Solitude (Cunningham Security Book 4)

by A. K. Evans

  After grabbing them and drinks, I met Lorenzo in the next room. Walking in, I started rambling, “I made a stop at the store on my way back home. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, but I picked up beer and dessert.”

  “Looks like we’ve got it all covered,” he said, standing beside the couch.

  He wasn’t sitting.

  “Is something wrong? Do you not drink beer?” I worried.

  “I do.”

  “Oh, why aren’t you sitting?”

  He grinned and took the remaining two steps toward me. “Because I wanted to give you a kiss first.”

  “But you gave me one when you walked in,” I reminded him.

  “Is there a limit?” His voice was low as he slowly bent at his neck.

  My breath stuck in my throat. “No,” I answered, my voice husky.

  With his mouth at my ear, he whispered, “Good, because that was not the kind of kiss I wanted to give you right now anyway.”

  I swallowed hard as a shiver ran through me.

  Lorenzo gave me a different kind of kiss.

  Then, we sat and ate pizza while I explained, “I’m not sure if we’ll be able to do this again.”

  He turned his head to me and asked, “What?”

  “Distracting me like that before a game is not nice. I need to be focused and that kissing bit was a major distraction.”

  He shook his head at me as the corners of his mouth tipped up and he turned his attention back to the pizza. “I’ll promise not to do that again. I’ve seen what happens when you’re distracted.”

  I blinked my eyes in surprise. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I wondered through a mouth full of food.

  Lorenzo continued to laugh and explained, “Jolie, did you already forget nearly face-planting at bowling or nearly exposing yourself to everyone but me at the wedding?”

  I rolled my eyes at him. He was right, but that still didn’t mean I was going to let him get away with it.

  “I didn’t expose myself to you,” I scoffed.

  He shot me a disbelieving look. “Baby, you did.”

  “You weren’t even looking at me!” I cried. “After I readjusted myself, I looked up at you and you were looking everywhere but at me.”

  “I was trying to be a gentleman, but trust me, I saw what I needed to see.”

  I had nothing else, so I returned an angry scowl.

  Lorenzo got back to eating. So did I. Five minutes later, he remarked, “In my whole life, it was the best thing I’d ever seen.”

  “Was?”

  He looked back at me, did a full body scan, and confirmed, “Was. I’ve seen a bit more since then.”

  I smiled inwardly but made no response.

  Then, we settled in to watch the game.

  The moment the first period ended, I shot up off the couch and announced, “I need dessert. I can’t believe we’re down two.”

  The Summits were not winning. I had been known to get pretty animated during a game. Lorenzo had just witnessed my ability to do that throughout the entire first period. It was a wonder he hadn’t left.

  Storming into the kitchen, I pulled the containers filled with desserts from the grocery bag and set them on the counter. Baked pumpkin churros. And chocolate chip muffins. I hoped Lorenzo would like at least one of them and I’d be able to make up for my antics.

  I turned around to get dessert plates when I heard Lorenzo walk into the kitchen and set our dinner plates down. Reaching up into the cabinet, I stated, “I got two different desserts. I know some people despise everything pumpkin spice, so I figured chocolate chip was a safe bet.”

  There was no response as I pulled the plates out. Before I had the chance to turn around, Lorenzo’s solid body pressed against mine from behind. He brushed my hair to one side and dropped his lips to my neck. Working his way up to my ear, he whispered, “There are still two periods left.”

  “I know. I’m sorry if I ruined watching the game for you. I just don’t like seeing them down two,” I sighed.

  “You didn’t ruin anything,” he assured me, trailing his hands gently up my sides. “And they’ll come back.”

  I arched my back, pushing my bottom into him. He groaned as I asked, “What if they don’t?”

  “It’s a bit of a turn-on seeing you like this,” he admitted. “If they don’t win, I’ll come up with a way to help you work out your frustration.”

  I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Don’t you think it’d be much more fun to celebrate their win?”

  He laughed and shrugged his shoulders, “Either one works for me.”

  When he put it that way, I couldn’t say I disagreed.

  I took a deep breath in and sighed, “So, baked pumpkin churros or chocolate chip muffins?”

  “Churros.”

  Grinning, I asked, “Can you grab them and I’ll bring the plates?”

  Lorenzo stepped back, grabbed the churros, and followed me back into the living room. After the second period ended, our team was up by one. During that intermission, I told Lorenzo all about my day, minus the specifics of the conversations I had with Ava and Kendall. He asked how Hank and Gracie were doing and, of course, I couldn’t help but gush over them. They were the lights of my life.

  When the third period started, I was sitting on the opposite end of the couch. Lorenzo reached out for me and tugged me toward him.

  It was abrupt and I was caught off guard.

  My chest collided with his.

  Our mouths were inches apart.

  Instead of kissing me, though, Lorenzo gently turned me so I could rest my head on the armrest, my booty in his lap, and his arm curled around me.

  That did it for me. The two of us just cuddling together on the couch, watching a hockey game. I knew this thing between us was new, but having that with him right then I knew it was something I wanted forever.

  And it got me worried.

  Because I suddenly remembered he wanted to talk after the game.

