Breathe With Me (The Breathe Series Book 3) Read online

  “Hey, what are you doing out here all by your lonesome?” Skylar’s smooth, sexy voice hits my ears and I snap my head back up with a grin immediately falling across my lips.

  “Just waiting for you.”

  She laughs, tossing her head back along with a mass of brown curls that hang over her shoulder. “You didn’t even know I was coming.”

  Raising my brows with a you’re-damn-right sort of smirk, I hold my hand out and glance past her for a second. “That you are right…I didn’t, but now that you’re here, you want to take a walk with me.”

  Her eyes light up just as another pair of eyes in the distance seem to be throwing daggers at me by the handful. It’s basically the same look I gave the dude that won’t keep his paws off her only minutes ago.

  “Sure, let me go throw my bag in Piper’s cabin and I’ll meet up with you,” Skylar yells, already on a mad dash across the parking lot.

  I jump up, sliding my hands into my back pockets with a shove. Stepping forward, I wander downhill to the path that runs along the shoreline. My feet tread slowly over the dead grass and hard ground that is littered with soggy leaves and small twigs.

  Taking a deep breath, I look back up and Piper’s penetrating stare is almost more than I can take. Why does she torture me? I mean, I’m all too aware of the games chicks can play to entice a guy, but this is definitely not one of them. She looks at me like she has something to say, yet for years all I’ve managed to get out of her is a few bitter words, pissy ass comments and a back-the-hell-off attitude. Never in all that time did I get out of her what happened after she left that summer; no explanation why she was no longer going to Rosemore High, where the hell she moved to and up until last summer she never dared to set foot on these grounds. I know without a doubt that my face was shocked when she drove up that day; hers was an astounding sight for me. Damn, she had changed so much.

  Kicking a stray pebble out of my way with the toe of my shoe, my disheartening thoughts are interrupted with soft thuds coming up behind me. I sneak a quick look and see Skylar’s deep blue-gray eyes, subtly freckled nose and high cheek bones.

  “Ok, I’m back. I had to grab a jacket. It’s chilly,” she huffs and puffs, out of breath from her sprint to meet me.

  Pulling her thin black zip-up hoodie across her chest, she falls into a gentle stroll along side me. My eyes drop to her hands and automatically, I reach out to pull one of them into mine. Although my heart isn’t fully on board, I really like Skylar and have grown accustomed to her company in the past several months. She’s well aware that I’m not out for any sort of fall-in-love-and-get-married type of relationship. I think that’s why we get along so well. She’s easy going, laid back and everything between us is cut and dry; no damn games. She has no hidden agenda or expectation and I sure as hell am one hundred percent honest with my intentions.

  She grips my hand back with a smile and starts to swing her hand like we’re two little kids out on the playground. I cock my head to the side and give her a sarcastic glare from the corner of my eyes. What are we, thirteen? She arches her right eyebrow, leveling me with an assertive look that says, ‘I can do whatever the hell I want to do’ and ‘act whatever age I want’. I chuckle and resign myself to swaying my arm along with her silent beat.

  A brisk wind blows through the air, swinging bare branches with a swoosh above our head and creating a steady ripple pattern over the dark lake waters.

  “I really like it out here.” Her chest expands as she gulps down a lung-full of the calm country setting that I have come to call home.

  “It’s nice, huh?” I look out at the water, gently lapping against the muddy shoreline. “Back when Grandpa bought it, it was nothing but an empty plot of land where people would come and pitch their tents. Even that over there,” I point over across the large body of water to the hint of cabins that you can barely see. “Even those weren’t built yet. He has a big aerial map in the cabin from before everything was built…just grass, trees and water.”

  “That does sound nice. Maybe you can show me the map some time.”

  I sigh and take a quick discreet look her way. “I have something better I can show you later.” I keep a straight face as she laughs, but she knows I’m totally serious. “First, I need to check something out.”

