The Air I Breathe

by K. Renee

  I wrap my hands around the back of his neck, bringing my mouth to his. When I’m a breath away from him, his eyes burn into my skin. Eyes move over my face, and he slowly moves his hand up to my cheek, cupping it. His thumb grazes across my skin before he leans forward, pressing his forehead to mine.

  “Tell me what you want, Cameo, please.”

  I swallow the lump that is stuck in my throat, keeping me from speaking. Instead of telling him, I show him. I’ve never been really good with telling people how I feel, but I can show him just what I want.

  Kissing his lips, I wait for him to open his mouth to me before I shove my tongue in. He’s always been the one to initiate things between us and this time it’s me. My hands move to his chest, and I slide them down to the bottom of his shirt. Grabbing the hem, I start to pull it up and over his head. I let the shirt fall from my fingers behind his head onto the floor before I reach for the hem of my shirt and do the same thing.

  “Fuck,” he whispers. His hands sliding down my back, landing on my hips before moving back up to my shoulders.

  I grind down against him, and a gasp falls from my lips. “Sager,” I whimper when he trails his lips along my chest. His mouth latches onto my nipple through the lace of my bra and my body arches into his. My head tips back, my lips part and I tangle my fingers into his hair.

  His lips move to my other nipple where he does the same delicious torture.

  I move my hands down to his jeans, and I undo the button, sliding the zipper down. Sitting up on my knees, I start to pull Sager’s jeans down, but they don’t move until he lifts his hips up to help me.

  Once I get his jeans down far enough, I push them down to his feet, and he kicks them and his shoes off. He’s now sitting in just his boxer briefs and me in my bra and leggings.

  Just as I sit back down on his lap, he stops me. His hands grab my ass, and he holds me suspended in the air as he watches me.

  “You need to tell me what you want.”

  I bite my bottom lip as I think of the words, but they fail me. His mouth comes to mine, and he pulls my bottom lip from my teeth, pulling it between his own. When he releases my lip, he says the same thing.

  “You need to tell me what you want.”

  “I want you.” My voice is barely a whisper, but I know he hears me. He releases my ass and grabs my face with both hands, pulling my face to his, and he kisses me. Sager kisses me like no one has ever done before.

  I grind against him, and I can feel him hardening against me even more. Slipping my fingers into his boxer briefs, I slowly move them along his shaft. A moan falls from him as he closes his eyes and he sits back in the chair.

  Sager makes me feel alive. He makes me forget how to breathe, and I never want to lose that.

  Moving off of Sager’s lap, I slide my leggings and panties down my legs and off my feet. My heels come off too, and I reach behind my back to undo my bra, dropping it to the ground.

  When I look back at Sager, he’s got his hand on his erection, slowly stroking himself. As he pushes his boxer briefs down his thighs, I trail my hand down my neck toward my breasts. I’ve never been one to touch myself, but just seeing him like that makes me hot. Unable to look away from him, I move toward him again and straddle his lap again.

  Sager’s hands go to my hips, and he moves me to where he wants me. His hand grips his length, and he slides the head of his erection along my core. Pulling me down onto his shaft, I gasp as he fills me. My lips part and I close my eyes.

  “So fucking beautiful,” he murmurs, his lips press against my skin and he places open-mouthed kisses on every inch that he can reach. Steadying myself by putting my hands on his shoulders, I start to move up and down on his shaft.

  Every time I move up, he slams his hips up to meet mine, and I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out.

  “Sager,” I moan out when he slams up into me again.

  Grinding down on his lap, I dig my fingers into his shoulders as he continues to suck on my skin. It doesn’t take me long before I’m coming on him and I’m digging my nails into his back so hard that I’m sure that I’m drawing blood.

  When he orgasms, his fingers dig into my hips, and he holds me close to him.

  “Fuck baby,” he whispers against my shoulder.

  “Good?” I ask running my hand over his shoulders before moving them down his chest.

  “Always fucking good.”

