Hendrix: A Raleigh Raptor Novel Read online

  I wasn’t sure I ever would.

  Maybe loving Savannah was something I’d never get over. Maybe it had changed me in the same ways that loving Liberty had opened up Nixon, or loving Teagan had steadied Roman…except I didn’t get the same ending.

  I peeled my sweat-soaked shirt off and tossed it into my bag, then hefted my boat up onto the rack so she could dry out properly. Today’s workout would have wiped me out a few months ago, but now it barely took the edge off. I guess some emotions weren’t meant to be sweat out.

  Once she was snug and secure on the rack, I headed for my bag—and a dry shirt, and stopped dead in my tracks.

  Savannah stood in the doorway.

  My heart fucking stopped.

  She chewed on her bottom lip, and I had to fight against the instinct to kiss it free so she didn’t bruise the tender flesh. I blinked once just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, but she was still there, wearing a pair of tiny, olive green shorts and a blank tank top. Her hair was braided, revealing the long line of her neck, and her sunglasses sat perched on top of her head.

  “Hi, Hendrix,” she said softly, her gaze sweeping over me as hungrily as mine had her. I took perverse satisfaction in the way her tongue swept over that tortured lower lip when she reached my abs.

  Savannah was here…but…why? How?

  “How did you know where to find me?” I plucked a towel from my bag and wiped the sweat off the back of my neck, finding anything I could do with my hands to keep them off her.

  “Weston,” she admitted softly.

  I cursed under my breath. I’d told my best friend where the boathouse was for cases of emergency, not so he could shoot an arrow through my Achilles heel. “Okay, why are you here?”

  “I…” She blinked rapidly and ripped her eyes off my torso. “What I said back in Raleigh…” She sighed. “This is all coming out wrong. Look, I need you to know that I’m the one that can’t quit this.” She walked forward, coming close enough to touch. “I mean you and me. I can’t walk away.”

  My entire body tightened as she lifted a hand to my chest and rested it above my heart. Her touch electrified me, made my heart jump like someone had applied the paddles.

  Because she killed you in the first place.

  I somehow managed a smirk. “You came a long way for a booty call, Butterfly.”

  “That’s not…” Her jaw dropped slightly, but there was no mistaking the flare of her eyes, the catch of her breath, or the sway of her body toward mine. She was turned on.

  “I mean, I guess it’s flattering that you went to all the effort, right?” Shit, my body was reacting, too. It didn’t give a shit that she’d broken me into a thousand little pieces, it wanted her. Hell, every part of me wanted her, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could really have her, not in the way I wanted.

  Savannah would only give me her body—she’d made that really fucking obvious back in Raleigh. So why not take it? Who cared if I was settling for the scraps at her table as long as she gave me just enough to keep breathing?

  “Of course, I went to the effort.” Her eyes searched mine. “What we have is worth every effort.”

  “Those Raleigh boys just not doing it for you?” I meant to take her hand off my chest, but I covered it instead, holding it against me.

  “Hendrix—” she begged, her eyes pleading for…what? Understanding?

  I understood perfectly. Hell, I felt the same way when it came to the pull between us. There was an undeniable force here, it had been strong enough to yank us together, but couldn’t hold us there. She’d never let it.

  “I’ve got what you need,” I promised her. Fuck it, I’d be pathetic. I’d fall back into her for as long as she’d let me, that’s how badly I needed her.

  I grasped the back of her head and fused my mouth to hers. Her lips parted with a gasp, and I slid inside her mouth like I owned it, then reacquainted myself with every curve and line. I kissed her with the lazy thoroughness of a Saturday morning, as though I had no other part of her to make love to.

  She groaned, then melted against me, surrendering to the chemistry between us, hooking her arms around my neck so she could get closer.

  Still, I took her mouth slowly, refusing to speed the kiss even when she whimpered and licked into my mouth.

