Rescue Breathing

by Zoe Norman

  “Tragic that I have to disappoint you, but that's not happening, ladies.” I push them away and straighten out my shirt. “Go find some other men to suck off. We're all good here,” I say, referring to my group of friends.

  “You're no fun anymore, Owen,” Liz pouts and walks away.

  I take a deep sigh, relieved that they didn't give me more of a fight and even more so that Olivia didn't catch that encounter. I glance toward the restrooms and I see Olivia quickly making her way through the sea of tables. My smile quickly fades when I realize that she's not coming back to our table; she's bolting towards the door. She looks pale and pissed, and my gut sinks to the floor.

  “You're fucking kidding me.” I say through a clenched jaw. I grab my jacket and get up from the table. “Gotta run guys. I'll catch you next shift,” I say hurriedly.

  The guys groan and make crude remarks about my needing to have sex with Olivia, and I flip them off as I walk toward the exit.

  As I step out onto the street, I see that Olivia is already half a block away. “Olivia!” I yell, cupping my hands to my mouth. “OLIVIA! Wait!”

  She turns around, surprised to see me, but she continues down the sidewalk, brushing her hair around her face as if she's trying to hide from me.

  I take off in a dead sprint, dodging cars at the intersection, the crosswalk be damned. I call to her just a few feet in front of me. “Olivia, stop and talk to me.”

  I'm trying to give her an opportunity to make the right decision here, but she's too damn stubborn. I close the distance between us and grab hold of her elbow to stand in front of her, slightly winded.

  “I'm getting real fucking tired of your running, Olivia. Why? What did I do this time?” She sidesteps around me, but I clutch her again, pulling her tight to my chest. “Talk to me, damn it.” I command. “Why did you run?”

  Olivia puts her palms flat against my chest and attempts to push off from me, but I don't budge. “Owen, let me go, please,” she says in a surprisingly calm voice.

  I shake my head, undeterred. “No. Not until you talk to me Olivia. Why. Are. You. Running?”

  “Don't worry about it. I'm sure my complicated bullshit is no fun. Liz is looking for you back at the bar. I think she'd be a lot more fun for you tonight. I assure you, her plans for you sound fantastic,” she responds with narrow eyes and fake smirk.

  “Liz? How do you know about Liz?” I ask as my eyes dart, searching hers. The girls. The bathroom at the bar. Shit. “Did Liz say something to you? Tell me, Liv What did she say?”

  My admission that I know Liz and my curiosity to know what she knows makes me automatically guilty of something in her eyes, and her shoulders slump.

  “Please, Owen, just get out of my way,” Olivia says, fighting back tears. “I want to go get my things at your place and just go home.”

  I step back and let go of Olivia, and she continues walking toward my apartment. I look at the ground, frustrated, confused and a lot heartsick. I have no fucking clue what Olivia may have overhead, but knowing Liz, she was probably recounting our last run-in from a few months ago where she sucked me off at the firehouse.

  “Whatever it is you heard, it's not what you think,” I call after her.

  Olivia stops walking, lowers her head, and throws out her hand. “Just. Stop. Talking.”

  I purse my lips and jog to catch up with Olivia, staying only a step behind her. I want to give her space and let her clear her head. I hate it when she's like this—punishing me for things that happened before she and I met. I told her that I would never hurt her and I meant every word with more sincerity than any promise I've made to anyone. Now look at me.

  We walk in silence for a few more blocks until we reach my apartment building. I reach to grab her hand, but she pulls it away, folding her arms across her chest.

  I slow my stride and pull at her shirt, trying to get her to stop. “I'm sorry that you keep running into women from my past. I was worried that this may happen on occasion. Damn it, Olivia, we've talked about this. I've been honest with you, but you're not giving me a chance here. Any woman before you meant nothing to me. They're in my past, Olivia, but you're my future. Can't that be enough?”

  “What did you just say?” she asks with her back still towards me.

  I take a deep breath, not because I'm winded, but I'm relieved. “I said you're my future Olivia.” I walk towards her with my arms open, ready to hold her and put this behind us.

