Surrender (Cunningham Security Book 7)

by A. K. Evans

  Reece glanced at Holden, smirked, and looked back at me. “I can give you as much time as you’d need for the filming. I’ve got a room that’s not large enough to hold group classes in but should be perfect for your solo gig. With the in-person classes, I can accommodate more than you’re asking for. My space for that is only being used half of the time that the gym is open.”

  I blinked in surprise. “Are you serious?”

  Reece nodded. “If you can give me your email, I’ll send over the current schedule for the classes that are being held. If there are any times when it’s not being utilized and we’re open, feel free to book it.”

  My hands squeezed the tops of my thighs. I was so excited and relieved. For the minor inconvenience of needing to drive a touch beyond what I did to get to my studio, it seemed as though I’d be able to continue working just as I did before the fire.

  “Thank you,” I exclaimed. “I really appreciate this so much.” I turned my attention to Holden and whispered, “Thank you so much for setting this up for me.”

  His face softened as he reached over and gave my hand a squeeze. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

  With that, I gave Reece my email address so he could send me the schedule. I also gave him my phone number in case he needed to contact me for any reason. Once I’d done that, Holden and I moved to the door to leave. I thanked Reece again before we left his office.

  As we walked by the reception desk, one of the staff called out, “Catch ya later, Holden!”

  “Later,” he returned.

  A few steps beyond the reception desk, I heard, “Lennox?”

  Stunned, I stopped and turned around. That’s when I let out a squeal of delight. “Connor?”

  He blinked in surprise, opened his arms, and moved toward me. Connor pulled me into a hug, giving me a squeeze before he stepped back and put his hands on my shoulders. “Oh my God. I can’t believe it’s you. How are you?”

  “I’m doing great,” I replied. “And you?”

  With a smile plastered on his face, he shrugged and stated, “Can’t complain.”

  Just then, I heard Holden clear his throat beside me. Connor’s hands fell from my shoulders as he looked over at the man standing beside me.

  “Oh, gosh. I’m so rude. Connor, this is Holden. Holden, this is Connor.”

  Connor held his hand out to Holden. “It’s nice to meet you, man. I’ve seen you around here before. You’re Reece’s brother, right?”

  Holden shook Connor’s hand and gave him a nod.

  “So, are you still working over at—” I got out before he cut me off.

  “Yeah, but it was touch and go there for a while.”

  I raised my brows in silent question. “Oh no. What happened?”

  “Truthfully?” he challenged.

  I nodded.

  “You.”

  “Me?” I asked.

  “They never expected you wouldn’t be coming there after you graduated. They had to fill the spot they were planning for you, and they weren’t happy about it.”

  “Okay, but the natural choice would have been you, considering we’d had numerous discussions about you joining the team I was putting together,” I insisted. “You were going to be second in command for that department. They gave you what was supposed to be my job, didn’t they?”

  Connor shook his head. “No. They did a full round of extensive interviews for the position. I’m still your father’s right-hand man, though.”

  “Really?” I asked, feeling slightly bewildered. “Wow. I never would have imagined they’d go through that when they knew you and I already had discussions about the plans for that project.”

  He brushed it off and asserted, “Things have settled. It’s all good now. So, what about you? What are you doing here?”

  I took in a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the serial arsonist,” I sighed.

  With a dip of his chin, Connor indicated he had.

  “Well, it was my yoga studio that went up in flames less than a week ago,” I began. “Since it’s going to be a bit before all the damage is repaired, Holden talked to Reece about giving me a space to work.”

  “Wow, Leni, I’m so sorry to hear about your studio. That’s awful. I’m happy to see you, but that’s just horrible news.”

  “Thanks.”

  Connor simply stared at me in silence. It was then I decided to add, “Anyway, we should really get going, but I guess I’ll be seeing you around if you come here often.”

  “Definitely.”

  With that, Holden linked his fingers with mine and led us out of the gym.

  Fuck.

  It had already started.

  And I had no idea how I was going to stop it.

  She said she could do casual. She offered it with no strings. I was stupid enough to believe I could actually do it. The thing is that I was smarter than this. I knew better. And now I’d started something that I shouldn’t have ever started.

  On the surface, it might not have seemed any different from any other hookup I’d had over the years. But deep down, I knew it was different. I knew she was different.

  Once. Only once before did I do something so stupid and not listen to instincts. And that one time ended in a world of hurt.

  Now I was doing it again, and if I didn’t find a way to keep it in check, this wouldn’t end well.

  When I finally dragged myself out of bed this morning following my sleepless night, I knew I’d be asking for trouble if I went to Leni.

  But I couldn’t stay away.

  I couldn’t walk away from her and what she was offering. Even though I managed to walk away before we took that step yesterday, something brought me back to her this morning. Now I was regretting it.

  Not regretting her. No. She was incredible.

  I simply regretted starting something with her that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep casual. I knew it before I had her, and now I had not a single doubt.

