“This is the dumbest plan. I’m going to make an ass out of myself, Jennifer!” I crossed the crowded crosswalk and stopped in front of the impressive building in front of me.
“The dumbest? Really? I doubt that.” She snorted. “You’re doing it for a reason. You have to.”
I sighed. “He’s going to slam his door in my face.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. You went that far, Darby. Just go.” She spoke to someone else and then sighed. “I’ve got to go. I’ve got an angry group of investors pissed at me for refusing to reconsider shooting the Gadberry story.”
“Good luck. I’ll call you later.”
I hung up and looked up at the building. Crimson Security was bigger than I’d expected. Even after I’d done my research, and I do mean research, I didn’t realize it would be so big. None of the pictures did it any justice.
I’d spent the past eight weeks hiding away. There were reporters hounding me, but I refused to come out. I wasn’t doing any interviews, I had no interest in talking about Laster, and I was done talking about Aaron Gadberry, too. I wanted to move on. From the story and from the dreams.
Letting Laster fall to his death had hit me hard. There were nonstop nightmares for the first month. Chip had eventually just moved a bed into my room so he could be there when I woke up screaming. He’d also spent hours each night bitching about everything and anything. I was half convinced I’d managed to stop the dreams myself from sheer will to keep from listening to him anymore.
Especially when he started talking about Jennifer. It didn’t take long for him to move on to comforting her. She didn’t mind one bit. He was even considering moving to LA to be near her.
Things had gone back to normal, as normal as they could be, but none of it felt right. I’d gotten clearance from my editor to write a book on Ricky Meyers, I was free from my movie writing gig, and no one wanted to murder me, but still, I couldn’t feel relieved. I knew what it was. Or, who it was.
Hendrix was missing. I thought about him all the time and I’d spent more time hating myself for making him hate me than I had actually working. I missed him. In just a short period of time, he’d worked his way under my skin. With him gone, I constantly felt like I was forgetting something.
Which was why I was standing outside his office building, hoping he was in. I’d made a desperate move to win him back and there was a big chance that I was going to be walking out the front doors, crying, in the few minutes it took me to get inside and find him.
I had to take the chance, though. If there was a possibility that he’d been thinking of me, too, I had to know.
I pushed through the front door and made my way to the front desk. A pretty blonde smiled at me and I had the insane idea that she was his girlfriend. He might’ve moved on. I swallowed that panic, though, and forged on.
“I’m here to see Hendrix Crimson.”
She tapped at her computer and frowned. “Oh, I’m sorry. There must have been some kind of mix up. He’s not in.”
“What about his brothers?”
She got a worried look on her face and tapped some more. “Maybe you should leave a message?”
“Can you call him?”
“You don’t have his number?”
I swallowed the shame and shook my head. “No. Could you just call him and tell him that I’m here to see him?”
She looked like she would rather have me kicked out, but she picked up the phone. “What’s your name?”
I told her and waited while she spoke quietly into her headpiece. Her eyes darted to me as she spoke and then she frowned.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. He won’t be back for a while. Maybe make an appointment next time?”
I was fighting tears and had to get out of there. I nodded and then rushed out, back into the hot air. That’d gone worse than I thought. He didn’t even want to see me.
I rushed back to my hotel, desperate for the privacy of my room so I could cry and let myself fall apart. I’d talked myself up and convinced myself that Hendrix was going to want me. How stupid I’d been.
It was time to let the man go. He was obviously done with me. Just like he’d said the last time I saw him.
I dialed Jennifer, desperate to just get the words out and have it be done. As soon as she answered, I burst into tears. “He wouldn’t even see me. I’m an idiot. I’m sorry to bother you, Jen, but I’m coming home. This was so stupid.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry. Here, let me end this meeting and I’ll talk you through it.”
“No, no. Finish your meeting. I just… I just had to say it.”
“It’s going to be okay, Darby. You’ve survived much worse.”
*
It was midnight and I still couldn’t sleep. I’d tried wine, I’d tried meditation, I’d even tried counting imaginary freaking sheep. Nothing was working.
The TV was on and I had music playing in the bathroom but it was still too quiet. I had somehow ended up heartbroken over a man I’d barely known. I was an idiot.
I kicked the blanket off the bed and rolled onto my back. I grunted and then got up, ready to call room service and beg for some kind of sleep tea or something.
The loud knock on my door had me frozen in my tracks. I’d been a little jumpy since everything happened.
“Who is it?”
The deep voice that answered had me rushing to throw open the door.
There, on the other side of my door, stood Hendrix. I couldn’t talk as I looked up at him, feeling struck. He was everything I wanted and suddenly he was right there in front of me, looking amazing with a full beard and wrinkled clothes.
“Darby.”
I chanted at myself to not throw my body at him. I wanted his arms around me more than I wanted anything. He didn’t want that, though. Why was he at my hotel room in the middle of the night?
“Hendrix. I… I thought you didn’t want to see me?”
He stepped into the room, forcing me to step back or brush against him. “I didn’t say that. I told Kaitlyn that I was out of town and to tell you I’d be back tomorrow.”
“She didn’t tell me that.”
He stepped towards me again and then swung the door shut. “What are you doing here?”
I stuttered. “I… I wanted to see you.”
“You’re seeing me.”
“And to tell you I’m sorry.”
“Accepted.”
“I miss you.” I spit the words out and then stared up at him, fear of his rejection probably written all over my face.
“What took you so long?”
I stopped. “What?”
“I said, what took you so long? It’s been two months.”
“I… Wait. You hated me. That’s what took me so long. I was terrified to come here.”
He backed me into a wall and then caged me in with his arms. “I never hated you.”
“You just left. You never called.”
“You nearly got yourself killed.” He leaned down. “What do you want from me? You want someone to scratch an itch while you run around chasing bad guys? Or do you want a partner?”
Tears filled my eyes and I swore at them. “I want a partner. I want you. I had this whole speech. I don’t have anything else in LA. I can work from anywhere. I can… I can come here, Hendrix.”
A grin broke his face. “Is that the whole speech?”
I pushed him. “No, I forgot it. Is that all you have to say?”
“Go out with me. A real date.”
“A date?”
He nodded. “A date.”
“Yes. When?”
“Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up at six.”
I swallowed. I didn’t want him to leave. “Okay.”
He pushed away from the wall and headed back towards the door. “Don’t run away from me this time, Darby.”
I followed him and nodded. I was in a stupor. He didn’t hate me. He wanted me. “I won’t.”
He opened the door and winked at me. “See you soon, Darby.”
The door closed and he was gone as fast as he came. My heart was thundering in my chest and my panties were damp. I didn’t want to wait to see him. I couldn’t. It’d been too long.
I threw open the door and he was there, raising his fist to knock. Our eyes connected and then I did what I’d wanted to do all along. I threw myself at him. He caught me in his strong arms and I wrapped my thighs around him.
“There’s lots of work here for you.” He kissed me hard, immediately sweeping his tongue over my lips.
“I know. I saw a case I was thinking of…” I trailed off when he pulled back. “Yeah, you’re right. Not the right time.”
He growled. “You drive me crazy.”
“Show me.”
And just like that, I became a Texan.