  Olivia slowly turns around and puts a hand up, stopping my approach. “Don't touch me,” she says coldly.

  I stagger back, clearly misreading her.

  Olivia angrily pushes a tear from her cheek and continues. “I have a hard time feeling like I'm your future when I run into women who are all too willing to talk about the fact that they blew you at the firehouse a few months ago, Owen. I'm not sure that's something I can get over.”

  I tilt my head back and let out a long, frustrated scream. This again. “You want to know the truth, Olivia?” I say, my voice tight. I'm tired of playing nice.

  “Yes, I deserve the truth, don't you think?” she replies callously.

  “Here it is, beautiful. Yes, there was a woman who gave me a fucking fantastic blowjob at the firehouse. How you found out about that, I'm not sure, but I won't apologize for it.”

  Olivia throws up her hands in victory, no doubt feeling like she's finally getting the truth.

  “I fucked women whenever and however I goddamn pleased. But that was before I flew out to Seattle. That was before I met you in that airport bar. That was before the plane ride where I got my first taste of you. That was before I started falling for you in Seattle, and that was before you changed my goddamn life.” I spit out. “That is the truth. I have a past. You have a past, and if you'd ever share it with me, I might understand why you fucking run all the time.”

  Olivia looks up at me, a fat tear falling from her eye.

  “You're the only woman I've been with since Seattle, Olivia,” I say, my voice turning gentle. “You're the only one I want to be with. If you need me to tell you all the ways I want you, I'll do it. I could go on all night. What this is between us, it's good, Olivia, and I don't want it with anyone else. You own me, Olivia. Don't you see that? I want you to be my future, but you need to want that too.”

  A sob escapes Olivia's mouth as tears flow down her cheeks. “I want to be able to let this go so badly, but when I think about other women with you…you touching them the way you touch me…I can't take it. It hurts. And maybe I don't have a right for it to hurt, but it does and I can't stop that.”

  My eyes relax as I begin to understand where her head is. The thought of another man touching Olivia or making her come fills me with an insane rage that scares me. I get it.

  “I know I owe you explanations, stories about my past,” Olivia continues, “but I can assure you they are not stories that involve me having had sex with multiple partners or in interesting places. I want to tell you, but I'm not ready, Owen.” She shakes her head while looking at her feet. “I'm not ready.”

  I lift Olivia's chin up to meet my eyes. “We can make our own memories, Olivia. I'm not looking to recreate anything. I want everything to be fresh and new with you and for us to experience things together.” I bend my knees to look her in the eyes as I hold her waist. “When you're ready to tell me about your past, I'll listen. But it won't change a thing about how I feel about you. I need you to understand that.”

  She tries to look away from me, but I take her chin in my fingers again. “I'm not a patient man, Olivia. But if waiting means having you, then I'll wait as long as it takes.” Olivia nods silently as I wipe a stray tear from her eye with the pad of my thumb. “Come upstairs with me. No more running tonight.”

  I offer her my hand and she takes it. Her hand is warm, her skin soft, and I immediately think about how it feels when she drags her fingers over my sensitive flesh. Silently, we walk up the sidewalk to my building, go inside and climb the stairs to th
e front door of my apartment. As I fiddle with the keys in the lock, she squeezes my hand lightly, her way of letting me know that she's back with me. I turn to look down at her, and when her eyes catch mine, they darken. My pulse rises and all the right places on my body start to tingle.

  Before I give her a chance to react, I place my hand on the back of her neck and pull her towards me, kissing her. It's possessive and loving all at once and so sexy. My tongue laps into her mouth and she groans involuntarily. Olivia's arms come around my neck as she tugs me toward her, matching my intensity. I start to kiss down her neck and realize that we're still in the hallway.

  “Owen,” Olivia whispers, pleading.

  I put my hands under her knees and hoist Olivia up so her legs wrap around my waist. We push open the door and walk in, Olivia clinging to me like a spider monkey, and I kick the door closed behind us.

