Ember by Christi Whitson

She was his only light in a lifetime of darkness…

Haunted by guilt after the death of her mother, Lena Gardner hides behind the persona of the perfect daughter she feels obligated to be. At nineteen, she’s working her way through college and being groomed for leadership of her father’s empire. When the pressure overwhelms her, she longs to escape, and for a few hours under the cover of night, she becomes someone else. Each time she chooses that escape, she loses herself a little more. Only one person knows the real Lena Gardner, and only he has the power to save her from herself.

Owen Langford has worked hard to overcome a traumatic past. His life has been shadowed in pain for as long as he can remember, and a childhood friendship forged out of tragedy was little more than a flicker of radiance in the darkness. Her memory glowed within him like an ember, guiding him toward a better version of himself and saving him in more ways than he can count. Now at age nineteen, Owen is determined to graduate college early and start his own business. He’s adamant that nothing is more important than achieving his goals, but fate may have other plans for him. His relationship with Lena Gardner was meant to be a casual arrangement. Neither have the time for romance, and after a lifetime of abuse, Owen doubts his own ability to ever feel connected to another person. But he never expected to find his childhood savior sitting next to him in a lecture hall.

And he never expected to fall in love with her.