Breathless (The Breathe Series)

by Rachel Brookes

  “You beckoned,” she breathed when she reached me. My arms surrounded her as I pulled her towards me, and she collapsed on my lap. The smell of her strawberry-scented shampoo tickled my nose when I buried my face in her hair as her arms wrapped around my neck. “I had the best day, Tate. Thank you.” She spoke against my neck and swept light kisses on my skin.

  “I’ve got something to show you and something to talk to you about.” I looked up through my lashes and swallowed hard. Her brows shot up and she kissed me lightly again before scooting off my lap and sitting beside me on the couch. Rubbing my hands anxiously on my legs, I stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen, grabbing Tanzi’s laptop, which I had borrowed, off the counter.

  I moved back towards the couch and sat cross-legged opposite her while the Mac came to life. It felt like eternity. Dropping my eyes, I focused on the screen, but I could feel her eyes burning into me. My next move had the potential to change everything.

  The couch under me moved up and down as she stood and repositioned herself to sit behind me. Sav rested her chin on top of my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me close to her, allowing me to feel her heartbeat against my back.

  “What are you showing me?” she breathed out with a question of so many possibilities.

  I swivelled my head slightly, offering her a nervous smile. Finally the Mac powered up and I clicked through until I found what I was looking for. I turned towards her, grabbing her hands and taking a deep, shaky breath.

  “Sav, I know I didn’t react the way I should have when you told me about Jellybean, and I will always regret that. You made me so happy when you told me we were having a baby because this little person is us.” I hesitated, swallowing hard. “I was wondering if you would do me the honor of—”

  “Wait!” Sav pulled away from me, the color from her face draining. Standing abruptly, she began pacing the living room. “I can’t... You can’t... We can’t! I love you but we can’t... I want to but… Shit.”

  I laughed at the cuteness of Savannah and stood from the couch, moving towards her. There wasn’t every day she got tongue tied.

  “What? I can’t believe this,” I said in faux shock, grabbing her hands to stop her from pacing. “I can’t believe you are saying no to waking up beside me every day. You are saying no to being able to have my world famous mac and cheese whenever you want. You are saying no to being able to feel my hands on your body whenever you need. I can’t believe you are saying no to moving in with me.”

  “Tate, I love you but we just ca… What?” Her eyes widened as realization of what I’d said sunk in.

  “Babe,” I said with a laugh at the sight of her eyes wide and mouth agape. I pulled her towards me and collapsed on the couch, bringing her down with me. I swirled her on my lap so she was straddling me, our bodies flush against each other. “You would know if I were proposing to you, and I already know how I am going to do it. As much as I find you incredibly sexy, now it isn’t what I had in mind. I want nothing more in this world than for you to have my last name, and you know that I love you like no one else, but I also know we still have things we need to work on. I would marry you yesterday if I could, but what I want right now is for us to live together, to start our family together.”

  “Oh.”

  “Oh?” I responded with an arched brow, clearly not the reaction I’d been hoping for.

  Sav’s eyes searched my face. I smiled the most genuine smile I could ever show.

  “You want to marry me?” Sav whispered.

  “Don’t you remember when I told you in the bar that I would marry you one day and you gave me that smartass remark? You were wearing that cute little dress and that lipstick.” I leaned in so I was millimeters away from her lips. “I wanted to throw you over my shoulder and run off to Vegas with you then.”

  “No one has ever said they wanted to marry me before. All I’ve ever been was a fuck. That’s all I thought I’d ever be.”

  “You are my future, Savannah Rae.”

  “I think I’m kinda really in love with you right now.” Wrapping her arms around my neck, she leaned her forehead against mine. Her shaky breath caressed my lips, and my eyes fluttered shut under the intimacy of what we were.

  “Will you move in with me, Sav?” I asked when I finally found my voice.

  She pulled back slightly and her face flickered with a million different emotions. This was a big deal—a big fucking deal. I hadn’t been lying when I said she was my future. My future was all about her and that cute little baby growing inside of her. I wanted nothing more than to be able to come home to her at night, wrap my body around hers at the end of a big day, make her breakfast in the morning, and simply sit on the couch together and watch our favorite television shows. Sav opened and closed her mouth time and time again as if she was ready to answer but then something triggered in her head. The longer her silence, the more I fidgeted.

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t fuck with me Savannah.”

  Her laughter rang through the room, and it answered my question.

  “I would love for us to live together, but where? When?”

  “We could get something new together or I could move into your place. I think we should wait until you are back in LA so we can do it together.”

  “Well I’d still like to live there when Jellybean arrives. I’d like Jack and Tanzi around.”

  “Okay, that’s fine by me. You’ve just made me a very happy man. Now I’ll get to hear you snore every night.”

  “Brilliant… I am going to be living with an arsehole. Fan-freaking-tastic.”

  Surprise one down. Time for the next surprise.

  “You ready for surprise number two?”

  Sav nodded and slid off my lap.

