by Rachel Ryan
Surrender
(Relentless Soul Part 2)
By
Eve Cassidy and Rachel Ryan
Copyright © 2015 Eve Cassidy and Rachel Ryan
All rights reserved.
Distributed by Smashwords
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com
Cover design by [email protected]
Published by Eve Cassidy and Rachel Ryan at Smashwords
Acknowledgements
Eve
Firstly, thanks to my fiancé for putting up with me over the last few months. Between work study and writing I haven't had a lot of time for you and you have put up with me talking non-stop about how much I love the book.
Secondly thanks to Rachel for pushing me when I slack off and believing we could do this.
A huge thank you to all of the people who have read the book and have given us feedback during the writing process and afterward.
Thanks to Carrie for our amazing covers.
A huge thank you to Dawn for spreading the word about our books.
And lastly thank you to all of the people who have read the book and left a review or rating, seeing those makes my day.
You made my dream a reality.
Rachel
To my partner in crime, Eve, thank you for your inspiration and hard work. Without you I never would have had the courage to even attempt to write a novel.
Big hugs and thank you to Carrie at Cheeky Covers for creating two amazing covers for our ‘Relentless Soul’ Series. We are so in love with them.
Thanks to our Relentless Rebels St Team, especially Dawn for your relentless promotion of our books. It is much appreciated.
Thank you to all of the amazing book blogs that have promoted our books in any way. Your support means the world to us.
Cheers to anyone who has taken the time to read our books and provide any kind of feedback or reviews. We love finding out that people are enjoying reading our stories as much as we enjoy writing them.
Lastly, thanks to my three boys for putting up with my ignorance and mood swings over the last six months.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Ava
Standing here shuffling my feet I look back up to the arrival and departures display board. His flight should be arriving soon. The overhead speakers are going off every five minutes with news of flights arriving, being delayed, departing or waiting on a passenger. The sounds are all blurring together and I’m struggling to remain calm.
The anticipation of his arrival is driving me crazy. I miss him so much and I just want him to be standing in front of me already. The arrival zone is getting busier as more people seem to be waiting for their loved ones to arrive. Looking back over to the display board I double check that I’m at the right gate.
These last few days have been hectic after finding out that my rock star would be arriving at 10am today, the fourteenth of June. I haven’t seen him since the night of the last show a week ago and I have been missing him like crazy. The sound of his voice on the phone has been my only connection to him over the last few days and I just need him. I need to see him standing in front of me. He informed me that he would be staying for one and a half weeks. It’s not long, but long enough to spend some quality time with me and maybe even get to see a little of my country. Wanting to surprise him I have booked us three nights here in Sydney before I take him back to Canberra for the rest of the trip. He said he’s nervous about meeting my Grandma when we get to Canberra, but I know she will love him. Who wouldn’t love him? We will stay in Canberra for a week and then he will fly back to L.A the day after me.
I can’t believe how much I miss everyone back in L.A already. I feel home sick from all angles. I miss the girls, I miss the band, but most of all I miss him. We left things on a pretty negative note, but after all of our conversations on the phone, I hope we have sorted out all of the drama between us. I nervously smooth down some stray strands of hair that are sitting around my face and glance around the airport again.
Finally, his flight arrives, but speaking from experience, going through customs can be a long and tedious task so I don’t get too excited just yet. Standing in amongst the large group of people waiting for their loved ones to arrive, I rise on my tiptoes trying to spot him in the busy crowd. After a few more minutes I finally see some familiar looking blue jeans and chucks. Moving around the tall blond man in front of me I spot him. I can’t take my eyes off him as I push my way right through the crowd of people. He is such a beautiful looking man and he really stands out in a crowd.
He’s standing still, scanning the room and every individual face when finally his eyes meet mine. We stare at each other for a few seconds like we don’t know what to do. Finally, snapping out of my trance, I break free of the crowd and make a run for him. A grin spreads across his handsome face as he drops his duffel bag and opens his arms up wide for me. As I run into his waiting arms, his embrace feels so good, so comforting and more than anything it feels just like home. He lifts me off the ground and swings me around. Nuzzling my face into his neck, I inhale his woody scent, God I missed that smell. As he places me back down on the floor I look into his grey eyes. He is smiling down at me and it’s reaching his beautiful eyes.
“Ava, I have missed you so much.”
Feeling brave I stand on my tip toes and place a small gentle kiss on his lips. Leaving my lips on his, I whisper “I’ve missed you too Brody.”
