My heart skipped a beat just looking at him. It had only been a week, but his hair was longer and his face held more than just his usual scruff. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, too, something I’d seen only a few times before.
“Hi,” I managed to get out.
“Emma,” he said as he slowly glanced over me. It wasn’t in a sexual way, but as if he thought he’d never see me again. “Let’s sit.” He gestured to the living room.
I nodded and gave him a small smile as I led the way, trying my hardest not to look at that couch and remember the night we’d shared just a week before.
I took a seat and folded my hands in my lap as Mason did the same, leaving a cushion between us. I’d be lying if I said that didn’t sting just a little, but I was sure he was just as unaware of our situation as I was.
We sat there gazing at each other for what felt like twenty minutes, but was actually a mere twenty seconds.
“How have you been?” he asked, breaking the ice.
I licked my lips. “Good,” I stated, feeling awkward.
“How are your classes?”
I averted my eyes and stared at my entwined fingers. “They’re good, but I have to say the teacher who replaced you isn’t anywhere near your level.”
I turned to look at him with a smile, but it faded when I saw the expression on his face. His eyebrows were furrowed as if he was deep in thought.
“Look,” I started as I swiveled my body more toward his, “I wanted to talk to you so I could apologize—”
“Apologize?” he interrupted, turning his body toward mine, as well.
“Yes. I shouldn’t have walked out that night.” I diverted my gaze as I thought of what to say. “You needed someone to be there for you, and I just walked out.” I shook my head, “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Listen to me, Emma. There is no reason for you to apologize to me.” He moved to sit closer. “What I told you that night, all the information that’s out there now, was a big thing to take in. I’m not so sure I would have stayed either, if the roles were reversed.”
“How are you doing with everything?” I gestured my hand toward the front door, knowing none of it could be easy.
He let out a sigh and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he held his head in his hands.
“It’s a lot, but nothing I wasn’t expecting.” He looked up at me with a serious expression. “Things are going to get worse before they get better.”
“How so?”
“Secrets only get worse over time.”
I furrowed my brow. “Are you in danger?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No. With the information the FBI is collecting, there’s no way for them to deny any part they played.”
I pursed my lips as I thought about what he’d said and Mel’s words came into play, causing my anxiety to flair.
“What about the men Donicko dealt with? Won’t they come after you for ruining their business?”
He examined my face as I spoke. “You have nothing to worry about. Is that what you’re wondering?” I nodded. “This business is so broad that one man being taken down isn’t going to change anything. If they want to get women, they will. They’ll just find another way. Nothing will stop them, unless someone else does.”
I wanted his words to calm me like they were meant to, but I couldn’t help but think of the worst-case scenario. I reached out and grabbed his hand, a move I wasn’t so sure he’d accept until he entwined our fingers together.
“I’m going to be honest with you, Mason. All of this frightens me. If things were and are as bad as you said, then there’s no way you can be sure something wouldn’t happen. And that thought alone makes me worry for you.”
He lightly squeezed my hand and let out a heavy breath. “I know this is scary for you, and I’d understand if you wanted to part ways. When this plan came to me, I didn’t think you’d stay.”
He furrowed his brow, and my heart broke for him as I shook my head. “I don’t want to leave you, Mason. I just…I feel like right now, while all of this is going on, we need to take some time apart. I don’t want whatever this is to go away, but I also don’t want my face all over tabloids, either. I need to look out for myself, but I still want to be there for you.” I groaned as I glanced away. This was all so hard.
He lifted my chin to meet his gaze once again. “I don’t doubt that this is what you want, because this is what I want, too. And I agree with everything you just said. You need to do what makes you feel more comfortable. I don’t want you to run away after I thought I’d already lost you.”
The pain I felt for him, from all the things he’d endured as a child, had built up, causing my eyes to water.
I shook my head. “You didn’t lose me. I just needed to think.” He wiped away one of my stray tears, and I smiled slightly. “And I’d never run away, Mason. I like you too much.”
He chuckled softly and moved in closer. “Is that right?” I smirked and stared into his beautiful blue eyes.
He tilted his head down more and pressed his lips against mine. Excitement exploded in my core, and I reached up to grab onto his shoulders. It had only been a week, but I’d missed those lips. I couldn’t imagine never kissing them again.
He lifted his hands, lacing his fingers in my hair, and I let out a soft moan of approval as his tongue danced with mine. All too soon, he pulled away with a soft kiss.
“I told you before, Emma. I’m not a good man, but I want to be. I know I need help. I know things aren’t going to be easy for me and I’m still going to be a controlling ass. But at the end of the day, this is what I want, too. I promise you I’m going to try,” he stated as he tightened his hold on my hair.
I lifted my chin to kiss him softly as I felt another tear fall down my cheek. I was glad he realized he needed help, and I’d be there to help him. I wanted it. I wanted to be his rock. We’d only known each other for a short amount of time, but deep down it felt like I’d known him my whole life. It was crazy but felt so amazing, like I’d met the other half of my soul.
I pulled away and looked him in the eyes.
“That’s all I can ask for.”
Twenty-eight
Mason
I was surprised to receive a text from Emma, but all too eager to see her. After she’d walked out that night, I figured things were over, that I’d never see her again. I knew if the roles were reversed, there was no way I’d ever put forth the effort to deal with something like this. It was a lot to ask of her, and that was one of the reasons I hadn’t asked her to stay.
