Addiction

ADDICTION K.L. JESSOP Addiction. First Edition. Copyright © 2022 All rights reserved. K. L. JESSOP All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and events are fictitious events in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation. Cover Designer: Najla Qamber Editor: Rebecca Smith Proofreading By Mich. To anyone who may need strength and love. CONTENTS Letter to Reader Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Epilogue The Salvation Society Acknowledgments Books by K.L. Jessop About the Author LETTER TO READER Dear reader. First, I would like to thank you for wanting to read Addiction. The book means so much to me as Asher’s story had to be told. For those of you that are not aware, Addiction is my second book to the Salvation Society. My first book was Gravity (a brother’s best friend, age gap romance with all the feels) and those that have read it would already be familiar with Asher Nelson. If you are yet to read Gravity, you don't necessarily have to read it first as it's a standalone. However, you will get more of a back story on Asher’s history. And if you love a back story, I advise you to read Gravity first. Ha! In Addiction not only do you get the angst and romance every book lover enjoys but we also get to see the very own Mark Dixon for Corinne’s much-loved book Defenseless. Mark’s charm and humor still remain and I hope you love him just as much as I do. Happy Reading. I hope you enjoy Addiction and fall in love with Asher because that man needs all the love in the world. K.L. Jessop. CHAPTER ONE Asher Breathe in… Breathe out… Breathe in… Breathe out… I close my eyes and take a minute, waiting for that feeling they say is supposed to hit once you step over the threshold. I wait. And I wait. But it’s the opposite of what I’d expected—what I’d anticipated. There is no liberation. There is no tranquillity. There is not even an ounce of fucking relief. I feel nothing but a cold, hard case of uncertainty and dread while the devil dances on my shoulder, laughing with glee—that same devil who brought death and destruction to my door in every possible form you can imagine. My fists ball at my sides. My chest is tight. My heart is racing. Breathe in… Breathe out… Today is a new day. It’s supposed to be my new start—a new chapter in my life—yet here I stand, still carrying the haunts that weigh heavy. The ones that wake me in the darkest hours. The ones that taunt me like there’s no tomorrow and continue to suck the life out of me. That’s all I carry within me now and probably always will. I may have served the last twelve months within the white walls of St Brides Correctional Centre, but the next walk I’m about to endure feels like a death sentence of its own. Freedom. It’s something I’ve always longed for, but my life is no bed of fucking roses. There is no sweetness to be captured. There is no color amongst the dark. There is nothing. I am nothing. I will never be anything but nothing. I drop my backpack to the ground and look up to the clear blue sky, releasing a heavy breath. The Chesapeake sun casts down on my jail-smelling body, but the warmth is doing little to erase the feeling that has blown through my chest. I’m not ready for this: the new life I assured others I would dominate; the one they told me I deserved even when deep down I know I don’t deserve shit. I am here because of the storm I brought to my door and my family and the only thing that is dominating me right now is fear and fucking anxiety. When you’re locked up at night and consumed with nothing but your demons, they destroy you. I saw it in the men who congregate outside the cell walls. I saw it in those before they took their own lives. I see it in myself. Only my demons wounded me long before my jail sentence. I’ve counted down the days to being able to leave this place, and now I’m on the opposite side of the door, I’m too scared to fucking move. There are too many consequences to this part of my life. Too many choices. Too many temptations. And now that I’m out in this big wide world once again, I fear those cravings that have perished in the last nineteen months will come back thick and fast when shit gets tough, ruining everything I’ve fought to restore. I’m not the man I remember. I fought for my country and thrived. I lived, breathed, loved, and honored every part of being a Navy SEAL. But now… Now, I’m a nobody where my stupidity cost me the lives of many and almost the death of my sister. I lost everything. My team. My father. Myself. I'm a mess. A liability. A failure at everything I touch with a title I’m not worthy of. I am a disgrace. A liar. A coward. An alcoholic.