Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(137)
“You better make her cum,” Henry commands.
I can’t help but laugh, distracted by his words.
“You better make her cum before we get back,” He continues. “If she doesn’t cum, you won’t cum later.”
Maggie grunts into me, obviously not enjoying his threat. Her fingers and tongue continue to tease me, bringing me close, but never to full climax. My right hand extends out, needing something to grab onto out of frustration. Curling into the corner of the chair in front of me, my nails dig into the fabric. Something warm brushes against my arm, causing my head to glance at the source as the orgasm flurries through me. A smile creeps across my face when I realize that Joe has reached between the door and chair to touch me. My fingers tighten around his as my body shakes from the aftermath of my release.
Maggie and I finish dressing right as Henry pulls up the long driveway to the cabin. Once inside the garage, Maggie jumps out of the back seat and into Henry’s arms. Feeling awkward, I dart inside after them as Henry gets the door open to the house. Sadie happily greets us all.
Not sure what to say or how to handle the moment with Joe, I head to the back, large wooden porch and take Sadie out, letting her run around and relieve herself one last time for the night. As Sadie darts off the deck, the low back porch light goes out and the door opens. My head spins to see what’s going on and two seconds later, Joe is standing right in front of me. He cups my face and delivers his lips to mine with sweet force — I swear I can feel a flood of emotions pour from him by the way he touches me. When his mouth lets go, I notice that my body has molded to his with my arms twisting up his back.
“I miss you,” he says, sounding like he’s choking back tears.
I’m unable to say a word, unsure how to express myself. Instead, my arms reach up and curl around his neck, pulling him as close to me as I can. We stand, holding each other for a very long time.
“Are we . . . good?” he asks with nervousness in his voice.
“Yes,” I breathe out. My lips reach for his to reassure him.
“Good,” he says more confidently. Joe buries his face in my neck, letting out a sign of relief. “We should go in,” he regrettably suggests.
“Yeah,” I agree, not willing to let go just yet.
When the cold becomes too much for us, and Sadie is whimpering to be let in, Joe and I quietly move inside. He walks me to my room, holding my hand the whole time. Joe opens the door, gesturing for me to go in first. Sadie is quick to follow and jumps on the bed, ready to turn in for the night.
Joe takes a step inside the room and we both pause when we hear a funny sound. “They’re back,” he announces. His lips take mine frantically. “Goodnight, beautiful.”
“Goodnight,” I reply with my lips chasing his.
He takes another look at me before stealing one last kiss and then rushes down the hall to his bedroom. Joe turns to look at me when he gets to his door. We stand, looking at each other until we hear voices coming from below. I hesitantly go inside my room while Joe stays still, probably watching me until my door closes shut.
One Hundred Four
New Year’s Eve is upon us and Joe and I haven’t been able to be alone to talk or be sexually intimate — not that it matters with it being that time of the month. We’ve gone back and forth via text messages and phone calls when we can, but when one of us is clear to talk about what happened, the other is in close proximity to someone who may overhear.
Joe’s parents invited my friends and family to their annual New Year’s Eve bash they have hosted for the past several years. Maggie’s family went back to California the day my friends and I went up to Connecticut, so it’s just Jared, Maggie, Henry, Nathan, Pop-Pop, Joanna and me left on the East Coast. Henry’s parents have stayed in town and don’t plan on leaving until the day after New Year’s.
As I’m transferring a few things from my main purse into my clutch that I’m using for the night, my eyes come across a note tied to two extra keys on my keychain:
Just in case you change your mind.
xoxo
Joe
I smile at his forwardness, glad to know he hasn’t given up on me.
Arriving to the party, my eyes soak up the brilliance of the building and the ballroom is exquisite. There are at least three hundred people in attendance and I’m thoroughly enjoying not being followed by the media.
Once I’m oriented, I make sure to greet everyone of the Covelli family and am a little sad to see that the kids didn’t join us, but then again, this isn’t a party that would suit children. Throughout the night, everyone chats, eats and dances. Mr. Covelli requests a dance with me and I happily oblige when I’m done dancing with Jared. With it being an older crowd, there’s less fast-paced music being performed by the musicians — they’re primarily playing a wide variety of classical music.
After having a bit of wine to cope with the jitters of the celebration, I make my wait out into the main lobby area to use the restroom. Right as I’m rounding doorway from the ballroom, I practically bump into a blonde who appears to be about my age.