“What?” He barked out, annoyed that his call had been disturbed.
“Rodriguez reported in. Here’s the information you wanted.” Ghost tossed a manila folder on the desk in front of him.
Xavier picked the folder up, surprised by the weight of it. His surprise quickly morphed into rage knowing the man had been active if the file was this large.
Opening it slowly, his eyebrows snapped together as he took in what was on the top page. With agitation, he thumbed through each subsequent page while Ghost stood patiently waiting for his directive.
Fuck this.
Xavier slammed his hand down on the folder, causing the contents to scatter across the surface of his desk. He glanced up at Ghost whose face was carefully blank. He knew what Xavier had just read and he knew that it didn’t bode well for anyone involved.
“How long has this been going on?” His voice was low and hoarse as he tried to rein in his emotions.
“From the beginning.”
Xavier nodded in understanding. He had already known what the answer would be. Shit, he’d have done the same thing.
“And none have made it out since we put Rodriguez on it?”
“No, boss.”
“It needs to end. Now. You know what to do.”
Ghost’s blank face cracked, showing concern. “You sure you want to do that? Aurora—”
He cut Ghost off with a swipe of his hand. “Doesn’t need to know.”
“But—”
Xavier stood up, his knuckles to the desk, and leaned in to give Ghost a forbidding look. If there was one thing he hated, it was being second-guessed.
“I won’t tell you again. This shit ends. Nobody takes what’s mine,” he ended on a menacing whisper that left no room for argument. Ghost gave a quick jerk of his head in answer and left the room.
Settling back into his seat, Xavier’s jaw ticked as his eyes fixated on the letter in front of him. Aurora and Sophie were his, and he’d be damned if anyone thought they could lay claim to them.
It wasn’t the first time he had killed for her, and it wouldn’t be the last.
Kevin Swanson was about to find that out the hard way.
Chapter Seven
Aurora
My stomach was in knots as I walked into The Den for the first time since my abduction. Even though what happened wasn’t public knowledge, I still felt like I was under a microscope. Like all eyes were on me. Then again, maybe they were.
My hands reflexively patted my face, hoping my makeup concealed the remaining marks of Spencer well enough. In my mind, I knew it did, but I still felt self-conscious. Smoothing my hands over my navy blue shift dress, I spotted Xavier sitting at the bar. He had an expectant look on his face like he had been waiting for me.
Nerves eased with just that one look, I gave him a genuine smile when our eyes met. There was hunger in his as they dipped to take in the clingy silk material that showed just enough skin to get your imagination going. And by the way my body tingled under his heated gaze, I knew his imagination was in overdrive.
“Hey,” I said a bit breathlessly when I stopped next to his stool. It was amazing how much he affected me without even touching me.
“Hey, yourself.” He turned his stool so he was directly facing me with his legs opened. His arm circled my waist and pulled me flush with his body. I moved to protest, knowing we were on display, but his arm tightened, effectively keeping me where he wanted me.
“What are you doing?” I hissed. No one besides Candy and the men in Xavier’s inner circle knew we were an item. Hell, Trixie didn’t even know and she’d been with Xavier since the beginning. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that level of scrutiny right then. Women were mean when you had something they wanted. And it was no secret, everyone wished they had Xavier.
“I’m greeting my woman properly. Showing her that her presence is very much appreciated.” His eyes held warning even as his lips twitched when I softened a bit at his words and the fact that he was hard against my stomach.
“You’re crazy.” The fight might have left my body, but I still felt the need to protest.
“Maybe,” he agreed and let me take a step back. Just when I thought I won the argument before things got too intimate, he added. “I want you here, on my lap.”
“No.” I shook my head adamantly.
“Why not?” Any amusement he might have been feeling seemed to go up in smoke when I tried to step back from him even further.
“The girls will talk.” I looked over at the stages and sure enough all eyes were on us. I didn’t know who I was kidding, tongues were without a doubt going to be wagging.
“Don’t care,” he grunted and with a grip on my arm, pulled me back between his legs.
“I do.” My face felt flushed and not from arousal. It was embarrassing being watched so avidly. Sure, most of them tried to hide it, but it was still obvious. I didn’t need us being under a microscope when I was there to do a job.
“You’re mine.” He jerked my arm until I had no choice but to comply. He situated me on his lap and I felt his mostly hard cock grinding into my hip. “Deal with it.”
Across the room, I saw Ghost, with a smirk on his face, shake his head before turning his attention to the patron in front of him. Deciding to live in the moment, I smiled widely.
Fuck the catty bitches.
Xavier O’Brien just staked his claim.
* * *
“Oh wow,” Candy murmured with wide eyes when she came out of the back with a john and caught sight of me cuddled up on Xavier’s lap.
Her reaction seemed to be the most prominent one so far—not that anyone dared voice it directly to us. It was more relayed in the looks on the girl’s faces as they worked the room. Astonishment came first and then either a knowing look or in some cases, a pissed off look. At least Candy didn’t do either. She shook off her shock and went right back to being her normal self with me.
