Hendrix: Caldwell Brothers (The Caldwell Brothers Book 1)

Livi tiptoes around in the morning and is out the door quickly. I hate this distance. I hate wondering what I have done. I hate thinking she would make me choose between her and my brothers.

My guts are twisted up, so I decide to go for a run to clear my head.

“Come on, Floyd.”

It’s cold out, but the sun is shining. I end up running to a place I have yet to enter. I slow down as I approach the iron gates of Elmwood Cemetery and stand still. Floyd plops her ass down on the cold concrete and looks up at me.

I swear to Christ she shakes her head.

“I’m going in today.”

Now I swear she’s rolling her eyes.

“Fuck you, flea bag,” I pat her head. “Bitches first.” I point to the gate, and her ears perk up. “Jesus, what has she done to you, Floyd?”

She doesn’t move.

“Fine, ladies first.”

Her ass rises slowly. She appears to raise her nose in the air, and then, I shit you not, she is shaking her ass as she walks ahead of me.

“Hoe,” I call out, laughing as I follow her in.

Once inside, we stand, looking down at Mom’s tiny little slab of cement for a while before I bend to brush off the snow.

“Hey, Momma.” I immediately fight tears. “Fuck, I miss you.”

Tears build up and start to trickle. “I met a girl, Mom, but I think you know that. She’s amazing and crazy as hell, but I’m pretty sure I am in love with her. Nah, I know I am, but I think I’m screwing things up.”

I sit and wait for something: a sign, a voice, God himself to come down and tell me what to do. All I get is the wind burning my face and angry that this is all I have given her. A fucking rock. But, hell, she picked it out. She didn’t want anything fancy. She wanted one thing, and that was for us boys to open up to love and be happy.

Floyd’s wet nose nudges my hand, and I pat her head.

“I’m sorry I didn’t bring flowers, Momma. I’m sorry I haven’t stopped by. I don’t feel close to you here. It’s too damn cold and just not you. You’re at the bar and in my thoughts every day. I’m gonna get going now. Love you, Mom.”

I bend down and brush the snow off the rest of the cold slab of stone and see ‘Beloved Mother’ and the words, I have left a legacy of good in a world of bad.

The words hit me hard. They have never carried as much weight as they do now. It was one of the last things she asked us to do. We are what she has left the world, and I will be damned if I won’t make her proud of what she gave this world.

“Let’s go, Floyd.”

I kiss my hand and rub it across her name. “Your legacy is strong and good, Momma. What that crazy chick needs to know is just how strong I am. The harder she pulls back, the harder I’m gonna reel her in. Nice chat, Momma.”

At home, I leave a note that I need her help at the bar tonight. I know Livi; she’ll come. I smirk and think, more than once.

*.*.*.*

Livi being standoffish should have made me question my feelings, but it didn’t, not after this morning’s chat. It fucking hurts in a different way, one that I haven’t felt before. A way much deeper than you feel when you disappoint a teacher, a boss, a sibling, or even a parent.

I never want to disappoint her, not ever fucking again. I love her fucking crazy, and strong, and even pissed off. As a man, I really love the way she looks at me like I could and have solved the troubles in her life. Her eyes shining as she looks at me makes my smile spread wider, my heart swell with pride, and my dick twitches all at the same time. I want that back.

I won’t begin to understand why she felt like she wasn’t important after the other night, but that shit will be rectified tonight.

I look behind me to see she is walking into the kitchen of the bar.

“This is the last of the fruit.” She sets down the plastic containers then walks over to wash her hands. “If you don’t need anything—”

“I certainly fucking do.” I slam my fist on the stainless steel counter and then turn around.

She stands taller, sets her little fists on her hips, and scowls.

“When are you gonna stop acting all pissed off at me, Livi? What do I need to do to make you understand I was taking care of shit for my family?”

“What about me?” she yells. “What would have happened if something happened to you? You know what, it doesn’t matter. I let down the mask, and I never—”

“Don’t even finish that fucking sentence. Don’t you do that to us!”

She covers her face and starts to cry. No, not just cry, she is sobbing, and I fucking did that to her. I fucking did that to her!