  Leaning down, I grabbed the laptop off the floor and logged in with shaky hands. The first part seemed to have gone well—now for the next part. I tapped in my password for my emails and waited for what seemed like forever for the screen to load. Sav’s eyes were beaming at me but I wouldn’t look at her. I couldn’t yet. Scrolling through my inbox, I clicked on the email I needed and opened the attached photo. My secret project.

  “What do you think? If it’s not what you want then I totally understand. I just needed to do this.” I spun the laptop towards her and took a deep breath.

  On the screen was a photo of my crib from when I was a baby. The deep mahogany and grand nature of the crib was unseen these days. It was one of those big fancy cribs seen on the television shows from the ‘80s. My time spent at Mom’s had involved restoring it to its original glory. My mom had cried when I told her my plans, and she sobbed as she told me that she had always hoped Tanzi and I would use them for our children.

  Finally allowing my eyes to move, I locked onto Sav, who was staring at the screen. She was taking deep breaths. Talk about dropping two bombshells on her. Her hand rose and she traced the photo on the screen with one of her fingertips. I panicked as I saw her eyes glisten over. Her eyes shimmered between me and the screen in front of her.

  “It’s already in our apartment,” I whispered. Hearing myself say our apartment was indescribable.

  Grabbing the laptop from its place on my lap, she placed it on the floor beside the couch, sat back on her heels, and wouldn’t take her eyes from me. Her gaze made me swallow hard. I had no idea how to read her.

  “Tate, you’ve got to realize I’ve never had this. I haven’t had an adult relationship. I haven’t had a guy do anything like this for me before.” She shifted towards me, pushing me back hard on the couch. I fell against the softness of the cushions and looked up at her as she spoke and moved her body over mine. “You, us... This is real to me, Tate.”

  Savs lips crushed into mine without a moments warning. Her tongue traced the length of my bottom lip, probing and t
easing with the demand of entrance. I would never deny her. Once connected, our tongues met each other in an intimate battle for ownership, to take dominance over the other. This was us. With soft hands, Sav lifted the shirt I was wearing, and the feeling of her nails running along the ridges of my chest and down to my stomach ignited every inch of my body. Raising my hips from the confines of the couch, I ground into her with fierce intensity, desperate to show her exactly how she made my body react. My body slid against hers, fuelling the fire that burned aggressively between us. Feeling her smile against my lips encouraged a deep groan to escape from deep within me, and my hands demanded that her body be closer to mine. Cupping her ass, I massaged and kneaded her delicious skin. Sav moaned with every contact our bodies made. I slipped my thumbs into the elastic band of her panties, and without hesitation, Sav lifted herself from my lap, allowing me to slide them hastily down over her gorgeous hips.

  “I need to be with you. I need to feel you inside me. I need to feel everything there is between us. Show me.” Her words were short, her breathing shattering with every word. I would do exactly what she wanted.

  Sav pulled away from me, allowing my hands to trail up her sides and slip her shirt over her head. She shook her head softly and her hair swished around her face like a goddess. My goddess. You cannot fuck this up, Tate. I wiggled my hips, struggling to remove my pants without breaking any contact with her body. Freedom was mine and my cock sprung to life out of my pants. I was aching for her. Sav’s hooded eyes travelled down my body and her tongue dove out to lick those deliciously plump lips as she took me in. Fuck, I was about ready to explode.

  “I need you, Sav. I am going to come right here if I am not in you soon. I want to come inside you.”

  Sav’s hooded eyes smiled at me as she slid her body down mine, finally sitting delicately on my knees. I shuddered the moment her hand grasped my cock. She looked up at me and a smirk filtered over her lips. Her hands swirled and stroked the length of my cock, squeezing me tenderly while her thumb swept over the tip. This girl could do no wrong. My breath hitched in my throat while my eyes fluttered shut as pleasure soared through every inch of my heated body. She dropped her head, her hair sweeping across my stomach as she encased me with those perfect lips. Holy shit. She ran her tongue up my length, and my eyes closed at the sensation. Her lips swallowed me whole, her throat constricting around me in a way I had never felt, and my body erupted into a thousand tingles.

  “Jesus,” I moaned at the contact.

  Sav’s nails ran over my stomach, digging into my flesh and adding to the intensity of the reaction my body was having to her. I brushed her hair to the side—I needed to see her face. Feeling my eyes on her, Sav looked up and smiled against me while her eyes flooded me with heat. Her tongue and lips danced in perfect rhythm as they unleashed a pleasure upon me that I never thought existed. As she ran her teeth gently up my length, I let out a deep moan knowing that she was destroying every part of me. My stomach muscles tightened at the familiar feeling of my release coming on. I could not come in her mouth.

  “Sav, I need to be in you.”

  She drew away from me, licking her lips, swallowing any remains of my pre-release that lingered, and I swear to God I nearly exploded. Without hesitation, Sav raised her hips and lowered herself on to me, allowing the two of us to join in one swift movement. Her head threw back as pleasure engulfed her body and the tiniest of moan escaped her lips.

  “We are one,” she whispered, her body filling with everything I was.