  I continue to kiss Olivia as I carry her into my kitchen, resting her perfect ass on the cool granite countertop of the island as I part her thighs and nestle my hips between them. My hands cradle her face as I lick and suck at her lips.

  “You have no idea how much I need you,” I moan as I kiss down her neck. Olivia moves her head to the side, offering it to me.

  Over the past few months, I've come to learn what my girl likes, and she repays me with groans of pleasure, encouraging me. I slip my hands under her top, inching my way up from her waist to the underside of her bra and over its thin material to squeeze her breasts. Olivia's hands are in my hair, tugging just the right amount and causing me to groan. I reach up and grab one of her hands, bringing it to my waist.

  “Get these pants off,” I say as I dip to run my tongue along her collarbone.

  Olivia lets go of my hair, only too happy to rid me of my jeans. I pull away from her and stand up straight to watch her unfasten my belt, unbutton my jeans, and undo the zipper. They are loose on me, easily sliding over my hips and falling to the floor. I'm left in my tight boxer briefs that I know she loves. They leave little to the imagination as they cling perfectly to my muscled thighs and ass—and of course the outline of my engorged cock. I'm rock hard already, and my cock is just peering over the band of my briefs. Olivia runs a finger over the tip, feeling the bead of pre-cum there and rubbing it over the head. I groan, a sound she elicits from me every time she touches me.

  I look up at her and pull her shirt over her head, quickly following it with her bra, both of which I toss to the floor. She's left in just her jeans and heels. I take a step back, assessing her. I love to look at her. At first, Olivia found it terribly embarrassing, but with time, she's come to realize that I'm drinking her in, worshiping her, and now she embraces it. I think even finds it a bit erotic.

  “Owen,” she breathes.

  I guide Olivia backward onto the counter, laying her flat. My fingers quickly undo the button on her jeans and I pull them, along with her panties, down and off her body.

  “Olivia,” I say, bending down to quickly slide my tongue along her glistening wetness. “Fuuuck, you taste so good. Baby, let me go bare with you,” I say, surprising myself, as I dip my head to lick at her folds again. “I want to make love to you with nothing separating us. I've...I've never gone without a condom. Ever. It could be a new memory that belongs only to you. To us.”

  Olivia goes still for a second, no doubt overwhelmed by what I've just asked. “I've never done that either,” she pants.

  I lean up and over her body, giving her a smile that is half “I can't wait to fuck you” and half “I really cherish you.”

  “Is that a yes?” I ask.

  She looks at me and nods.

  Holy fuck. This is really happening.

  I pull my boxer briefs down in one fluid movement, and putting my hands under her knees, I pick Olivia up and carry her to the couch. As I sit down, Olivia straddles my knees. It's dark, but we can see our faces well in the moonlight. It's more than erotic. It's romantic. And my horniness has changed into a desire, a primal need to be as close to her as I can.

  Olivia rises up on her knees and leans forward as my head dips to take a nipple into my mouth, my hands grabbing at her ass, kneading her flesh. Olivia's head falls back as she groans, “Yes, baby, just like that. Ohhh God Owen...”

  My lips quirk up around her nipple and my fingers dig into her backside. I feel my penis tap against her lower belly as I grow longer and thicker. Reaching down between us, Olivia grabs the base of my cock and strokes it slowly. I groan at her touch as I latch on to her other nipple. Olivia takes my cock and slides it up and down her wet slit, teasing me.

  “Owen, please…”

  As the head of my penis slides along her entrance, I raise my hips and thrust into her as Olivia simultaneously sinks down onto me. As she envelopes me, I start to get lightheaded. I was expecting it to be soft and wet, but she was so fucking warm as her inner muscles contract around me like an encouraging hug.

  “Fuuuck…” I grunt. “You're incredible, Olivia… Fucking amazing.”

  Olivia holds me tighter, groaning into my ear as she experiences me for the first time too.

  Once she's reacquainted with my size again, Olivia starts to move her hips, grinding herself onto my cock before sliding up almost all the way. I look down between us where our bodies are joined and watch her as she takes me again and again. I can see and hear how wet she is for me, and I bite my lips from the pleasure.

