Page 112 of Xavier

My eyes widen. “What? Has that ever happened before?”

“No. Never.”

Fear runs down my spine, chilling me to my core.

Did they find me here?

Did they hurt my family and Xavier?

“Oh my God.” I cry out.

Jordan looks at me. “Shit, I didn’t mean to worry you. Everything is safe. I just need to check on things.”

“Okay, I’ll come up with you. After you check on things, we can call Xavier.”

I follow him up the stairs to the outdoor parking lot and stomp the wet sand off my feet. The sand doesn’t budge.

“Of course it’s stuck.”

Looking around, I find the feet washing station and rinse the sand off before slipping my sandals back on.

Jordan is nowhere to be found. Maybe he went to the front to check on the camera. Heading in that direction, I try to remember where all the cameras were.

Maybe he’s looking at the one that’s partially blocked by the new palm tree near the front doors.

“Jordan?” I call out before I round the corner.

My gaze doesn’t land on Jordan. Instead, my gaze locks onto a pair of very dark eyes. Dark eyes that turn my insides into mush and melt my panties. Eyes that bore into mine with the promise of danger and mystery.

A gasp escapes past my lips as I take in Xavier standing next to a blacked out limousine.

I hone in on all the pent up anger, aggression, hurt, and sadness and stalk over to him like I’m a woman on a mission.

“You haven’t answered any calls and had me worried sick!” I yell out as I stop a few feet away from him.

His eyes narrow and his jaw tenses as I continue, but I soften my tone so he can feel the love that I feel.

“You’re grumpy, demanding, and sometimes hard to read, but spending the past few months with you and getting to know you have been some of the best moments of my life. You even gave me the best birthday ever and kept me safe.”

I swallow the ball of emotion that tries to lodge itself in my throat.

Xavier takes a few steps toward me. “I admit that you’ve broken down my walls and softened my heart. You make me feel things I haven’t felt in many years. Things I don’t deserve to feel after the things I’ve done.”

I close the gap between us and say, “You deserve to feel love as much as I do. I’m sorry I let you leave like that. I promise I’ll never do that again, but I was scared. I’m scared because I’m falling for you so fast.”

Xavier grins and pulls me into his chest. His arms wrap around my waist, trapping me in his embrace. “But falling so fast is thrilling.”

“It’s definitely been an adventure.”

He leans so close that our lips are barely touching. “It’s only going to get better from here.”

Lifting up on my tiptoes, I press my lips into his.

Our lips move against one another, like a synchronized dance that we’ve performed for years.

Neither one of us is in a rush to break apart, or to deepen the kiss.

His tongue swipes against my lower lip, causing me to let out a throaty moan.

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