by Gemma James
Three months in that dark space had taken their toll, and Zach looked less like a man and more like a ghost each day.
I was anxious to send him to the other side for good.
Handing me the present, Alex nodded for me to open it. I tore into the shiny gold and red Christmas wrap, revealing a plain brown box, and as I worked the flap up at the end, I sent her a questioning glance.
She practically beamed at me, complexion aglow with excitement as I dipped two fingers into the narrow end and pulled out a plastic white stick.
One sporting a plus sign.
Utterly speechless, I stared at her as my heartbeat skipped like a fucking school girl’s. I worked my vocal cords, finding my voice. “Is this what I think it is?”
With a squeal, she hopped onto my lap and straddled me. “We did it, Rafe.” Her lips brushed mine. “We made a baby.”
All the doubts were still there, begging to poke through the joy of her news, because I worried I wasn’t father material.
I was a criminal.
A man with a sadist’s edge.
A man who loved his woman more than life itself and would do anything for her.
Even if that meant getting my shit together to become the father this kid deserved. To become the husband Alex needed.
A furrow drew her brows together. “You don’t seem happy about it.”
“No, baby,” I said, palming her flushed cheek, “I’m happy about it. I’m just processing.”
“Process a little faster.”
That earned her a smile. “I’m right there with you, trust me.” My mind went to the monster in the cellar. “You know what this means, right?”
Her mind went there too, dark cloud deepening her jade eyes. “It means you get what you want.”
“And what about you, Alex? What do you want?”
“I just wanted him to suffer.”
“He’s suffered, sweetheart. So have we.”
“I know.”
“Don’t you think it’s time we let go?” I studied her expression, hoping to find a hint that she was on her way to being whole again.
With a hard swallow, she nodded.
Relief flooded my veins as I gripped her by the hair and kissed her, infusing every ounce of love I felt for her in the meeting of our mouths.
Zach’s death could wait another day, because it was Christmas, and thanks to that little white stick, we had more than the holiday to celebrate.
We had a fresh start and the promise of forever in front of us.
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ALSO AVAILABLE FROM GEMMA JAMES
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Grab your copy of The Devil’s Kiss today
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Grab your copy of Epiphany today
She’s my sister’s best friend. The girl I’ve known since grade school. The girl that’s off-limits...and she wants me to teach her how to blow a guy.
Grab your copy of Swallow Me Whole today
He’s flying home to confront his cheating wife. She’s running from her life in shame. Neither expected to fall in love 35,000 feet in the air.
Grab your copy of Trashy Foreplay today
DESCENT PLAYLIST
1. “Hurt” by Johnny Cash
2. “Hearing Damage” by Thom Yorke
3. “What Have You Done” by Within Temptation (featuring Keith Caputo)
4. “The Dark of You” by Breaking Benjamin
5. “Running Up That Hill” by Placebo
6. “Scene of the Crime” by Placebo
7. “Scotland” by The Lumineers
8. “Destroy Everything You Touch” by Ladytron
9. “Torn in Two” by Breaking Benjamin
10. “Save Yourself” by Breaking Benjamin
11. “Shatter Me” by Lindsey Stirling (featuring Lzzy Hale)
12. “Exit Wounds” by Placebo
13. “Savin’ Me” by Nickelback
14. “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed
15. “Glitter” by 070 Shake
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I want to thank the readers who so patiently waited for this last part of Alex and Rafe’s story. You guys are the most understanding readers an author could hope for. I’m so grateful for your enthusiasm over these characters and their twisted love story. I hope I wrote a satisfying end to their saga.
I’d also like to thank Trisha Wolfe and Lani for reading parts of Descent and offering feedback while I was locked in the writing cave. I love you guys so hard!
Lastly, I have to give a shout-out to my Naughty Nookers in Gemma’s Naughty Nook, and to my fellow Seduced by the Alpha authors. Here’s to no drama, fantastic reads, and a community where we lift each other up instead of tearing each other down. You guys are the best!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gemma James is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of a blend of genres, from new adult suspense to dark erotic romance. She loves to explore the darker side of human nature in her fiction, and she’s morbidly curious about anything dark and edgy, from deviant sex to serial killers. Readers have described her stories as being “not for the faint of heart.”
She warns you to heed their words! Her playground isn’t full of rainbows and kittens, though she likes both. She lives in Oregon with her husband and their four children–three rambunctious UFC/wrestling-loving boys and one girl who steals everyone’s attention.
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