I don’t need fucking consent anymore, so it takes me three steps to cross the room and scoop her up in my arms. Then, it takes three seconds before she is wrapped around me.

“Livi, like it or not, you’re my family. I’ll fight just as hard for you as I will them. Fuck, harder if I have to.” I set her ass on the stainless steel island and pull her hands away from her face. “Talk to me.”

“I don’t know what to say.” She wipes her eyes and takes in several quick breathes.

“This isn’t just about the other night, is it?”

She shakes her head and then nods, and I am instantly melting because of my crazy ass, little chick.

“You know I love your ass, right?”

She nods.

“And the rest of you, too. Talk to me.”

“I’ve had a bad few days, and when I said that, you said that’s not what you’re here for. I don’t know—”

“Hold up, Livi. I meant it’s not my intention to give you bad days.” She looks up at me and closes her eyes slowly. “Wait, you thought…? Holy shit, Livi, babe, come on, talk to me. Tell me that one little no-call while handling my brothers shit didn’t make you doubt everything I have said to you.”

She shakes her head, but I know it did.

“I went to the cemetery today and saw my mom for the first time. I told her about you—”

“I want to be closer to my father, Hendrix. I want to see him. I know—”

“So we look into places around here. Hell, move him into my place.”

“Not that close.” She laughs, and I smile.

“So we do it. After work tomorrow, we sit down and check out some places.”

“It’s ladies’ night.” She looks down.

“I hired a new guy.” I smirk. “My ass will be shaking for one set of eyes only.”

That makes her smile. “Your mom? I didn’t mean to interrupt; it just made me realize you never know how long you have to right wrongs.”

I grab the hem of her shirt and pull it up, and despite having been told I don’t need consent, I look at her, making sure. She lifts her arms so I can pull her shirt up. Then, her little feet start to kick slightly like a happy, little kid, and I laugh to myself.

She’s low maintenance, a worker, beautiful, greedy for my touch—like I am to her taste—and mine. My fucking crazy Livi.

“She said she left a legacy of good in a world of bad.” I reach behind her and unsnap her bra, kissing it off her shoulders one strap at a time. My mouth takes a tit while I use my hands to undo her jeans and pull them down, taking her shoes off before completing the job.

“You’re real good,” she moans as her hands rub up the back of my head.

“This is gonna be quick, and I swear I will make it up to you,” I say as I unbutton and shove my jeans down enough to free my cock from the denim cage.

“I need you, bad,” she says as I lift her up.

I line us up, hiss when my head hits her hot wet pussy, and she whimpers.

I lean back against the wall. “I have every intention of making you walk funny for a week.”

“Bring. It…” I slam into her, and she cries out, “On.”

“Brought,” I hiss as I pound into her over and over. “How does my cock feel, Livi?”

“So good,” she cries into my shoulder.

“I’m raw inside you, Livi.”

“Feels so—” She springs up and looks at me, shocked.

“I’m gonna knock you up and love you forever. Can you handle that?”

Tears well in her eyes, but she smiles and nods. “Forever?”

“Fuck, yes. You and me and a shit load of Caldwells.”

I see her look up like she’s trying to figure it out, and then she looks at me. “Four.”

“Four’s a start.” I smile back. “We’ll start by fucking one in you now.”

“Consent given.” She smiles, laughing until I thrust inside of her again.

“Babe, don’t laugh when my dick is in that pretty, little pussy of yours. Makes me want to bruise it.” I slam in again.

“I think I’d like that,” she says in a husky voice.

My mouth crashes over hers. Our tongues dance, our bodies’ rhythms are in sync, and my balls are on fire. I’m not about to stop fucking her against the kitchen wall. She told me to bring it, and bring it I will.

She comes three times and is limp in my arms when I finally fill her with my cum. I then slide down the wall with her on my lap as we both try to catch our breaths.

“I love you, Olivia.”

“I love you, Hendrix,” she moans sweetly.

I hear the door and groan, allowing my head to fall back and hit the wall.

She laughs. “I’d take care of it, but I don’t know if I can walk yet.”

“That just made me hard again.” I smile, but I’m not joking. I love her feeling me still. “Stay put. I’ll come back and bang you up some more.”