Breathless (Less Is More Book 1)

by J. M. Lamp

“Sorry I fell asleep last night,” Hadley says as she walks inside the hotel room door.

  “It’s OK,” I say. “I was tired, too. How did it go?”

  “Fine,” she says. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Honestly, I didn’t think it would be bad in the first place. I just hate speaking in front of people.”

  “Did you already eat?”

  “No,” she says. “I didn’t figure you would’ve already either, so I waited.”

  “You were correct,” I say, smiling.

  “I know you too well. What do you want?”

  “I don’t care,” I say, moving to the TV stand. I grab my wallet and phone and stick them in my pockets.

  “Do you want to chill first or what?”

  “No,” she says, making her way into the bathroom. “Just let me pee real quick and we’ll go.”

  I sit on the edge of the bed and check my phone as I wait for her to finish. I check my email and see a message from my contact in London confirming that everything is fine for next week.

  “Alright, let’s go enjoy this beautiful fucking city while we can.”

  We eventually find ourselves at a local pizza place and I hand the waiter our menus as Hadley checks her face in a mirror in her purse.

  “You look fine,” I say.

  “I know,” she says. “New city, new dick. Ya know?”

  “I don’t see you meeting someone at this time of day.”

  “You never know, El. Good dick is always out there when you least expect it in my past experiences.”

  “Like that guy at the restaurant the last time I saw you?”

  “He was very good dick,” she says, laughing. “He kind of was what made me realize I wanted more. Not with him or anything, but I just realized that I missed feeling close to someone and getting it in in general. What happened the other day just kind of confirmed things for me that I need a change in my life.”

  “Well, it’s good you’re realizing it now.”

  “Yeah,” she says. “I just don’t know what I’ll do. I thought about going back to school. I always liked the idea of psychology.”

  “You could be a therapist.”

  “I thought more like criminal profiler,” she says. “I’d like to know what makes some of these fuckers the way they are. It fascinates me in a weird way.”

  “That’s a lot of schooling.”

  “I know,” she says. “Only have one life, though, so might as well make the most out of it.”

  “I hope everything goes well in London,” I say. “I’m just kind of blah about it the past few days.”

  “You’ll have Will. It’ll be fine.”

  “I’m just going to miss you guys.”

  “We’ll still be here when you get back,” she says.

  “What do you think of Cody by the way?”

  “He’s a nice guy,” she says. “He must be something special if Ethan is changing his ways. I know it’s weird for him, though.”

  “If I come back and they’re married or something—“

  “I highly doubt that,” she says, laughing. “Ethan and marriage is like anal and going in dry: it just doesn’t work out.”

  “I think if he did meet the right person it would become plausible.”

  “Did you know Rick was going to propose? Sick fucker. Ethan actually found the ring a few days before he left him. It’s one of the things that made him realize he had to get out of it.”

  “Does he still live in the city?”

  “No,” she says. “I occasionally do something I’m not supposed to and run checks on him. Only way I feel like I know Ethan’s somewhat safe.”

  “Well this guy seems like a good one,” I say. “I guess we’ll see.”

  “So would you rather Will propose to you or you propose to Will?”

  I don’t expect her question and instantly look at her with confusion.

  “What?”

  “Just random,” I say.

  “Seriously,” she says, “which one would you prefer?”

  “I don’t know,” I say. “Him asking me would be nice I guess. I don’t ever see it happening, though.”

  “Why not?”

  “Last time he was engaged his fiancée was killed.”

  “Okay,” she says. “But did he propose to him or vice versa?”

  “I have no idea to be honest. What does that have to do with anything?”

  “It doesn’t I guess,” she says. “Nevermind. Well then you need to ask him.”

  “Let’s go buy a ring and I’ll get right on it.”

  “Alright,” she says.

  “I’m kidding,” I say. “Will and I will get married when the time is right. I don’t want to rush things like that just because the topic is on both of our minds. What if we go to London and something happens and he ends up hating me?”

  “That’s not going to happen,” she says.

  “But what—“

  “Shut up, Elliot. That boy is yours. Until you both shall die, he is yours.”

  ***

  “You sure you’re OK?”

  “What do you mean?” I ask her as we make our way back to the airport.

  “I know this whole marriage thing has your brain running around in circles.”

  “I’m fine,” I say.

  “Elliot,” she says, “just remember, we get to choose who we love. Whether that person loves us back or not is not our choice. Will loves you. That’s all you need to know.”

  “So wise,” I say. She laughs and lays her head on my shoulder as we make our way down the interstate.

  “God, I’m gonna miss you these next few months,” she says. “I swear if you don’t actually come back once the summer is over I’m going to be pissed.”

  “I will be,” I say. “It will all work out. Everything will.”

  My phone dings and I look down at the screen and see a message from Will.

  Waiting patiently for your return.

