Breathe In (Just Breathe, #1)(175)
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah . . . you’re the first to know. I’m telling Henry either tonight or tomorrow. I’m waiting for the right moment, you know.”
“Kim knows though, right?” I check.
“No. I haven’t had an appointment with her. I have one scheduled when we get back from the honeymoon to find out how far along I am,” she confirms.
“Thank you,” I say with tears in my eyes.
“For what?”
“Sharing it with me. Thank you,” I take a deep breath in to fight the sobs. “I’m so happy for you!” I wrap my other arm around her.
I am. I genuinely am happy for Maggie. I’m happy for her. I’m proud of her. She couldn’t be more perfect than in this very moment.
“You can tell Jared after we’ve already left, but no one else. I want to make it a special thing to tell the rest of the family,” she explains.
“Okay,” I agree.
The next slow song that comes on, Maggie and I dance together. Jared and Nathan join us about halfway through the song, circling around Maggie and me. Shortly after, Jade wedges herself between our legs, so I pick her up. Henry, Joe, Jimmy and Allen surround Jared and Nathan. As my eyes sweep across all of the beautiful, happy faces around me and to others in the crowd like Amy, Kim, Peter, Eric, Rey, Jet, M?qīn, F?qīn and Nǎinai, I feel — I feel as if my life is complete. It’s a family. They’re a family. They just aren’t a family. They’re my family.
Henry and Maggie leave the reception while at least half of the guests continue to dance and celebrate into the night. I hide in a corner, sitting in a lounge area away from the single men who keep asking me to dance or offer me a drink. Jared and Nathan come by first, followed by Jimmy, Allen and Joe. Lee and Richard bring a few stragglers along with them, mostly the men who I’ve been avoiding.
Jimmy and Allen disappear first followed by Jared and Nathan about a half hour later. I beg Jared to stay, but sex is more important than saving his best friend from a bunch of boys. It doesn’t take long before some of the men start to move closer and talk to me. I try my best to be polite until I can’t stand it any longer. I need to get away. But how?
“We forgot to give Henry and Maggie the thing,” I abruptly announce to Joe.
With a puzzled look on his face, Joe just stares at me.
“Come one.” I pull on Joe’s sleeve to get him to stand up.
“I don’t think now is a good time to bother them,” he counters.
“We aren’t going to bother them. We’ll take it to the front desk and instruct them to deliver it with their morning breakfast,” I explain to make my actions sound more realistic to the men around us.
Without question or hesitation, Joe follows me as we duck around corners or rush past open doorways to prevent ourselves from being seen.
“What are we doing?” he asks when we get stuck behind a pillar. “What thing did we forget to give Henry and Maggie?”
“Shh . . . the thing, remember,” I inform him, as if he knows what I’m talking about. “We’re waiting until it’s clear to go by.”
“Why? Why don’t we just walk by?”
“Shhh . . . I don’t want to be seen or heard,” I explain.
“Why don’t you want to be . . . ” Joe’s voices trails when I yank on his collar to follow me, dragging him behind me into a staff member service elevator.
“I don’t think we’re allowed to use this one,” he contends, slowing down as I enter the box.
I pull him in and press the button for the doors to close. As soon as we have privacy, I press my body against his and seize his lips. Joe doesn’t object, instead, he presses harder into me forcing me back against the wall.
“So, what’s the thing we forgot?” Joe questions once the doors open to our floor.
“You’ll see . . . ” I offer with a smile as we walk casually down the hall to our rooms.
Joe ushers me to my room. I guess he thinks the thing I’m talking about is in my room.
I turn to face him and check down the hallway before I reach into his jacket pocket and pull out the very item I intended to get.
“What are you doing?” he questions as I shift around him and walk towards the other side of the hall.
Biting my lip, I hold up what I took out of his pocket. Without taking my eyes off of him, I slip the key in the slot behind me and crack open the door. I don’t say a word as I push the door open further and turn to go into his hotel room. As soon as the door closes, I hear Joe lock the security latch. There’s one light on in the room, but it’s coming from the bathroom, causing me eyes to take a moment to adjust.
I walk over to the dresser and gently set down my purse. Joe’s body brushes against mine when he places his right hand on my hip and turns on the small lamp that is next to me on the dresser and sets down his ruby cufflinks. Turning my head to the left, I can see Joe out of the corner of my eye. Joe caress my naked arm and I knowingly lean back into his body. Holding my cheek, Joe delicately kisses me as if he’s savoring the moment. My right hand rests on his and my left seeks to curl into his hair, not wanting him to stop.
I moan when Joe removes his lips from mine, but I’m pleasantly surprised when his fingers begin to unbutton the back of my dress, taking his time. After the top three are undone, Joe’s fingers tease my spine, gradually caressing my skin to the bottom of the back opening. I begin to take care of the few buttons that are at my lower back, but Joe eagerly takes over. My dress is carefully peeled away from my body before it falls and bunches on the floor at my feet. I’m left wearing nothing but my lace thong, the garter and my Jimmy Choo shoes. I slide my hand up and release my hair from its confinements.