“So, does this mean you’re back for good?” She asked when she joined us at the bar.
“Sure does.” I couldn’t contain how happy that fact made me. I hated being locked up at Xavier’s. The lake view only went so far toward true contentment. Thank heavens Xavier came around on his way of thinking. I needed to be out in the world and feeling productive.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” She screamed elatedly.
I thought it was cute that she was so happy to have me back at The Den. Xavier just looked ready to kill her.
“You’re a nut,” I told her before glancing at the clock and seeing the time. “I better get moving. I need to get some scheduling done before Sophie gets out of preschool.”
Not that I would be the one picking her up. No, Xavier had someone stationed at her school. I wasn’t sure if it made me less anxious she was being watched, or more anxious. The verdict was still out on that one.
I began to slide off Xavier’s lap, but as soon as my feet hit the floor, I found myself back in his arms and his face less than an inch from mine.
“You kiss me when you go.” His words were low and meant only for my ears. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Candy biting her lip and looking away.
“I can handle that,” was my cheeky response right before I grabbed his face with both hands and planted a slow, wet kiss on him. When we came up for air, I knew I was probably going to regret shoving my relationship with Xavier down everyone’s throats, but right then I couldn’t find it in me to care.
When I turned to walk away on wobbly legs, Xavier took my hand and pulled me back toward him. “Did that make you wet?” He whispered in my ear.
Rather than respond, considering I was rather aroused, I stuck my tongue out and moved across the room with the sound of his laughter following me.
“That was rather… interesting,” Candy noted once we were behind the secret door.
I stopped in the doorway to Trixie’s office and glanced over my shoulder at her. Something about her tone made me guard my words when I merely shr
ugged and said, “Yeah, I guess.”
“You guess? Xavier O’Brien made out with one of his girls in the middle of the bar where everyone could see it. I’d say that’s a pretty big deal.” I stiffened at her description of me being merely one of his girls. She of all people knew I was more than that. Even if she did still believe he cheated on me—my text to reassure her he hadn’t had been met with skepticism.
I forced myself to relax, telling myself that she was only asking because she was my friend. But something about the way she was nudging me felt off. Especially after the way she had been pushing me in Marx’s direction.
“Xavier and I decided it was time to make our relationship public. It’s really not a big deal. People will get used to it.” Sitting down at Trixie’s desk, I turned the computer on and brought up the scheduling software, keenly aware of the way Candy was studying me. When it finally unnerved me to the point I couldn’t ignore it, I turned toward her and snapped exasperatedly, “What?”
“Shit, what crawled up your ass?” She replied with just as much irritation.
I sighed and sat back in my chair. It was official, I was going crazy. I blamed Xavier for making me paranoid about everyone’s intentions these days. Candy was a friend. A good one up until that point. I didn’t want to lose her.
“I’m sorry. It’s been a bit overwhelming coming back and now Xavier…,” I let that thought trail off, unsure I wanted to share that our display of affection hadn’t been planned. “The last time I was here was that night and it might have brought back some memories.” I wasn’t lying when I said that. Luke, Xavier’s man who drove me in, had been nice enough to pretend I wasn’t practically hyperventilating in the backseat of the SUV for nearly five minutes before I finally steeled myself to go inside.
“Yeah, I get that. I’m sorry, too for snapping. I should’ve taken that into account.” She straightened from the doorframe when Jake walked by. Her eyes followed his movement down the hall for several moments before she turned back to me. “I’ve got an appointment coming up I need to get ready for. Will you be okay if I go?”
I waved off her concern, glad we were over that awkwardness. “Go. I’ll be fine. I’ve got enough here to keep me busy for a while. Good luck.”
“Thanks, A. Welcome back.”
Several minutes after Candy left, I still couldn’t shake the strange sense she had left with me. Was it foreboding? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it sent a shiver crawling up my spine. Diving into my work, I told myself it was nothing.
Chapter Eight
My sigh was one of contentment as I curled into Xavier’s side. My head rested on his shoulder and my arm draped over his chest. His heartbeat was a steady rhythm under my hand which always evoked a feeling of security for me. Between my legs, there was still throbbing from the amazing orgasm his cock had just treated me to.
Now that our dry spell was over, things seemed to settle back to our normal routine. One in which we made love every night and as many mornings as we could swing. No one would hear a single complaint out of me.
In the three weeks since I’d returned to work at The Den there had been nothing out of the ordinary to report. My nightmares were gone and life had seemed to settle. Sure, Xavier was still chasing his enemies for vengeance, but he came home to me every night just as he promised.
My last thought as I closed my eyes to go to sleep was that I hoped he found Harrison and Spinelli soon. I hated knowing we were all living under a cloud, no matter how happy we were in the meantime.
“Tell me about your husband.” Xavier’s words were so out of left field that my eyes flew open upon hearing them.
“What?” I croaked around the ball that seemed to lodge itself deep in my throat.
