Breathe In (Just Breathe, #1)(64)

I look away embarrassed and shocked at his words, not unsure of what to say. Fear starts to boil inside of me when he takes my hand and moves in like he’s going to kiss me. Pulling away, I now know that I need to confront him.

Before opening the door to Nathan’s condo, I turn to look at Joe. I hesitate for a brief moment on what or how to say it. “Nothing will ever happen between the two of us, Joe.”

Confused, he searches, “What do you mean?”

Shaking my head before continuing, I sternly contend, “You know what I mean.”

He pauses, scanning my eyes for something before he hints, “A man can dream, can’t he?”

A tiny smile dances across his face as I get lost in his eyes, searching. Searching for what? I’m still not sure. I do know this, he just confirmed my earlier decisions about keeping him at a distance. I don’t know what to say or what to do at this point. Keeping our eyes locked, I softly shake my head as I hold onto a blank, rigid expression.

His body moves closer as I stand my ground. My hands are balled into fists at my side as he brushes his right hand’s knuckles over my cheek. I’m not sure how long we stand like this, but it’s long enough. Neither one of us are wanting or willing to back down. His hand shifts to where his palm is cupping my chin as he leans his head forward, stopping two inches from my face. Before he can proceed any further, I cut my head to the right, away from his hand, away from his lips. He breathes a sigh of defeat out before placing his lips on my forehead. Once he backs away, I refrain from looking at him as I pivot to open the door.

The past two months with Joe have been great when it comes to hanging out. We’ve had all kinds of conversations; business and personal. We’ve joked, we’ve laughed and we’ve had fun. We’ve become friends, which is odd for me since I don’t have any male friends who aren’t gay. Now, out of nowhere he’s trying to kiss me after the stunt he pulled this morning. I know we’ve joked around and flirted a little, but I swear I haven’t lead him on to think that there’s a chance of a friends with benefits possibility or a relationship.

To my relief, Jared and Nathan are finishing lunch when we enter. This is a great opportunity to either avoid going for a bike ride alone with Joe or to include my friends. I sit on Jared’s lap as Nathan carries several dishes to the kitchen.

Before I even say anything, Nathan asks, “Have any plans? I’m antsy and need to get out.”

“We were thinking on biking around town,” Joe mentions.

“Ooo, that sounds like fun. We’ll join you,” Nathan returns.

“Sure,” Joe and I say simultaneously.

The four of us get changed before heading out to rent bikes. We ride the streets for two hours before we get a text from Maggie wanting to know about dinner plans.

When we get back to the condo, I find out that Maggie graciously fed and walked Sadie. The boys decide to grill again, more confident in their ability since they learned how to properly use the contraption.

During dinner, Joe, Nathan, Henry and I discuss Nathaniel’s current and future status. Nathan is ecstatic to get additional help and support from his two new friends. If Nathan and I were able to get the business into the green zone in just over one year, I marvel at the concept of what can take place with Joe’s and Henry’s connections. Everyone openly shares ideas as Nathan takes notes for later use.


Happy as I am to be with my friends, I need to distance myself physically from Joe. As we all cleanup, I check with Maggie to see when she is planning to head home. “When are you heading back tonight?”

“Henry and I were going to stay. Why?”

“I’ve got a lot of stuff I need to take care of,” I inform her.

“It’s only one extra night,” she indicates.

“I know,” I agree. “But, there are a lot of things I want and need to get done.”

“I can take you,” Joe offers. “I have a meeting tomorrow and need to head out tonight.”

“Perfect!” Maggie squeaks.

I give myself a mental head slap for breeching the topic openly to her in front of everyone. I do have other options like getting a cab, but I know my friends and Joe will insist on me going with him.

I accept Joe’s offer despite my contention. “Okay. When do you need to get back?”

Joe shrugs, brushing off the immediate need, “No specific time. Just enough to get sleep.”

I nod my understanding.

Crap, crap, crap. I’m going to be stuck in a car with him. He better not make an issue of walking me to my door.

We all play a few board games to pass the time. Giving ourselves an easy drive on the roads and to avoid traffic, Joe and I head out with Sadie around ten. The ride is pretty quiet other than me instructing him on which roads to take to get to Pasadena.

“For someone who doesn’t like to drive or be in cars, you sure know your way around,” Joe teases.

“Use of public transportation,” I comment.

He must have seen my leg twitching before reaching over to hold my hand. I pull away in agitation, moreover the fact that I’m in a car.

Joe reaches his hand closer to me. “Come on. I know it helps.”

He’s right, but it takes me a minute to take the offer. I don’t want him to read into holding my hand to mean anything other than easing my anxiety.