Page 100 of Unbroken

“With?” he prompted with his eyebrows raised.

“With Devon there,” I said slowly, then added, “Then all of my friends came over, and just having them there was great. It was exactly what I needed.”

I didn’t look up from where I held the pillow in my lap until Dr. Mann cleared his throat.

“You’ve made huge strides with your friends. How do you think they’ve impacted your transition back here?”

A little surprised he didn’t question me singling out Devon, I chuckled wryly and shook my head. “They’ve been essential. I’m not sure I would be okay without them.”

He inclined his head and recrossed his legs. “So, I’d like to talk about what you’re most scared of,” Dr. Mann prompted somewhat suddenly. “I think naming those fears could help you move forward and handle this ongoing investigation. Depending only on your friends to pull you out of any future unstable periods isn’t the best plan.”

My entire body stilled, and it felt like my heartbeat faltered. That was the last thing I wanted to consider. It felt like my fears were too immense to number and voice.

I reached for the lip balm in my pocket and nearly smiled when I pressed it to my lips.

It was the same one Devon had kept in case of emergencies,and just the thought of him was enough to make me consider smiling even when it felt like my entire world was on the precipice of falling apart.

With a deep breath, I repocketed the ChapStick and tugged the pillow back into my lap.

“I’m scared that—” I cleared my throat, gave myself another second, and tried again. “I’m scared that he’ll come back.”

“That’s a valid fear.”

“But,” I said, unable to leave it just at that. “I don’t want to be scared. Every day I was in that basement, I was terrified, and every day after, I couldn’t get rid of the fear. Even when they arrested Nick Hammond, it still lingered in the back of my mind. But fuck, I don’t want to live like that anymore. He doesn’t get to have that type of control over me anymore.”

I looked up from where I had been fidgeting with the edge of the pillow in my lap to find Dr. Mann smiling back at me.

“Your progress is outstanding, Blakely. I’m so proud of you.”

FORTY-FOUR

Devon

I shutoff the water and grabbed the clean towel I’d tossed over the shower door. I dried as quickly as I could while trying not to fall out of the shower.

I ran the towel over my chest and glanced down at the time on my phone. Fuck, I was so late.

I was consulting for a company that was building a new internal management system, and the meeting at their offices downtown had gone longer than expected. I’d texted Blake that I’d be late, but I hated being late.

“Fuck, fuck,fuck,” I mumbled under my breath, yanking the door open while tying the towel around my waist. I nearly tripped over the clothes I’d discarded on the bathroom floor, but when I kicked them back further into the bathroom, I stopped.

I wasn’t usually so scatterbrained, but I’d been planning this date for a week. And I’d barely seen her over that week.

So, I was surprised to see Blakely sitting on the end of my bed.

Past the initial surprise, my eyes raked over her body while her lids lowered, and she appraised my wet, naked chest.

She stood and took slow, measured steps toward me. She was wearing her favorite black boots, and fishnet tights were wrapped around her long legs. Her black skirt stopped well above her mid-thigh, and her black top showed off a sliver of her stomach and the tattoos beneath.

She looked like every single one of my fantasies come true. A smile tugged at her dark-painted lips, and I was transfixed by the way the dark shadow smudged around her eyes made the gray pop.

Mesmerized by her, I didn’t notice her hands until one trailed over my chest and the other skimmed the top of the towel that had fallen lower on my hips.

“Hi,” she said. “Sorry to just drop in, but I saw the light on and figured it was easier to meet you up here.”

“Don’t be sorry,” I said on a groan, my cock quickly hardening and trying to push against the heavy towel. “You’re the best surprise. I’d like to always find you in my bed, in my space.”

My eyes popped open when I realized what I’d said. Worried what her reaction would be, I was pleasantly surprised to see a faint smirk tilting her plump, cherry-red lips.

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