Seventeen
SEVENTEEN
The phone rings and I anxiously wait for mom to pick up. It’s been days since I’ve seen AJ and Sloane and even though I don’t see them often when I’m away at school, I at least FaceTime with them a couple times a week. They catch me up on their week at school and on the ranch, and just hearing their little voices makes a gray day blue.
The ringing stops and the screen comes to life with two faces I miss so much smiling big and bright.
“Day!” Sloane shouts while AJ claps her little hands and cheers.
“Hi Sloaney. Hi AJ. How are my bestest friends?”
“Day, momma said you’re in Missipissi. Where’s that?” Sloane trips over his words, too many S’s and P’s for his tiny mouth.
“Mississippi, Sloaney. I’m in Mississippi, and it’s only two states away. I’m close and I’ll be home soon. I promise.”
“Sissy. I go to abuelita’s for a sweepover.” AJ has the sweetest voice and her vocabulary grows every day.
“You did, AJ? Wow, did you have so much fun?” She nods her head enthusiastically, her tiny pigtails bopping around. “What else did y’all do while I’ve been gone?”
The two of them rattle loudly, trying to one up the other with their stories. I only understand about half of what AJ says, but Sloane is fluent in Autumn Jade speech so he translates much of it for me. AJ is animated, using her hands to talk and explain details, and Sloane is much more serious and concise with his words. They are very much like mom and dad. AJ has so much of dad in her –looks and attitude– and Sloaney is mom one hundred percent.
They start to argue, getting rowdy over discrepancies in an activity, and mom has to step in.
“Okay. That’s enough, you two. Why don’t you say goodbye to your sister, then Dad will help you get your teeth brushed.” They both whine but quickly quiet when mom gives them ‘the look’.
“Bye Day,” Sloane says, his voice gloomy and sad.
“I yuv you, sissy.” AJ puckers up and blows a little kiss to me.
I tell them I’ll call again in a couple of days and say goodnight. They scurry off to Dad who stands behind them. He bends, his arms open wide, and they jump at him. I smile, remembering the days when Dad would sing songs as I got ready for bed, making the one thing I didn’t want to do fun.
Mom waves to them then turns back to face me. “Hi my sweet girl. How are you?”
“I’m good, Mom. How’s everything with you all? From what Sloaney and AJ said, it seems you guys had a busy week.”
Mom sighs and nods. “Yes we did. It was very busy. Autumn is getting so big which means she wants to know everything about everything. And Sloane is all too anxious to fill her little heart with all the information she needs. According to him.”
We chuckle and her face grows a bit serious, her brows scrunching and her eyes squinting.
“Dagen Rayne. What’s that?” She waggles her finger side to side, pointing at something I obviously can’t see. “On your neck. There’s like a red line or…I don’t know what that is.”
My stomach drops when I remember how Hendrix wrapped his hand around my throat last night when we were having sex. Then my cheeks flush remembering just how much I liked it.
I touch the picture of myself in the corner of the screen to enlarge it, and examine the marks that mom has pointed out. Looking closer I see it’s actually a small line from where the helmet rubbed my neck.
“Oh. Um, Hendrix took me for a ride on his bike and I guess the helmet irritated my neck a little,” I explain, running my fingers over it.
“His bike? Like bicycle or like Harley?”
“More like Ducati.”
“Dagen!” Her eyes pop open and she gasps. “Why would you get on one of those things? Do you know how dangerous they are?”
“Not anymore than a Harley. Don’t worry, okay. I wore a helmet and a jacket and Hendrix was very careful. We went with a few of his friends and it was a lot of fun.”
She chews on her lip nervously, and I see doubt in her eyes. “Please be safe, honey. You know how skittish I am about motorcycles.”
“Not enough for you to stay off of them.” She gives me a narrowed look and I go on. “I understand and I promise–”
“Hey little mouse. Wanna go for a ride with Mal…”
The door flies open and Hendrix steps in wearing a black t-shirt and jeans that make him look like a wet dream on a stick. Tattoos peek out from his collar and the ones on his arms are beautifully displayed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll wait downstairs.” He lifts his hand to the screen and backs out, yanking the door shut.
I stare at the empty spot where he stood then slowly roll my head back to look at Mom.
“And who was that?”
“That’s Hendrix. The homeowner and guy who’s fixing your car.” I bite down on my tongue and wait for some type of blow back.
Instead she nods languidly and thinks about her words as she so wisely does. I lick my lips and swallow as my mouth suddenly grows very dry.
“Does he just barge into your room unannounced often?”
“To be fair, this is his home. I’m sure he was just coming to ask if I’d like to have dinner. He’s been really great about including me in his plans with his friends.”