Once the news hit the stands that Monday morning, things began to spiral out of control. I couldn’t leave my house without being bombarded with reporters asking question after question. I knew it was coming, but I hadn’t fully prepared myself for the aftermath.
I’d resigned from my job as a professor, knowing it was inevitable anyway. A scandal like this wasn’t good to have around the students and I knew it, so that wasn’t a big thing for me. I didn’t need to work, but it was what I’d grown to love. Teaching students the law gave me purpose. Everything in my life had led me to this place, so letting it go was hard.
I’d also gotten my ass chewed by Luke, who started doubling as my bodyguard, because I had never told him what I’d had to endure. I knew he would take it hard and I had planned on telling him before the news spread, but after Emma had walked out, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I let him find out the same way everyone else did.
I turned the lights off in my office and was about to make my way up the stairs when a knock sounded at the door.
I turned around and looked through the peephole before opening it.
“You couldn’t stay away, could you?” I said to Luke with a smile, opening the door to let him walk through.
“I’m just doing my daily rounds,” he said with a laugh. “You want to come out for a drink? I’m meeting Drew and Steve.”
I shook my head and turned to wa
lk toward the stairs. He’d been doing that all week, stopping by late at night to check on me. I’d told him to quit, but he didn’t listen.
“Nah, you go on ahead.” I knew if I went out I’d drink, and I hadn’t touched a drop since the night I slit my thigh. I didn’t need a new addiction.
“You sure?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Emma’s asleep in my bed.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “Okay, call me if you need me, Mase.”
I started walking up the stairs when he called out to me again.
“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.
“And me,” echoed Melanie.
The thing about dating someone as beautiful as Emma was that my best friend was bound to find out she also had a beautiful sister. And even though she was older than he was, they complemented each other. I was surprised at first that Luke would even want to meet Melanie, but I was happy for him. It was good to see him wrapped up in a woman just like I was.
“Hey, babe,” Luke called to Mel. “Can you grab me a beer before you sit your beautiful ass next to me?”
I glanced toward Mel to see her roll her eyes at Emma, and I smirked.
“So, how’d you do?” I asked Emma as she came to sit next to me.
She smiled brightly, and I couldn’t help but look her over. She was wearing a light purple dress that fit snug against her figure, and her hair was in waves down her back. She was fucking beautiful and all mine.
“I think I did well,” she said as she placed a hand on my leg. “I’m going to be anxious as hell waiting for the grades to be posted.”
I smiled. “I’m sure you did great, princess. I helped you study.”
“Doesn’t matter, I was the one who had to take it. That shit’s not easy. I’m not going to lie. I felt like I was going to throw up when I got the test.”
I chuckled and watched Mel walk in with a beer and toss it into Luke’s lap.
“Ah, shit, woman.”
We all laughed.
“Do you ever not play that stupid game?”
“Watch it, Mel. He’s territorial about that shit,” Emma warned her.
I shook my head and leaned in close to whisper in Emma’s ear as Melanie and Luke bickered.
“I’m picturing some naughty things happening with that dress on.”
She moved her hand slowly up my leg, and I grinned against her ear.
“Is that so? Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
I chuckled lightly.
“I always keep my promises, princess. Always.”
The end
About the Author
J.M. La Rocca was born in Chicago, IL. At an early age, her family relocated to lower Alabama where she began her love for writing. She currently resides in Pensacola, FL with her husband and twin sons. As a stay at home mom, La Rocca was able to pursue her love for writing. It was always an unrealized dream to write her own books. With the love and support from her husband Tony, family, and friends, she set forth and fulfilled that dream.
Aside from writing she also loves to read, listen to music, drin
k wine, indulge on chocolate, chase her little ones around, and spend time with her family and friends.
Where you can find me:
Website: http://www.jmlaroccabooks.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jmlarocca1
Twitter: @jmlarocca1
Instagram: jenniferlarocca
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7056502.J_M_LaRocca
Go like my Amazon page to get notified whenever I release a book.
http://www.amazon.com/J.M.-La-Rocca/e/B00DUDKCGG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Other works by J.M. La Rocca
Lifeless Series
Lifeless
My Beautiful
Drifting into Darkness
Drifting into Light (coming Fall 2015)
Acknowledgments
Now that Mason’s story is done I’m going to miss him a lot. He wasn’t an easy character to write, but he was a fun one. So many helped me along the way and I want to take the time to acknowledge them.
Tonya Nichols, my friend and PA, you have been my cheerleader along the way and I’m truly grateful to have you in my life. You encourage me every day and it truly is a blessing to have you there on my side.
Jessica Prince and Emmy Montes, my girls. It really is an honor to have you two to talk to every day, whenever I have something to say. We are each other’s rocks and you’ve helped me so much over this past year. I look forward to bugging you some more on future projects.
To my author buddies that I talk to and bug with my nonsense, I love our tight-nit community. I’d still be researching how to format these books if it wasn’t for Brooke Cumberland taking the time out to help me figure this stuff out. It’s things like that make me happy that I’m apart of our group.
To the readers, THANK YOU SO MUCH for loving Mason and is fucking up story. When the idea popped into my head I had no idea where it would lead. He was an anomaly to me and it intrigued me even more to want to write his story. Every day something new would come to me, and even though it was hard to express how he was feeling I was able to get it out. I hope you all loved the conclusion to Mason’s story and continue on with my writing journey.
Professor Cline: Redeemed (Professor #2) Page 21