I tried not to think of Kevin. It was easier now that Sophie and I weren’t struggling the way we did for so long. But whenever my mind veered to the man I once loved, I couldn’t help the overwhelming emotions that bubbled up inside of me.
I never failed to feel the twinge of pain that inevitably accompanied not being enough for your husband. It was more phantom now that time had passed, but it was still there reminding me that no amount of love or understanding had been able to beat back his desire for drugs.
There was also the sadness that came whenever I thought about what prison might be like for him. Was he still using drugs? Were other inmates attacking him or making him their bitch? It was a reality that was simply too much to consider. No matter what happened in our marriage, I never wished anything bad on Kevin.
And of course, there was the overwhelming grief I had for my daughter when it came to Kevin and the fact that she was growing up without her father. After he first went away, she’d asked about him all the time and even cried out for him at night. It had been a while since I had to console her as her body shook with the strength of her cries, and it made me sad to know that the longer we didn’t hear from him, the less she was going to remember him.
“You never talk about him. I want to know what happened.” His words were low and tinged with some sort of emotion I couldn’t quite name. Was it jealousy? I couldn’t be sure.
“There isn’t much to talk about. You know the gist of it already. He chose drugs and theft over his family.” The words came out short and emotionless, but really they were like knives as they came up my throat. The pain felt just as fresh as it had nearly a year ago.
“Do you still love him?”
For whatever reason, his question had me snapping. Maybe it was anger. Maybe it was my hurt pride. Didn’t matter, because it was long overdue. When I lost it, I didn’t even stop to think about the vulnerable place inside Xavier that the question was coming from. So caught up in my own emotions, I completely missed the fact that he was holding his breath, scared for what my answer might be. Determined that if it was yes, he would fight tooth and nail to make it no.
“Love?” I let out a sardonic laugh. “How the hell could I possibly love someone who didn’t give one shit about me? That love died a long time ago.”
I felt my irritation building as I spoke, but it wasn’t until Xavier pried open my clenched fist that I realized I had been digging my nails into my palms.
“That’s a mighty strong reaction for someone who says she doesn’t love her ex,” he noted in a slightly dejected way.
“Yeah, well, forgive me for feeling strongly about him. He was the love of my life and he threw me and our daughter away,” I said heatedly.
Sitting up in the bed, I pulled the sheet up over my exposed breasts and squared my shoulders. All my unresolved anger with Kevin was bubbling up and pouring out of me. There wasn’t anything I could have done to stop it.
“You of all people know those kind of wounds cut deep. That even though they might scab over, you always have the scar to remind you of the pain. Every time I look at my daughter, I’m reminded of a man who was weak and callous. Who didn’t give one shit if Sophie or I had a roof over our heads or food in our bellies. Who left us to struggle for days, weeks, and months. Who hasn’t even so much as sent us a letter since he went away.
“How am I supposed to explain to my daughter that even though his actions say she wasn’t worthy of his love and protection, that she is damn near the most perfect girl in the world? Tell me! How do I make up for the fact that he abandoned us?” My voice broke at the end of my rant and I immediately found myself wrapped up in Xavier’s strong embrace.
In the safety of his arms was where I cried. I cried for my daughter. I cried for the person I used to be. I cried for all the nights where I felt so alone. For all the times I was so worried about where our next meal would come from. I cried for all the days I had to be strong when all I wanted to do was break.
Xavier never loosened his hold on me. He showed me without words that I could count on him. That he would hold me up whenever I needed him to.
When I was bone tired and my sobs reduced to sniffles, Xavier kissed my head before moving us back to our earlier positions with
my head on his shoulder.
“I love you,” I whispered into the still air once I felt like I could speak without crying. “You have no idea how grateful I am for you. How much I appreciate you being there for Sophie and me. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’d survive,” he simply said.
Deep in my heart I knew he was right. I was a fighter. Somehow, someway I would always survive. If not for myself, then for Sophie. Always for Sophie.
“Even though I can do it on my own, I don’t want to. I’d much rather be in this life with you.”
As he looked down on me, his eyes glinted with a fierceness that took my breath away. “I will always be here for you, Aurora. I will never leave you or Sophie the way that sorry bastard did. You two are my world and I will fight to the death to make sure you never have to survive again.”
His lips captured mine in a hard kiss that quickly took on a life of its own. We were all hands and teeth and tongues as we grappled with the sheets and fought against an urgency that consumed us.
When he entered me, nothing else mattered but Xavier. My hips rose to meet his slow, deep thrusts. The way he made love to me was as tender as I had ever had with him. It belied the animal within I knew all too well.
I lost myself in him. In the love radiating from him as he watched me come apart with him inside me. In the way he opened himself up to vulnerability for those split seconds before he found his own release. The sheer depth of his understanding of my plight was one of the main things that brought us together.
Without him, I’d still be Alyssa Swanson. I’d still be scared and frightened. I’d still be alone.
Now I was Aurora James. I was strong and beautiful and knew what I was capable of.
And while my breakdown was cathartic, one thing was for certain—that night I found the closure I hadn’t known I needed.
Xavier O’Brien Page 5