  I smile and text him back.

  On our way to the airport now. I’ll be back in your arms before the night is over.

  In this moment, I realize that everything will be OK. London will go smoothly and Will and I will fall even more in love as the months go on. Everything that is meant to happen will happen.

  Meeting Will after one of the shitiest blind dates ever is the best thing to ever happen to me and when I get home tonight, I’m going to make sure he knows it.

  Chapter Twenty

  Will

  “S AM IS GOING TO DROP US OFF at the airport tomorrow by the way,” Elliot says to me from the kitchen. He brings me a plate filled with pasta and bread and I give him a kiss as he hands it to me and sits down beside me on the couch.

  “He coming home tonight?”

  “I don’t know,” he says. “He’s going on a double date with Ethan and Cody tonight so depending on how that goes, he may or may not get some much needed dick after.”

  I laugh and switch the TV to something that doesn’t have a commercial playing.

  “You have everything ready for tomorrow?”

  “Do you?” I ask him, back smiling.

  “I know,” he says, “I know. I’m just nervous one of us is going to forget something.”

  “Whatever we forget we can just buy over there. Plus, it will be cool and new and different because it’s in a different country. So all-in-all it will be worth leaving behind in the first place.”

  “Such the optimist, William,” he says.

  “I try,” I say. “What all did you and Ethan do this morning?”

  “We went last minute clothes shopping and had lunch. He hugged me and cried a little and said he was going to miss me. It was cute. He also said not to tell anyone he cried or he’d kick my ass.”

  “I won’t tell,” I say. “Probably.”

  “How was Lydia and the baby when you went over today?”

  “Good,” I say. “Greg has been helping out more like he said he was going to, which quite honestly surpr
ises me, but I’m glad. She told me to be careful.”

  “Always the protective sister,” he says, laughing.

  “Abbey gave me a big hug before I left. She has no clue what’s going on, though, so after awhile she’ll miss me I figure.”

  “I’ve been thinking,” he says.

  “Alright?” I say with pasta between my lips.

  “When we get back, assuming everything goes well which I have no doubt that it will, I think we should get a place together.”

  The pasta falls out of my mouth and my mouth turns into a grin as I turn towards him and put my plate on the coffee table.

  “I think that would be a good idea.”

  “Good,” he says.

  “Like an apartment or—“

  “A house,” he says. “I want to get a house. I hate renting and Sam is wanting to find a new place anyway because of his new job and I know you hate renting, too.”

  “Okay,” I say. I pick my plate back up and focus my attention back to the TV.

  “Cool,” he says. “So, a house then?”

  I look at him with a mouthful of pasta and say, “Whatever you want, stud.”

  ***

  I brush my teeth and make my way back into Elliot’s bedroom. Sam text Elliot and said he wasn’t coming back tonight, so my first thought was that I had to try and make Elliot’s eyes roll into the back of his head one last time before London.

  “Tomorrow’s going to be so stressful,” he says as I make my back to the bed. I pull the covers back and get under them as Elliot scoots closer and lays his head on my chest.

  “It will be fine,” I say, taking off my shirt.

  “I know, I’m so tired.”

  “That’s too bad,” I say.

  “Why?” he asks me, laughing.

  I flip him onto his back and say, “I was wanting to relieve you of some of this stress.” I kiss my way from his mouth to his neck as I shove my hand down his underwear and grab hold of his cock.

  He sits up and takes off his shirt and throws it across the room. I move myself overtop of him and position myself between his legs.

  “I can’t wait to have sex with you in a different country,” he says, smiling up at me as I kiss my way from his neck and down his stomach. I slowly kiss my way from his stomach, down to his hip and I scoot his underwear off and throw them to the side of the bed.

  He moans as I stick the tip of his cock in my mouth and lick it. I smile and take him deeper inside of me as I get on my knees and jerk myself off a little.

  Elliot puts his hand in my hair and slowly moves my head up and down as I go down on him further and I let off myself and focus my hand between his cheeks. He takes his hands off my head and I let off him and make my way back to his mouth, pulling his body tighter into me. He reaches down and grabs my cock and jerks it back and forth as his thumb circles my tip.

  He reaches over and gets some lube off the nightstand, squirts it in his palm and palms my cock and I let out a moan as he massages the tip of my cock. He arches his legs back and rubs the rest between his cheeks as he bites his bottom lip and pulls me closer to him.

  He wraps his legs around me and locks me in as I lift his left leg and sit it on my shoulder, slowly shoving myself into him. He tightens and then loosens as I move in and out of him slowly. As he gets comfortable, I speed up until my full length is inside him.

  “Oh, fuck,” he says as I thrust my hips forward into him. I move his other leg onto my other shoulder as I reposition my stance and shove into him faster. The pleasure is unrelenting as my thighs smack into his.

