Breath We Take (Cuffed By Love Duet Book 1)

by Amanda Kaitlyn

  “Yeah, Darlin'.”

  “Take me home.”

  ***

  Hudson

  “You want me to open the door for you, baby?”

  Feeling her nod against my chest, I deftly moved the key-ring in her hand and turned the first key in the lock until we heard a faint click.

  Yes.

  My hands molded to her hips as I pushed her gently into her living room and heard her drop her purse and keys at the coffee table placed in the middle of the room. She had been avoiding my eyes ever since our talk at the hospital and her admission had been bothering me the entire time since.

  I couldn’t fathom why a woman as fucking beautiful as she was wouldn’t know that she was beautiful. Anyone with eyes could see that.

  As I stalked toward her, I smiled the smile that I knew made her blush and when she did, my chest tightened at the sight.

  If I wasn’t careful, I would get lost in this woman and it surprised me that the possibility of that didn’t make me run the hell out of bound.

  Instead, I quickened my pace and gained the distance between us in a matter of seconds. Emberly begun worrying her lush bottom lip with her teeth as her bright, violet eyes watched me.

  “What are you doing?” She whispered.

  I leaned my head against hers in an attempt to calm my breathing.

  She caused the craziest fucking things in me.

  Just having her this close in proximity made my spine ache with the need to claim her, once and for all.

  I knew from the way her cheeks flushed pink anytime I looked at her that she was unclaimed.

  That simple truth drove me crazy with need for her.

  But I held back.

  It had been over a month since meeting this girl. This shy, kind hearted, beautiful girl and I knew it was fast, my attraction to her.

  I dipped my mouth to hers and pressed my hands roughly against her lush ass, needing to feel her there, too.

  “Hudson, what are you doing?”

  She asked me again and I licked my tongue against her full lips, begging for her to open that perfect mouth for me.

  When she did, I all but growled at the sweet taste of strawberries that hit my tongue. Fuck, she tasted like heaven. But I wanted more.

  “Show me where your bedroom is, Darlin'.”

  Feeling her gasp against my mouth, I drew back, expecting her to tell me I was going too fast. She had only agreed to be with me last night and here I was pushing her for more.

  I wanted to be good for her.

  Patient.

  Tentative.

  But I couldn’t, not with her.

  This gnawing hunger I had to taste every fucking inch of her never waned and I hoped it never would. Because I wanted us to be more than a passing attraction. Even a passing fling.

  A few weeks of sweaty sex and meager conversation wouldn’t do. I needed more and I damn sure was going to push her if that’s what it took.

  Her face was flushed in a deep blush and her mouth was parted as she licked her lips as if she wanted to feast on me.

  “Upstairs,” She whispered, pushing her hands in my hair again.

  I’d never admit to it, but I loved that she was always touching me. Her fingers, her hands, the little ways she would find to brush against me when we were in the same room. She had this unique way of making me feel like the center of her universe and I fucked soaked it up.

  I wanted that. To be her center. Her anchor.Her safe place.

  It didn’t matter that I didn’t know the cause for her distrust of men.

  Her shyness in even the simplest of situations. Her instinctual self blame whenever something went wrong in her life.

  Whether it was the copy machine at the hospital or a rather rude patient in the waiting room she always seemed to find a way to blame herself.

  One day, she would tell me.

  There was no way she wouldn’t because one way or another, I was going to imprint myself so deep inside of her that she would never shake me.

  I couldn’t wait for that day.

  “Put your hands around my neck.”

  Her gorgeous, wide eyes snapped to mine as she nodded and did what I told her. I reached my hands under her knees and with a quick tug, I had her legs wrapped around my waist and my hands filled with her lush ass.

  Fuck, how was I going to keep my control in place with her?

  I was so fucked.

  “Oh, Hudson,” She breathed and as I carried her up the long, winding staircase she laid her head on my shoulder and dug her fingers into my shirt.

  She felt perfect in my arms.

  I cleared the second floor and reached over one of the small tables in the hallway to flip on a lamp, bathing the space in faint light.

  There were four doors and a large, bay window with a small window seat covered in all kinds of fancy pillows. Briefly, I imagined taking her over there and stripping her bare of the clothes she wore. I would wrap her legs around my shoulders and eat her perfect pussy until she begged me to stop. And then I would do it again.

  Emberly lifted her head from my shoulder and swept her hands over my chest as she steadied herself in my arms.

  “Its the first door.”

  I guessed she was just as eager to get inside her bedroom as I was.

  Chapter Nine

  Emberly

  PRESSING MY HOUSE key into the lock the following day, I heard my cell phone ding with a text from my purse, causing a smile to tip my lips.

  Today, Just Now- You up for a girls night?

  I sipped a small glass of my favorite White Zinfandel and typed back a message to Ashlee.

  Bestie- I have plans tonight

  Me- Coming over. I expect details girl!

  I stared at the screen, shaking my head at her though of course, she couldn’t see me.

