Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(145)

“Yes,” I moan, narrowing in on another release. My fingers dig into the sheets.

Joe curls his body forward where I can feel some of his stomach on my back. “Cum for me, beautiful,” he requests.

“Yes,” I pant.

The release floods my body, sounding off through my throat with a thunderous roar. As I catch my breath, Joe shifts us to face each other. I’m on my back and he’s already back inside me. He pulses with slow, firm thrusts as he stares into my eyes. He keeps his face close to mine, kissing me on occasion as our fingers lace together. We savor the moment, allowing for the gradual build up until we finish together.

“You’re so sexy,” Joe says after we finish.

“And, you’re kinky,” I tease.

“You bring it out of me,” he states.

“Don’t blame me,” I scold playfully.

“I like that you do,” he admits. “Besides, you like it.”

“Maybe,” I tease.

“Definitely,” he confirms.

Sadie joins us on the bed, forcing us under the covers. He hops out of bed, at my protest, tossing the condom away and then returning with the tray of food. Once we’re done eating, we make our way into the shower, rinsing off for the night. Joe stays naked as he crawls back into bed while I put on a tank top and underwear.

Five minutes into settling in for the evening, my phone rings. “Hey, Jared,” I greet warmly.

Nonsensical noises reverberate through the receiver with what sound like the possibility of words.

“Jared? What’s going on?”

“Where are you?” he sobs.

“At the hotel. Why?” I ask. “What’s going on?”

“I’m coming to you,” he informs. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

The phone goes silent.

“Shit!”

“What’s wrong?” Joe asks.

“I don’t know,” I reply, dumbfounded by what I just heard.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”


“I don’t know,” I repeat, shaking my head. “Jared didn’t say, but he was upset.”

Joe and I stare at each other for a moment, processing what just happened.

“You need to go,” I blurt, jumping out of the bed.

“Why?”

“Jared’s on his way,” I mention, gathering Joe’s clothes and shoving them at him.

We both scurry to get dressed and pack his bag. I rush to move the room service cart out into the hallway, purposefully moving it a few doors down. When I get back into the room, I grab Joe’s iPad from the coffee table and hand it to him.

Joe takes my cheeks, stealing a kiss before he has to go. “I’ll miss you,” he says.

“Joe,” I whine.

There’s a knock at the door.

“Shit,” I say under my breath. “Hide in the bedroom. Stay more toward the bathroom or closet.”

“If he stays long enough, he’ll see me,” Joe mentions.

“Emma?” Jared’s voice calls from behind the door.

“Just a second,” I answer.

Sadie backs away from the door as I open it. “Hey,” I greet, trying to sound up beat.

The stench of whisky permeates the air. My eyes trail down from Jared’s red, swollen eyes to the bottle clenched in his hand that is missing a third of its contents. There are only two times I’ve witnessed Jared drinking whisky — this is not good.

Jared launches into my arms, sobbing.

“It’s okay,” I soothe.

We stumble into the room as I try to support most of his weight.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” I inquire, coaxing him to talk as I get him to sit at the breakfast bar.

Jared sobs into my shoulder, not letting me go, making the sounds of what seems an attempt at the English language, but the words are not clear in meaning.

I give him a chance to collect himself.

After a few gulps of air, Jared says, “He’s . . . cheating on me.”

“What?” I say, stunned by his words.

Jared cries more, taking another swig of his bottle.

I pull away, moving around the breakfast bar and into the kitchenette. Taking two glasses out of the cabinet, I ready myself for what’s to come. I carefully take the bottle, pouring a glass for each of us. Jared chugs his drink, pouring another one instantly for himself as I gulp the nasty liquid to get the courage I need. As Jared steadies the glass with both hands to drink, I snatch the bottle and begin pouring it out in the sink.

“Hey!” Jared yells. “What the f*ck, Kitten!” He stumbles around the bar to get to me. “Give me that. I need it.”

Bracing myself, I block him with my right arm as my left continues to drain the bottle.

“That cost a hundred bucks,” he scolds.

“You can’t afford it,” I rebut.

“I need it,” he says, yanking on me to get out of the way. “Give it back. I need it.”

The bottle clangs in the sink as I let it go and use both hands to subdue Jared. We wrestle to the ground for a few seconds until I’ve got him pinned.

“Let go of me,” he shouts.

“No,” I reply. “Not until you calm down.”