  Letting go of her hand as we get a few more cabins down, I make a bee-line for the second shower house on the property.

  “I just need to check out the breaker box really quick.”

  She follows along behind me as I jog onto the dock, pull the keys out of my pocket and unlock the storage closet right outside the door to the showers. Pulling it open, I scan the wall until the latch comes into sight.

  “So what are you looking for?” Skylar wedges herself into the doorway behind me, a rich sensual perfume fragrance quickly filling the room.

  Scanning the board for an empty circuit that I can connect the new heater to, I run my finger over the few that are on the small board until I see an available one.

  “There we go,” I say, slamming the small metal door to the box. “We’re adding heaters to the shower houses since Grandpa is starting to see some mid-season traffic. Don’t want everyone out here freezing their asses off for trying to smell good, do we?”

  I flip around, standing nearly flush against her in the small room. Mischief sparks behind her eyes as her hands fall to my arms.

  “So, how about that thing you wanted to show me?”

  I laugh, shaking my head at how she isn’t afraid of being absolutely direct with me. Grabbing a fist full of her jacket with one hand, I pull her an inch closer and lean over her shoulder, brushing my unshaven face across her ear.

  “Patience,” I speak softly, making Skylar’s face flip around directly in front of mine.

  “You know patience isn’t one of my strong points.”

  Her eyes glaze over with a playful hunger as her hand starts a slow decent over my stomach. For a split second, I glance around taking in the space in this closet. It’s jam-packed with shelves of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, extra fixtures and a huge ass water softener and water-heater against the back wall. If it weren’t for all those supplies and equipment, there would be ample space to get our freak on. A chilly gust of wind blows through the doorway and has my mind abandoning all thoughts of baring anything until I’m in a heated room.

  I chuckle and slide out the door, hearing a frustrated gasp huffed out behind me. Reaching over, I grab her hand and pull her out of the room.

  “Later,” I enlighten her as she steps behind me on the dock while I lock up. “Come with me a little further so I can check one more breaker box.”

  She nods, always easy going and quick to agree.

  We wind along the secluded dirt pathway that runs the length of Grandpa’s property and make one more pit stop so I can mirror my actions from the second shower house. Skylar keeps the trip lighthearted and interesting, discussing the land and appealing to my love for this place. Being around her is simple; uncomplicated, like hanging with Judd, only I’ve never had a wet dream about him or fantasized about taking him against a water heater.

  Rounding the bend, my camper comes into view and I speed up our pace, eager to get back to the warmth of my small little metal home. As soon as we turn under the skeletons of trees that usually canopy the entire property with a lush green umbrella of foliage, my eyes are automatically drawn back to Piper who is dragging a big log to the brush pile. My lip twitches at the corner as she wrestles with it, but I quickly stare back at the ground in front of me to fight off the flood of emotion that comes with thinking of what has become of us. Screw that.

  Looking to my camper and then quickly to a couple of the vacant cabins to the left, I’m conflicted with where to go.

  “Come on,” she hollers, dragging me towards my camper.

  I suddenly want to root my legs into the ground, unable to imagine another girl in the one place that became mine and Piper’s private haven years ago. Unhinging m
y hesitations, I look up at Skylar’s giddy and excited expression, and relent. There’s no reason to let the past hold me back forever. Staring dead ahead while refusing to look over my shoulder, the familiar presence of her gaze tiptoes over my skin, silently nudging me to look her way, but I don’t.

  With quick hands, I swing the rickety camper door open and motion for Skylar to lead the way so that I can partake in the view of her round ass, thick thighs and curvy hips all crammed into a pair of skin tight jeans. A smile crosses my face as I watch her luscious frame sway through the doorway with me a good arm’s length behind her.

  She glides over the deep brown carpeted floor of the tiny apartment-style living area that I usually enjoy while out here, to the bed at the far end. Plopping down, she lets out a sigh and looks around, her hands out to the sides slowly petting my unmade bed. I squint, crinkling my brows with unease as I glance behind her to the picture of Piper back when she was fourteen.

