by Mia Villano
Just Breath Again
Mia Villano
Mia Villano Books
This book is fiction. Name, characters businesses, places, events and situations are all products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the work marks mentioned in this work of fiction.
Copyright © 2015 by Mia Villano
Just Breathe Again
Cover art by Judi Perkins Concierge Literary Promotions
All rights reserved
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
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
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Prologue
October 9th, 2010
The earthen smell of fall blew through the air on a seasonable warm Saturday. The sun was bright and fell on the leaves casting beautiful colors against the light. Though the air was warm, something inside Jeannie felt cold and different that day. Something was off, and Jeannie Franklin could sense it the moment she woke up.
Earlier, she dropped her daughter, Lydia off at horseback riding lessons and her son, Michael, was still at his friend’s house. Jeannie’s husband, Vince planned to go for a motorcycle ride across town later that afternoon. Halloween decorations were strewn across the lawn and she planned on decorating the entire house. Halloween was always everyone’s favorite holiday and Jeannie always went overboard.
Later that afternoon after Jeannie hung the last of the motion activated witches, she came in to make lunch. Vince was waiting for her in the kitchen, but he wasn’t hungry, at least not for a sandwich. He threw her over his shoulder and walked her upstairs to their bedroom, not saying a word. Over the years, he became domineering and Jeannie loved his new approach to their sex life. That morning, he surprised her with his silent forcefulness. Once he carried her into their bedroom and locked the door, he pressed Jeannie up against the wall.
“Tell me what you want. Tell me how much you want me.” He breathed in her ear, undoing her hair so it tumbled across her shoulders. His breath smelled like mints, warm and heavy on her skin. Jeannie rubbed against the front of his pants begging for him to release his cock. He smelled masculine, clean, and rugged. He was dressed to go on his motorcycle and it drove Jeannie out of her mind to see a bandana tied around his head.
“Vince, please fuck me.”
“Fuck you how, Jeannie? I want to hear you beg me,” moaned Vince, as he consumed her mouth slipping his tongue deep inside.
Jeannie tried to get his belt off as he had her body still pinned up against the wall. His mouth on hers, biting her lip, and sending a pulse to her sex. Her hand rubbed between his legs. She felt his hardness as she unzipped his pants and touched his cock. His unforgiving length made her moan with instant desire.
“Not yet. I want you to beg more. How much do you want me to fuck you? Tell me, Jeannie.” Panting, she licked her dry lips unable to answer with anything but a moan. His lips trailed down her neck as he kissed and sucked on her skin. He had not kissed her that much in a long time.
“Get these pants off me, Vince,” she cried, trying to free herself from her tight jeans. Vince’s were already pooled at his feet. He grabbed her hands and held them over her head tighter and rougher.
“No, I’ll do it.” He took one hand and undid the button to her jeans, slid the zipper down, and pushed her pants to her knees. Vince kept her hands up over her head with his one hand, as his other hand found his favorite spot.
He rubbed her clit with his fingers through her drenched panties. Jeannie’s body tightened and the tension built. The force of her orgasm caused her legs to buckle and Vince held her to him as she trembled in his arms. She didn’t usually come that quickly. Something in his touch, the way he made her feel, the look on his face, brought her orgasm on in full force that morning.
“You want me now? You want me inside you?” He let her go and took off his shirt. She pulled off her shirt, pants, and underwear. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the bed on top of him. Unlike most wives she talked to, Jeannie loved sex and always wanted her husband. She loved how sex felt, tasted, smelled, and she loved to watch Vince when he made love to her. She loved the faces and sounds he made when he came. Jeannie loved everything about her husband and the feelings didn’t fade away.
“Vince,” Jeannie straddled him as he kneaded her breasts. Vince, adored his wife’s full and perky breasts. She loved being on top so she could look down at him and watch how he enjoyed her. He grabbed her ass as she took him slowly enjoying every inch he had. His masculine hands held on to her and helped her work her way up and down his perfect shaft. The sound of her desire echoed inside their bedroom.
“Listen to what you do to me, Vince.” Sweat covered her skin as her breath caught in her chest.
“God, I know. You’re so wet and tight. I love your pussy. It’s perfect,” he moaned, keeping his eyes closed and enjoying the feel and sounds of his wife. Jeannie never closed her eyes. The sight of her husband enjoying their love making, spurred her over the edge every time. Still making her husband come after fifteen years made her feel womanly and sensual. They didn’t have a dry spell and she made it a point not to let it happen.
“Vince, any second. Oh God. Please baby, fuck me harder.” Over the years she grew accustomed to talk dirty during sex. As hot as they got for each other, it was impossible not to when they had sex. The dirtier the talk, the needier they became.
Jeannie did her best to go slow. His erection rubbing on her clit made that aching feeling build up inside her. The smell of sex permeated the air, making her senses awaken even more. Lust for his wife shown on his face. His lips were full and parted, his head arched, and his breathing heavy as Jeannie took him slowly.
