Surrender (Cunningham Security Book 7) Read online

  “What company do they work for?”

  “Ford Communications,” I stated.

  Holden blinked at me. “Wait. Ford is your last name. Are you telling me that your parents own one of the biggest tech companies in the world?”

  “That’s what I’m saying,” I sighed.

  “Wow,” he muttered, sitting back in his seat.

  “Yeah, it’s especially sad considering they refuse to listen to me tell them anything about my career.”

  Holden just stared at me in silence for a while. He eventually reached across the table, wrapped his fingers around my hand, and gave me a squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

  While I appreciated his show of support for me, there really wasn’t anything either of us could do about my parents. So, we moved on.

  The two of us sat and visited for a bit while we finished our lunch. Holden was great company. There was never a lack of conversation, and I truly felt like he was interested in getting to know me. He was a breath of fresh air and something I hadn’t seen in a really long time.

  After he paid the bill, he asked, “Are you ready to get out of here?”

  “Yeah.”

  With that, Holden took me home.

  When we arrived back at my house, I started to feel my mood shift. I was enjoying spending time with him and really didn’t want him to leave.

  I needed to be brave.

  We were at my front door, and I had just slipped the key in the lock when I turned to him. “Would you like to come in for a little while?” I asked, my intentions clear.

  Holden hesitated. “I probably shouldn’t,” he decided.

  My shoulders fell, and I knew my disappointment was written all over my face. I gave myself a moment to accept his lack of interest in me. Just as I was about to open my door and let myself in so Holden could leave, he muttered, “Fuck.”

  My eyes shot to his. “What’s wrong?”

  Holden shook his head. “I guess I could come in for a little bit.”

  Smiling up at him, I didn’t even look at the key in the lock as I opened the door for us. Holden pressed a hand to the small of my back and guided me in.

  No sooner did we make it into the living room when I turned and pressed my palms to his chest. I slid them up and around his neck while I shifted the rest of my body close to his. Holden’s arms instantly went around me.

  The two of us stood there looking into each other’s eyes for the longest time without saying anything. It felt like we were in slow motion until, suddenly, we weren’t.

  His earlier hesitation seemed to have worked itself out because the next thing I knew, Holden’s mouth came crashing down on mine.

  At first, it was just a firm kiss, his lips pressed against mine. Then, his tongue came, seeking more. I immediately opened for him, allowing him to deepen the kiss. As he did that, his arms tightened around me.

  In that moment, I was all about feeling. I felt everything from the heat and possessiveness of his kiss to the warmth and security in his embrace.

  Every inch of his body was solid.

  Holden squeezed me just a tad tighter as he effortlessly lifted me off the ground and fell to his back on the couch. Once my body was on his, Holden’s hands began to roam. They were in my hair, down my sides, and over my ass. I loved every second of it. Eventually, his hands came up and framed my face as he disconnected our kiss. His eyes searched my face, one of his thumbs stroking along my cheek.

  “Holden,” I whispered.

  No sooner did I get the word out when he lifted his head and buried his face in my neck. His lips trailed kisses along the skin of my throat.

  I was so turned on and needed more, so I rolled my hips over his erection. Holden groaned as his lips worked up to my jaw and toward my mouth. I sought more friction between my legs, my breathing becoming ragged.

  “Please,” I whimpered.

  Holden sat up. “Leni, we have to stop.”

  “What?” I gasped. “Why?”

  My bottom was resting in Holden’s lap, my legs straddling his hips. We were both seriously turned on, so I was shocked by his hesitation.

  “Sweetheart, I want nothing more than what you’re offering right now, but I wasn’t expecting this with you. I’m not exactly looking to get into something serious, so I’m not sure we should take this step.”

  No.

  Was this his way of telling me he didn’t want to be with me? The way he kissed me and touched me combined with the way he’d been treating me had me believing that he was seriously interested in me.

  The thought that I’d read it all wrong was humiliating.

