Relinquished by K.A. Hunter

everyone’s chasing that caffeine high.”
    “True, but I’m sure there are other highs you wouldn’t mind reaching,” he flirted with a sly grin and a wink.  
    A blush covered my face when the vision of him completely naked came to mind.  Then anxiety crept into my subconscious knowing he’d seen me on full display as well, including my scar.
    He looked at me suspiciously, but I appreciated that he didn’t point out my sudden mood change. Placing his hand on my back, he made small, comforting circles with his fingertips. “My friend owns an art gallery here in town that I’d love to take you to, if you’re interested.”
    My shoulders relaxed again under his touch. “I’d love that.” I hugged the pillow tighter, enjoying the cozy feel of his bed.
    He smacked my ass over the blanket, startling me. “Now get out of bed, dress that sexy body of yours, and we’ll go grab some brunch.”
     

     
    Playing with his bottom lip, Holden watched as I stretched my arms above my head and enjoyed the kick back feel of the café. We sat on the upstairs patio and could see the ocean for miles. “Thanks for letting me sleep in.” I drank the fresh squeezed orange juice I’d ordered with my food. I don’t remember ever having such a restful night’s sleep before.
    He braced his forearms on the table. “Pure selfishness on my part. I love having you in my bed, sleeping so peacefully.”
    What he called selfishness, I look at as a gift. I’d love to wake up in his bed every day.
    “So, you’ve piqued my interest about the whole ‘I didn’t say I couldn’t drive’ comment from yesterday.” He leaned back in his chair, keeping his eyes on mine. “I’d love to know more if you want to tell me.” The hopeful look on his face reassured me.  I already knew I could trust him with my past, but it was still a little scary to share. My secrets might be too dark for him to handle. But he’d opened something up inside of me, and I wanted to take a chance.
    I swallowed hard, preparing myself for an onslaught of emotions. At least this story was one of my tamer ones. “Something most people don’t know is, when inmates are released from prison, they leave with more money than a child who ages out of the foster care system.  As a matter of fact, foster kids aren’t given any money when they are kicked to the curb. The day I graduated from high school, I knew I was leaving the group home with my duffle bag full of clothes and nothing more. I still don’t know how I managed to graduate after bouncing around from one high school to another, but I’d somehow been able to keep my grades up.” And that was something I still took pride in. Getting my diploma had been my shining moment, my one true accomplishment. 
    The soft look of admiration on his face meant a lot to me, so I continued. “Scott, one of the guys graduating that day, was in the same facility as me. We’d hung out a little bit and would sneak out late at night so he could teach me how to drive. I don’t even want to know where he got the car from. Anyway, he came up to me and asked what my plans were since we were basically in the same boat. I was just going to head back to the facility, maybe snag some food before I had to grab the few clothes I owned and leave.”
    I was sure it wasn’t on purpose, but I heard his sigh and paused to look out at the horizon.  After a little internal pep talk, I kept going.
    “He told me he’d met some guys who were going to let him stay and work with them in Northern California and asked if I wanted to go with him. I knew there would be a hook, but it was my only option.” I looked at my lap and brushed off the crumbs that had fallen on my thigh.
    My mind began to race, wondering how many of these stories Holden would be able to handle.  Would it get to be too much after a while?
    I peeked up at him, and he nodded subtly, encouraging me to finish. I cleared my throat. “As soon as we got there, Scott introduced