  As much as I tried to focus on the game, I couldn’t. At least, not with the same intensity that I did the first two periods. When there was less than ten minutes and they cut to a commercial break, Lorenzo interrupted the thoughts swirling in my mind.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” I lied.

  He cocked an eyebrow, clearly not believing me.

  “So, it’s during the third period when the game is tied that you settle down?” he asked, though it wasn’t a question for which he needed an answer.

  I bit my lip nervously.

  “I’m trying to have faith in my team,” I said.

  “Right,” he answered, but I knew he wasn’t buying my reasoning. Even still, he didn’t press me further. The game was back on, so we abandoned our conversation and directed our attention to the television.

  With a minute and ten seconds left in the game and the Summits on the penalty kill, there was a definite feel of tension in the room. But Rocco blocked a pass and took off on a breakaway. Rocco was one of the quickest guys in the NHL and, with the closest opposing player nowhere close to him, was unmanned heading toward the net. He came in hard, was quick with his hands, and fired a shot. It landed in the back of the net.

  I glanced up at Lorenzo.

  He was grinning at the television, watching his brother celebrate, and he had a look filled with such pride.

  “He’s so good,” I shared.

  “Yeah, he is.”

  The game ended and our team won. Dom picked up the remote and turned off the television.

  He dropped his eyes to me, but they were following his hand that was running through my hair.

  “Tell me what happened that made you go quiet, Jolie,” he pleaded.

  I had to laugh.

  “Most people would be thanking their lucky stars that I got quiet,” I retorted.

  His eyes shot to mine and his hand stilled in my hair. “I’m not most people,” he returned. “Now tell me why.”

  “I was enjoyi
ng being here with you like this,” I started. “But then I remembered that you wanted to talk after the game. Since you never shared what we were talking about, I got worried.”

  “Don’t ever stay silent, Jolie,” he instructed. “No matter what, never stay silent. Not when you want to say something, and especially not when something isn’t right for you.”

  “But—”

  “No,” he interrupted. “Because if you go quiet when you want to speak up or when you know you should, you change who you are. I saw it happen to my mom; I don’t want to see it happen to you. Promise me. Promise you won’t choose silence when you need to make noise.”

  I held his gaze for a few beats before I agreed, “I promise, boss.”

  “What I wanted to talk to you about was just that,” he said. “There have been several times now that I’ve heard you say things that don’t sit well with me.”

  My mind was scrambling trying to recall what I could have said that would have bothered him.

  “What?” I finally asked.

  “The first time I heard it was on the elevator at the hospital,” he began. “You said something that made it seem like you believed you were unworthy of others getting to know you. You hinted that people make judgments about you before they take the time to see who you really are.”

  I couldn’t deny it because it was the truth.

  He went on, “Last night, you ended up in a bad situation because some guy said something nice to you.”

  “You think what happened last night was my fault?” I asked, shocked at his accusation.

  The look on his face turned serious. “Not. At. All.”

  “I’m confused then.”

  “What I’m saying is that after hearing your friend tell me that it’s been so long since you’ve been with anyone and hearing you say what you did in the elevator, I’m not surprised that you reacted to a positive compliment. That guy played you, that’s on him. But you’ve made it clear to me that you don’t believe that who you are is enough.”

  “Quite the contrary, big guy,” I started to correct him. “The issue isn’t that I don’t think I’m enough. It’s that I’m too much.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  Now it was my turn to cock an eyebrow. I pressed my head back into the arm of the couch and questioned, “Did you watch the first two periods of the game with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you see me during those two periods?”

  “Yeah, and then you disappeared in the third,” he noted.

  “Which is what you should be grateful for. I mean, I finally shut up and wasn’t ranting anymore.”

  “You do recall that I asked what was wrong, don’t you?”

  I nodded.

  “Did it occur to you that maybe I enjoyed seeing you exactly like you were throughout the first two periods? That maybe I missed that girl and wanted her back?”

  Hope surged through me. My lips parted to reply, but nothing came out. I closed my mouth and still had the urge to speak, but I was so caught off guard by what he said.

  Lorenzo patiently waited for me to pull myself together.

  “You…you like that I disrupted the game?”

  He shook his head in disappointment. “Your problem is that you think you were a disruption. Jolie, baby, you’re not a disruption. You’re a distraction.”

  The wind left my sails.

  “Distractions can be good, you know,” he advised. “Seeing you so riled up over something like a hockey game is a huge turn-on. But it’s not just that. I admire your ability to just put yourself out there the way that you do. Or, at least, the way I’ve seen you do sometimes when you aren’t inside your own head. You walked into the waiting room at the hospital and didn’t have a problem telling everyone about your magic hands. You found a way to be creative with your girls at bowling just so you could get an advantage. You’re competitive; I like that. You can ramble on about nonsense, but you also say some of the most profound things when you just blurt them out. It’s when you stop yourself from being you and start thinking about it too much that you take away that girl that I’m most attracted to.”

  “You…I…you don’t think I’m too social?”

  He shook his head.

  I felt the tears prick the backs of my eyes.

  Lorenzo noticed and asked, “Why would I?”

