The weight of his guilt was oppressive as it filled the room. I swallowed hard and tears prickled my eyes, understanding where this story was going.
“It wasn’t until someone sent me a text with a picture of my seventeen-year-old sister being gang raped that I finally realized I wasn’t as superior as I thought I was. I went crazy looking for her. I kicked the shit out of anyone and everyone until they told me what I wanted to hear. For nearly three days, I didn’t sleep as I followed any lead I possibly could. It wasn’t until they finally left her dead that my mother was able to call me. They had tied her up and made her watch every sick and twisted thing they did to my sister.”
Oh, God. I couldn’t hold back any longer as the tears streamed down my face. That was the worst thing for any mother to have to endure.
“When was this?”
“Fifteen years ago.”
My hands smoothed over his shoulder and his upper back in a silent show of support for the young man he had been and the horrific things that had happened to him. “You were young. You didn’t know any better.”
“I knew. And I didn’t fucking care. Not until I saw her body mangled and beaten in the house we’d grown up in. That’s when my mom killed herself. She couldn’t live with the images in her head of what they had done to her daughter. If it weren’t for my need for revenge and the drive to build an empire that would rival any of theirs, I might have joined her.”
No wonder he was so afraid when Spencer had taken me from him. And his fear about not protecting Sophie and me made perfect sense. If I didn’t know the man in front of me would lay down his life for her and me, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It was that knowledge that I clung to in my effort to get him to see reason.
“We were meant for each other. You lost everyone you loved and so did I. Every single test we’ve had to endure made us who we are today. And what we are is precisely what each other needs right here and right now.”
“How can you say that after everything that’s happened? Everything I’ve done?”
“Oh, Xavier. Don’t you see? I’m not your sister and you aren’t the same man you were back then. None of that matters to me. I’m still yours.”
“But—”
“Let Sophie and me love you. Let us be yours.”
He buried his face in my stomach and whispered, “Mine.”
“Yes. Now let me love you.” I placed my hands on either side of his head and pulled his face up. Holding his eyes, I leaned forward and kissed him gently on his lips.
When I pulled back, I saw his eyes flare with possession right before he whispered with conviction, “I love you, Aurora.”
That’s when I knew no matter how messy life got and how many obstacles we encountered, as long as we had each other, everything would be alright.
Forty-two days.
That was how long it had been since Xavier O’Brien’s world went dark.
His life was empty.
His house wasn’t a home.
Without Aurora, he was slowly going crazy inside.
Not knowing how to bring her back, all he could do was sit in the dark and hope one day she’d come be his light again. That she’d bring back her goodness and make him whole.
It was on that thought that his office door burst open and Ghost came into the room with a determined expression on his face.
“We found her.”
Danger lurks around every corner.
Past choices haunt us and enemies threaten us.
Will love be enough for us to survive?
Aurora and Xavier’s story continues in book two, Xavier O’Brien, set to release in early 2016.
Want a sneak peek at Book 2? Head over to www.jessicaingro.com/xavier-obrien-sneak-peek and enter Code: XaviersDen
To my husband who is always there for me, in good times and bad. Here’s to the good, babe! And it’s only going to get better!
To my C.O.P.A. girls, love you lots! The motivation and support you give is astounding.
To Sara Eirew, you are a goddess of photography! Thank you for creating the stunning vision that is Aurora James.
To Murphy Rae and Jennie Wurtz, thank you for taking good care of my baby!
To Bianca and Michelle, thank you for loving Aurora as much as I do!
Last, but certainly not least, a big thank you to Miranda Johnson for being my go-to bitch. I’d be a mess without you!
To everyone else who supports me, lots of X’s and O’s for you!
Jessica is the author of the Love Square & Concierge series. She grew up in Central New York, where she currently lives with her husband and three dogs. Her days are spent as a Security Analyst at an IT consulting company. In her free time, she enjoys reading books and developing ideas for her own stories. Writing is her secret passion that she's been fostering since elementary school, when she wrote her first book about a puppy. It has always been a dream of hers to be able to share her stories with the world.
Other Books by Jessica:
Love Square Series
Love Square
His Ever After
Their Merry Little Christmas
Bound in Blue
Concierge Series
Love, Your Concierge
Forever Your Concierge
Standalone Titles
Urban Love Prophecy
The Taste of Mr. Davenport
Man Candy
Take Me There
Connect with Jessica Online:
Web - www.jessicaingro.com
Email - jessicaingrobooks@gmail.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/jessicaingrobooks
Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/jessicaingro
Instagram – www.instagram.com/uvrays1997