  Here, I had control. I might not be in possession of her heart, but when it came to her body, I was the only one who could give her exactly what she craved. Why else would she have come all the way to Charleston?

  “Hendrix,” she moaned into my mouth, her grip tightening as she lifted herself on her toes, pushing her breasts into my chest.

  Fuck, her nipples were hard, pressing through the fabric of her tank and bra to rake against my skin like twin points of flame. My dick was already hard, throbbing with insistence that I move this along.

  “You taste so damned good,” I admitted with a growl, grabbing her ass with both hands and picking her up.

  “You taste like home,” she said against my lips, locking her ankles behind my back.

  That’s exactly what this felt like…home. I carried her to the workbench in the corner and sat her on the edge of the wooden surface. Damn, this thing was the perfect height. Our bodies aligned with the force of magnets. There were only a few thin layers of fabric between us. I could be inside her in the next breath.

  Her hips rolled against mine, and the kiss grew beyond my control, exploding like a match on dry tinder. All I could do was pray I survived the burn. I kissed her hard and deep, tilting her head for that perfect angle as I palmed her waist, the swell of her hips, the lean muscle of her thighs.

  “God, yes,” she whispered. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “I know.” I palmed the juncture of her thighs.

  “Hendrix!” Her fingers tangled in my hair as she pressed into my hand.

  I switched the angle and pressed my thumb against the seam of her shorts, rubbing her clit through the fabric.

  “Oh, God.” Her head fell back, and set my mouth to her neck, inhaling her scent like a drug, letting it go straight to my head.

  Her hips rocked as she pulled my mouth back to hers in a consuming kiss, and I fell into her just like I had every time before, losing myself in her taste, her scent, her cries, her touch.

  Losing myself.

  What the fuck was I doing? If I lost myself again, I might not ever find my way out…but I hadn’t, not really. It was so easy to fall back into her because I’d never left her. She’d been the one to leave me.

  I ripped my mouth from hers and stumbled back a step, putting precious space between us.

  “Hendrix?” Her brow knit over lust-glazed eyes. “Come back.” She leaned forward slightly, enough that she would have fallen if I hadn’t stepped back into her arms. She cupped the back of my neck and sucked my lip gently.

  I groaned.

  “You’re killing me,” she whimpered. “I’m right on the edge.”

  The blatant hunger in her voice had my hands back at her hips, my cock nestled right where my thumb had been.

  “Yes,” she moaned, rocking her core along the length of my shaft as she rested her forehead against mine. “God, I missed this. Missed you. I love you so much.”

  I froze, the blood in my veins somehow managing to shift from boiling lava to pure ice.

  “You don’t love me,” I hissed, pushing against the workbench and backing away. Love didn’t tell you to fuck off and then show up when it wanted to be screwed. It didn’t matter how much I wanted her. I couldn’t do this. I wouldn’t survive her leaving this time.

  “What?” She had the nerve to look hurt. “I love you!” Her voice pitched higher. “That’s why I’m here! I want you. I want this—us!”

  I scoffed. She wanted my body—that was never the issue. It was my heart she’d rejected. That wound bled anew, soaking me in pure misery and pain. “Yeah? Well, how does it feel to be the one left wanting?”

  Her jaw dropped.

  I undid the clasp
of the chain around my neck, then dropped the necklace into her open palm and closed her fingers over it.

  “Hendrix, no.” She blinked up at me, tears pooling in her eyes.

  “I’d hate for you to go home empty-handed.” My voice shook a little, but I got the words out. Then I grabbed my bag off the floor and walked out of the boathouse, not bothering to put on a shirt or even fish my keys out of the pocket until I reached my car.

  Who gave a shit if she locked up the boathouse for me or not?

  She’d already taken everything I had.

  * * *

  Three days later, I held down what had become my spot at Scythe. Maybe it was because Nathan looked so much like Nixon, but I felt more comfortable here than I did with the other Cougars. Not that they weren’t good guys, or great teammates. They were. We’d meshed well, and our record proved it.

