that my mind was churning up thoughts a mile a minute. "I know I shouldn't be whining about the position I've been offered on the Raptors," I said.
And it was the truth. I should be incredibly grateful that before I'd even graduated, I had a job offer at one of the best NFL teams in the country. I just wish it didn't come from the one my father happened to coach. But it was hard as hell to get a job in this business, so I should be thanking every star in the sky that I'd been born to the family I had.
Didn't stop me from wanting to prove myself on my own.
"Hey," London said. "It's okay to be frustrated. I get it. This business, this enterprise we decided to launch ourselves into, is ridiculous. It's almost incestuous in the way people get hired. It's all who you know, who you’re related to, who you're dating. It's exhausting, but it's part of the game we have to play. And no one is saying you have to work for the Raptors forever. You get a couple of great years under your belt, and you'll have people beating down your door trying to hire you."
I swallowed hard and smiled at my best friend. "They'll be saying that about you too," I said.
"Naturally," she said, dusting off invisible dirt from her shoulders. We both had a good laugh at that before she planted me with a serious look. "So, this is about the kiss then." She doesn’t pose it as a question.
I gripped one of our throw pillows and shoved my face into it, muffling a scream of frustration. I dropped the pillow into my lap, feeling slightly better after the outburst.
"Well, that wasn't dramatic at all," London said, smiling at me.
"Of course it’s about the kiss," I admitted. If not a bit reluctantly. "No one and I mean no one has gotten under my skin this much in the history of forever. I thought it was merely a means to an end with Hendrix. I mean we fight more than we talk most of the time. But that kiss?" My eyes rolled back in my head, shivers dancing along the edges of my skin.
“Mmm, girl." She shook her head, a warning to her tone. "I have no idea how it feels, but the way you described it?" She glanced around our apartment, at the way I had made it sparkle in the last few hours. "I understand why you're cleaning to try to distract yourself."
"I can’t get this kiss out of my head."
"So what are you going to do about it?" London asked, the slight hint of a challenge in her voice. My sweet and innocent best friend had always taken pleasure in living vicariously through me. Through my wild and reckless stories. Stunts and events she would never try to attempt even in her wildest dreams. I think that was one of the things that made us work so well together. We were opposite in every way, except for the fact that we adored each other. She was soft where I was harsh, light where I was dark, well-mannered where I was…well, I didn’t give a fuck.
"I'm more convinced than ever that there's no one else better suited to take my V-card."
"And the fact that he's terrified of touching you?" London asked almost timidly. The sadness in her eyes flickered in a way that was all too understanding.
"I'll just have to convince him it's not that big of a deal. Because it's not. He literally sleeps with everyone on the planet. Why not me?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because your dad forbid him to do that?" London's face scrunched up a little bit at the end of her declaration. And she shook her head. "Actually, you know what? Screw that. No one should be able to set those limitations on what you do with your own body."
My brows raised as well as my smile, and I nodded at her affirmation. I hurried to stand from the couch, revitalized by her words. "Right, exactly. That’s what I’ve said a million times. Just because he’s my father doesn’t mean he can place that restriction on me. And if I can just convince Hendrix of that, I may very well be rid of this problem once and for all."
And once I got the taste of Hendrix out of my mouth, the craving out of my system, I could finally move on with my life. Bury Trevor's betrayal in the past, and step into the future with a newfound confidence that only getting rid of this ailment could give me.
I hurried to gather my things, throwing my bag over my shoulder as I headed for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To find Hendrix and convince him that I'm just like every other girl he's pursued in the past. Ready and willing."
"You know where he is?"
"It's Tuesday morning," I said, shrugging. "Hendrix is nothing if not routine." I shut the door behind me, flashing a wink over my shoulder as I did so. The second the door shut, I blew out a tight breath. My nerves tangled in a mess of knots as I headed to my car. What if he said no? Even after I explained everything? What if he said yes?
At least I knew I’d be safe with him, but…
Well, I guess I’d have my answer soon enough.
The drive to Lake Wheeler was calm and quiet. The trees on either side of the road offered a secluded and beautiful route. I took a private pass, driving down a partial dirt road until I came to a stop near the lake. The water was calm, rippling peacefully with the shocks of the boaters that were farther out on the lake.