  I can feel myself close to coming as he arches his back and grabs both of my ass cheeks and pulls me deeper into him with each thrust.

  “Oh, fuck,” he says again as I take my hand and jerk him back and forth, faster and faster the closer I get to coming.

  “I’m gonna come,” I say as I pull out and position myself over his chest.

  Elliot shoots onto his stomach right before I do and a smile flashes across his face as he sits up and sticks my cock in his mouth. I unload into his mouth and nearly pass out from the pleasure as I slink over onto my back and he rests his head on my chest.

  “This is gonna be a good summer,” he says.

  “I can’t fucking wait.”

  ***

  “How was your date?” Elliot asks Sam at breakfast the next morning.

  “Very nice,” he says, smiling. “It was nice to get out.”

  “You going to go see him again?” I ask.

  “Nah,” he says. “It was a nice date. Nothing more.”

  “That’s too bad,” Elliot says.

  “It’s fine, El. I can’t believe you guys are leaving me.”

  Elliot pats him on the shoulder and says, “I know, buddy. You’ll just have to come visit us.”

  “How’s the new job going?” I ask.

  “Good,” he says. “I love it, honestly. I’m finally at that place in my life where I feel mostly fulfilled.”

  “We all are I think,” Elliot says. “Even Hadley is figuring out what she wants and Ethan has Cody now.”

  “Cody is a cool guy,” Sam says. “He’s perfect for Ethan I think. Besides the muscles, he’s just a nice guy. Ethan seems comfortable.”

  “I hope when we get back he’s still with him,” Elliot says.

  “I’ll make sure he doesn’t mess up a good thing,” Sam says, laughing.

  I look down at my phone and notice the time and say, “We better get going.”

  Elliot looks down at his phone and says, “Shit, yeah.”

  We make our way to the airport and I know without a doubt what I have to do once we get parked. I feel in my pocket for the engagement ring box and smile as I take my hand out and place it on my carry on bag.

  “You guys need anything before we get there?” Sam asks.

  “If we forgot something we’ll get it over there,” Elliot says, looking back at me and smiling.

  Sam parks the car close to the entrance doors and as we get out of the car, I stop Elliot and say, “I have to do something before we go in.”

  Elliot looks over to Sam and back at me and says, “What’s up?”

  I set my bags to the side and pull the box out of my pocket as I get down on one knee. I look over to Sam who instantly starts smiling and back over to Elliot who seems confused as hell as to what I’m doing.

  “Elliot,” I say with the box rested on my knee, “since the day I’ve met you, I knew that I had to have you in my life. I knew that you were something special and that you were going to change me in ways that I couldn’t explain. I knew that you were sent to me for reasons I can’t explain and that I was meant to get to know you.”

  I put the box out in front of me and display the ring as I watch Elliot’s mouth drop and Sam snicker from the side.

  “I know without a doubt that the only days I want to spend on this Earth are days with you in them. I want and need you in my life more than anything. I know this is a weird place to ask this, but I want to get this out before London.”

  I pull the ring out of the box and place it between my fingers.

  “Elliot,” I say, “will you proudly do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me as husband and, well, husband?”

  A tear runs down his cheek and he says, “Yes.”

  I put the ring on his finger and he grabs me so tightly I can’t breathe as he plants a kiss on my mouth.

  “I love you,” I say.

  “I love you, too,” he says, looking at the ring on his finger.

  “Wow,” Sam says, leaning off the car and walking over closer to us. “Wasn’t expecting this.”

  “Bye, Samuel,” Elliot says as he hugs Sam and grabs his bags.

  “Bye, bud,” Sam says.

  He turns to me and smiles and says, “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Making him happy. I’d want no one else to join our little circle.”

  He embraces me for a hug and I laugh
and say, “Let me know when you want to come over and I’ll get it all situated for you.”

  “I will,” he says. “You take care of him over there.”

  “I will,” I say.

  We wave off Sam and make our way to the entrance gate and wait for our flight.

  “Things are really about to change,” Elliot says, looking out the window at the scattered planes.

  “For the better,” I say.

  He looks over at me and smiles and says, “I don’t even want to go now. I want to go get married and move into our house.”

  “It will all be there when we come back,” I say.

  He leans his head on my shoulder as I stare out the window and imagine everything that is waiting for us once we land in London. I think about our new apartment that’s fully furnished and the traffic and the people and just how different the labels will be on the same body wash I get in America or if they’ll be different at all.

  I smile and realize that everything has a purpose and everything happens for reasons that we can’t explain. Finding Elliot forever changed me in ways he’ll never know and all I can do is think about all of the ways, as we spend our lives together, that I can remind him that he is the reason that I get up in the morning.

  He is the reason that I finally feel happy and alive again. He is the reason that I no longer go to a bench late at night and wonder what life would be like if things were different. He is the reason I can breathe again without gasping for air.