Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Maisie
I wasn't falling for Hendrix's magic dick again.
Or his even more magical tongue.
Despite my efforts last night, as soon as he put me down and proceeded to kiss me, it was game over. My body remembered his touch and the traitorous bitch refused to be satisfied until she got what she wanted.
And what she wanted was Hendrix's pierced cock.
He might've won the battle last night, but I would win the war.
Tonight I was being smart. I asked Janie to close up the bakery, something up until recently I never would've done. I snuck upstairs early after making sure the coast was clear, and I mean clear . I stuck my head out like a burglar and looked right, left, up, down, and every direction in between to ensure there was no Hendrix in sight.
Then once I was positive he wasn’t lurking to steal me away again, I ran my ass up the steps and closed myself off.
I probably looked like an idiot in the process. I was sure if someone saw me, they were wondering if I had lost my mind. I loved Halloween and everything dark, so come tomorrow there would probably be an article out about how I was performing black magic in my home—that was how suspicious I looked.
I didn't care though. They could say whatever they wanted as long as Hendrix stayed away from me. The longer we spent together, the further I fell. Or more accurately, had already fallen. I knew without a shadow of a doubt he had snuck under my guards. And if I had any chance of surviving, I needed to eradicate him. I needed him to move on.
A woman like me, who had done what I did, didn't deserve love. I probably deserved a jail cell, but definitely not love.
Keeping my wits about me was the only way to survive, and I couldn't do that if I gave my heart to someone. It was bad enough I was attached to my bakery. I didn't need anything else keeping me in Willow Creek if tragedy struck. And it would. It always did. Annalee's situation was proof of that.
I shook all thoughts of murders and stabbings out of my head. I needed to focus.
Yesterday Hendrix broke into my apartment to get me. Tonight I wasn't giving him the chance.
Grabbing one of my dining room chairs, I propped it under the door handle.
There!
I wiped my palms back and forth a few times. Problem solved. I released a relieved sigh, only for my breath to catch when a strange sound caught my attention. I froze and looked around the small apartment.
The noise wasn't coming from inside. At least I didn't think so. It sounded far away. Just to be sure I quickly moved throughout the entire space but found nothing.
There was that noise again, though.
It almost sounded like metal scraping against metal. I walked over to the door and listened intently. I even squatted down next to the doorknob. It wasn't coming from here.
I stood up and scratched my head. Maybe I was hearing things.
There it was again.
If it wasn't in my apartment and it wasn't outside the front door, that only left one place.
No, it couldn't be.
I rushed over to the window.
Motherfucker.
I threw the sash of the window up and leaned out. "Are you insane? There's no way that's stable!" I hollered down to Hendrix who was climbing up the rusty fire escape.
He stopped climbing long enough to look up and gave me a lopsided smile. "I couldn't come through the front door again. You're too smart to let that happen two days in a row. Am I right?"
I rolled my eyes. "I shoved a chair under the doorknob."
Hendrix chuckled as he continued his way up the shaky fire escape. I could see the rusty bolts straining to keep the heavy metal attached to the building. "I knew it."
"So you decided that climbing this death trap was a good idea?"
"I would climb this fire escape every night if it meant getting to you. I'm not sure what more I need to do to make you see your place is next to me, in my bed, every night."
I shook my head. Hendrix was insane. There was no way I was sleeping in his bed again tonight. This was becoming too much like a relationship and I refused to let that happen.
But I couldn't let him fall to his death either. I watched with bated breath as he climbed higher and higher. With each creak and groan of the metal I felt another year of my life slip away until he managed to get to the landing.
His obnoxious smile greeted me much too close to my face for comfort. "Hey, sweetheart." He plopped a quick closed-mouth kiss on my lips. It was over before I could push him away.
"Get your ass in here before you fall. I refuse to be responsible for another person's death."
Hendrix wiggled his brows. "I knew you cared about me." He threw one leg over the ledge and managed to contort his large frame through the small window.
It was rather impressive considering his size.
"What are you doing here?" I kept my distance and put both hands on my hips. A clear warning that I wasn't in the mood for whatever shenanigans he wanted to pull.
"I already told you. Your place at night is in my bed. I've come to collect you."
"No!" I waved my arms out in front of me as I stepped back. "Absolutely not." I’m sure I looked like I was trying to ward off evil spirits, and really, the comparison wasn't far off. Relationships as far as I was concerned were evil. At least in my experience.
I had been too busy shaking my head and flailing around my arms that I didn't see how close Hendrix got until it was too late. He once again scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder. I punched his back to express my displeasure. "Put me down, you big oaf!"
"No can do. See, you let me in through your window, which, in my mind, meant you were all in favor of me stealing you away again."
"No, I didn't want you to fall to your death. That's a big difference!" I continued to pound on his back.
"Too late to fix it. You're coming with me."
It was deja vu.
Bouncing down the stairs.
Being thrown into the back of his vehicle.
Even the damn child locks.
"I'm starting to think your fascination with me is a little over the top," I huffed when he jumped into the driver's seat.
The crazy look in his eyes when he turned around to respond should've scared me, but for someone asinine reason, it made my panties wet. "It's called an obsession, sweetheart, and over the top doesn't even begin to describe my feelings for you. I would do anything to keep you. I would kill anyone who got in my way. I would burn the world down to get to you and I certainly won't let whatever hang-up you have stand in my way. That shit ends tonight, so buckle up. You're about to see just how crazy I am about you."