“Holy fuck. You feel so good, baby,” he groaned. Vince pushed his hips up higher to be deeper inside her. At the same time his hand came around and he pushed his palm against her clit. With expertise he massaged her clit as she rocked back and forth. Her nipples brushing his lips as he made the familiar sound of lust.
“Come with me. Come now, baby,” he coaxed.
That morning they both came at the same time as they clawed at each other not wanting their passion to end. Maybe they both knew that things weren’t going to be the same after that day. Maybe their souls were trying to hang on a little while longer, as if both of them knew this would be the last time.
Jeannie remembered every expression, word, and noise from that memorable day. If she tried, she could still hear his voice in her head saying her name. His voice never left her mind.
“You want to go with me on the bike? It might be nice like the old days, having you hang on for dear life with your thighs gripped around me,” Vince said, as he gazed into her eyes. He held her to him in bed as she lay across his chest, too exhausted to move. A feeling she would give twenty years off her life to have one more time. She longed to have his skin on her skin, the light wispy hairs on his chest brushing her cheek, and his breath in her hair. If she only knew.
“I w
ould love to, Vince, but I have to pick up Lydia in an hour, and Michael will be ready to come home. Why don’t you go tomorrow? I’ll go with you tomorrow. Spend the day with me.” Jeannie looked up to kiss him. She didn’t want to let him go. In fact, she nearly begged him to stay in bed with her. She should have distracted him a little longer and maybe he wouldn’t have gone. It was something she regretted every day.
“I won’t be long. You and I, dinner early, and then you’re mine again tonight. Can you handle me again?” he asked playfully.
“You better ask yourself if you can handle me again. I can handle you with no problem. What’s gotten into you this morning?” He grabbed her rear-end and kissed her before he stepped out of the bed. Jeannie enjoyed the view of his perfectly chiseled body walking around their bedroom. His round ass, his thighs muscular, and his calves bulging with each step he took, still made her swoon.
She continued to watch him as his bike rumbled down the driveway and he blew her a kiss. He looked so sexy in his leather coat and biker boots, straddling his huge bike. The things she thought about doing to him later that night, put a smile on her face as she went back to decorating and thinking about how much she loved him. Her thoughts lingered back to the first time they met. How young and innocent she was.
~~~~~~~~
Vince Franklin had been the love of her life. Jeannie remembers the day they met like a movie playing out in her mind. Every last detail of that night became ingrained in her memory. She saw him the first time at the sorority party her roommates made her attend. She hated parties and preferred to stay home and study. That night they wanted her to get out. She agreed to go and right away she noticed him. He stood with another girl, but kept looking at her while he talked to everyone else. She noticed he couldn’t pry his eyes off of her. She began to fear that maybe he was a weirdo, a stalker, or worse yet, some type of pervert. He didn’t come up to Jeannie until the end of the night.
When Jeannie began to leave, he chased after her not knowing her name, yelling “Hey” to get her attention. Reluctantly, she stopped and turned around to look at the most beautiful dark eyes she had ever seen. He took her breath away when she turned around and looked at him up close.
He asked for her number and she had nothing to write on so she dug in her purse for a pen. He grabbed the pen and wrote her number on his hand. She didn’t expect him to call. He called that night and every night after until she agreed to go out with him.
After the first date, they were inseparable, and in love. With Jeannie’s good looks she always had her pick of boys. None of them interested her like Vince Franklin or made her laugh so much.
Vince had a girlfriend when they met, but broke up with her as soon as he began dating Jeannie. Katherine Foster was the president of her sorority, top of her class, and former beauty queen. Jeannie met her at different functions, but never talked to her. Katherine came from a well-to-do family and expected to continue her well-to-do lifestyle once out of school and married. To Katherine, status and money meant everything. She dated Vince because he was gorgeous, in a fraternity, and determined to succeed in life. Keeping her pleased exhausted him, and drained his bank account. He had two jobs while going to school, one for his tuition, and one to keep her happy. She didn’t take the news too well when Vince told her they needed to end their relationship a week after he met Jeannie. When she heard who he was seeing, she called Jeannie a few times harassing her and threatening to have her kicked out of the sorority. Jeannie didn’t take the threat seriously, and didn’t mention it to anyone. For whatever reason, Katherine didn’t bother her again. Then after summer break, Katherine Foster disappeared. In fact Jeannie didn’t see her again on campus or at the sorority functions again. There were rumors from she ran away, she was killed, she got pregnant, or she moved to Europe, but they were just rumors. No one knew what happened to her or at least no one said. Vince had no clue and didn’t care to find out. The only other time she saw Katherine Foster, happened when she and Vince were married and went out to dinner. They decided to try a new restaurant an hour away from the house. Once they were waiting for a table, Vince pointed out Katherine was there with a man. The man caught Jeannie’s eye and she remembered how blue his eyes were. A gorgeous man, shorter than Vince, with dark hair peppered with grey and those beautiful eyes. She couldn’t get over how blue his eyes were. Katherine spoke to them briefly and introduced the man as her husband and a congressman.