  They just weren’t family. Not yet.

  It was just Sterling, Briggs, and the wrong, yet right Noble in the booth tonight, but that was good since I wasn’t up for a crowd. Hell, I’d only left my place for practice since I’d walked out on Savannah.

  You stupid asshole.

  For every second that I congratulated myself on the appearance of my self-control, I spent another arguing that I could have convinced her to love me if I’d stayed. Could have kept her sated and happy…until her father demanded her return, of course.

  The guys laughed at something Sterling had said, and I forced a smile, willfully bringing myself back into the conversation.

  “Right? And there’s Connell standing with a shit-eating grin on his face!” He finished the story.

  Guess I’d tuned out longer than I’d thought.

  “Fuck, I miss him.” Nathan rubbed the back of his neck.

  “They’re really happy out in Denver if it helps,” Sterling said with a sad smile.

  The door flew open, and our heads snapped toward the entrance to see London storm her way in, her eyes unerringly finding mine. I would have laughed—she was such a tiny thing to hold so much rage—but the look in her eyes was anything but funny.

  “You asshole!” she shouted.

  “Whatever I did, I’m sorry,” Sterling said, putting his hands up.

  She shot a glare his way and shook her head.

  “Pretty sure that was aimed at me,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

  “You’re damn right it’s aimed at you!” She slammed her hands on the table, rattling the glassware. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “I’m not the one shouting in a bar.” I shrugged, but my heart clenched, knowing exactly why she was here.

  Her eyes narrowed to slits. “She came to you, and you walked out on her?”

  “I’m not a fucking booty call!” I snapped.

  “Now who’s shouting in a bar?” Briggs muttered.

  “What?” London shook her head.

  “I. Am. Not. A. Booty. Call.” I repeated slowly. “If she needs to get off, I’ll send her a vibrator, because I’m done letting her fuck with my heart.”

  She blinked, then laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “You’re an idiot.”

  “I’ve been called far worse. Sorry, London, I know she’s your best friend, but—”

  “She didn’t booty call,” she stumbled over the words like they were distasteful, “you. She gave up her job with the Raptors and moved here for you, asshole. She’s in love with you!”

  “I’m sorry?” I leaned forward, certain I misheard her.

  “She’d be better off with a vibrator! Hell, we all would!” she snapped, then turned around and marched out with the same fury she’d entered with.

  “I love you,” Sterling whispered with a grin after the door shut. “Fuck, she’s amazing. Her temper is so damned hot.”

  We all looked at Sterling like he’d lost his fool mind.

  “So…uh…did the coach’s daughter move here for you?” Nathan asked, raising his brows.

  “Of course she didn’t,” I snapped, already tugging my phone free and hitting Weston’s contact button.

  It rang twice.

  “This had better be important. I have two very attractive blondes who want my attention, Hendrix.” He sounded drunk.

  “Did you let Savannah out of her contract?” I cut right to the point.

  “How did her surprise go?”

  “Answer the question, Wes.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

  “Well, yeah. She told me she was hopelessly in love with you and couldn’t live without you, so I made a call and got her a job down there. What else are best friends for?”

  My stomach lurched. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

  “Who the hell ruins a romantic gesture like that? It was almost enough to make me believe in love. Almost.”

  “Fuck my life,” I groaned.

  “So I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” he asked.

  “That’s an understatement. What team did you get her with? The Reapers or the Cougars?” She was qualified for both.

  He scoffed. “The Hurricanes.”

  “Major League Baseball?” Now I was shouting again.

  “Hey, they’re in Charleston!”

  “True.” I shook my head. “Okay, I have to go see if I can sort this mess out. Thanks, Wes.”

  “I’ll tell you the next time I fuck with your love life,” he said softly.

  “You won’t have to. Just fix yours, would you?” I hung up with my best friend and stared into space.

  She’d given up her job with the Raptors. Left her father and all our friends behind. Picked up her life and moved it here because I was here. She’d done it all for me.