Brody
I inhale her perfect scent as I hold her in my arms. I can’t believe I’m finally here, it seemed like that flight was never going to end. But here I am standing in front of the girl I love. The only girl I’ve ever loved and my heart is racing, partly from my fear of the unknown, but mostly from the excitement of a fresh new start with the girl of my dreams. Even though, originally, I helped push her into the arms of my best friend, I have wanted her for so long and now I finally have her and I am not going to fuck it up.
Leaning down for another kiss, I weave my fingertips through her long wavy hair and pull her closer to me. She returns my kiss with an intensity that fills my heart. This girl is so beautiful and passionate and…I could just go on all day about all the things I love about her. The last week of my life has been torture without her. When I found out she had left L.A I had feared that I would never get to see her again and I would never be able to show her how strongly I feel about her. When she sent me the text telling me she had made a mistake by leaving and that she missed me, I hadn�
��t stopped smiling all day. I was sitting in a bar with Hunter drowning my sorrows when the text had come through and as soon as the text arrived I had gone online on my phone to apply for a visa. Hunter had been really supportive of my decision to follow Ava, even though he was a little worried about what it would do to my relationship with Jeremy and how that would affect the band. But there was no hesitation on my part. This girl has become my life over the last nine weeks, and I won’t be letting go of that for anyone, not even Jeremy. He had his chance with her and it obviously wasn’t meant to be.
I pull away from our kiss and take hold of Ava’s hand as I pick up my duffel bag and say.
“Lead the way, Baby.”
Smiling up at me, she pulls me toward the front of the building and out through the front doors toward the taxi stand. As we wait in line, I can’t drag my eyes from Ava. She is in her usual black skinny jeans and a thin light blue woolen cardigan, but she looks so beautiful and I struggle to keep my hands off her as we stand in line and make out for the next few minutes. At one stage I even hear the teenage boys behind us advising us to ‘get a room.’
Twenty minutes later our taxi pulls up outside our hotel and we pay the driver, grab my bag and head inside. Ava explains that she has already checked in and we make our way up to the third floor to our room. I drop my bag in the corner of the room beside the table and chairs and watch as Ava walks over to the large window and stares out toward the harbor view. Walking up behind her I wrap an arm around her waist and curve my body around hers. Using my other hand to brush her long hair off her shoulder I lean down and place a lingering kiss on the side of her neck.
“I’m so glad you sent me that text, Ava. I really thought that I had lost you. When I went around to your apartment and found out you had gone, I got really scared that I would never see you again. The thought of losing you just tore me apart. You mean so much to me and I just want to be in your life. Even if you had told me that you wanted to stay with Jeremy, I would have fucking hated it, but I would have accepted it and I still would have been your friend, because I care about you and I just want you to be happy.”
She turns her body in my arms and gazes into my eyes before leaning in and giving me the sweetest fucking kiss I have ever shared with someone.
“Brody, you make me happy. I knew from the start that my relationship with Jeremy wouldn’t be long term. From the moment I met you I have felt this strong connection with you and the only reason I didn’t act on it was because you didn’t seem to feel the same way. I know now that you did and I know your reasons for why you pushed me away. In the short time we’ve known each other; you’ve always been there for me. When I was sick and needed someone you were there.
You told me that last night in L.A that you wanted me to sort it all out in my head and decide what I want. I’ve had a lot of time over the last week to think about what’s happening between us and you are what I want Brody, just you.”
Placing one hand behind her head I pull her mouth to mine and pour into this kiss all of the emotion, hunger and desire I have been holding inside of me for the last nine weeks. Ava opens her mouth and traces her tongue along my bottom lip. I deepen the kiss and our tongues dance together as I lift her in my arms and carry her to the bed. Laying her down, I lay beside her, staring into her golden eyes as I brush the hair from her face. We lie snuggled together, chest to chest, legs entwined, talking and kissing until jet lag catches up with me and I fall asleep with my Ava wrapped in my arms.
Ava
Snuggling closer into Brody’s side I smile, remembering how perfect last night was. After the snooze we had poked around Darling Harbor, so Brody could see some of the city. The fact he was still feeling the jetlag meant we didn’t do much. We watched ‘Wolf Creek’ and had pizza for dinner. It was a quiet night with lots of snuggling, but just magical.
A soft kiss on my head indicates that he is awake. I glance up at him to see him watching me with a sleepy grin on his face. It is the best sight to wake up to.
“Morning, how did you sleep?”
“I slept great and you?”
“Best sleep I’ve had in a long time. All my stress and worry seems to have disappeared.”
“Worry? About me?”
Rolling on to my side so that I can see more of his face, I admit “Yeah I was terrified that after everything with me leaving and all, that I had completely ruined any kind of chance we would have. I should have been more honest with myself…and you. I’m so sorry that I did that to you, Brody.”
