Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(150)

“No, I’m not kidding,” Jared answers. “You two had sex on that.” He points to the bed.

“You can deal with it,” I charge.

“I might get cooties or something,” Jared teases. “You never know.”

“This coming from the guy who never changed his sheets for me when we shared a tiny one bedroom apartment, especially after having sex in his own bed . . . in our bed?” I comment.


“It wasn’t that bad,” Jared chuckles.

“You sweat like a beast,” I add.

Jared kisses me and jumps on the bed, curling up on the opposite side from Joe. “Come on, Kitten,” Jared calls, patting the middle of the bed.

My attention bounces between the two of them, not sure about this setup since it’s so unfamiliar to me. If Joe was Maggie, there wouldn’t be any hesitation.

“It’s okay,” Jared soothes. “You can snuggle with your man.”

I take a deep breath before replying, “He’s not my man.”

“I’m good with sharing,” Jared states playfully. “How about you, Joe?”

“Sharing is good,” Joe agrees with a laugh.

“I guess you’re used to sharing,” Jared quips. “At least with Maggie.”

“Jared,” I scold.

“What?” he feigns.

“It’s not like that,” I declare.

“I know,” Jared reminds. “I was just joking.”

“I’m right by the iPad,” I remind. “I can change which movie.”

“You wouldn’t?” Jared checks.

“I would,” I challenge.

“What movie are we watching?” Joe questions, breaking our play fight.

“Galaxy Quest,” Jared reveals.

“Only if you promise to be good,” I reprimand.

“I’m always good,” Jared replies in a mocking tone.

“What’s Galaxy Quest?” Joe asks innocently.

“What?!” Jared snaps. “It’s only the best movie, ever! You’ve never seen it?”

“No,” Joe laughs, amused by Jared’s reaction.

“I don’t know if I can allow you to continue to f*ck my best friend with a response like that,” Jared announces.

“Jared!” I yell.

“Okay,” he corrects. “I’ll let him f*ck you only if he likes it.”

“Jared,” I repeat, my face beginning to burn from embarrassment.

“I’m sure I’ll like it,” Joe interjects. “Emma and I have very similar tastes.”

“I bet you do,” Jared hums.

Shaking my head, I leave the bedroom for a moment.

“Where are you going, Kitten?” Jared inquires, but doesn’t follow me.

I grab the bottle of wine and a single glass, knowing that I’m going to need to drink to be able to handle the rest of the night.

“You okay, beautiful?” Joe asks sweetly, joining me in the kitchenette.

“Yeah,” I huff.

Joe lowers his lips to mine and I’m instantly distracted by his touch and the smell of him. My body conforms into his, desperate for his unwavering ability to calm me with his caress. I feel Joe’s restraint despite giving me enough of what I need for the moment.

“Get a room,” Jared interjects with a laugh as he stands in the doorway.

“Shut up,” I say, not looking at him.

“Are we going to watch the movie or are Sadie and I left to ourselves while you two get it on?” Jared teases.

I don’t verbally respond and just follow him into the bedroom, grabbing the wine glass, the bottle of wine and my phone on the way in, placing them on the nightstand. Jared slumps on his side while Joe offers for me to climb in first. Joe snuggles up to me, having me lay against him. The three of us devour the popcorn — thank God I made a really large bowl. It doesn’t take long for Jared to reach for my hand and I happily accept his, encouraging him to move closer. He shifts, rolling toward me and places his head on my chest. I wrap my arms around him, running my fingers through his hair.

“The one thing I like about women,” Jared mentions, looking up to Joe and me. “Boobs.”

“Since when do you like boobs?” I giggle.

“Especially yours,” he adds. “They’re the perfect pillows.”

The three of us laugh.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Joe jokes.

“Don’t worry,” Jared soothes. “I’m just borrowing them for a while.”

“Sounds good,” Joe chuckles. He leans in, kissing the back of my head. Joe drapes his arms over me, including Jared in the embrace.

The three of us lay connected with Sadie for the rest of the movie. Every so often, I check to see if Jared has fallen asleep, waiting for it to be safe to use my phone — it’s been buzzing a lot. He doesn’t fall asleep until a few minutes just before the end of the movie, exhausted from the whisky and tears that ran down his face several more times throughout the night.

Joe and I wash up for bed and just before I get under the covers, I grab my phone and head back into the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” whispers Joe, following me.


“Nathan and Pop-Pop need to know where Jared is,” I inform him.