  He leans forward and stands with me still in his arms. Sager carries me through his house, but my attention is solely on him. I don’t even notice the rooms as we move through them until we get into his bedroom. He lays me back on his bed and moves my arms above my head.

  “Stay?” His voice is low, and I don’t know what to even say. Staying is more than just sleeping with him. Being in his arms all night long is a little more intimate than I am used to. Even when Alec and I share a bed, we don’t cuddle. We sleep on either side of the bed, and it’s rare that we touch once we finish the deed.

  “I know it’s scaring the shit out of you that I even asked you, but I want you here in my bed for the night.”

  Reaching up, I run my fingers along his cheek. “I don’t know.” I don’t want to make any promises that I might break.

  “Maybe?” I nod my head in answer. “I want to have you all to myself for one night. I know you’ll go back to his house once this is over tonight, but I want you to stay. Please say you’ll stay with me.” This time it’s his turn to brush his fingers along my cheek. He waits for me to answer him and I want to give him the answer he’s asking for.

  “I’m right here with you.”

  “You may be here right now, but you won’t be here when I wake. You’ll walk away again, and I’ll be craving you until I get another chance to have you here with me.”

  I bite the inside of my cheek. “You want more.”

  He nods and moves the hair out of my face. Sager tucks it behind my ear and whispers, “I want it all. I want every inch of you.”

  I feel my heart start to race and when he goes to say more, I stop him by putting my finger to his lips. “Why? I am not some supermodel woman that you could have your choice of. Why do you want me?”

  “I want you because you are fucking beautiful even though you don’t realize it. You make me feel, Cameo, and no one else does that for me. I want you because of you.”

  Ten

  Sager

  She stares into my eyes, and I can see her slowly starting to give in. She wants to say yes to me, but she still doesn’t trust herself enough to do it.

  Every minute that I spend with her, the more I want her. Every inch of her body was made for mine, and I will get her to give in.

  “Can we just be here right now? I don’t want to think about anything other than right now.”

  I stare into her eyes. She isn’t really answering me, but I’ll agree to what it is she wants because it keeps her in my bed until then.

  “Yeah. You tell me what you want and when you want it. I won’t push you for more, but if you want more, you have to be the one to tell me.”

  She nods her head, and I press my lips to her forehead before moving us up the bed. I’m going to get her to stay here tonight. She wouldn’t have been waiting for me for three hours if he were at home waiting for her. Cameo would have been back home doting on her fiancé.

  “Tell me something that I don’t know.”

  Her eyes search my face for something as I lay her head on my pillow.

  “I was once a nerdy girl that never had anyone look at me twice. No one wanted anything to do with me in high school, and I thought that I would always be single until I moved here.”

  “Then you met him.” I know she can hear the distaste in my voice as I say the word him.

  “You don’t even know Alec, how can you hate him so much?” I press a kiss to her neck before I answer her.

  “Because he has you.”

  “You have me right now.”

  I sigh and bury my face in
to her neck. He shouldn’t matter so much when she’s in my arms, but my jealousy gets the best of me. Knowing I have her right now should be enough, but I’m a selfish bastard and want more. I want all of her even if she isn’t ready to give it all to me.

  Taking what I can is all I can ask for right now. Knowing that it’s me she’s thinking of.

  “I do,” I whisper against her throat. “I’ll just tie you down to my bed to keep you here.”

  A laugh bubbles up in her throat, and she pushes me away from her. She rolls over to her side, and I pull her body into me, her back to my front.

  My arm under her neck wraps around to her shoulder where I pull her closer and my other hand moves between her thighs.

  “Did you wait the whole time outside?” I ask as I kiss along her neck.

  “Yes.” I can feel her body shiver with her answer.

  “Did you read a smutty book?” She nods her head, and I grin. Maybe she was reading the dirty part of the book, and that is why she waited and got brave enough to sit in my lap.

  “What was it about?” My tongue runs along the back of her neck, and she shivers again.

