Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(73)

Joe walks me to my room, and just before we part, he requests that I text him when I’m finished. Once I’m settled in the tub, I get the courage to take a photo of myself lounging and send it to Joe before I masturbate. He writes back instantly, thanking me for the photo and checks to see if I’m finished yet. A few minutes later, Joe asks if we’re cuddling with our without clothes. I confirm it will definitely be with clothes, God forbid something should happen.

By midnight, Joe and I are tucked under my covers with Sadie. He stays for a while as we lay facing each other, kissing most of the time. Sadie whines when Joe eventually gets up to leave, following him out the door. She comes back to bed with me a few minutes later, curling into our usual position.





Seventy Six


Sadie and I hop right into our usual morning routine easily after our second night at Joe’s. When she and I head out of the building for our morning walk, Joe joins us with his security team. Each time I take Sadie out after learning of Joe’s security detail, I try to see if I recognize any faces. I have no luck discovering who they are or where they might be, and Joe laughs when he realizes what I’m doing. He offers that I’ll meet them later today since his head bodyguard, Hunter, has already found four guys for the job as my team and is still wrangling the last two for Jared’s and Nathan’s. They just need my approval.

Back inside, Joe lets me use his rebounder before Anna’s done making us breakfast. I have trouble staying focused as I jump. Joe’s not in the room, but knowing that I’m in his room is distracting. All I want to do is strip down and wait for him under the covers or in the shower. After stretching, I almost collide into Jimmy in the hallway as I head to the kitchen to eat.

“What were you doing in Joe’s room?” Jimmy accuses playfully.

“Jumping,” I say.

“Jumping Joe’s bone-r is more like it,” he presses. “Look at you, you’re all sweaty.”

“I was on the rebounder,” I object.

“Riiiiight . . .” Jimmy baits, clearly looking for a reaction.

“Joe’s not in there. You can check for yourself,” I offer, walking into the kitchen first.

“Good morning, Mr. James,” Anna greets.

“Morning, Anna.”

“Ms. Emma,” Anna comments.

“Good morning, Anna,” I greet. “Just so you know, you don’t need to greet me each time. Okay?”

“Yes, Ms. Emma,” she accepts.

“Good morning,” Joe says, strolling in the door behind Jimmy and me.

I watch Jimmy as he looks Joe up and down and then back to me.

“Right . . .” Jimmy says sarcastically.

I roll my eyes.

“What?” Joe searches.

“Nothing,” Jimmy blows it off.

“I ran into Jimmy in the hallway. He saw me coming from your room and naturally assumed that the reason why I’m all sweaty is . . . .”

Jimmy cuts me off, “I said no such thing. It’s your dirty mind that thought that all on its own.”

“Bull,” I challenge.

“The guys will be here just before lunch, Emma,” Joe changes the subject.


“Thanks,” I comment.

Jimmy snickers, but doesn’t dare say another word.

After we eat, I shower and then get back to work on business since it’s officially Monday. I do get distracted from time to time, as I have the past couple of days, checking the twitter feeds about Naturally Me, Chris and myself. Chris has yet to make an official statement. From what Jared said in a text, Chris is graciously letting Jared and me handle any statements about our assumed relationship. Right as I’m about to tackle more emails, my eye catches the latest tweet that confirms via photos and videos of me, some with Jared and some without, verifying my association with Naturally Me and as well as a wide variety of comments, statements and speculations about me and Chris — I turn off my iPad after reading about twenty of them.

My head snaps around when I hear my name.

“Emma?” Joe says.

“Hey. Yeah. What’s up?” I reply, sounding as controlled as I can at the moment.

“You okay?” he searches, moving closer.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I lie.

“Hunter and his guys are here,” he informs me.

“Great!”

At least this could be a good distraction for the time being.

Anna leads eight gentlemen into the living room who file into a single line next to each other standing practically at attention. All eight of them are dressed in business attire, which catches me completely off guard. Sadie stays right by my side as I get up from the couch and move in their direction. Upon closer inspection, I recognize one of them — he was the driver when Joe and I had our date as well as for the concert we went to with Joe’s parents.

“Emma,” Joe continues. “This is Hunter, he’s in charge of my team. Ace, Luke and Conor.” Joe gestures to each one when he says their name.

I nod my greeting.

“Who would be in charge for my team?” I check.

“That would be Taylor, ma’am,” Hunter informs me with a slight Southern accent, gesturing toward Taylor.

While Hunter has dirty blonde hair, brown eyes and a stature that is probably five-foot-ten, Taylor is approximately an inch shorter with a two-inch buzz cut, dark brown hair and amber eyes. Both men have chiseled jaw lines and I bet if they smiled, they’d make most girls’ panties drop.