  For crying out loud, I was already calling her my woman. I felt it necessary to stake my claim to her in front of both Reece and Connor.

  If I couldn’t find a way to come up with a plan and do it soon, I had a feeling we were both going to wind up heartbroken. Even if for very different reasons.

  Leni and I left Reece’s gym and had just arrived back at her place. For most of the ride back, she reiterated just how thankful she was to me and Reece for helping her and giving her a place to work. If she wasn’t talking, though, I wasn’t either.

  I tried to spend the remainder of the ride to her house getting my emotions in check. I wasn’t sure I was successful in doing that when we finally pulled up outside because I found myself wanting to know more about the guy she seemed to be so friendly with just before we left the gym.

  Leni looked over at me and asked, “I know it’s getting late, but neither of us have had any breakfast. I’d love to express my gratitude for what you’ve done for me by making you something to eat this morning. Do you have time to come in or do you need to get to work?”

  Considering how things changed between us this morning, and the fact that I was still curious about Connor, I said, “Since I knew I was taking you to the gym this morning, I planned to only work half a day today. I’ve got time to come in if that’s what you want.”

  I didn’t know who I was trying to kid. It was what I wanted. I liked being around Leni. She had this natural ability to let it all hang out and didn’t seem to have any reservations about it, either. In that sense, she was the opposite of me.

  After shooting a gorgeous smile my way, she confirmed, “That’s what I want.”

  Five minutes later, I was watching Leni as she moved around her kitchen. She had pulled out a pan, toast, fruit, and eggs. Seeing that, a thought popped into my mind.

  “Is it safe to assume from the eggs that you’re not vegan?” I asked.

  Leni stopped moving, looked up, and worried, “Are you?”

  I shook my head. �
��No. My meal from yesterday’s lunch should have given that away, but I thought that was a big thing with people who practice yoga. Since you had a salad yesterday, I just assumed.”

  She got back to what she was doing and stated, “It is. Some people are very strict about it and go so far as to say that anyone who isn’t vegan isn’t a real yogi.” Leni shrugged her shoulders and continued, “Over the years, my diet has definitely changed. I’m mindful of the food that I do consume, but I have to do what’s best for my body. So, while I don’t eat a lot of meat, including zero red meat, I do still have eggs and fish. Either way and despite what some might say, my choice of food doesn’t make me any less qualified to do what I do.”

  “Do you get a lot of grief about it?”

  She sighed. “Occasionally people will offer unsolicited advice. I’m in the public eye because of the way I’ve built my business and what I do, so I guess it’s par for the course. I do my best to shrug off the nasty comments. I do that mostly because for every bad comment I receive, there are hundreds of positive ones. And ultimately, I’ve dealt with worse than faceless people on the internet.”

  There was my perfect opportunity to learn more about her. I took my shot.

  “Does that worse have anything to do with your family?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t opening old wounds for her.

  “Mostly,” she answered. “But there really isn’t much more beyond what I already told you about them. I probably shouldn’t have brought it up, but it’s the best comparison I can make.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She held up an egg and asked, “Scrambled okay?”

  I nodded.

  Leni started cracking eggs into a bowl. As she did that, she returned to our conversation. “All I meant by what I was saying was that at a certain point, I started making my own decisions about how I’d live my life. I stopped allowing my parents to choose what they believed was best for me. If I’m not going to listen to them, I’m certainly not about to let the opinions of a few people who’ve never met me influence how I live my life.”

  While she poured the whisked eggs into the frying pan, I pressed for more, but did it discreetly. “Based on your conversation with that guy today, it certainly seems like your parents were torn up about your choice.”

  Leni pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, clearly thinking about it. Eventually, she shared, “Yeah, they were only torn up about the fact that they could no longer control me. They didn’t once take into consideration how torn up I was when I walked up to get my diploma and looked out into a crowd of people to see nobody there for me.”

  Suddenly, I felt angry on Leni’s behalf. Part of me wondered how someone could do that to their child, while the other part of me understood what Leni felt all too well.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” I lamented. “You mentioned your grandmother before. She didn’t go?”

  Leni shook her head. “No. But it’s not because she didn’t want to. Getting around is not easy for her. She’s in an assisted living facility and doesn’t drive. Even though she moves slow, she would have loved to have been there if she had someone that was willing to take her. Given that my father is her only child, and he had no plans of making an appearance, there was no way she was going to be able to get there. I hate that she had to miss it because I know she’s proud of me.”

  I couldn’t say I fully understood why her parents were acting that way. It wasn’t like Leni hadn’t made something of herself. She’d simply chosen a career path that was unconventional in their minds. It hardly seemed like a good reason to abandon your child. Then again, I wasn’t sure there ever really was a good reason.

  Not wanting to continue talking about something that didn’t really have good memories for her, I decided to shift topics a bit.

  “So, what is it that made you start doing yoga?”

