Surrender (Cunningham Security Book 7)

by A. K. Evans

  Zara grinned and joked, “He is pretty handsome, isn’t he?”

  Handsome didn’t even come close to it. I let out a little laugh and rolled my eyes.

  A few minutes later, Pierce and Holden arrived. They came inside, and Holden quickly noted, using only his eyes and the expression on his face, that I was still wearing his hoodie.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  I gave him a nod, thanked Zara, and said goodbye to both her and Pierce.

  After Holden and I were in his truck, I gave him directions to my place. We had been driving in silence for several minutes before he broke it. “What did the doctor say about your foot?”

  “I have two stitches in it and need to stay off it for three days.”

  “That’s not too bad,” he reasoned.

  See?

  It was likely that nobody but me would believe it was anything but bad. Instead of refuting his statement, I quietly agreed, “Yeah.”

  I was staring out the window when Holden asked, “Have you called anyone? Family? Friends? A boyfriend?”

  I rolled my head along the headrest to look at him. There was no way I was going to dump that on him. “No. Except for a few people that live close by, most of the friends I have meaningful connections with don’t live anywhere near here. And there is no boyfriend.”

  “Family?” he repeated.

  It seemed I wasn’t going to get away with not commenting on that.

  “There’s only one person I can call who’d be interested in hearing what happened to me today, but I’d rather not burden my eighty-seven-year-old grandmother with this right now. Especially because she’s probably in the middle of bingo night at the assisted living facility.”

  I watched as Holden’s jaw clenched.

  Mere moments passed when I saw his arm reach out toward me and felt his fingers curl around mine to give me a squeeze.

  We arrived at my home a few minutes later. Holden came around and helped me out, making sure I was steady on my crutches. Then, he walked beside me to my door.

  I lived in a small house. It was a cute cabin on a tiny piece of land, but I loved it. Since I lived alone, I didn’t need anything too big.

  Simplicity was what I needed, and a small home forced me to have that. It was later in my life when I learned the lesson; however, I was happy I did.

  Once we made it to the door, I looked at Holden and sighed, “My keys for my house were on the keyring with my car keys.”

  “Do you have a spare key anywhere?” he asked.

  “Inside.”

  He jerked his chin down in understanding and instructed, “Hang tight. I’ll be right back.”

  I watched as Holden jogged over to the passenger side of his truck. He leaned in, grabbed something, and made his way back to me. Then, with expert-like ease, he picked my lock.

  My eyes widened as he pushed the door open.

  “Wow,” I whispered.

  Holden put his hand to the small of my back and guided me inside. I hobbled in, flipped on the lights, and turned toward him.

  “Thank you for bringing me home. Can I get you anything?”

  He shook his head. “It wasn’t a problem at all. Unfortunately, as much as I’d love to, I can’t stay. I’ve got to go back to work. But is there anything else I can help you with before I leave?”

  Wow. He had to go back to work and I’d already taken up plenty of his time.

  “Oh, gosh. No, I’m so sorry.”

  “Why are you apologizing?” he asked.

  “It’s just…well, you’ve been really kind to me. And I feel awful that you’ve got to go back to work.”

  He raised his brows in question. “Did you ask to have your business torched today?”

  I winced, dropping my head and closing my eyes as I recalled feeling utterly terrified that I wouldn’t make it out of there alive.

  “Leni…” He trailed off as he took steps closer to me. His hand curled behind my neck, squeezed, and tugged me toward him. My forehead landed on his chest. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that,” Holden lamented.

  I took in a few deep breaths, settled myself, and lifted my gaze to his. “It’s okay. I’m okay now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded.

  “Your offer, though,” he started. “I can’t do it tonight, but maybe after I solve this case we can get together.”

  Butterflies took flight in my belly. “I’d like that.”

  “Do you have someone that’ll be able to give you a ride if you need one tomorrow?”

  “Yeah,” I insisted. “I’m good.”

  Satisfied with my answer, Holden turned and walked back to the door. Once there, he turned and looked back at me. “Take care of yourself, sweetheart.”

  I didn’t have to force the smile I gave him when I replied, “Thanks, Holden.”

  “Lock up behind me,” he ordered.

  With that, he left.

  After I locked up behind him, I moved through my house on my crutches doing things I needed to do and wanting to keep myself busy. The doctor recommended keeping my foot elevated and I knew the reason why when it started throbbing. I decided to call it a night and climb into bed.

  And when I was curled up there, I realized the reason I felt so calm for someone who had experienced what I did that day.

  I never gave Holden his sweatshirt back.

  His scent was still bringing me comfort.

  Three days had passed since I held her in my arms.

  Three days since she nearly lost her life.

  And in those three days, I had trouble thinking about anything other than her.

  If it weren’t for the fact that I needed to focus on the case and find the guy responsible for the fires, I knew that the only thing I would have had on my mind was Leni.

  And that worried me.

  From the moment I first saw her standing outside her studio, I knew there was something about her. Initially, I thought it was just in my nature to have empathy for someone in a situation like that. But once I got close, I knew it was something so much more. I felt such anger over the case we’d be working on for months. With each new fire that was set, we all grew more and more frustrated, but it was when I saw Leni devastated, injured, trembling, and on the verge of a breakdown when I finally felt myself getting personally involved.

