Breathe In (Just Breathe, #1)(100)

“Got it,” Joe replies.

“I love you.” Jared hugs and kisses me on the cheek.

“Still not my favorite person right now,” I comment with my arms crossed.

“I still love you anyway,” he sweetly remarks, tugging at my heartstrings.

“Love you too,” I mumble under my breath.

Joe walks Jared out while I work on unzipping my dress. Taking my shoes off, I head to the bathroom to use the mirror to see better. Yep, definitely more drunk that I thought. Eyeing my reflection, my pleased grin begins to change to a subdued sadness as the reality of tonight begins to sink into my heart. One of my two best friends is getting married. I’m happy for her, but my gut drops knowing that I’ve lost her. A tear runs down my cheek as I look away.

“You okay,” Joe checks, walking towards me.

“Huh? Yeah. Good,” I return, wiping the tear away.

“What’s wrong?” he searches with concern.

“Nothing,” I lie. “Umm, can you help me with the zipper?” I turn and move my hair out of the way.

“Sure.” He gently lowers it with ease.

Our bodies hover close, not wanting to separate. He softly cups my chin and dries my cheeks from the tear stains. With the power of alcohol coursing through me, I kiss Joe. He returns the embrace before he unexpectedly pulls away. My eyes blink slowly as I try to comprehend what just happened.


“We should get you to bed,” he directs.

“Okay,” I quietly agree, pouting.

I suddenly feel frisky at the thought that he might want to fool around.

Incoherently, I take off my dress and hang it in the closet. Left with just a strapless bra and a matching lace thong, I search for pajamas. Retrieving light grey boy-shorts underwear and a matching tank top, I ungracefully change. Not caring about my hair and make-up, I turn to get under the covers. A giggle sneaks out of my mouth when I find Joe on the edge of the bed petting Sadie. I forgot he was in the room.

Amused by the thought, I tease, “Were you just watching me get dressed?”

“No,” he contends, looking at me. He jerks his head away immediately.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, gulping down the rest of the water in the glass on the nightstand.

Clearing his throat, he comments, “Nothing.”

For some strange reason, I sit down on Joe’s lap. “Are you mad at me?”

“No. God, no. Why would you think that?” he professes without hesitation. He brushes a few strands of hair off my shoulder.

Shifting, I straddle him, watching his express as he keeps his head turned to the side. I slide closer to him, but he firmly places his hands on my hips. “You look like your mad at me,” I say with concern.

With a genuine smile, he looks at me. “I’m not mad at you.”

My intoxication and physical desire for him urges me and my lips are suddenly embracing his. Joe doesn’t fight and allows my lips and tongue to caress his. My hands slide down his shoulders to his top shirt button, and when the second button is loose, he pulls away.

“We should get you to bed,” his gruff voice states.

I slide under the covers towards the middle of the bed as Sadie curls up next to me. Joe shifts the covers and then sits down. I pout when I realize that he’s not joining me.

“What’s wrong?”

“You aren’t joining me?”

“Not tonight,” he asserts.

I pout more, but it doesn’t seem to phase him.

Laughing, he kisses me on the forehead. “Goodnight, beautiful.”

“Goodnight, Joe.”





Twenty Three


As I attempt to lift my heavy eyelids, I discover a hazy darkness surrounding me. Blinking slowly several times, my half-opened eyes won’t focus to give me any clear indication of what’s around me and where the blurry, flashing lights above are coming from. My body feels heavy. Still unable to open my eyes all the way, I perceive that I’m laying down somewhere. A cool dampness near my left cheek reveals itself as a slight gust of air brushes past my face. Sliding my right arm up the side of my body like a snake, my fingers creep to my lips. Drool — or, at least I hope so.

Two large and oddly shaped figures materialize in front of me. They are so close, only a foot or two away. Voices suddenly emanate from the now more defined silhouettes. Their speech sounds muffled and trails off into the distance even as I try to concentrate on their words. Who are they? What are they saying? Why can’t I understand them? One of the voices almost sounds feminine.

Another indistinguishable sound gradually becomes more apparent as it grows louder and the ringing in my ears subsides. It’s the engine of a car. My brain finally starts to put the fuzzy pieces of evidence together. I must have fallen asleep in the back seat. A familiar smell creeps into my nose that reassures me — my mother’s perfume. When the one figure turns to look in my direction, I see Maggie staring back at me.

“Maggie?” my throat squeezes out in a raw, breathy, hoarse tone.

“Wake up, Emma.” Her voice replies in a low sluggish tone.

What is she talking about? I am awake.

A sudden rush of nervousness enters my belly. The car feels like it’s flying down the road like a rocket ship as the speed of the flashing lights zooming above my head all blur into one.