Chapter 9

NINE

Evie

What the hell was I thinking?

That thought keeps running on a loop in my head as I stare wide-eyed at Hendrix’s face, peaceful and completely unaware, fast asleep on the pillow next to me. Lucky for me. If he were awake to see me freaking out like this, it would only make everything so much worse. I can barely deal with my own feelings, let alone having to explain them to him right now.

What the hell was I thinking? And more importantly, what the hell do I do now?

I have no answers. My brain is a jumbled mess of thoughts, emotions, and panic. All I know is that I need to get out of here—get home, clear my head, and figure out how to face him after…this. After everything that happened last night.

I take one last look at Hendrix, his face softened in sleep, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady breaths. Then, as quietly as I can, I pull the sheets back and slip out of his bed, every muscle in my body protesting. My legs feel shaky, my entire body sore from the night we spent together. I ignore the well- used ache between my legs and the sting of beard burn on my breasts and inner thighs as I tiptoe around the room, collecting my clothes.

I dress quickly, trying to keep my mind from spiraling back to the memory of what happened. I can’t—won’t—let myself go there right now. Thinking about how my fake boyfriend just made very real love to me last night is only going to mess with my head even more.

Shit.

I push the thought aside as I head for the front door. I blink in surprise when I see the sun is high in the sky. I was thinking it was early morning, but apparently, I lost track of time. No doubt, we spent most of the night?—

Nope. Not going there. Not thinking about that.

My hands shake slightly as I dig in my purse for my keys, only to come up empty. My car isn’t here. I’m sort of…trapped.

“Shit,” I mutter under my breath, trying to think of a solution.

I open the Uber app on my phone, grateful when I see there’s a driver nearby. Five minutes later, I’m slipping into the backseat of a black sedan, and we’re heading to my apartment.

The ride feels longer than usual, every second stretching out as my mind whirls with thoughts of Hendrix.

What happens now? Was it a mistake? Do we pretend it never happened?

My heart pounds in my chest as I replay the night over and over in my head.

“Thanks,” I mutter as the driver drops me off in front of my building.

I close the door and look up, my eyes locking with Claire and her friends. They’re openly grinning at me, and my stomach sinks.

Do they suspect that something happened between Hendrix and I? Does it look like I’m doing a walk of shame? Or like we had a fight, and he kicked me out?

I force a smile to my lips, straightening my shoulders as I spin on my heel and strut over to my apartment door. I don’t look back as the door closes behind me.

I’ll deal with Claire and her minions later.

I take the stairs two at a time, fingers fumbling with my phone as I dial the only person who can make sense of this mess.

“Hey! I was just thinking about you,” Olive’s voice chirps through the line as soon as the call connects.

“I slept with Hendrix,” I blurt out, my words rushed and panicked.

There’s a beat of silence, and then, “Your boss?”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t even know you two were together!”

“We’re not… or, well, wewere—but it was fake.” The words spill out of me in a confusing jumble, and I can hear Olive’s confusion through the phone.

“Fake? What do you mean fake?”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself as I let myself into my apartment. “It’s a long story, but we pretended to date to keep people off our backs, and then last night, after a fake date, we just… we slept together.”

There’s another pause on the other end, and I know Olive’s trying to process all of it.

“So,” she finally says, “do you want him?”

My stomach flips at the question. “Yes,” I answer without hesitation. It’s the truth. I’ve been drawn to Hendrix since the moment I interviewed for the job. Somewhere along the line, my innocent crush turned into something so much deeper. Something I couldn’t admit, even to myself, until now.

“Shit. I love him,” I whisper, the realization hitting me like a freight train. Olive snorts in response.

“Duh! You wouldn’t have slept with him if you didn’t. Now, you just need to be brave and tell him you want to be his girlfriend. For real.”

A wave of anxiety washes over me. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

Olive laughs, the sound full of confidence. “Well, I don’t know Hendrix, but he sounds a lot like Xavier. And Xavier wouldn’t do anything he didn’t want to do. He wouldn’t have slept with me if he wasn’t serious about it, knowing how complicated it could get. He only would’ve done it if I meant something to him.”

“You mean everything to me,” I hear Xavier murmur in the background, and I smile despite myself.

Olive is right. Hendrix and Xavier are a lot alike. The memory of Hendrix telling me that he never does anything he doesn’t want to flashes in my mind. Maybe we’ve both been fools. Maybe we’ve both been in love with each other all along but too scared to do anything about it.

“Thanks, Olive,” I say, feeling calmer already.

“Of course! Call me after you sort things out with your man, okay?”

“I will,” I promise.

We end the call, and I take a deep breath, my heart no longer racing quite so fast. I finally have a plan. I’ll take a shower, put on fresh clothes, and go talk to Hendrix. I’ll lay everything out for him. If he feels the same way, then great. If not… well, I have enough saved up to quit and head back to Wolf Valley. I could stay with Olive or one of her sisters until I get back on my feet.

The thought of leaving Hendrix makes my chest tighten, but at least I have a backup plan. That’s enough to calm me down as I strip off my clothes and step into the shower. I rush through washing my hair and body, my thoughts already on the conversation I need to have with Hendrix.

As I’m pulling on a clean outfit, there’s a sudden, insistent knock at my front door. A loud,angryknock. My heart skips a beat, but I already know who it is.

Looks like we’re having this talk on my turf.

I roll my shoulders back, taking a deep breath as I walk to the door. My hand trembles slightly as I reach for the knob, knowing that once I open it, everything will change. I’m about to lay it all out there—my feelings, my hopes, and the possibility of heartbreak.

I open the door, and there stands Hendrix, looking every bit as intense as I imagined. His blue eyes are stormy, his jaw clenched, but beneath the anger, there’s something else. Something raw and real that mirrors the way I feel inside.

It’s time to lay it all out there and let the chips fall where they may. I just hope that I don’t break my heart in the process.