“Well that’s… nice , I guess.” She looks like she wants to say more but something is holding her back.
“Spill it. What do you want to say?”
I ready myself to hear some long, drawn out speech about trusting strangers and all the things a young woman would hear in a situation like the one I currently find myself in.
She clears her throat then says, “He’s really handsome, Day.”
“Mom!” I shout, shocked that she would say that.
“What? I’m married –happily– but I’m not blind. That man is incredibly good looking and I am just going to put this out there, and you can take it how you wish. You’re young and beautiful and I have no doubt that man has two working eyes and can see all of that. But he is a man, so just be wise about stuff .”
I gulp and choke on my own breath. “Mom. There’s nothing to worry about. He–”
“I am not stupid nor that old to recognize when things are more than the story being told. Just be careful and make good decisions. Okay?”
My chest feels tight thinking about how careless I was in the shower this morning, but nod anyway.
“Okay, Mom.” My cheeks flush bright red with embarrassment knowing that she’s keen to everything going on. “So you think he’s cute?”
“Daughter…he’s not cute. That word is reserved for awkward high school boys. That man is hot.”
I snort and start laughing then pale when dad comes strolling in right behind her.
“Who’s hot? Tell me his name so I can go kick his ass.” Dad wraps his hands around Mom’s waist and pulls her close, kissing her cheek and smiling.
“Boston Christiansen. That new defensive lineman for the Houston Drillers football team.” Mom says, quickly recovering.
Dad rests his chin on her shoulders, stars in his eyes for only her. “Well I don’t think I can beat him up. The guy is a fucking train.”
Mom reaches up and pats his face. “Don’t worry, babe. I’m not old enough to be a cougar, so you’re good.”
I think about all of the love they have for one another, and a tinge of anger rises thinking about Stephanie ruining so many years for them. Maybe Cami would have been my real mom if Stephanie never got her claws into dad. Then again, maybe I wouldn’t be here at all.
“Okay. Before you two start kissing and groping in front of your daughter, I’m going to go. I haven’t eaten dinner yet and I’m starting to get hungry.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow, baby bird,” Dad tells me and Mom rolls her eyes.
“We’ll text you tomorrow, and you call if you need anything,” she adds.
We said a thousand I love you’s before hanging up and I gave myself a moment to collect my whits. I’m warring with being the good girl my parents expect me to be, and the woman that a man like Hendrix needs me to be. I don’t know if it’s possible to be both, so it’s a good thing this…whatever it is with him will be short lived.
I stick my phone in my jeans and walk down the connecting hallway to the main part of the house and down the stairs where Hendrix sits at his kitchen counter, spinning what looks to be a quarter around and around.
“Hey,” I greet as I descend.
“I’m sorry for interrupting you like that. I should have knocked.” He spins on the stool, putting his back to the counter and facing me.
“You don’t have to apologize. This is your house. Besides, it was just my Mom.”
As I step closer to him, Hendrix reaches out and takes me by my wrist and tugs me to stand between his legs. His arms immediately wrap around me, his large hands resting on my butt.
“Was she instantly worried for your safety? Are they sending the scary uncles your dad threatened me with to take you away?”
“My Dad did what?” I lay my arms on his shoulders and scrape my nails through his hair.
With a smile and nod he says, “He told me if I was unable to keep my hands to myself, he had friends that would be happy to teach me a lesson.”
My jaw drops, utterly surprised that my Dad would say such a thing. “I can’t believe he actually said that.”
“He’s smart to warn me. Otherwise, I was planning to lock you in my basement and make you my sex slave.”
“You can’t enslave the willing.” I’ve come to learn very quickly that he likes my sassy comebacks and word sparring.
His fingers dig into my ass when he squeezes it hard. “I’ll remember that.” He lifts one brow, waggling it, then kisses me with fervor.
He tastes of cool mint and it tingles my tongue. Just like his touch does to my entire body. The way he touched me last night and this morning –rough with a touch of tenderness– flipped a switch in me and I just want to contain that feeling in a jar and visit it every chance I get.
We separate and I keep my eyes closed for a moment longer, adding this feeling to my jar.
“Are you hungry?” he asks and I nod, eyes still shut tight. “Do you want to take the Duc?”
My eyes fly open when he mentions taking his bike. “You’re what?”
He smiles wide and says, “My Ducati. Bikers call it a Duc.”
“Yes. Let’s take the Duc.”
He doesn’t need anything else from me. Hendrix stands, still holding on to me, and walks us to the garage where his prized possession sits. But the way he treats me, zipping me up into a jacket, strapping me snuggly into a helmet, makes me feel like I’m the prized one.
Just another reason why Hendrix Dare is a dangerous man.