“I mean it, Mase.” I turned to look at him. “Anything, okay?”
I gave him a nod and walked up the stairs, hearing the door close as he made his way out. After he’d bitched me out for not telling him everything that had happened, I’d sat him down and shared all the gory details. It was actually freeing to finally be able to talk about it, like a weight had been lifted. And ever since then, Luke had become overly protective and checked on me every night.
He was a good friend, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
I slowly walked into my room, stopping just as I passed the threshold. I looked over Emma’s beautiful body as she lay in my bed. My lips curved into a slight smile as I thought about the delicious things I’d done to her body a few hours before.
I never thought I’d get to this point. Having a woman in my bed and wanting her to be there had never crossed my mind before I’d met her.
She’s changed me.
Being with her gave me a sense of normalcy, something I’d always strived for but could never obtain. But it was right there, sleeping on my white sheets.
I knew the next few months would be challenging, but knowing she still wanted to try meant more to me than I was willing to admit.
My past was coming to an end, and she was my beginning.
Epilogue
Mason
Seven months later
“I’m proud of you,” stated Luke as I sat down on his couch. I’d just arrived and was waiting for Emma to show up. “You’ve come a long way, and I just want you to know that I can see how hard you’ve been working.”
I nodded at his words, still not able to accept them as compliments.
So much had happened since news broke of the Black Widow Corporation. According to the FBI representative I’d spoken with, they’d already had their eyes on Donicko for a while; they just needed something to make his arrest more substantial, which was what I’d given to them.
When they raided his residence, they found Sophia and took her into custody. I was told she fought them, but she finally succumbed to them taking her. I was happy that she was finally out of that Hell, but I knew she had a long road of recovery ahead of her. The doctors confirmed that she had Stockholm’s and it would be a while before she could be reunited with her family.
Part of me wanted to see her again just to make sure she was truly safe, but I knew they wouldn’t let me. It wasn’t a good idea anyway, since I was trying to put the past behind me.
“Thanks, man. I still have a lot more to work on, but I’m coming along.”
“You haven’t heard from him again, have you?” Luke asked.
He was referring to the threat in the mail from Donicko. He must have sent it out before he was arrested because it’d shown up a few days later.
You think you’ve won, but remember, I’m always watching.
It was creepy and I had no idea what he’d meant by it, but I didn’t want to. I’d given it to the FBI, and they said they’d look into it.
“No. I haven’t received anything else.”
“Good. I hope that fucker rots in his cell.”
You and me both.
“What time is Emma supposed to show up?” Luke asked, tossing a game remote to me.
I pulled my wrist up to look at my watch. “She should be here any minute. Her last final was at one.”
“All right, let’s play until they get here, then we’ll leave for the restaurant.”
I grabbed the remote and we started to play.
Things with Emma had progressed into something I never thought possible for me. I never thought I’d get to a point where being away from her would be torturous, but I was and I loved it. The first couple of months were rough; there were adjustments that needed to be made, and I had to take things slowly. The nightmares were still there and I didn’t want her to be witness to it, but I’d learned that having her there made them easier to bear. She always soothed me back to sleep, and falling asleep with her next to me became my new addiction, along with having my dick nestled inside her. She was amazing, something I knew I didn’t deserve, but I’d never let her go.
She and Luke, after being properly introduced, hit it off as friends and encouraged me to seek help to deal with everything I’d been through. I’d told Luke that I would once everything had settled down, and I’d kept my word.
It turned out that I had a type of PTSD, which was surprising, but then again, after everything I’d been through I could see how it could have turned out that way. Continuously burying my hurt and guilt was eating away at me, causing the symptoms to keep rising and making everything that much worse.
I was prescribed medicine and therapy, which all seemed to be helping. I could definitely tell the difference, and I’d even found myself smiling for no apparent reason.
KNOCK KNOCK
“Come in!” Luke yelled, not taking his eyes off the TV.
“Hey, it’s me,” Emma called from the doorway.