  And I’d shoved her need back in her face and walked out on her.

  London was right—I was an asshole. Savannah had been telling me the whole time in the boathouse that she was here for me, for us, and I’d only heard what I was prepared to hear.

  I had to fucking fix this.

  “Earth to Hendrix!” Sterling waved his hand in front of my face.

  I snapped out of it. “Do you guys happen to know anyone on the Hurricanes that could get me into their corporate offices?”

  Nathan smirked. “Funny you should ask.”

  “Porter?” Sterling asked with a grin.

  “Porter,” Nathan confirmed. “We’ll get you in, Hendrix. But you’re on your own when it comes to pulling your foot out of your mouth.”

  I was more worried about dislodging my head from my ass.

  20

  Savannah

  "That last clause in Porter's contract was actually a stroke of genius." Ethan Berkeley flipped the contract between his fingers, his light gray eyes scanning over all the lines I’d meticulously re-read three times the night before.

  "I'm glad you think so," I said, standing a respectful distance away with my arms folded behind my back. I hadn't yet gotten fully comfortable in my new role as contract manager for the Charleston Hurricanes—the city’s MLB team—but I was trying.

  And Ethan was a formidable boss. Respectful, direct, to the point. He had a no-nonsense attitude that I admired. But—

  The door to his office flung open, shocking me out of my thoughts.

  Maddox Porter himself strutted into Ethan's office, his chiseled chest puffed out tightly under his Hurricanes T-shirt, his black athletic pants hugging his massive thighs as he stopped before Ethan's desk.

  Ethan dropped the papers and planted Maddox with a look that made a shiver race down my spine.

  "Edith just gave me a call and said my contract is ready for me to scrutinize," Maddox said with all the confidence a star baseball player could possess. Maybe a bit more. "Here I am,” he said as if he were presenting a one-million-dollar prize.

  I tilted my head, more like a six-point-two-million dollar prize but...

  "I said I’d call when I was ready," Ethan snapped with the cold tone he reserved for his players. He was respectful to me, but the man certainly had a reputation for being an asshole on th
e playground. But I supposed wrangling a bunch of MLB players wasn't exactly easy. It demanded somebody strong enough to keep them in line. I wasn't going to pretend like I knew anything about baseball players and their lifestyles, but it was definitely a far cry from the NFL's lifestyle I was accustomed to.

  "You’ve just barged into my office without an invitation. And rudely interrupted the conversation I was having with Miss Goodman here." He motioned to where I stood quietly, almost invisible on the other side of his office.

  Maddox turned to face me, his dark eyes sweeping up and down with a quick and an approving smirk. Yes, I’d heard all about Maddox Porter. He was the unofficial party playboy of the Charleston Hurricanes with enough confidence and goofiness to melt the panties off half the state.

  And while I could see the reasoning behind it—the confidence in his dark eyes, the chiseled jaw and perfect muscular physique—nothing stirred inside me. Nothing made my heart kick up.

  I didn't want anybody. Even with Hendrix’s harsh and incredibly brutal dismissal of me, I still didn't want anybody else. And my dumb, disapproving soul continued to whisper to me at night with the hope that Hendrix hadn’t really meant what he’d said. That he just needed time.

  I’d uprooted my life, accepted a job in Charleston, and moved into a new apartment I’d yet to fully unpack with the hope that if I gave him enough time, he’d find his way back to me.

  He hadn’t yet.

  Hope was for fairytales.

  And I was an idiot.

  "Well, I am sorry to interrupt," Maddox said, his eyes on mine. He was laying on the charm extra thick, almost as if he could sense it on me. That I was untouchable in a whole new way that had nothing to be with being Coach Goodman's daughter. "Is there a way I can make up for my grave offense?" he asked, slightly bowing as he glanced from me to Ethan, who rolled his eyes. "Dinner? Drinks?" he asked, but there was a glint in his dark eyes like he knew what my answer would be.