  “That’s why I’m alone. All of the guys I’ve dated told me that I’m too much. Too talkative, too forward, too…just too much. I’ve been trying to tame myself a little bit, but I’ve been like this my whole life. After twenty-nine years of being one way, it’s not exactly easy to change overnight.”

  “They weren’t the right guys for you if they expected you to change,” he insisted. “Don’t lose who you are for anyone else, Jolie.”

  “But what happens when I don’t want to lose someone?”

  “If they love you, they’ll love everything about you.”

  My body froze.

  “Relax, baby. I’m not saying we’re there yet. I will say that I really like you, though. And I love the way you live your life when you’re confident in who you are. As gorgeous as your body is, there’s nothing sexier than seeing you happy and laughing.”

  “I’m going to cry,” I squeaked.

  “Then I’ll dry your tears.”

  I slid my arms around his neck and pulled my body toward his. Lorenzo wrapped his arms around my back and hugged me tight. I allowed the good feeling that he gave me to settle over me, and when I’d finally given myself enough time to do that, I pulled back and kissed his cheek.

  Bringing my palm up to the side of his face, I said, “You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever met. I don’t know how it’s possible that you believe you could ever hurt someone when you won’t even stand for seeing me hurt myself.”

  His face softened with a look I couldn’t read. I just knew that whatever the look was had to be a result of him ridding himself of any negative thoughts.

  “So, you’ve got to follow through on your promise,” I reminded him.

  “My promise?”

  “To help me find a way to celebrate the win.”

  Lorenzo’s eyes got intense as his arms tightened around me. “They were fools,” he muttered.

  “Who?”

  “The assholes who wanted to tame you. If a man gets creative enough, he can use that to his advantage. When you get wild, that’s beyond sexy. A man wanting to tame that is an idiot.”

  Pressing my face close to his, I smiled against his lips.

  “Their loss,” I breathed.

  One of his hands traveled up my shirt and cupped my breast. “Damn right,” he proudly agreed.

  Then, he crushed his mouth to mine and we celebrated the win.

  Lorenzo appreciated me being a little wild and I found that I liked him using that to his advantage.

  “Do you have any talent for drawing?”

  It had been just shy of two weeks since Lorenzo brought me home from Carter’s. Things had been going great for us. We had only seen each other on three occasions in that time, but we’d spoken to each other nearly every day. He came over twice to watch hockey games, once just to see me, and we spent a few nights talking on the phone for long periods of time. There were a couple days I didn’t get to talk to him because I was working the later shift at the spa and he had something keeping him tied up at work.

  I was currently at work, on my lunch break, and I decided to give him a call.

  “Drawing?” he repeated. “What exactly am I drawing?”

  “A face. Actually, several faces. Maybe five or six. I guess it depends on what we decide to do.”

  “We? Baby, if you’d give me a little bit more information than you are, I might be able to answer your question.”

  I finished chewing the food in my mouth, swallowed, and explained, “Well, I was planning to get some pumpkins this weekend since Halloween is less than a week away. I wanted to carve them, but I have no artistic talent.�
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  “Where are you getting pumpkins from?”

  “I was just going to go to the grocery store and buy a couple from the ones they have in the bins there.”

  “When are you planning to buy these pumpkins?” he asked.

  “Saturday afternoon,” I answered.

  “Hang tight one second for me,” he said.

  “Sure.”

  I heard his muffled voice talking to someone. A few seconds later he returned to the phone and explained, “I’m sorry, Jolie. I’ve got to go help Pierce and Holden with a case they’re working on.”

  “That’s okay. I can talk to you later,” I assured him.

  “Definitely, but instead of you buying your pumpkins at the store on Saturday I’d like to take you to the pumpkin patch to get them if you’re up for it.”

  He was so sweet. “I’d love to do that with you.”

  “Good. I’ll bring donuts for breakfast on Saturday morning and then we can go hunting for pumpkins whenever you want.”

  “You’re the best,” I declared.

  He laughed. “I’m trying.”

  A moment of silence stretched on until he broke it, “I’ve got to go now, but I’ll call you later today.”

  “Okay.”

  “Have a good day, baby.”

  “Thanks, big guy. You too.”

  We disconnected and I got back to my lunch. My mood must have been displayed prominently on my face because when Ava walked into the break room a minute later, she stated, “Well that look can only mean one thing.”

  I turned my gaze in her direction and gave her the goofiest grin. “He makes me so happy, Ava. It’s so effortless for him.”

  “What did he do now?”

  “I planned to pick up pumpkins this weekend to carve. I only wanted him to help me with the artsy part of pumpkin carving and he told me he’d take me to the pumpkin patch instead.”

  “Aw, that’s so cute.”

  “Want to know the best part?”

  Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she sat across from me at the table. “You mean, that wasn’t it?”

  I shook my head slowly as I smiled. “He’s bringing me donuts for breakfast. Are you jealous?”

  “Uh, I’m so jealous, but I’m so happy for you. Does he have any brothers?”

  Now it was my turn to give her wide eyes. “Oh, I almost forgot. Yes! As it turns out, he does have a brother.”