  Feeling slightly embarrassed but very turned on, I groaned and dropped my forehead to Holden’s shoulder. “I’m beginning to wonder if I’m experiencing some bad karma,” I mumbled.

  Holden’s hands, which had been resting on my hip and thigh, tightened. “Why?” he asked.

  “Clearly this is not turning out to be my week. First, my yoga studio is torched. Then, I’m hobbled up with stitches in my foot. Now, this.”

  I lifted my head and started to shift my body off his, but Holden stopped my movements.

  When my eyes came to his, he hesitated briefly before he declared, “It’s not bad karma, Leni. I’ll give you the first one as being devastating, but the second two are not. Your foot needing stitches is far better than what could have happened that day. And this, right now, is far from being a bad thing.”

  I stared at him and harrumphed. “Maybe not for you. It’s been a long time, Holden. So, getting all worked up and being turned down… well, I’m sorry, but that’s all bad.”

  Holden didn’t respond.

  I stupidly continued, “I’ve got enough on my plate right now. This doesn’t have to be a serious thing.”

  His eyes held mine a long time in silence. I was just about to speak again when he said, “I should probably get going now.”

  And just like that, the wind was out of my sails. We had just gotten back to my place, and now he was leaving. Only minutes after I spilled my guts and offered myself up to him with no strings attached.

  When will you learn, Leni?

  Holden must have noticed my despondency because he quickly added, “I’ll be by tomorrow morning to take you over to the gym.”

  “Okay,” I murmured, not looking at him.

  “Leni?” he called.

  I lifted my gaze to his.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  His voice was firm but strangely pained.

  As much as I wished he’d explain the reason his voice sounded like that, I didn’t press for it. Instead, I lifted myself from his lap and stood. Holden did the same, held my eyes a moment, and moved to the front door.

  Then, I stood in the open doorway and watched as Holden walked away. The entire time I kept mentally kicking myself for, once again, never being able to hold back.

  It was just after seven in the morning. Since I had a couple hours until Holden was going to be coming to pick me up and take me to his brother’s gym, I decided to get on my mat.

  There was no denying I needed it. After we came back to my place yesterday following the celebratory lunch, I hadn’t expected what happened. And considering Holden held back from taking things between us much beyond kissing, I’d been wound up ever since.

  Being as forward as I was with him, I never imagined he would have turned me down. Now, I felt a bit foolish.

  And that bothered me. Because feeling foolish wasn’t me. Not since before I decided to take charge of my life and follow my heart have I really questioned the choices I made. I considered myself to be a smart woman, and I trusted myself to make good decisions.

  But Holden’s response to me yesterday had me wondering if I’d made a bad first impression. I really liked him; the kindness and concern he showed me meant everything. So, the thought that I’d scared him off had me feeling anxious most of the night. Between that and the trouble I was still having finding sleep since the day of the fire, the time
on my mat this morning was more of a necessity than anything else.

  I wasn’t even ten minutes into my practice when there was a knock at my door. Much to my surprise, I opened the door and found him standing on the other side.

  Shocked, I whispered, “Holden.”

  Without a word, he stepped inside, shut the door behind him, and pulled me close.

  “I couldn’t sleep at all last night,” he started, lowering his mouth to mine. His lips were just barely brushing up against mine when he added, “The biggest mistake I made was walking out of here yesterday without giving in to what we both wanted.”

  I swallowed hard.

  “Kiss me, Leni.”

  So I did. The second our tongues touched, my knees got weak. Holden held on to me with one arm around my waist and the other in my hair at the back of my head. We kissed a long time before I pulled my mouth from his and stepped out of his hold. Slipping my fingers through his, I led him to my bedroom.

  No sooner did we step inside the room when Holden lifted me in his arms and tossed me onto the bed. I’d barely managed to process how easily he’d done that when I felt his fingers curl around my ankles so he could slide me close to the edge of the bed near him. Once I was where he wanted me, his fingers went to the waistband of my shorts. He yanked them and my thong down my legs.

