Epilogue
Rohan
One Month Later
“Do I want to know why you have spatulas in two different containers?” Lori’s tone said she knew the answer would be sketchy. “One even has a Post-it note on it that says don’t use for food. What the hell are you doing in his kitchen?”
“It’s my kitchen too.” Knox sounded like he was confused and slightly offended, which made me smile because yes, it was very much his house too. “And I labeled it so you didn’t accidentally use anything that you shouldn’t.”
His duh tone made her groan, but I wanted to laugh just listening to him drive Lori crazy. I had a feeling it was his way of getting back at her for showing up randomly to make sure I hadn’t actually kidnapped him.
“What the fuck?” Her scandalized whisper had me pressing my lips together. “The kitchen? Really?”
That was what surprised her?
“It’s clean. Rohan takes very good care of me and our house.” Knox was clearly offended on my behalf. “He disinfects anything he’s fucked me on or that my ass has been on. Penetration is not the end all be all of sex, you know.”
Lori’s shocked inhale was followed by a groan. “Why do I do this to myself?”
“I have no idea.” Knox had definitely shrugged even if I couldn’t see it from where I was sitting on the stairs. “You keep asking questions you clearly don’t want the answer to.”
“You keep volunteering information. I’m not asking about everything.” Lori was trying to make that sound believable but Knox laughed.
“Your face asks questions too.” He was right and they both knew it. “You also asked a lot when you were screaming at me last week. I don’t think you remember everything you said.”
Or screamed.
Or accused.
To say she’d been slightly upset would’ve been an understatement.
It probably hadn’t helped that she’d been clued in to our relationship through reader comments and Knox’s vague mention of selling his house.
“I was a little worried about you.” She huffed, making me roll my eyes. “You’d just admitted to selling your house and moving in with a stranger...one that you’d already been living with for over a month.”
We’d both thought we’d have more time on the sale, but it’d gotten snapped up after being on the market for twenty-four hours. Part of that was because it’d been priced to sell, but the other was because it was empty and the couple who bought it had wanted to move in immediately.
“It was the best decision for my mental health, and Rohan is very good at taking care of me.” Knox must’ve shrugged based on Lori’s dramatic sigh. “I knew from day one that he would be important in my life.”
Lori had not been a pleasant editor to deal with during that discussion, and Knox’s method of distracting her was to tell her that he’d finished the Christmas story she still hadn’t been told about and that he had a new series started with sexy characters who were in incredibly unhealthy relationships.
Yep, he still wasn’t sure why that distraction hadn’t worked, but he was very proud of how much he’d accomplished in the last month. It was amazing what he could get done when he was healthy and not being tormented by gremlins.
Or a psychotic family.
“You knew from day one that he was hot and he liked your books.” Her accusation had him making a confused sound. “Those are not points in favor of this ridiculous decision.”
To Knox they had been.
“Did I tell you that I finished Teddy’s book? It’s niche but I think my core readers will appreciate the growth he goes through.” Knox made it sound like he’d written Gone with the Wind instead of the dirtiest book ever...and the sexiest...and the most epic.
Okay, so maybe it was the erotic sci-fi version of Gone with the Wind...just with more romance.
“Oh my fucking god.” Her tone said she knew what the stumbling block in Teddy’s story had been. “You didn’t?”
“No, Rohan did.” Knox’s response got a frustrated groan from her. “I was asleep, so technically I did nothing but orgasm.”
The whole thing was so funny I was shaking with silent laughter. Lori couldn’t decide if she wanted to play shocked innocent or curious dirty best friend and she just kept stuttering. “I—you—that—”
“I know.” Knox’s sigh made my smile even wider. “He’s so romantic. He made me soup too.”
“Um, okay.” Lori’s sigh said she knew she’d lost the common-sense war. “I’m glad it’s working out for you so well.”
And she’d conceded defeat.
“I love him so much I have a notification in my phone that reminds me to leave the house.” Knox’s description made that out to be the most romantic thing he could ever do for me. “I know.”
However Lori responded made it sound like she knew how big that was too because Knox sighed again. “He’s even handling all that legal nonsense with my old mailman. I told you he was weird.”
Yep.
But Knox was not the right person to deal with a compulsive thief who’d started hoarding stolen mail. That was a job for his Master. It was also my job to send out the signed copies because now the post office was another place he had no desire to go.
But since his therapist said we were just going to work on one problem at a time, that was on the back burner.
“Okay, that’s important too.” Lori knew she’d been beaten.
“He feeds me. He takes care of me. He makes me safe.” Knox’s tone made me picture him shrugging again. “How could I not love him? And why in the world wouldn’t I move in with him?”
He was right...I was very important in his life.
I’d have moved right in with me too.
“I’m not even going to try to use logic with you.
” I heard socks shuffling on the floor and it sounded like Lori was moving around the kitchen, probably going over to hug my nutty author.
“I’m glad you found your Master, but you have to make sure everyone knows he’s real.
I’m getting the strangest messages from readers in your group. ”
Oops.
“I thought telling them about the gremlins and the book theft would’ve fixed that problem?” Knox’s confused tone had me sighing and making a mental note to go back through the group and see what had gone wrong.
Master to the rescue...again.
~~~
What’s real?
(Well, real in my life that ended up in the book.)
Don’t ask about the mail pile.
The bubble wrap was a real problem.
The great “What English do they edit in?” debacle was an issue at one point (and so frustrating).
The stoneware in my kitchen is alternating blue colors (three different colors of blue).
The art gallery with the bad website is real and some of the pictures they looked at were on sale there at one point.