Breathe In (Just Breathe, #1)(116)
“Maggie and Emma in the bathroom,” Nathan giggles.
“No, we didn’t,” Maggie interjects. “We just kissed.”
“Wait. I thought you were into men,” Allen inquires.
“She is . . but, when she can’t find a man to satisfy her needs, she and Maggie hook up. They’ve been dong it since . . .”
I punch Nathan in the arm, cutting him off.
“Ow,” he whimpers. “What the hell.”
Pissed, I walk away not sticking around to hear the rest of the conversation. Not sure where to go, I make my way out to the parking lot. As I lean my back on the car and cross my arms, I see Joe following after me.
“Leave me alone,” I demand.
“Jared didn’t want you by yourself.”
“Well, then he should have joined me,” I say with agitation. “Besides, I’m a big girl and I know how to take care of myself.”
“Jared didn’t send me. I offered when I saw him going after you, but he was trying to keep Nathan from coming too,” Joe admits.
We stand without saying a word for a few minutes. Joe keeps his distance, but I can see the concern on his face. He wants to comfort me, but he’s not sure how.
“Want to talk about it?” Joe suggests rather than questions.
“About what? What do you want to know?” I heatedly throw back at him.
“I don’t need to know anything. I just thought you might want to talk,” he defends.
“Emma!” Maggie shouts from a distance. She continues shouting my name until she’s a few feet away. “Emma. The others want to stay, but Henry’s coming so we can head back. ”
“Sounds good,” I deliver with some irritation.
Maggie doesn’t seem to notice or realize that my anger wasn’t meant for her. She and I stand holding each other until Henry arrives.
Joe opens the front passenger door and waits for Maggie to get in.
“I’m sitting in the back with Emma,” she announces.
“You should sit with Henry,” I encourage, cognizant to what most likely will happen on the drive back to the hotel if we sit together and I’m not in the mood right now.
“No. I’m riding with you,” she insists.
Pulling her away from the car, away from earshot of Joe, I explain, “Maggie, I appreciate everything you’re doing, but I’m not in the mood and the last thing I need is . . . .”
“Okay. I understand,” she assures, a little disappointed by being turned down.
“Why don’t we see if Joe doesn’t mind driving,” I suggest. “That way you and Henry can relax and enjoy the back seats.”
“Yeah,” she cheerfully agrees.
Joe agrees to drive and gets the keys from Henry after closing the door behind me. Maggie and Henry enter the car on the same side as Joe. Within twenty seconds, we’re pulling out of the parking lot and Maggie’s climbing onto Henry’s lap. I do my best to tune them out while I sit in the front seat with my arms crossed, still fuming from Nathan’s sharing episode.
About twenty minutes later, the four of us are entering the lobby of the Four Season’s. I bid Maggie and Henry goodnight before rushing back to Sadie and my room.
“How’s my girl doing?” I ask Sadie as I step into the foyer of the suite.
She follows me all the way to our room eager for my attention. I avoid talking and making any kind of contact with Joe as I slam and lock my door closed. I then proceed to close and lock each of the two sliding glass doors and glide the wooden privacy shutters to block anyone from being able to look in while the lights are on. Flopping down on the bed, I cuddle with Sadie for a few minutes. She always knows how to calm me.
Restless and sweaty from dancing, I head into the bathroom for a shower. I purposefully grab my vibrator and pleasure myself — stopping after two intense orgasms. Once my pajamas are on and I finish getting ready for bed, I slip under the covers, turn off the lights, and focus on Sadie until my brain and body turn off for the night.
Twenty Eight
Pain and tension in my neck and shoulders pull me from a somewhat restful night’s sleep. I stretch a little on the floor before opening one of the sliding doors open wide enough to let Sadie out. Unfortunately, Sadie forces me out to the patio after her when she decides to enter Joe’s room. I can’t see anything, but Sadie comes immediately when I quietly call her name.
After Sadie runs around the yard for a few minutes, the two of us head back inside for her breakfast. Without realizing it, I make two glasses of clay along with Sadie’s food. The thought to just drink both glasses comes to mind, but suddenly Joe appears.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he says pleasantly.
I nod indifferently.
“Still up for scuba?”
I almost forgot that we scheduled to go over to Molokini Crater today.
“Mmm hmm,” I reply as I gulp down the last of my drink.
Joe and I barely talk from our morning greeting until finally boarding the boat. When we arrive at the dock, I notice that Joe commissioned a private charter boat for our excursion instead of the group tour I had booked. I’m all about privacy, but the whole concept of paying a lot more for certain private access to things is weird to me.
I overhear him using boat lingo with the captain and crew just before the boat launches out into the water. With a beautiful interior living room, and one hundred and eighty degrees of view, Joe, Sadie and I have privacy and a spectacular display of the ocean.