  Then, he disappeared.

  Holden was no longer towering over me.

  No.

  He had dropped to his knees, thrown my legs over his shoulders, and put his mouth on me.

  The second his tongue slid through me, he groaned.

  I couldn’t think. It had been so long since I’d had sex and even longer since I had someone’s mouth between my legs, so I wasn’t going to stop Holden, who clearly was a very talented man with his mouth.

  One of my hands drove into his hair, the other stayed pressed against my nearly-naked chest. Holden’s fingers were pressing into the flesh at my hips, the strength of his hold unwavering.

  I loved it. That feeling of someone not wanting to let go of me. Even if only for this moment. And considering how I felt after Holden left yesterday, it was a relief to know that perhaps I hadn’t scared him off by being open and honest with him.

  His mouth had been expertly working me between my legs, quickly building me to an orgasm, when he was no longer there. Suddenly, he was standing again, tearing his shirt over his head.

  I watched with avid fascination as the lean but muscular frame of his upper body flexed with his movements. He was stunning.

  Holden snapped me out of my ogling when he ordered, “Top off, sweetheart.”

  Quickly, without taking my eyes off him, I removed my bra. Holden lost the rest of his clothes and rolled a condom over his impressive length before he joined me in the bed.

  “These legs,” he muttered as he trailed kisses from just above my knee up my thigh.

  His hand was still gripping my thigh when he made it to my hip. Once he reached my breasts, he urged my legs around his back. I barely had the chance to let them settle there before he was filling me. Holden planted himself to the root and held himself there a moment, staring down at me.

  I held his molten gaze briefly but couldn’t stand it any longer. He’d managed to work me up so close to climax when he had his mouth on me that feeling him inside me not moving was pure torture. “Holden, please move,” I pleaded.

  Holden moved.

  And everything about his movements were desperate, hungry, and carnal.

  I loved it.

  I loved the feel of his skin next to mine. I loved the look on his face. I especially loved the way it felt to have him moving between my legs.

  “Holden,” I breathed.

  “Fuck, Leni,” he groaned.

  “I’m going to come,” I warned.

  Holden dropped his mouth to mine and kissed me as my orgasm tore through me. He didn’t stop kissing or driving his hips in until, long after I found mine, he found his release and buried his face in my neck. I felt his weight for a fleeting moment before he lifted himself, touched his lips to mine, and declared, “Be right back.”

  Then, I watched as Holden walked from my bed to the bathroom. His backside was just as fine.

  When Holden returned, he lowered his body to the bed, draped an arm across my abdomen, and propped his head up in his hand.

  With his eyes on mine, I blurted, “That was nice.”

  He returned a grin and advised, “Yeah. So much so that I’ve decided we’re not done yet.”

  A shiver ran through me. More of Holden Locke would not be a bad thing.

  “Are you okay with that?” he asked.

  I gave him a nod.

  “Are you okay with that now?”

  My eyes widened. “Now? Is that… can you… really?” I finally got out.

  Holden let out a chuckle and clarified, “We’ll need to work up to it, but yeah.”

  My gaze shot down his body. I licked my lips, shifted, and pressed a hand to his shoulder. Holden fell to his back, allowing me to start my exploration of his body. My kisses started at his lips, but gradually moved down. I took my time covering the solid planes of his chest and the dips and valleys outlining the muscles of his abdomen. By the time I reached his cock, it was semi-erect. I wrapped my hand around the base, heard him groan, and covered him with my mouth.

  It took a little bit of time, but I eventually managed to work Holden up to round two.

  And he expended effort to make sure the second round was just as phenomenal as the first.

  A couple hours after Holden had arrived at my house that morning, the two of us were walking into his brother’s gym. It was one of the few that I hadn’t tried calling. As we walked through the front door and past the reception desk, Holden received nods of acknowledgment. Apparently, he was a familiar face.

