by V. T. Do
I shut off the engine, and leaving the warm car, I went out into the frigid cold. It had snowed a couple of days back, and now most of the driveway was covered in a thin sheet of ice.
I slowly made my way to the front door and, using my own key, unlocked it and went inside the warm house.
Everything was just the way I remembered it, and I was glad. Glad that my key still worked, glad that it still smelled the same, glad that I still felt the familiarity when I entered, and glad that some things remained the same, even if I hadn’t.
I made my way through the dark house. I didn’t need the light. Even though I hadn’t spent as much time here as I did at Max’s house, I’d spent enough to know where I was going. Who I was going to.
The stairs creaked as I made my way up, and though the creak sounded loud in the quiet house, I was sure it wouldn’t be enough to wake him.
I walked toward the closed door of the master bedroom. I made a move to open it, yet I hesitated when my hand touched the doorknob. Not because I doubted my decision, but…
I wasn’t sure why I was hesitating.
Did I fear his rejection?
Or my ability to go through with this?
I didn’t know.
But I made my decision tonight, back at my apartment, and surprisingly, it wasn’t regret about the decision that I felt, but the rightness of it. I knew this was what I needed to do.
I quietly opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind me. He didn’t even stir.
My breath got stuck in my throat when I caught his familiar scent lingering in the air, and my eyes watered as I took in his huge form in the middle of the bed.
He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and even with the low lighting, I could make out his shape. Every hard muscle, every curve, and crease that I had familiarized myself with over the past few months.
I knew this body.
I knew this body better than my own.
I loved this beautiful body just as much as the heart and soul of the man inside it.
I held my breath as I made my way toward him, tears streaming down my face. I didn’t make a move to wipe them away. When I was close enough to feel the heat emanate from his body, I paused.
I supposed we needed this time apart to find our way back to each other. I couldn’t bring myself to regret it, but now that I was near, I wanted nothing more than to burrow myself into him and never leave.
Instead, I started pulling off my clothes until I was in nothing more than a plain white t-shirt and panties. Then I pulled the covers back and got in the bed with him. He didn’t wake, and for that, I was grateful.
It was late, and I didn’t want to talk about everything that had happened between us. I just wanted to be near him, to feel his warmth and listen to his deep breathing while he slept.
I kept to my own little corner on the bed, not wanting to disturb him, and pulled the covers up to my chin. Then I closed my eyes and, for the first time in a long time, I fell into a deep, restful sleep, positive that Mason would keep out all the monsters, if only for tonight.
I woke with arms wrapped tightly around me and kisses on my cheeks, my forehead, chin… lips… and then my neck.
I let out a deep moan, stretching my body a little, still somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, and sinking in closer to Mason’s body for warmth against the cold morning.
This was heaven.
I moved my lips over his pecs, kissing the warm skin there, trying to go back to sleep.
“Olivia, wake up, sweetheart,” he said softly, his arms tightening around me briefly.
I let out a small groan and buried myself deeper into his chest. “Hold on, Mason. I want to sleep.”
He let out a small laugh that sounded both joyous and strained.
“I know, sweetheart. I know you must be tired, but I need you to open your eyes and look at me.”
I moved back a little and peeked an eye open to look at Mason. His cerulean eyes were the first thing I saw, a fire brewing in them with some unnamed emotion.
I was fully awake then, all the memories of last night, of the past few weeks, rushing back to me in full force.
I cupped his cheeks, loving the way his stubble felt against my soft palm, and those beautiful eyes watered. My own eyes started to burn, and I didn’t say anything when I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me.
I didn’t realize how tense I had become until the very moment his lips touched mine and I relaxed into his body. He cocooned me, and I had never felt more protected… more loved.
My arms tightened around him, holding him close to me. When he finally pulled away, his chest was pushing against mine with a labored breath, and our lips were just a millimeter away from each other.
“Don’t let me go, Mason,” I whispered against his lips.
His body shuddered, and then his face was buried in my neck. My hands went to his back, running my fingers up and down his strained muscles, just as I felt the first tear hit my skin.
He was crying.
I tightened my hold on him even more, and my own tears were falling. I made no move to wipe them away, letting them slide down the sides of my face.
“I missed you, baby,” he said softly.
I made a noise, a cross between a whimper and a moan, just as he pulled me away to look at me.
“You’re back.”
“I’m back,” I said, my voice thick from crying.
“Thank God.” And then he leaned down and kissed me once more. I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes, savoring the taste of him. There was nowhere else I wanted to be, but right here, with him.
