Aryn's Desire: A BOLD Security Novel (Finding Submission Book 1) by Zoey Derrick Page A

“Want some company?”  
    I blink at her. “No thanks. I just came for a drink.”  
    I untangle her from around my body as she pouts and I make my escape quickly and confidently. I happen to look back and she’s immediately moved on to the next moron, reinforcing the idea that she is easier than riding a bicycle.  
    I crash through the doors and stomp my way toward my truck.  
    Giving up on a bad attempt at picking up a woman. It’s time to go home.

TEN

    I SLEPT LIKE shit. Constant tossing and turning because I couldn’t keep my mind off the events of the upcoming weeks. Between North Carolina, Tennessee, then New York and the upcoming premiere tour, I feel like I’m going to start spinning in circles.  
    I got up early and finished packing, including securing my weapons in their travel cases. We are traveling privately, but there are still laws and requirements that I have to follow. Though it is far easier than flying commercially.  
    With my packing done and nothing else to do, I go shopping. Yeah, shut up, I know that sounds odd coming from a man’s mouth, but I don’t know what, if any, time I will have to finish shopping once we’re at Derek’s. Christmas is only a week away.  

    “Beck,” I snap into the phone. I’m home and not in the mood for conversation. I’m due at Dex’s soon.
    It’s an unknown number. Not something I usually answer, but with the upcoming tour I don’t know who might be calling.  
    “I guess from your tone that you’re not happy to hear from me…” There is a pregnant pause on the line before I finally put two and two together.  
    “Not particularly. What do you want, Alyx?”  
    “What, I can’t call my brother?”  
    I roll my eyes. “What do you need, Alyx?”  
    “I guess this means you’re not coming home for Christmas,” he says sheepishly.  
    “Why on earth would I do that?”  
    “Oh I don’t know, because we haven’t seen you in years.”  
    “For good reason, Alyx. No, I won’t be home for Christmas, I’m working.”  
    “You’re always working,” he says softly into the phone.  
    “Yeah, I am, so what? Look Alyx, I appreciate the call, but you knew the answer to my question before you called me. So why…”  
    “Mom’s sick.”  
    I sigh. “She’s been sick for years, Alyx. This isn’t news to me.”  
    “She’s dying, Aryn.”  
    “What exactly am I supposed to do about it? You know damn well she doesn’t want to see me, so why tell me?”  
    “Because she’s your fucking mother, Aryn,” he snaps at me.  
    I shake my head despite him not being able to see me. “A fact that she conveniently forgot ten years ago.”  
    “I think you should hear her out.”  
    “Alyx, she kicked me out, told me to get out of her house.”  
    “Aryn, you beat the living shit out of dad. What did you expect her to do?”  
    “No, Alyx, I beat the shit out of dad who… oh never mind. You’ll never understand,” I tell him and I pull the phone away from my ear to hang up.  
    “Wait!” he says through the phone and I reluctantly bring it back to my ear.
    “What?” I snap.  
    “I know why you did it. I don’t blame you. I’d have done the same thing.” I shake my head as he continues, “He deserved what he had coming to him.”  
    “Is that so? You weren’t so keen on that fact ten years ago, Alyx. In fact, you stood next to mom as she threw me out of the house. You know as well as I do that she was looking for any excuse she could muster up to kick me out. I gave her what she needed. She threw me out on the street and you just expect me to come crawling back for Christmas dinner?”  
    He doesn’t say anything in response, he doesn’t have to.  
    “Listen, Alyx, I know what you’re trying to do and it’s not going to work. I’ve scraped myself off the ground so many times, and I’ve done it without you or mom. I don’t need the reminders and you know as well as I do that the only thing that will