Page 46 of His Deadly Devotion
It probably goes against everything I’ve strived to achieve so far, and the independent woman inside me is screaming no, but my heart—my soul—wants nothing more than to belong to Connor.
“I wasn’t yours then,” I tell him.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’ve always been mine. The moment you stepped into that bedroom the night we met, you became mine.” Connor stands. “You will always be mine,” he says, stepping towards me. “You and me, we need to rely on each other, Aurora. If we can’t turn to each other for help, then they’re going to win.”
My brows draw down. “Who is going to win?”
“Every fucker who wants to tear us apart,” he explains. “We need to stick together. We need to be each other’s strength. I don’t want you going to someone else for help when I can help you myself.”
“I don’t want you to see all of my insecurities, all of my weaknesses,” I tell him. “But you’re right. We are not letting them win. We are going to come out of this together.”
Connor’s arms circle around me, and my head leans against his shoulder. “I love you, all of you. There isn’t a part of you I don’t love, Aurora.”
“Even when I stab you?” I chuckle.
“Even then,” he says.
“I don’t think I’ve told you enough, Connor, but I love you and I appreciate you. I hate that you’ve had to give up everything for me. I hate that we have to fight to be together. But I promise if you go down, I’m going down right by your side. I will fight until the end. For us.”
“We’re not going down,” he says, pressing his lips to the top of my head.
I waited for Connor to fall asleep. Then I slid out of bed. He’s right. We are not going down. We are going to beat the odds. But I’m also not going to sit around and wait for my family to get me out of trouble. I want to know what’s happening. Ineedto know what I can do to help.
It’s late, and apart from the guards on duty, I don’t see anyone as I make my way through the house. I need a phone so I can contact Dante or Mabilia. They’re the ones most likely to tell me what’s going on.
Walking into my brother’s office, I’m shocked that he’s in here. I expected the place to be empty. But there he is, sitting at his desk, appearing more stressed than I’ve ever seen him before.
“What are you doing up?” he asks me.
“I… I was looking for a phone. I need to call Dante. Or Mabilia,” I tell him the truth, because I don’t think lying to him is the smartest move at the moment.
“You can’t do that,” he says.
“I can’t call them, but you could.” I walk over and sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. “I need to know what’s going on, Lorenzo. I can’t just sit around and wait. I need to help.”
“You canhelpby keeping a low profile and staying out of trouble,” he says.
“You look like shit, Lorenzo,” I comment. “Why?”
“I have a psychotic crime family hunting down my little sister. Times are a little stressful.” He shrugs.
“I’m sorry.”
“I wish you had thought about the fallout before you fell into bed with an Irishman,” he says, shaking his head.
“It’s not like I had a choice,” I counter.
Lorenzo’s eyes snap to mine. “What the fuck does that mean?” He looks murderous. My choice of words were definitely taken the wrong way.
“Not like that. Calm down.” Bringing my knees up to my chest, I fold my arms around them. “Before I met Connor, I never felt anything. For anyone. To the point I thought I was broken,” I confess. “I have all these people around me who’ve fallen head over heels in love with someone,theirsomeone. I never even felt attracted to anyone, and I tried to. I’ve kissed boysand girls, trying to figure out who I was attracted to, and nothing worked. I just always felt numb. Indifferent.”
“You’re not broken,” Lorenzo tells me.
“When I saw Connor for the first time, something clicked. It’s like something that was lying dormant inside me woke up, and suddenly I had all these feelings I never thought I’d have. For him. He is my person, Lorenzo. I can’t control it or stop it.”
“I know.” My brother nods his head. “I don’t like it, but I know.”
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