To think I almost gave this up. Almost gave him up.
I would have regretted it for the rest of my life, I knew it now.
“I’m sorry for leaving,” I told him.
“Hush now, baby. I don’t blame you. Never have and never will. If anything, it was my fault. I should have told you from the very start. I shouldn’t have started a relationship without coming clean. I thought about telling you so many times, but the thought that you would hate me after… I didn’t have the courage to do it.”
“I could never hate you. I love you.”
He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again, relief was shining through his eyes.
“I love you, too,” he choked out, his lips moving over my face. I let him plant small, quick kisses from my forehead, to my cheeks, my nose, my lips, and even my jaw.
I squirmed underneath him when he made a second pass to my lips and stayed there, deepening the kiss.
I needed him. I needed to feel him. My hands moved over the skin on his back, and downward, until I got to his pajama bottoms. I silently urged him to remove them. He pulled away from me long enough to shove the pants down. Mason was going commando, and his cock jutted out between us, angry looking, the bulbous tip tinged slightly purple.
The muscles around my belly clenched in anticipation, and I didn’t stop him when he made a move to remove my shirt, until I was in nothing but my panties.
He moved toward me first, capturing my lips in a bruising kiss. I moaned against his mouth, taking as much as he was demanding, my hands frantic... desperate for the feel of his solid form.
He urged my mouth open with a gentle bite of his teeth, and when I our tongues collided, we both moaned at the sensation.
He cupped my breast with one hand, playing with my nipple with his thumb. I kissed him harder when he pinched it, but he alleviated the pain with smooth touches from his palm.
“Make love to me, Mason,” I begged. “It’s been so long. I need you.”
“Shh, I got you, baby. I got you.” He laid me down on the mattress and carefully pulled my panties off. I didn’t want him to be careful, though.
“Please hurry,” I urged. He laid himself on top of me.
“How ready are you?”
“Ready,” I answered quickly. And that was true. I needed him. But despite my urging, he took his time as
he explored my body, running his hands across my skin and kissing me in ways that made me want to cry.
I wrapped my arms around him tightly so there wasn’t any way for him to leave as he stroked me between my legs. He moved away from the kiss and stared down at me, his eyes both tender and wild.
My muscles clenched and shook with the impending orgasm that threatened to take me whole. He stopped, and I cried out in frustration.
Before I could say anything, he kissed me again, capturing my protest and reasoning.
While he kissed me, he slowly entered me. I clenched around him, my nails digging into the skin around his shoulders, never wanting him to stop. I wanted to savor it. From the way he moved to the almost bruising kiss and everything in between.
“Mason,” I cried out when he broke away from the kiss. His thrusts kept coming, and despite the fact that I wanted to fall over the edge with him, I wanted to prolong this moment even more. I didn’t want it to end.
“Just let go, Livie,” Mason whispered. “I’ve got you. Just let go.”
And I did. My orgasm hit me with full force, and I closed my eyes, threw my head back, and yelled out his name.
He continued his movements, and I felt him shake above me. I grabbed onto him, anchoring him to me. He came, much quieter than I had been, but no less intense. I could tell how much my absence had affected him when he buried his face in my neck and held me tight. I needed the closeness just as much.
“Olivia,” he said, letting his body weight drop on top of me. It was a little hard to breathe, but I didn’t say anything. I loved his body weight on me. I loved being cocooned by him, and I loved the feeling of safety that came with it.
I hadn’t realized how out of balance I’d felt in the weeks I went without him. Perhaps that made me weak. I didn’t care. I needed him.
He trembled before I felt his tears on my skin. “I missed you so much,” he whispered. “Please don’t let this be a dream. Please let this be real. I know I have no right to ask this of you, but please don’t take this away from me.”
His words broke something in me. I knew I made the right choice for both of us when I decided to come back. I knew in his arms was where I belonged.
“I’m real. I’m not going anywhere. Ever again,” I whispered back to him. It was a promise I would keep until the day I died.
Epilogue
Mason
Morning light filtered through the bedroom window, and I counted down to the minute Olivia would wake up in my arms.
She had to be tired.
Last night we stayed up with Emma until past three in the morning. Our baby girl was teething, and she was letting us know how uncomfortable she found the whole thing through the night.
I never thought I could love anyone more than I loved my wife. But I loved our little girl the moment I held her in my arms. I now knew what Max meant when he said he couldn’t let Olivia go since the day she was born.
I spent most of my youth resenting Max’s love for Olivia. Now, I was grateful he was there for her when I couldn’t be.