  Since that day, I couldn’t get the images of her out of my head. Physically, she was beyond beautiful. She wore those tiny shorts that just barely covered her gorgeous ass and showed off her tanned, sculpted legs. Never in my life had I seen such a perfect set of legs on any woman. Her midsection was toned and tight. Her arms were slender with defined, compact muscles that showed her physical strength. Leni’s breasts weren’t large, but there was still plenty to have fun with.

  And for three days all I thought about was having fun with her. Having her golden, sun-kissed body underneath mine. I had no doubts she’d feel fantastic there because the moment I had her in my arms that morning, I realized just how perfect she fit and felt against me.

  Add to her beautiful body the sound of her voice and her pretty face and I was finding it difficult to concentrate.

  Part of my concern was not only for her physical well-being, but also her emotional state. Seeing her reaction to the fire, knowing she was struggling with not having a place to work, I knew I needed to do something to help her. There was also the fact of her saying she had no family, other than her grandmother, that would care to hear that she’d nearly died. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what the story was there. While I had every intention of figuring out what that was, I needed to start with what I knew was going to be the easiest thing to fix for her.

  That was precisely the reason I was on my way now to see my brother, Reece. I pulled up outside the gym he owned—a place I’d spent a lot of my time—and parked my truck.

  Walking in, I immediately spotted my brother sitting in his office. A familiar face, the staff knew who I was and didn
’t stop me when I walked right past the check-in desk to Reece’s office.

  The moment I walked in, he ended the call he was on.

  “What’s going on, bro? Haven’t seen you in here much the last week,” he greeted me.

  I sat down in the chair opposite his desk and explained, “This fucking case is killing me. We finally have a lead and are following our suspect. I’m just hoping we can wrap it up soon.”

  Reece gave me a nod. “I heard about the fire from earlier this week on the news. They were saying a couple of businesses were affected.”

  “Yeah. Three of them. That fire is actually the reason I’m here.”

  His expression grew curious.

  “I need your help.”

  Reece’s brows shot up. “My help? What do you need?” he asked.

  Taking in a deep breath, I prepared myself for what I knew was going to come once I explained it. “Of the three businesses, one of them was completely decimated. It was a yoga studio and the owner no longer has any place to work out of until the rebuild is complete. My guess is that it’s going to be a few months before she’s back up and running there. I was wondering if you’d be able to help her out and give her a place to hold her classes until then.”

  Reece smirked and asked, “Her?”

  “Yes.”

  “You said she did yoga?”

  I felt myself growing impatient. I loved my brother, knew he’d never cross a line like that, but also didn’t want to hear him thinking about Leni that way. He hadn’t seen her yet. Once he did, it would only get worse.

  “Yeah,” I answered.

  “Is she single?” he pressed.

  My eyes narrowed on him. “Don’t go there,” I warned him.

  Reece grinned, sat back in his chair, and clasped his hands in front of him. “This is the best news ever.”

  “Stop,” I ordered.

  He shook his head. “No way. For a long time, I wasn’t sure you were ever going to go there. Then, you finally did, and I was happy for you. But when she did what she did… well, I’ve been worried ever since if you would bounce back from it. That one did a number on you.”

  Reece was talking about my ex-fiancée. Kristen and I were together for two-and-a-half years before I ended things between us. It was an ugly break up, but I was glad it happened when it did. I had fallen for her and was at a point where I thought she was the one. Thankfully, I didn’t get tied to her any more than I already had.

  Ever since things ended with Kristen, though, I’d been very hesitant to get into another meaningful relationship. Instead, I went out on dates and hooked up knowing I wasn’t interested in making anything serious with anyone.

  “This coming from the guy who has yet to settle down,” I shot back.

  “Yeah, but I’ve never been interested in settling down. You are… or at least, you were.”

  Before I could respond, there was a knock at the door. Reece and I turned our attention to the entrance as the door opened. A second later, a woman popped her head in. “Reece,” she called before she stepped fully into his office.

  “What can I do for you, Tanya?” Reece clipped.

  Tanya’s eyes darted back and forth between the two of us. “Hi, Holden,” she acknowledged me.

  “Tanya,” I returned.

  Her gaze lingered on me a moment, but she snapped her head in my brother’s direction when he interjected, “We’re in the middle of something, Tanya. Did you have a question?”

  “I’m sorry,” she started. “I need a spotter and was wondering if you’d be able to give me one.”

  “I’ve got a gym full of qualified staff that are paid to do things like that,” he noted.

  She shifted uncomfortably and pressed, “I know. But you gave me a spot last week. Not only did you do that, but you gave me a few tips. I figured you might be able to help me again.”

  Reece rolled his eyes. “I helped you last week when I was seriously short-staffed due to one person being on vacation and another being sick. In that case, I pick up the slack. Today, I’m not short-staffed.”

  Tanya slid her eyes back to mine. Either she didn’t make the attempt, or she just wasn’t very good at hiding the fact that she was taking me in… again. “Maybe when you’re finished in here, you could offer me a spot,” she suggested.