  “The man was a biker. He had a foul mouth, kind of like you. Before he found the heroine in the story, he was a manwhore who slept with a bunch of women. She brought him to his knees in a way.” I pull back from her, and she moves to her back.

  “You think I’m going to be brought to my knees?”

  She shrugs her answer.

  “Well, I’ll be on my knees begging you to stay longer if that’s what you want.”

  “I don’t want you begging. I want you to be you, plain and simple.”

  “I’ll be whatever you want.”

  “You. I want you to be you.” She cups my face, bringing her lips to mine.

  Just as I’m about to roll onto her body, my phone starts to ring. Groaning, I rest my forehead against her chest before I move to grab it. When I look at the phone, I see Jenner’s name on the screen. Putting my phone to my ear, I answer it

  “This better be good, fucker.” There’s a smirk on Cameo’s face as she watches me.

  “You need to get down here. Fuck, brother, you need to be here now.”

  His tone catches my attention. “Get where? Where are you J?”

  “Fuck, it’s bad. We are at Sixth and Falcon. God…” he stops talking, and I get up and out of bed.

  “Tell me what’s going on.” I demand as I pull on a pair of jeans and a shirt. I force my feet into a pair of boots as I wait for him to answer.

  “Ryker. We were at the bar, and the fucker came out of nowhere. He stabbed Ryker, and he was taken to the hospital. They won’t let me leave the scene. Someone needs to be there.”

  “I’m on my way.” I hang up and go to the bed, kissing her on the forehead before telling her, “I have to go. My friend just got stabbed, and I need to head to the hospital.” She gets out of bed, pulling on her own clothes.

  “I’ll go with you.” I nod my head even though I can’t focus on her. The only thing I’m focusing on is Ryker. I need to be there for him.

  By the time we get to the hospital, the woman behind the desk tells me that he’s in surgery and that they won’t know anything until he’s out. Running my hands through my hair, I lean back against the wall and close my eyes.

  Cameo puts her hands on my stomach, and I can feel her watching me, unsure of what to do. I know that I shouldn’t put my hands on her in a public place like this, but I can’t help it. I wrap my arms around her and pull her into my body.

  Putting my lips on her forehead, I hold her just so I can breathe.

  Closing my eyes, I bury my face into her neck and hold her tightly, not caring who is around us. I need to hold on to her so I don’t fall apart while waiting for word on my best friend.

  “Sager.” Her voice is soft and hesitant.

  “Yeah, babe?” I run my hand down her back and she pulls back and looks at me.

  “Do you want me to get you coffee or something?” I close my eyes for a minute, and when I open them again, I see the genuine concern for me.

  “No, I’m fine. I just want you here with me.” She nods her head and rests her cheek against my chest.

  It takes a good two hours before Jenner finally makes it to the hospital and when he does, he asks, “What have you heard?”

  “Nothing,” I answer, running my hands up and down Cameo’s back. I felt her tense up as soon as he showed up, but I know he won’t say a word about what we are doing. He may give me shit about it, but he’ll never say a word to her. “He’s still in surgery.”

  “Fuck. I should have fucking done something.” He leans against the same wall as me before he sinks to the ground, resting his head in his hands.

  “There was nothing that you could have done J. You and I both know that Ry wouldn’t have let you fight his battle.”

  He laughs, and it’s a bitter sound. “He wouldn’t have, but he didn’t deserve this shit. I warned him that this shit would happen. It’s why I told him to stay the fuck away from her, but like normal, he didn’t listen.”

  Part of me feels like he’s talking directly to me about Cameo, but I also know what he means about Ryker. I know that he’s been fucking some motorcycle club princess. He knew what might happen, but he didn’t care. He wanted her, and he did what he had to in order to keep what he had.

  “Was West there too?”

  “Yeah, they all but drug her out of the bar after he stabbed Ry. I’m going to kill those sons of bitches for this shit. I don’t see why they won’t just leave them alone and let them be together.”

  I shake my head as I think about Westlyn and the dysfunctional family of biker’s she comes from. One thing that I am glad for is that I never fell for the dark-haired beauty. Instead, I fell for a girl that is practically married.

