Page 62 of He Falls First

“Are you serious?” To me, Gabrielle is a queen. Who would treat her like that? I could kill this Tobias guy. Let me at him.

“Dead serious.” Hendrix’s eyes are dark. “But I couldn’t do it, Elizabeth. I couldn’t side with him when he was so clearly in the wrong.”

“Wow,” I whisper.

Okay, I’ve got a newfound admiration for Hendrix. His loyalty to Gabrielle and Harper is both surprising and endearing, making me see him in a new light.

He continues, “Gabrielle moved to Sacramento after the divorce. She had hardly any support from Tobias at all. A few years later, she wanted to step back from working full-time and focus on raising Harper as a single mom. That’s why I left Quantum Sphere Corp and moved here, to take over her role running Nexus Tech Solutions. I’m trying to also secure ownership to keep the company in the family. My family. To make sure it’s there to provide for Harper in the future, so she’ll never have to worry about money. Even with an absent father.”

His gaze softens, and he clears his throat before continuing.

“I’ve tried to be there for Harper, almost like, well, like a father figure, I suppose. I had to choose between my brother and my family. The ones who really felt like family. I chose them.”

My anger starts to fade, replaced by a swell of affection. I get it now. In his own way, family is everything to Hendrix. Even if it’s not traditional. I think of the way I saw him hugging Harper, and how he moved across the country for Gabrielle. He chose love over obligation.

“Wow,” I murmur. “You’re one amazing uncle. You know that, right?”

He chuckles softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I just do what I can for the people I care about.” He shrugs. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth from the start. I guess I didn’t know how without dredging up a lot of painful history. And I didn’t want Gabrielle and Harper caught up in this whole fake engagement lie.”

“I appreciate you telling me now,” I say slowly. “But Hendrix, you can’t just lie to protect people, even if it comes from a place of care. You have to let me make my own choices.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” His voice is low and serious. “But since we’re talking about it, I need you to know I didn’t choose my unconventional family situation lightly. It was a deliberate decision, one that not everyone would understand. I might not be related to Gabrielle anymore, but she’s still family to me. And Harper, she means everything to me.”

“Family isn’t always about blood, is it?” I muse. “Sometimes, it’s about choosing who you stand with.”

“Exactly,” Hendrix agrees.

He looks at me, this complex, tender-hearted man, with a warmth I haven’t seen from him before. At first glance, a person might think he’s cold. Distant. But the path he’s chosen is full of love and loyalty.

“I get it,” I tell him. “Thank you for telling me the truth.”

Hendrix relaxes, threading his fingers through mine. “I’m tired of keeping parts of my life separate. I don’t want any more lies between us.”

I lean over to close the gap between us, pressing my lips against his. The intensity of the kiss swells immediately, our mouths moving together with a new hunger. I slip my tongue into his mouth and Hendrix groans, backing me up against the stone bench.

My back hits the cold surface and I gasp. But any discomfort is swiftly forgotten as Hendrix blankets my body with his own. He kisses me like a man starved, all heat and passion and pent-up longing. As I kiss him back, desire coils hot and insistent in my core.

His hands roam over my body, stroking down my sides to grip my hips. I arch into him, craving the hardness of his chest against my breasts, the thick ridge of his arousal pressed to my belly. His hands tangle in my hair, then trail down my spine, sending delicious shivers down my body.

“Elizabeth,” Hendrix murmurs between kisses, his voice raspy. “Let’s go somewhere more comfortable to continue this… conversation.”

For once, I’m not worried about breaking any pledges or rules—I just want to be with this incredible man who has shown me a new side of himself tonight.

“Inside,” Hendrix growls. “Now.”

I don’t need to be told twice.

Chapter 26

Elizabeth

We stumble through the garden toward the house, unable to keep our hands off each other. By the time we make it inside, we’re both breathless.

Hendrix kicks the front door shut behind us and presses me against the wall. “Upstairs. Bedroom.”

His voice is rough with need as he lifts me, urging me to wrap my legs around his waist. I comply eagerly, tangling my fingers in his hair and claiming his mouth again. He carries me up the stairs, hands gripping my butt to support my weight. We bump into walls and trip on steps, knocking art down and being too consumed by passion to care.

Finally, we tumble into Hendrix’s bedroom.

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