“Only minutes before you nearly came close to being trampled right in front of my bloody eyes, that thought alone unmanned me, sweetheart.” My breath caught in my throat, hearing his admission and hearing the endearment slip from his lips. I loved it when he called me that, more than I should.
Another step and all Hendrixx had to do was press his chest out and he would be touching me.
“You can’t be taken away from me Blake, I won’t allow it. My world works because you are in it, I get up in the mornings because you are out there waiting for me. I work my fingers to the bone because I get to do it beside you, every single day.”
Tears burnt the back of my eyes, and my lids blinked furiously to keep them at bay so nothing could obstruct my view of him. And what a view! Hendrixx Hott emotional, speaking from the heart, the honesty I could hear in his words and see in his eyes.
But of course, Hendrixx wasn’t finished.
“I have never thought of you as a sister, or part of the family, not like others see you.”
I frowned at that, I always considered that I fit in with the Hott family even when my father was alive, so Hendrixx saying he didn’t, knocked a little wind out of my sails.
Two strong hands reached out and cupped my cheeks, then his thumbs stroked my eyebrows, smoothing them.
“Don’t do that sweetheart, don’t look worried. I just mean the Triple H has always been your home, the people who work on it see you as a member of the Hott family. But I have always seen you as part of my family, part of me. Mine.” He stressed his words with a gentle tug on my face, bringing it closer to his.
“My feelings for you began a long time ago Blake, back when it could have been seen as wrong or obscene.”
I opened my mouth to disagree, but his mouth landed on mine in the barest of kisses, his warm lips hovering just on top without really touching.
“I know there has always been something simmering between us, but I also couldn’t help feeling it was wrong. My parents took you in, trusted that you would be safe here with us. You lost your dad, and damn Blake, you were so young, so full of spunk and sass, but that is what I love about you, sweetheart. You didn’t fall at my feet, didn’t follow me like a puppy. You fought me, pissed me off, and by Christ, you have given me more joy just being around you and knowing you, than I ever thought possible.”
Kiss me, kiss me now before I melt into a puddle of mushy goo.
“I have been waiting for the right time, the moment when I don’t have to hide how I feel. Giving you time to grow up, and to find out who you are, to accomplish your dream of working with horses, to decide if you want to be with me.”
“Am I too young now, Hendrixx?” I asked so softly it was a wonder he even heard me.
“I don’t think you are,” he answered, his lips moving against mine as he spoke.
“Is this the right time now, Hendrixx?” Winding my arms around his waist, I clasped my hands at his lower back. Enjoying his intake of breath just from my touch.
“I reckon it is,” he whispered, his mouth so close I could feel the heat from his lips.
“Then, I guess my decision is made.” I barely finished the last word before Hendrixx put me out of my misery and pressed his lips to mine. However, instead of slamming his mouth down, his lips moved gently and languidly over mine, like a slow erotic dance, melting away any doubt that this was just one of my dreams I had conjured up.
This was no harried, frenzied kiss. This was a promise, a beginning, a declaration of things to come.
Going with my instincts as I did last night, I opened my mouth wider, ready to give him my tongue when Hendrixx pulled his mouth away, his forehead leaning against mine while we both took in a much-needed breath.
“Slow sweetheart, we go slow. Just a few minutes ago, you thought I was hooking up with Mallory. I don’t want any doubts where my mind is and who my heart belongs to before we go any further,” Drixx told me, bringing me back down to earth. A heated blush crept across my cheeks, not from embarrassment but from the memory of seeing them wrapped in an embrace.
“Well you can’t blame me Hendrixx, I can only go off what I saw,” I scoffed, defending my wild conclusion. Anyway, who was he to talk? Didn’t he jump to the same reasoning about Joe?
“You got all bent out of shape when Joe was talking to me if I remember correctly, and you have been over at Waterford so much more lately, how could I not assume you were there to spend more time with Mallory,” I countered, jutting my chin out in defiance.
Hendrixx gently bit me on the chin, a smirk gracing his lips.
“He wants you sweetheart, whether you can see it or not. The only thing Mallory wants is my head on a platter and my balls on a stick.”
“Oh please! No guy on the Triple H has even expressed interest in me, they keep their distance most of the time, and if they do get too close accidentally, they jump away like they have touched an electric fence. It’s weird, they even mumble an apology like they did something wrong—wait.” I stopped and looked at Hendrixx,