And that he was there for my baby girl.
Emma had Max wrapped around her little finger and she couldn’t even speak yet. I was sure Max would let her get away with murder.
And hell, I might be the same way, especially when she turned those big brown eyes my way.
Olivia’s eyes.
Emma was the spitting image of her mother, save for her smile. That was all mine. I think that was one of the many reasons Max loved her so much.
She reminded him of Olivia when she was little.
A little angel sent to keep the Kade men on their toes.
Olivia stirred in my arms just as the sun peeked through the curtains.
It was still early, considering how late we went to bed last night, and we were both functioning on only a few hours of sleep.
Her big brown eyes opened, still a little drowsy from sleep, but no less beautiful. She smiled and my breath caught. Even after all these years, she still affected me. I didn’t know what I would have done if she decided to never forgive me. To never come back to me.
With her in my arms, imagining life without her was an impossibility I never wanted to entertain. She was mine, for the rest of our days.
“Good morning, my love,” I said, my voice a little gruff from disuse.
“Morning, husband of mine.”
I smiled, leaning down to capture her lips with mine. We married two weeks after Olivia graduated from college. A month later, we found out she was pregnant with Emma.
Her pregnancy wasn’t easy. From the moment Emma made herself known, Olivia had experienced every kind of pregnancy symptom, from morning sickness to exhaustion and exotic cravings.
Then, we found out Olivia was at risk of going into preterm labor. And there wasn’t even a real cause for it. Her doctor had said that since Olivia was a premature baby herself, that had increased her chances of giving birth to a preterm baby—and that we weren’t to worry or stress about it, considering all the advanced medical technologies available to help aid in bringing our baby girl into the world.
But how could I not worry?
The statistics of complications during labor were staggering. I had no idea until I sat down and read up on the research.
And that had only fueled my fear.
I tightened my arms around Olivia just a little more from the memory.
I could have lost her. And I didn’t know what I would have done if that was the case.
“I love you,” I whispered into her ear. I knew she was smiling before I even looked at her. And sure enough, when I pulled back, there was a wide smile on her face, with enough power to bring me down to my knees.
“I love you,” she said, her voice and eyes soft. She still looked at me like I hung the moon, despite all of my past mistakes.
It was something I never wanted to take for granted.
“Why don’t you rest your eyes a little more? If we’re lucky, Emma won’t wake for another few hours or so.”
She shrugged. “I’m awake now. I doubt I can go back to sleep. Besides, it’s been a while since I could enjoy being in your arms on a quiet morning.”
She was right. It had been a while. Our mornings were usually hectic, trying to take care of a six-month-old, trying to get ready for the day, and trying to scramble to get as much done as possible in the limited amount of time we had.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I just held my wife in my arms.
I buried my face in her neck, loving the soft tender skin there, loving the addicting scent that was uniquely Olivia.
“You’re right, love. Why don’t you just lie here in my arms? I want to enjoy the feel of you pressed against me for just a few more minutes.”
“Okay,” she said softly, burrowing herself further into me, right where she belonged.
I would live the rest of my life making sure I would wake up every morning with her by my side.
I couldn’t bring myself to regret the things that happened, because it brought her to me. And it was all worth it in the end.
I never claimed to be a selfless man.
I wanted her, and I wanted everything with her.
And every moment, big or small, was a steppingstone leading us to our future.
end.
Afterword
Thank you so much for taking a chance on this book! If you like story, please leave a review, as they certainly help so much.
Let’s stay connected!
You can find me on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorv.tdo/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VT-Do-Books-117739170055111/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VTDo9
& Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20643335.V_T_Do
Turn the page for excerpt from my books, The Mess You Left Behind & Dirty Professor!!
Also by V.T. Do
Standalone
The Mess You
Left Behind
The Entangled Past Series
The Young & the Sinner
The Lost & the Found (Coming Spring of 2021)
Dirty Series
Dirty Professor
Dirty Roommate
Dirty Boss
Dirty Husband
Dirty Billionaire
Dirty Daddy
About the Author
V.T. Do grew up in beautiful Colorado with words on her mind and dreams in her eyes. Writing has always been the best way for her to express herself, and she has been doing that for as long as she can remember.
When she's not writing, you can find her talking to herself, daydreaming, hunting magical creatures, and reading.
She is the author of The Young & the Sinner, book 1 of the Entangled Past Series, Dirty Professor, book 1 of the Dirty series, and The Mess You Left Behind, an enemies-to-lovers romance, now available on Amazon’s Kindle.