  He guided me to a room. The door was closed, but it was surrounded by windowed walls that offered a view into the office. With his hand at the small of my back, Holden reached around me with his opposite hand and opened the door. He ushered me in ahead of him.

  We stepped inside, and I immediately noticed Holden’s brother closely resembled him. The only difference was that Reece had a bit of an edge to his look. His hair was a bit longer, curling out from underneath the beanie he was wearing. He had tattoos up both arms instead of just one like Holden, and he had a pierced lip.

  Reece stood and walked out from behind his desk with a huge grin on his face. Considering his resemblance to Holden, I already thought he was handsome. But once he smiled, I realized that he’d definitely make someone very happy one day. I didn’t think it’d be possible for a woman to have that smile directed at her and not want to see that for the rest of her life.

  “You must be Leni,” he greeted me, extending his hand. “I’m Reece.”

  I shook his hand and returned, “Yes. It’s so nice to meet you, Reece. Thank you for your willingness to help me out.”

  “Initially, I was doing it as a favor to my brother. But I’ve got to be honest… if you walked in here and asked me yourself, I’d have done it.”

  My eyes nearly popped out of my head at how forward he was. I didn’t know what to say to that.

  “Cool it, Reece,” Holden warned. From the moment I met him, I found Holden’s voice to be comforting and gentle. Except for the time he spoke in Zara’s flower shop the day of the fire, he’d always been calm and collected. Now, it was the exact opposite.

  Hearing it, I was concerned about where this was headed. I quickly turned to Holden, pressed my palm to his chest, and insisted, “It’s okay. I wasn’t offended.”

  Holden placed his hand over mine, squeezed, and maintained, “It’s not okay with me. I don’t need my brother hitting on my woman.”

  “Your woman?” Reece questioned him. “I didn’t realize things had gotten serious between the two of you.”

  “They weren’t before; they are now. So, like I said, cool it.”

  Reece turned his attention to me a
nd said, “My apologies, Leni. Please, have a seat.”

  Holden and I moved to the chairs while Reece rounded his desk. Once we were seated, Reece dove right in.

  “So, I don’t know much other than the fact that Holden told me you need a place to work out of for a little while and why that is. What does your schedule look like?”

  I didn’t want to overstep or take advantage of Reece’s kindness, so I explained, “I’d be happy to have a place to teach a few classes a week. I don’t want to disrupt your schedule here or take up space that’s being used for another class already. Aside from maybe being able to teach a couple classes every week, I really just need a place that’s quiet where I can film.”

  Reece’s brows drew together as Holden chimed in, “Film?”

  Nodding, I look to him and clarified, “Yes. As much as I love teaching in-person classes, there just isn’t enough money in it to cover my expenses. I can make some decent money doing yoga teacher trainings, which I’ve done once at my studio, but I don’t schedule those consecutively or consistently. So, in order to have a steady income, I teach yoga online.”

  “Really?” he asked, seeming genuinely surprised.

  “Yeah. I film my sessions and upload them to my channel. It’s basically like having an online studio. Anyone who wants to take classes with me can do so by simply paying a low monthly subscription fee. And they can do it from anywhere in the world. I would have done it from my house, but I don’t have a ton of room there. Besides, there’s a certain look I’ve managed to maintain for my online students. I really don’t want to ruin that.”

  Holden eyed me curiously. Whatever he was thinking he did not share. I didn’t get to ask him either because Reece spoke.

  “That’s incredible. How much time do you need for filming and in-person classes? I’ve got the space, so I’m not worried about that.”

  “Like I said, I don’t want to disrupt your schedule. I’ll work with whatever you have available. If it’s possible, I’d love to be able to teach classes here at least two nights a week and maybe two classes that are earlier in the day. I’ll make whatever days and times you have work, though. I can do the filming whenever it’s convenient for you. My online classes range from fifteen minutes in length all the way up to an hour and a half long. If you give me a specific set of days to work with, I’ll adjust my filming schedule accordingly.”