Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(10)
Securing his tie back into place, Joe steps closer to me and says, “I should go.”
“Okay,” I agree, surprisingly a little disappointed that he has to leave, but then I remember that his family knows he dropped me off and it’s been a while since he’s been gone.
“Don’t worry,” Joe soothes. “They won’t ask. If there's a comment, I’ll just mention that I had to run a few errands.”
“Okay.” My heart beat slows, confident he’ll provide cover.
“When can I see you again,” Joe questions, placing his hands on my hips.
“I don’t know,” I say.
Nodding his understanding, Joe leans in and kisses me. Our arms wrap around each other, not wanting to let go as our mouths seek to savor every little taste before they part.
“See you later, beautiful,” Joe hums with the sexy voice.
“Later, Joe,” I return in kind.
Fifty
Thursday is a typical day for me — other than my period starting. Looks like I will be a little less distracted from needing Joe’s body for the next few days. Good thing it’s starting too since Jimmy and Allen are still in town and tomorrow we’re leaving to surprise Nathan for his twenty-seventh birthday for a weekend in Vegas.
Nathan has been working incessantly, day in and day out, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s forgotten about his own birthday. Jared and I decided to plan a trip as a little getaway since the only time Nathan has really taken off other than Maggie’s wedding was when we all went to Hawaii. Nathan’s been so focused that he even took work with him when we all went to Sedona for the bachelor-bachelorette weekend. With it being the beginning of August, and the fact that the movie premier with Chris is just seven weeks away, Nathan has been bouncing between finishing the final details of the custom pieces while making sure everything for the upcoming fashion lines is on time.
Arriving in Las Vegas Friday morning an hour after getting on Joe’s private plane, Jared, Nathan, Jimmy, Allen, Pop-Pop, Joe and I check into the Bellagio. Jared and I booked the Executive Parlor Suite for Nathan and him, Jimmy and Allen booked themselves in the Cypress Suite and Joe and I book ourselves and Pop-Pop in our own Bellagio suites.
With lots of time to kill, Jared and I load our friends into a limo to head out onto the Vegas Strip with a particular destination in mind.
When we show up to the building, Nathan freaks out as he steps out of the vehicle. “Holy crap!” He jumps up and down.
“Well you said you wanted to do the real thing, so we figured why not get a preliminary round in first to make sure,” Jared says once Nathan finishes screaming.
“I love you both,” yells Nathan as he runs over to hug Jared and me.
For the next few hours, our group gets to enjoy some indoor skydiving. Everyone packed some extra clothes and Jared had a bag for Nathan and himself. Jared and I rented out the whole facility for the morning, giving our group of seven plenty of time to take the thirty-minute training class and lots of free time to take flight before heading to lunch.
One by one, we each get an individual chance to get acclimated with the instructions from the staff. Soon, we’re flying in what the staff calls the tunnel, and the rest of the time we’re soaring away. We take photos of each person and the staff willingly take some group photos of all of us in flight together. It’s fun to see Pop-Pop having a great time too. He’s a trooper through the whole thing and seems to get a handle on it pretty quickly. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by Pop-Pop’s willingness to do it. He is ex-military.
When I get a moment, I make sure to text Javier, my fake hookup from the bachelor-bachelorette weekend, that I’m in town. We chat back and forth and make plans to see each other next time once the premier is over and it’s safe to let Jared and Nathan know that I played them. Since he and his boyfriend work on the Vegas Strip, he sends over some show tickets for my friends and me. I promise to return the favor when he comes to visit me in the future.
After lunch, we make a round through a casino or two, winning some extra spending cash. We head back to our rooms to wash up and change for a night of fun. For our first night on the Vegas Strip, we all have dinner and take in a Cirque de Soleil show — tickets thanks to Javier — his boyfriend is a performer. By eleven-thirty, Joe and I escort Pop-Pop back to his suite while Jared, Nathan, Jimmy and Allen head out for a night of drinking and dancing.
“Missing Sadie?” Joe questions as we round the corner to the other wing of the hotel. Our rooms are on the same floor as Pop-Pop’s, just on opposite ends.
“A little,” I agree, looking down.
I know Sadie is doing better than me right now. She’s with Amy, Eric and Jet. She’s plenty happy and well occupied.
“Anna could have watched her,” Joe reminds me of his offer.
“I didn’t want to bother her after last weekend with the wedding,” I politely rebut.
“Anna wouldn’t have minded. I caught her talking to Sadie as she did house work,” he chuckles.
Smiling from the thought, I confess, “I do it too.”
Joe brushes his knuckles down the side of my arm — I think he’s trying to reassure me. We arrive to my room and the awkwardness melts away as we stare at each other. My body fidgets needing more of his touch, but I don’t dare tell him that.