“Ava that’s in the past, I pushed you to be with Jeremy. I knew from the moment I met you that there was something between us. I wanted you to be happy and I felt you deserved better than me. Now I can see that I should have just gone with my feelings and told you how I felt and I am so happy. I have you and I will always be there for you.”
“I am just so glad that we have both finally been honest with each other and I can’t wait to see where this goes. Anyway I have some stuff we should do today so get ready.”
Brody raises his eyebrows at me.
“Okay, okay.”
***
Stepping out of the taxi Brody is looking at me with confusion in his eyes. I told him we were doing something fun and here we are at a building in The Rocks. Looking back at him I smile, “We’re here.”
“Where is here exactly?”
“The Rocks. It’s one of the oldest parts of the city.”
“This is what you wanted to show me?” Brody smirks and is looking around completely lost. “This is the fun thing we were doing today?”
“Go inside and you’ll see” Walking in the doors I can’t help but smile I’m just so excited for him to find out what we are doing.
“The Harbor Bridge? Is that not outside?”
Looking at him I feel my smile get bigger I hope he likes this. “Yes but we are here to climb it.”
“What! You booked us in to climb the bridge?”
“Yeah, I hope you like heights.”
“I don’t mind them.”
Stepping closer to me Brody looks into my eyes and smiles then places a kiss on my lips.
“Thank you, this is amazing.”
“I wanted you to do as much as you could while you were here.”
“It’s perfect, Ava. Just being here with you is more than enough.”
***
Placing a forkful of fish into my mouth I’m listening to Brody talk about how amazing he thinks Australia is. He really enjoyed the Harbor Bridge climb and so did I. It offers the most amazing views over the city. After the bridge climb we went to Bondi so Brody could see our beautiful beaches, but with it being winter it’s way too cold to swim. We walked around the city and visited Circular Quay, The Queen Victoria Building and Sydney tower.
“Ava. Are you even listening?”
“Sorry I was thinking about today and how much fun I had with you. I’m so happy I can share my country with you.”
“I was just saying I feel like I know you better from being here in Sydney. You’re so Australian and it’s very clear after being here with you. I can’t wait to meet your Grandma but I’m also kind of nervous about meeting your family.”
Swallowing a sip of my martini I look at him and smile. Just as I’m about to speak I’m interrupted by a huge bang. Turning to my left I look out over the Harbor to locate the source of the noise. The sky lights up and I smile.
“I forgot they were on tonight.”
“You knew about the fireworks?”
“Yeah they are on every Saturday night. I’m excited for you to meet Grandma she will love you.”
“I hope so. I want her to like me.”
“Not that it matters though. We do live in a different country.”
“Does she have any other family here?”
“Yeah her sister and nieces and nephews all live here. I don’t think she will ever move, this is her home it’s all she knows.”
“That’s understandable, moving can be
a big thing as you would know”
Laughing at him I reach across the table and hold his hand. Looking between Brody and the fireworks I smile. I finally have him and my heart feels complete.
Jeremy
I’m sitting at my parent’s dining table having dinner with them and some of their close friends when I get a short text from Travis.
Hey guys, I got you a new gig. Meet me at the studio at 8pm tonight and I will fill you in.
Great, that means another awkward meeting with the band. Maybe I should just skip it and ask him to fill me in over the phone. Nah, he’d be pretty pissed if I did that. Tucking my phone in the back pocket of my jeans, I stand up and apologize to my parents, briefly filling them in on where I need to be before I walk out the door.
On the way to the studio, I can’t help but wonder what Brody’s reception of me will be like this week. I resent the fact that I have let a chick test our friendship. But, really, it isn’t my fault. I was with her so he should have backed the fuck off and let us do our thing. Now Ava has taken off and left the country and I’m left feeling guilty for the way I treated her. I’ve tried not to think about her over the last few days, but I can’t help myself. I wonder where she is and what she’s doing. I wonder how she’s feeling after I broke her heart. So many times over the last week I have pulled her number up on my phone, but I always chicken out at the last second. I’m not sure if I’m quite ready to face my mistakes just yet.
***
As I take a seat beside Luke my eyes scan the room and notice that Brody hasn’t arrived yet. A minute later Travis walks in and shuts the door behind him as he glances around the room.
“We’ll wait a few more minutes for Brody and then we’ll start.” He sits down at the head of the table and scrolls through his phone, a few seconds later Hunter’s voice breaks the silence.
“Um…Trav, you may as well start now, man. Brody won’t be coming.”