  Last night hadn’t felt real to me. It was beautiful and perfect and so, so right. Going to work this morning was difficult, with that hulk of man still laying peacefully in my bed. I’d told him to take the day off and let Tristan cart me around for the day. He deserved a day off and though I doubted I would ever be able to give him the peace, safety and kindness he’d given me- I could give him a day off. Thankfully my shift at the hospital went by relatively quickly. On my way home from there, Hudson texted me. He wanted to have dinner again.

  So, here I was, waiting for him to pick me up for yet another date.

  Except this time, it wasn’t trepidation that filled me as I waited in anticipation. It was excitement to see him again.

  I was dressed in a comfy pair of yoga pants and a U of H sweatshirt by the time I heard someone knock against the front door of my house. I padded on bare feet to the door and pulled it open only to be caught in the gaze of a pair of pale blue eyes. I audibly gasped, stepping back a step in surprise.

  Shit! I was so not ready for our date. Hudson crossed his arms over his large, leather clad chest, a smirk toying at his full mouth. His eyes darkened as they rove over me slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. It made me hot all over.

  “Hudson, I-”

  He pushed forward and took my hand in his, then, guiding a callused finger over my palm. His touch was gentle and on contact, it calmed me.

  “My sergeant canceled our meeting. I thought I would come and get you early, if it’s alright.” His tone was gentle and sincere but the bite of his control still lays there in his voice, reminding me that he does anything he wants.

  That fact makes me hot all over again because I know that what he wants in this moment is me.

  “It’s okay, I just, need to get changed.”

  Feeling the vibration of my phone in my pocket, I turned away from the sinfully, sexy man standing in my kitchen expecting another text from Ashlee awaiting me.

  An unknown number popped up on the screen and for some reason, my heart begun to beat faster in concern. I had all of my work colleagues saved in my contacts so I knew it couldn’t be someone from the hospital. As I opened t
he message, I became increasingly worried about who the sender could be.

  Today, 5:30 PM- You’re mine.

  Today, 5:50 PM- He doesn’t deserve you. Do you remember me when you’re with him? I don’t care if you think you love him, Em. I’ll never let you go.

  Today, Just Now- I’m coming for you.

  I felt all of the blood drain from my face as I read the words displayed on the screen again and again, hoping I could make sense of them.

  But none of it made sense.

  “You okay, baby?”

  Hudson’s callused thumb brushed over the soft skin of my lower lip, causing a sharp, shiver to wrack my body in the affect I always felt when we were together. I didn’t know what we were, but I really wanted to find out.

  I wanted to let him into my heart and see what we could become and not even my worry about Ashlee’s stalker was going to stop me from doing just that.

  Why would I rock the boat for a few weird text messages?

  Letting my head rest against his shoulder, I nodded.

  I was okay.

  Because of him.

  “Are you ready for dinner?”

  Nodding, I leaned against him, loving that all the hard parts of him fitted against my soft curves. I often looked in the mirror and despised my curvy body and loose hips and stomach. When I was with him, I didn’t feel that way. I felt completely and utterly… wanted.

  As we walked out of my apartment and across the parking lot where he parked, Hudson told me about his day. It’s a mundane thing actually, small talk. With any one else, it would be normal. Boring, even.

  But with this man it was thrilling.

  Exciting.

  Interesting.

  Riveting.

  When he spoke, his voice penetrated deep inside of me, as if it was trying to find a home there. He tells me about how his mother called while he was coming to get me and how he could hear how excited she was for the barbecue his family is throwing in just a few weeks. I heard the softness bleed into the tones of his voice and it made me smile.

  He told me about the accident on the freeway earlier this morning and how he fucking hates traffic. His words, not mine. I’ve noticed that when he swears, his voice grows gentle and his eyes narrow as if he is angry with himself for swearing with me.

  Hudson’s eyes shifted to me as I watched him and tipping his head to the side, he grinned that sexy smile; my heart stopped all together.

  “You staring at me, Darlin'?”

  I looked down to my feet, a blush covering my cheeks and felt his callused fingers press beneath my chin, lifting my face upwards.

  “Don’t be shy when you’re with me.”

  Nodding, my face pressed to his palms as he held me there, looking intently into my eyes.

  My eyes went to his full mouth, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth. God, I wanted to kiss him.

  The kiss we shared earlier today was branded into my mind and the craving for another was stronger than the fear of risking my heart again is.

  I’m scared, too.

  But more than anything, I want him.

  “Okay.” I breathe and then his mouth is on me and my breath is stolen. Taking my bottom lip between his teeth he tugs and an ache penetrates my core.

  “You okay, Darlin'?” Hudson asks, his hand sliding over my thigh in a gentle yet possessive grasp. I have no idea how a man like him can lay claim with just a simple touch but he does it effortlessly.

  “Y-yes. Where are we going?” I ask, cringing when I hear the shake in my voice, giving away the obvious effect he causes in me.

  How did I ever think going out with this man would be a good idea?

  He possesses my every thought and it has only been a few minutes into our date. If he is making me feel this crazy so quickly, I can’t even imagine how I’ll be feeling by the end of the night.

  I can’t wait to find out.

  The thought makes my teeth come down to worry my bottom lip and my pussy to contract in a heady feeling of anticipation.

  “My place first. I want to show you where I live.”