  “Sorry, Tanya. I don’t have much time today.”

  Disappointment flickered in her face. She gave me a curt nod and moved back to the door. “Right. Thanks anyway.”

  With that, she left. Once the door closed behind her, I turned my attention back to Reece to find him still staring at the door, shaking his head.

  “What was I thinking?” he asked.

  I let out a chuckle. “I have no idea.”

  The truth was, Tanya’s interruption that morning was typical. She always found a different reason to do it, but she never missed the opportunity. Any chance she had to put herself in the presence of my brother and me, she did. For years, she made it clear she was interested in me. And while there was no denying that Tanya was a pretty woman, she wasn’t my type.

  Unfortunately, she refused to accept this. So, when her advances went unacknowledged, she took it to the next level. Tanya set her sights on Reece. My brother wasn’t looking for a relationship, but also wasn’t going to turn down a willing participant. They hooked up. Reece did it for the fun; Tanya’s motives ran much deeper. She was hoping to catch my eye that way.

  I’m not sure why she believed sleeping with my brother was the way to get me to notice her, but things certainly didn’t work out the way she had hoped. Even still, her failed attempt didn’t stop her from continuing to try. I wondered how much longer she’d keep up the charade. Not only were things never going to change for me with regard to her, but Reece was now constantly reminded of how bad of a decision he’d made.

  I sighed.

  “Okay, moving on from that,” I started, pulling his attention back to me. “Do you think you’ll be able to help Leni out and give her a place to work from for a few months?”

  Reece grinned at me. “Leni,” he repeated her name before he dipped his chin and insisted, “Yeah. Just bring her in so I can meet her, and we’ll figure out what she needs for time and space.”

  “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem.”

  I stood from the chair and said, “I’m going to go talk to her about it after I get in a workout. Once I know that she’s interested, I’ll reach out to you and let you know when I’ll be bringing her by. Does that work?”

  Reece gave me a nod just as his phone rang.

  “I’m out of here,” I declared. “Catch you later, Reece.”

  “Talk to you soon, Holden.”

  I left my brother’s office, got in a quick workout, and went home to shower. Two hours after I’d had my conversation with Reece, I was knocking on Leni’s front door.

  The second the door opened, I noticed two things. First, Leni was still wearing my sweatshirt. I liked seeing that.

  A lot.

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t focus on that because one look at her face told me something wasn’t right. As much relief as I felt finally seeing her again, I was more concerned about why she was so upset.

  “Holden,” she stated, clearly shocked I was there.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “It’s nothing. Really. Please, come on in.” After I stepped inside, Leni closed the door behind me and continued, “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I wanted to stop by and check on you.”

  She blinked up at me in surprise. “Oh.”

  We moved farther into the house and sat down next to each other on the couch.

  “How’s your foot?” I asked.

  “Getting better. Today is the first day I can start putting weight on it, so I’m taking full advantage of that.”

  “That’s good. I’m happy to hear you’re on the mend.”

  We sat in silence for a moment before she s
napped herself out of her thoughts and apologized, “I’m so sorry. I’m being rude. Can I offer you something to drink?”

  I put my hand on her bare leg. She was wearing a pair of those incredibly small shorts again, only a different color this time. With my hand resting just above her knee, I assured her, “It’s fine. I’m not here for that. I actually wanted to see if you had managed to get anything figured out yet with work.”

  Leni’s mood instantly changed. Her body went rigid and her face turned sad. “Not yet. I’m supposed to meet with my landlord tomorrow to get a better idea on when things should be back up and running again, but I know it’s going to take a couple months. For the last few days, I’ve been researching other locations. I’ve contacted some of them and explained my situation hoping to find a temporary spot to work out of, but I haven’t had any luck.”

  Seeing the sadness in her eyes and hearing the despondency in her voice, I couldn’t hold back. I blurted, “I’ve got a place for you.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “My younger brother owns a gym,” I started. “I went over there this morning and talked to him about your situation. He is more than willing to help you out.”

  I noticed Leni’s breathing pick up. “Are you serious?”

  My eyes were locked on the rapid rising and falling of her chest. “Leni?” I called. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”

  I directed my gaze to hers and saw the tears welling in her eyes. She rasped, “I could kiss you right now.”

  That was not the response I was expecting, but it was certainly one I was happy to hear. “I won’t stop you if you do,” I assured her.

  Leni snapped her lips together and seemed to be contemplating whether she really wanted to kiss me. Sadly, she didn’t. Instead, she broke down into tears. I wasted no time moving closer to her and pulling her into my arms. As much as I liked having her there, I hated the reason for it.

  Leni quickly pulled herself together. Once she did, she lifted her head from my chest and lamented, “I’m sorry. It’s just that… well, I’ve been trying so hard to locate a place that would allow me to work there temporarily. Over the past few days, I’ve been doing a lot of searching. I found a couple studios and gyms, but when I called them, I didn’t have any luck. Even when I explained my situation, nobody was willing to help me out. They either didn’t have any available time that I could come in and teach or they wanted someone who was looking for a permanent position.”