  “I don't know how long I can last like this, Olivia. It's too fucking good.” I bite her shoulder, trying to stave off what's sure to be the most intense orgasm of my life.

  She's breathless, her eyes closed tight as she savors the ride our bodies are taking her on. I put my hands on her ass, helping her to rise and fall, and I watch our joining with awe.

  Olivia takes my head in her hands as she lifts and lowers her body. She tilts my head back, her eyes darting from one eye to the other, and then she kisses me sweetly, lovingly. This is the most intimate two people can be. We're physically connected like puzzle pieces and emotionally connected like soul mates. It takes my breath away.

  “Tell me again…what you said…outside…” Olivia says between panting breaths.

  “You're my future,” I say into her ear, knowing what she needs to hear. “You're the only one I want.”

  She groans at my words, and I can feel her insides quiver. I pull her close and thrust hard and fast into her. I am so tempted to say the words that are sitting on the tip of my tongue, three words that would irrevocably change the course of our relationship. Words that I've never truly understood the weight of until this very moment, but I can't.

  “Owen, make me come,” she commands.

  “Turn around. Ride me facing away.”

  Olivia effortlessly switches positions like this is a choreographed dance and slides back onto my length. I fall to my side, taking Olivia with me, my cock lodged deep inside her. As we lie together side by side on the couch, I lift her leg back and over my hip. My hips thrust slow and deep at first, allowing her to feel my entire length. As my pace quickens, my fingers flutter across her engorged clit.

  “Oh God, Owen!” she screams. “More...Please…”

  My arm slides under her to grab her breast as I continue to thrust harder and deeper. My balls slap against her and she cries out in ecstasy, throwing her head back against my shoulder.

  “Owen…Owen...coming…now…fuck me,” I plead.

  I follow her guidance and grab her hips, pulling her hard against me, fucking her hard through her orgasm. “Fuck, Olivia. You're going to make me come.” I growl into her ear. “You feel fucking amazing coming on my cock like this.”

  “Yes, yessss,” she hisses, holding her breasts tight as they bounce from my hard thrusts.

  “Shitshitshit…I'm going to come…you feel too damn good. FUCK!” I pull out, pushing her flat on her back. I rise to my knees between her legs and come on her stomach. I sit back on my knees, breathing hard, looking as she lies there, naked and painted in my come. “That may b
e the hottest thing I've ever seen.”

  Olivia swipes a finger through my come and sucks on her finger, giving me a smirk.

  I groan.

  “I take that back. That may be the hottest thing I've seen. If you're not careful, I'll take you across my knee for teasing me.”

  “That's kinda the point,” she says smugly.

  I stand up from the couch and pull Olivia to her feet. “Come on, sexy. Let's take a shower. I have another new memory I want to make with you.”

  “Oh yeah? And what's that?” she asks as I'm mesmerized by her ass walking in front of me.

  “Let's just say I was at the sex toy shop the other day and picked up a few things. Hypothetically, what's your stance on handcuffs?”

  Olivia hums seductively, and just like that, I'm hard for her again.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Olivia

  It's been a particularly long day of tabulating data from a research study that's winding down. I love this part of the work. All the tedium of collecting data coming together to tell a story still fascinates me after all these years of doing it. But this year, I have more than just the thrill of data to enjoy. I have a date. And I don't think I've ever been so excited for one in my life. It's my birthday, and Owen is surprising me by taking me somewhere tonight. Just the anticipation makes me giddy. I push a pile of data I've finished entering to one side of my desk and grab another.

  "One down, one hundred to go." I laugh to myself. Suddenly, there's a knock at my office door. "Come in!" I yell.

  In enters our shared receptionist for the department, Laney. She's a little wisp of a thing, quiet, demure, but unbelievably valuable. The girl is a workhorse and smart as a whip, and I feel thankful to have her help.

  "Hey, Laney, what's up?"

  "Okay, there is a gorgeous man in the waiting room asking to see you. He says it's a surprise and he has flowers,” she says with a grin from ear to ear.