  “I started right after I graduated high school. It helped me to deal with a lot of the anxiety I felt over the pressure I was feeling from my parents,” she started. “Don’t get me wrong. My parents gave me every opportunity. I’m thankful for what they did, but it all came with strings attached. They were happy to give what they did when it meant they could control me. After I’d done yoga for a few months, I started feeling like I was in control of myself again. My practice became a huge part of my life. It called to me in a way I’d never felt anything before then.”

  That made sense. I understood a lot of what she said and surmised, “And that’s when you decided it was what you were meant to do with your life.”

  As she nodded, she started serving the eggs on each plate. At the same time, the toast had finished in the toaster. She grabbed it, put it on the plates, and confirmed, “Yeah.” I was surprised there was no bitterness in her tone or her expression. I didn’t expect she’d feel that over her choice, but I believed it would have been understandable that she might have some lingering over the situation with her parents.

  “How long ago did you graduate?” I asked.

  Leni laughed as she held a plate out to me and retorted, “Is this your way of trying to figure out how old I am?”

  “No,” I instantly replied, taking the plate from her. “But I guess it’s information I should know about you, don’t you think?”

  Her eyes studied me. I presumed she was trying to decide whether I was telling the truth. Ultimately, she answered, “I graduated six years ago. I’m twenty-seven. You?”

  “I’m thirty-two.”

  She smiled and moved out from behind the counter toward the table. I followed her and sat down across from her.

  “What about you?” Leni asked.

  “What about me?”

  “Your family,” she clarified. “Do you have any other siblings?”

  I wasn’t sure I was prepared to go down this road. Even still, I replied, “Nope. Just Reece. But he was more than enough. Trust me.”

  Leni let out a laugh. “It’s great that you two are so close.”

  Nodding, I agreed, “Yeah. As much of a pain in the ass as he can be sometimes, I don’t know where I’d be without him.”

  “I’m happy you have that,” she said. “How about your parents? Are you just as close with them?”

  At her question, I stopped eating and took in a deep breath. As I slowly let it out, Leni interrupted, “I’m sorry. Don’t answer that.”

  “What?”

  She offered a sweet smile and explained, “When I’m feeling anxious about something, I do the same thing you just did. I breathe. Big, deep inhales. Slow exhales. I guess I’m assuming that whatever the story behind that breathing you just did means that there’s something painful for you. You don’t have to share if you’re uncomfortable.”

  Leni surprised me. Her parents were fools because she was clearly a wise woman. “I appreciate that, Leni. But you shared with me, so I think it’s only fair I do the same with you.”

  Her face lit up at that. Seeing it, I secretly wished I’d listened to her and not shared. Because that look on her face could ruin me. After we had whatever this was between us this morning, I had to find a way to take a step back. I’d give what I could this morning and then I’d shut it down. It was best for both of us. I ultimately continued, “My mother left when Reece and I were kids. We haven’t seen her since. My father is now remarried, and my brother and I are very close with our dad, Troy, and our stepmom, Eva.”

  Leni nodded in understanding but didn’t press me for more information. I had a feeling she knew this really wasn’t something I was interested in discussing. Sadly, I knew that if she’d asked, I might have shared. But because she didn’t, I took the easy way out and never offered more.

  With my eyes closed, my arm reached out to my nightstand. My hand felt around in the dark for my phone because it was ringing. When I found it, I opened only one eye to see the name on the display.

  Holden.

  Suddenly feeling very awake given this was the first he’d reached out to me in the last three days, I answered.

/>   “Hello,” I rasped.

  There was silence a moment before I heard him say, “You’re asleep.”

  “Yeah,” I confirmed. “Is everything okay?”

  Hesitation again before Holden shared, “I just pulled into your driveway.”

  He was here.

  I sat up in the bed, swung my legs over to the side, and asked, “You’re here?”

  As I walked toward my front door, I blinked my eyes several times.

  “I didn’t think you’d be sleeping already,” he replied. “I wondered if you’d want some company for a little while.”

  I couldn’t help but wonder what else he thought I would be doing at this hour besides sleeping. Even still, I definitely wanted his company.

  Before I could respond to him, I made it to the door. I unlocked it and opened it. Holden was standing in the driveway, leaning against the front passenger side fender of his car.

  With the phone up to his ear, Holden’s eyes ran over my body. It was then I realized I was standing there in the cool night air wearing nothing but a pair of panties and a camisole.

  Holden’s gaze locked on mine as he pulled his phone away from the side of his head, tapped on the screen, and slid it into his pocket. Then, he walked toward me. And he walked like a man who had a purpose. I had a feeling it would be mere moments before he showed me what that purpose was.

  I never took my eyes off him.

  When he made it to within a few feet of where I was standing in the doorway, I expected him to stop. But he didn’t.

  Holden continued to close the distance between us until I was close enough to touch. While the pace of his strides had slowed, the movement of his upper body did not.

  He reached out, slid one arm around my waist, and lifted. His other hand settled on my bottom as my legs instinctively wrapped around his body, my ankles crossing behind his back. My arms went over his shoulders and my hands drove into his hair.