  She rose and plummeted back on me as we both breathed in unison, showing me that she was ready for me. Working my hips against her, I thrust into her, pushing as far as I could, teasing and testing her limits. Her moans echoed through the room, matching my heavy breathing. I fucking loved this. Our bodies knew each other perfectly, in a way that allowed us to synchronize knowing what it took to unleash an attack on each other’s buttons. The sweat from her chest beaded and mixed with mine as we traveled to the point of no return.

  My hands gripped her ass, sliding her body onto mine and pushing into her as deep as she would let me. This was sheer lust. Moving her body on top of mine, Sav shifted, letting me completely fill her. She cried out and stilled as she adjusted to the new sensation. She was absolute fucking perfection. My eyes focused on the beautiful peak of her nipple that that was an inch from my mouth. Hesitantly, I dropped my mouth and encased her nipple with my lips, remembering her conversation on pregnancy making them ache. I licked and sucked the delicate flesh, providing a soothing massage with the pillows of my lips.

  “Tate, that is… Oh shit.”

  My release rumbled inside me, but I wouldn’t come before her. She slid down and her mouth met mine. It was my turn to own her mouth. My tongue thrust in and found hers. While we were moving together in pure delight, I tasted every inch of her mouth. My hands wrapped around her body and pulled her flush against me while my mouth continued its attack. Her moans against my lips were just the right aphrodisiac. Our bodies connected in a way that was heavenly, and my sweat became hers and her body became mine. Sav rocked against me for a final time and I felt her body contract and tighten against mine. Her release came in a rush of breath and raised heartbeats. My released filled her seconds later, and I had never been more alive.

  As we lay back in the oversized bed, my body was completely riddled with exhaustion and still suffering the effects of an intense sex session with Savannah. After our rendezvous on the couch last night, I’d carried her to bed and watched as she fell into a content slumber. There was no denying that our sex life was incredible—the best I’d ever had—but what started out as just sex had developed into perfection.

  Perfection wasn’t even close to describing Sav though; I don’t think there would ever be a word that would do her justice. My heavy eyes landed on her standing across the room, her perfect little body on full display while happiness radiated from her. The fact that she loved me with every part of who she was completely left me breathless. How in the hell did I deserve her?

  Resting my hands behind my head I stretched my weary body, allowing a groan of pure satisfaction to escape from deep within the confines of my chest.

  “You sound happy with yourself!” Savannah cooed from across the room. My eyes burned into her body, running over her lace panties and a sheer bra and I couldn’t help but gaze in awe at her tan stomach that was offering protection to our most prized cargo.

  “You have absolutely no clue how sexy you are, do you?” I growled. Her eyes dropped from mine and the taint flush of embarrassment flashed over her cheeks causing my ego to soar. “And still after everything we have said and done to each other, I can still make you blush.”

  Savannah stalked across the room looking at me with eyes on fire and slid onto the bed straddling my hips. “Stop teasing me.”

  My arms snaked around her waist resting on the bare skin of the small of her back. I knew my fingertips caressing her back always set her on fire and today was no different. Her eyes fluttered shut while her fingertips started tracing lines over my bare chest. My breath caught in the back of my throat at the sensation, at the intimacy of what was us. My eyes never left her. It was moments like this when she left me completely breathless that I felt most alive.

  “Have I told you today that I love you?” she purred, resting her hand over my heart and opening her eyes to gaze at me.

  “I love you both.” I removed my hand from the small of her back and rested it on her lower stomach. Sav wasn’t showing too much, but I could see the changes. The rounding of her stomach made everything so much more real. I ran my hand over her bare skin and sighed as her lips curved to a smile.

  “Hearing you say that means more than you could ever imagine.”

  “We are doing this together, Sav. I am going to be here the whole way, every single step of the way. I reacted like an ass when you first
told me.” I placed my hands on her cheeks and moved her face to look at me. “I was petrified but I forgot one massive thing. I have the strongest, most resilient and amazing person by my side, and because of that, I feel like I can do anything. You make me happy. Jellybean makes me happy. We are a family, and if I have to tell you that every day, I will”

  “Stop being so swoony.”

  “Swoony?” I laughed. “You need to stop reading those romance books.”

  “Whatever.” She smirked. “Did I tell you how much I love the crib?” She leaned down and kissed my lips softly, completely changing the subject.

  “I am pretty sure you showed me your thanks last night.” I scratched the stubble gracing my chin and smirked as her eyes darted away from mine. “But I am glad you love it.”

  This beautiful girl sitting on me, looking at me with so much love and devotion was changing me. She was making me consider things that no one had before, and she was influencing every part of my life. What should have had me running for the hills and finding the next easy lay to destroy our relationship hadn’t done that at all. Here I was, in a hotel room in the middle of Manhattan, deciding that I was going to face my past head on, that I was going to confront every one of my fears and face my reality. My past was destroying any chance of a future. The skeletons of my past could destroy everything that we were, but it was a risk I had to take.

  “Tate.”

  I was pulled from my thoughts and looked at her amused eyes. “Huh?”

  “I lost you there for a minute.”

  “Why do you have to go to work on a Saturday? I leave on Monday, and I want every second of the day with you,” I said quickly.