  Just as I’m about to say something to Jenner, a doctor comes around the corner. “Are you family of Ryker Burton?”

  “Yes, we are his brothers. How is he?”

  Cameo grips the back of my shirt and she stands off to the side a step behind me.

  “Ryker is lucky to be alive. If the knife had been an inch or so to the left, it would have got an artery, and he would have bled to death. We stopped the bleeding, and he will be sore for awhile.” I nod my head as I listen.

  “You can go back to see him in a few minutes. Just make sure he stays off his feet for a few days at least.”

  “Thank you, doc,” Jenner says as the doctor walks back toward the room he is in. We follow him, and when I look into the room, I see Ry in a hospital bed, eyes closed. Walking in the room, I finally let out a deep breath.

  “Ry,” I whisper. Cameo’s hand is now in mine, and she gives it a little squeeze before Ryker’s eyes open, and he looks right at us.

  “Sager. You didn’t have to come here. You had plans with your girl, I told that asshole not to call you.” He starts to cough and frown.

  “Fuck you, Ry. You knew I would call Sager,” Jenner says as he walks into the room.

  “Yeah, but you could have waited.” As they continue arguing, Cameo whispers that she’s going to get a coffee from the vending machine. I grab some cash from my wallet and hand it to her, and she looks down at her hand before frowning.

  “Just take it,” I whisper to her before I press my mouth to hers quickly. She gives me a sad smile before she walks out of the room.

  “See, you should have let him just spend the night with her. She clearly isn’t comfortable here with us all.”

  I roll my eyes at Ryker, and then Jenner opens his mouth, pissing me off even more.

  “Yeah and he’s going to be the next one in a damn hospital room because he’s fucking a woman that’s engaged. Stop thinking with your dicks and go back to fucking them and leaving right after. It keeps us having shit like this happen.” Jenner looks to me, and I clench my fist.

  “Fuck you, J. Don’t talk about the shit you don’t know.”

  He shakes his head at me
and looks to Ryker.

  “You are fucking her, and she’s practically married. The only one going to get hurt is you. Kick her to the curb already and find someone that isn’t already promised to someone else. If she cheats with you, she’ll only cheat on you.”

  “Don’t say a fucking word about her again, J. I swear to God, if you knew what was good for you, you’d leave her out of it.” I turn toward Ryker, and he motions for me to leave. “I’ll come check on you tomorrow. I’m going to get Cameo back home.”

  I walk over to Ryker’s bedside and give him a hug before I walk to the door. I don’t bother looking back at J as I walk out the door. As the door closes, I see Cameo standing there with a hot cup of coffee.

  Walking over to her, I wrap an arm around her and press my mouth to hers. “Thank you for coming with me.” She smiles at me, and for once, all the shit I’ve been dealt isn’t as bad as it might have seemed before.

  She is the only thing I want.

  Eleven

  Cameo

  Standing just outside the hospital door, I hear them fighting in there.

  Looking down at my feet, I try to think of what to do or even say to him when he comes out of there. His friend is right. I promised myself to someone else, and I am breaking that promise. I hate myself for it, but I also can’t say no to him.

  Sager is everything that I’m not. He makes me feel, and no one will ever be able to make me feel like he does.

  He walks through the door and heads right over to me. His mouth presses against mine, and I just let him do as he wants, not caring about the eyes that are on us. I should care, but he needs me more.

  “Thank you for coming with me,” he whispers against my lips.

  When he pulls back, I smile at him and link our hands together. “You’re welcome.” He kisses me once more before leading me out of the hospital and toward his car.

  The ride back to his place is quiet, but our hands are still linked together, almost like he needs me as an anchor, keeping him from drifting off into the distance.

  I want to save him even though he doesn’t really need it. Half the time he has this look in his eyes that begs me to do something to help him, but he never says a word. I don’t know if maybe it’s all in my head and that it’s really me who needs to be saved.