  My heart races within my chest at the thought of seeing where he lives. Excited, I move toward him in my seat and press my fingers over his as they lay against my knee.

  “I would love that.”

  ***

  We passed the welcome sign as we leave my small town of Cedar Park and enter the tree lined city limits of Austin. The skyline was lit up against the stark night sky with white, bright light. My eyes wandered below to the buildings lining the bustling downtown streets and I was riveted. Never having been inside the city in the three years I had lived here in Texas, I wondered why I never ventured out. Austin was brilliantly beautiful, the skyline offsetting the harsh edges the skyscrapers gave it while the busy city streets hummed with energy and excitement. I couldn’t help thinking how I could barely hear myself think as my gaze slid across the landscape just outside the window my cheek pressed against. I felt Hudson’s fingers clench against the fabric of my thigh and I moved my gaze to his as he drove. One hand rested on the steering wheel while the other gently held mine, our fingers interlocked in a way that felt intimate. He squeezed my hand gently as if it was his way of making sure I knew he was here with me.

  “Is this your first time in the city?” He asked, his eyes filled with curiosity as they turned to me and I noticed softness I was coming to love there in his gaze. I nodded, resting my cheek against the leather head rest so I could keep looking at him.

  The city bustled and hummed around us, something I knew I could become addicted to. As my gaze ventured to his full mouth as he drove, unaware of my attention, I smiled around the sigh that left me.

  I could become addicted to him, too.

  I think I already was.

  “You love it, don’t you?”

  “Yeah.” He murmured, tipped his head back as the truck came to a stop in a parking spot next to a large, blue plated building. I looked up through the window and noticed it was a apartment complex, though a small one.

  “I love this city. I have always lived here, so maybe that is why. Even when I went to college, I never ventured far. Austin is my home”

  He pierced me with his intense blue eyes and the small small he gave me was almost shy as he squeezed my hand once more and left his side of the cab.

  I took the chance to take a full breath of air before he was opening my door and taking my hand in his much larger one.

  “Hop down.”

  Hudson secured his arm around my waist before opening the glass door of the building and we entered a warm light filled room which I guessed was a lobby of some sort. I didn’t get much time to wonder, though because the door man to the elevator was awaiting us as we entered and before long, Hudson had me in his arms while the elevator rose to the top floor. The entire unit was made of glass and as we rose higher and higher, my gut clenched in quickly firing nerves. I bit my lip as I tried to be calm, but I could feel the beginning of a panic attack coming as my body jolted in shivers. Even with Hudson’s strong, never wavering arms around my waist, his chin resting a top of my shoulder, nothing could stop the panic from rising within me.

  “Em?”

  His voice covers me and I nod shakily, the units subtle vibrations heightening the anxiety heating my blood. I feel his fingers gently grip my chin and then he turns me toward him, his hand cupping the side of my face as he looks me over.

  “Fuck, Emberly, look at me. Look at me.”

  It takes me a few minutes to get up the courage to do just that but when I do, a wash of calm covers me.

  “Hudson…” I breathed, my head leaning forward and my cheek falling to rest against his chest as my body goes lax and the onslaught of panic that had risen wanes.

  “You’re okay, now. I have you.”

  His words are whispered in my hair and I nod, thankful for it.

  “You should have told me you are afraid of heights.”

  Hudson says as he brushes his thumb o
ver my cheek, his touch awakening my senses as my body leans into his.

  “I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t know this elevator was glass.”

  I’m led out of the unit and finally being able to breathe normally, I lace my fingers through his at his side and smile shyly when he looks down at me.

  “I’m sorry.”

  My hand is lifted to his lips and his head lowers enough so that he can place a kiss to the skin of my palm before he whispers in my ear, low and oh so sexy that I’m sure my knees are weakening at just the sound of his voice.

  “Don’t ever be sorry. Everyone is afraid of something.”

  My mouth parts in surprise at the honesty of his words and I find myself wondering what a man like him could be afraid of.

  Hudson’s large hand warms me as the aftershocks of my panic attack ebb away and we step out of the glass unit and onto a red, carpeted floor. The hallway he leads me down is large and spacious, but becomes more narrow the further we go. I notice the room numbers are going up as we walk and I count them.

  1108, 1109, 1110, 1111…

  Then we pause in front of a white door with a black door knob and two deadbolts at the top. There is a large plate at the top of it that reads Room 1112, Penthouse. I gasp audibly and then my chin is gripped gently as Hudson turns my face to meet his gaze. When our eyes lock, I see a nervousness in them that does nothing to set me at ease.

  I know this is one of the moments in my life that a fight or flight instinct should be kicking in. I am about to walk inside his penthouse only knowing him a few short weeks. He could be nothing but trouble for me. He could want me for all the wrong reasons. I mean, he could have any woman he wanted. Why would he want me?

  Ugly. The word whispered through my mind again and I bit down gently on my lower lip, halting its trembling as his narrow, blue eyes trained on me.

  Assessing.

  Pulling.

  Calming.

  His eyes were something I couldn’t shy away from, no matter how hard I tried. Because as deeply as my flight instincts were ingrained in me, they didn’t take notice when I was in Hudson’s presence.

  It was as if my body knew that he was safe.