Hendrix (Caldwell Brothers)

I grab my phone and shoot a text to my boy at the cop shop to tell him to make sure her car doesn’t get towed and then ask him to check in to getting the keys out of the sewer drain.

As soon as I put down the phone, Livi clears her throat.

“If that’s your girlfriend Sadi—”

“My what?” I nearly choke.

“The girl kissing on you, the one who seems to have a problem with me, the one—”

“Why do you rub your ass all the time?” She is doing it again now, and I am amped up on being pissed off, so I let it fly out.

“What?”

I fist my hands at my sides. “Livi, you frustrate the hell out of me, even before I knew it was you I fucked that night. You rub your ass, you snort, you’re quirky as fuck, and you—”

“Sorry to be such a burden.” There she goes, rubbing that thing again.

“Never once did I say you are a burden. Never once, Liv. That’s not fucking fair. That bitch is one of many.” When she tries to cut me off, I take two steps before covering her sassy little mouth with my hand. “I don’t bring work home. I don’t fuck people who work for me.” I take my hand away.

“But her,” Livi spits out.

“A long time ago, she was a distraction. I never hired her. She kind of came with the place. I can guarantee you she hasn’t come by me after I took over. She’s a damn good bartender, though. She’s just a thorn in my side. You want her gone, say the word.”

She touches her lips and looks down.

“I have no clue what the hell your deal is, but I’d really like to think the chick who seems to be occupying my mind right now isn’t fucking crazy.”

“I’m occupying your mind?” she whispers.

“Olivia, two weeks’ worth of you has left me little time for much else. There’s something about you—and none of it has a damn thing to do with that closet romp—that makes me feel…” I pause and turn my back to her.

“Feel what?” she asks in an almost panicked voice.

I shake my head. “Just feel. You know where my room is. Go on and get some sleep. I sent a message to a buddy, so your car won’t be towed, and the keys will be here in the morning.”

“Hendrix, wait.”

I stop and turn around. “What is it?” I sigh from exhaustion.

“What’s your dog’s name?”

I look at Floyd who is sitting on Livi’s damn foot. “Floyd. Now answer a question for me.”

She nods and swallows.

“Who spooked you tonight? Was it Sadi, ‘cause if so, she’s gone.”

She swallows hard before shrugging. “Someone from my past.”

I know it is a hard question for her to answer, but she did. That is certainly a start with a woman who doesn’t want to give away much.

“Did he hurt you?”

She closes her eyes and nods. A few tears fall, and I am fucking putty.

I walk back to her and take her hand in mine. “You scared?”

She opens her eyes, and I see the fear there as she nods.

“I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you, Livi.”

And I won’t, either. Since Livi marched in here to the beat of her own drum, she’s made my heart beat to the same damn rhythm. There is something about her crazy ass that makes me feel life can be more than existing.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done, but I am not—”

“Livi, another question. I’m not trying to put the moves on you or anything, but the ass rubbing, is there a genie or some shit you’re hoping is gonna pop out of that thing?”

She laughs, snorts, and then shakes her head. “Classy and fabulous.” She rubs her ass again.

“Not gonna argue, but sometimes I think crazy, as well.”

She smiles softly and looks down. “My panties make me feel stronger.”

I close my eyes tight and say a little prayer that there is an explanation behind this shit.

“The sayings empower me.”

I open my eyes and look at her for a few seconds as it all dawns on me. “Consent is required, but it wasn’t given at one point.”

Very slowly, she nods only once.

“Whoever he was, he better never come near you again, or I will fucking kill him.” I grab her hand and pull her up the stairs behind me.

Once in my room, I find her some sweats and a T-shirt.

“Go change in the bathroom.”

I am giving her privacy when all I want is to hold her to make her feel safe.

I change into some pajama pants and crawl into my bed. When she walks out, she looks at me and stops.

“Come on; you’ve had a rough day. Nothing’s going to happen in here, except me showing you that you have nothing to worry about. All of us are not the same.”