Katherine seemed to be living the life she hoped for and looked happy, beautiful, and content. She and Vince talked for the first time in years, and Jeannie and Katherine’s husband stood there and made small talk about the weather and the food at the restaurant. Though uncomfortable, Jeannie was glad the meeting happened.
~~~~~~
Vince and Jeannie ran away and got married one Saturday afternoon without telling anyone. They moved into a one bedroom apartment, adopted a cat, and started their life. It didn’t matter that they had no money. The only thing that mattered was they were together.
A young couple just out on their own, they knew with hard work and their love, they would make their marriage work. At the time, money didn’t matter. They were young and in love and what they had was much more important. Their bedroom became their entertainment on the weekends and they were perfectly happy with spending their free time in bed.
Vince’s parents were dead, and he was an only child, so he liked the idea of starting a family soon. They wanted a log cabin and he wanted to build their home himself. It took him a few years to get the cabin built and a little longer for the kids to come. After long hours of doing the work themselves, they moved out of their one bedroom apartment into their dream home three years after they married. Vince had his own contracting business and Jeannie worked right with him every day around the clock. She took over the promotional part of his business, pushing him to create a website and advertise on his truck. Her great marketing skills helped to grow the company faster than expected. He had to hire a few guys to help him and he had contracts that were going to force him to hire a team of men. They worked right beside each other until Franklin Construction became a household name around town.
~~~~~~
That day, two hours later after Jeannie finished decorating and picking up Lydia from horseback riding, she answered a call on her cell phone. A strange number lit up on the screen, but something inside her gut told her to answer the call. Her heart sank into her stomach when she heard and unfamiliar voice on the other end.
“May I speak to Mrs. Franklin please?” asked the man on the other line.
“This is Mrs. Franklin,” she hesitated. Jeannie closed her eyes.
“Mrs. Franklin, I’m Officer Marks from the Hanover county police department. We found your phone number in Vince Franklin’s wallet.”
“Ye…Yes, he is my husband.” Her face ignited in a heat traveling through her body.
“There has been an accident,” he said.
She became lightheaded as she dropped the phone on the floor, anticipating what he would say. She picked up her phone and closed her eyes waiting for the rest of the news.
“Hello, Mrs. Franklin are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here. Is he alive?” If he was alive, he would be okay. Nothing could hurt this strong man. Three years ago, he came down with pneumonia. When he recovered quicker than expected, the doctor nicknamed him The Tank. When he fell off a roof one time, he bounced back within a few days and worked with a broken arm. Nothing could take this man down.
“Yes, Mrs. Franklin, he’s alive. We’re sending him to St. Cecelia Hospital by helicopter. Someone hit him, on Route 38 and left him there. The accident happened a while ago and a jogger spotted him lying in the ditch. Are you able to drive?”
“Um yes. Oh my God. I have to get someone to watch the kids. Yes, I will be right there.” She was shaking and thinking out loud to a perfect stranger.
“Please be careful, Mrs. Franklin. He’s in good hands at the hospital and ra
cing here isn’t going to change anything,” said Officer Marks.
“Yes, okay,” she said. Jeannie ended the call and grabbed on to the kitchen counter, closed her eyes and counted to three. She had no idea picking up the phone that day would change her life forever.
“Lydia?” she yelled, trying to keep herself under control so the kids would not get upset.
Flying down the steps from her room, Lydia yelled. “Mom. What’s wrong?”
Jeannie searched for her keys on the counter. “It’s Daddy. He’s in the hospital after an accident on his motorcycle. I have to get to him. I need you to stay here with Michael. I don’t want him upset. I’m going to call Marsha and have her come over.”
“Mom, I want to go with you. Is he okay?” asked Lydia, in tears. She was daddies little girl from the moment he saw her. They were inseparable. In fact, he was the one she went to when she had an issue or something bothered her. When she got sick, Vince comforted her. To Lydia, he was everything.
“Baby, it’s going to be okay. I need you to stay here until I find out how Dad is. Everything is going to be okay, I promise.” The tea kettle whistled loudly on the stove forgotten about when the policeman called.
“Please feed your brother and check on him. Make sure he takes a shower and washes his hair, if I’m too long. He’s in his room playing a video game. I don’t want him to know what’s going on till I find out more. If he asks where I am, just say I went to the store and I told you he could play his game longer. That should keep him preoccupied for a while. I’ll call you when I get there,” said Jeannie, hugging her crying daughter.
“Pray to Mary. She will listen. It’s going to be okay.” She was trying to convince herself more than her daughter.
Lydia wiped tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “Tell Daddy I love him, Mom.” She didn’t want to let go of her mom as she continued to hang onto her.
“I will, sweetheart. Stay by the phone and remember to pray. I have to go.” Jeannie squeezed her tight and ran out the door and down the driveway in record time.