  “Hey,” I take two strides and lean over her, pressing her body back with mine flush against her. “Time to show you that…ummm…thing.” I wiggle my brows while subtly removing the picture and sliding it beneath my pillow.

  “Oh yeah?” her hands fall to my jeans and it’s obvious as usual that we are on the same page.

  Standing back up, I pull my wallet out, fiddling with the contents until my hand lands on a single foil package. I keep a good grip on it, but carefully tug at her elbows to pull her up with me.

  “Hey, come here.”

  “Where? I’m thinking this is where we should be.”

  Her eyes glimmer with curiosity and honestly, I see no need to lie, but I also don’t have to make her feel like shit by pointing out that every time I look at this bed, I see Piper’s face.

  “Let’s just get up and move this party to another location.” I slide my hand over her elbow and down to her hand, lugging her to her feet and across the room. “That doesn’t feel right over there. How about…” I look around and my eyes land on the small kitchen table that juts out from the side wall surrounded by two soft, ugly-ass plaid cushions. “…right here.”

  Pressing her into the table, I fling the package onto it and slide my hands around her waist while kissing the back of her neck. This is much better. No way had I ever been in this sort of position or situation with Piper, ever; I wouldn’t have dared.

  “Ohhh…” she breathes, dropping the back of her head on my shoulder as my mouth and hands feel their way across her body.

  I lean against her, slowly sliding my hand to the button of her jeans. With a quick flick of my fingers, I loosen the painted on denim and gain access to more thrilling areas of her body. My hand dips further down, her zipper scraping the back of my forearm and pinching the hairs on my arm until my fingers make contact. She pants and whimpers as I tease her with my chest pressed to her back while grinding my hips and pelvis hard against her ass.

  With my hand buried in her jeans, a slight warm weight settles on top of my wrist as she excitedly tries to quicken the pace of my hand with her own. I hold tight to her waist with my other hand, the animalistic urge inside of me wanting nothing more than to shove her pants to the ground and take her against the table, but something about that seems forceful and wrong. I will not be one of those guys; ever.

  Moaning louder as I thrust my fingers along her tender flesh, something springs up and not what I was hoping for.

  “You didn’t go to Weinerville with Tristan, did you?”

  I haven’t a clue in the universe where the damn question came from and why the hell I would bring up another guy when I’m in the middle of this, but nonetheless, it spills from my mouth before I can think. I really don’t care what her answer is, but something about girl talk suddenly strikes me as this potentially becoming a discussion. If they trash talk anything like guys in a locker room, then I want to know if my bedroom skills or anatomy size may be up for comparison with the biggest player around. That shit needs to be nipped in the bud and I might have to work overtime.

  Skylar pulls away from me slightly and shifts her head, her profile turned in front of my face. Her eyebrows are raised and her mouth falls open, sparking a bit more arousal from me.

  “Are you serious?”

  Eager to continue in on my pursuit of making her call out my name in absolute blissful delight, yet unable to concentrate on the tempo of my finger during a conversation, I slow my pace and move my focus to talking.

  “Just curious…no big deal,” I blow it off, but now I’m definitely interested.

  “Ummm…well…” she stutters as I barely shift the location of my fingers.

  “Oh, that’s a yes,” I grin into her shoulder, gently biting her skin playfully. Lifting my chin, I slide my face against her cheek as she moans again, lost in the rhythm of my fingers. “He’s not any good though, huh?”

  She snaps her head to the side, sweeping her lips around to my unshaven face. “Whaaaa…” she says on a deep breath, nudging her hand back to mine which has slowed even more to a slow, teasing strum of her chords. I snicker, enjoying the torture I’m putting her through.

  Pressing my lips to the hollow behind her earlobe, I outline the delicate slope with my tongue, release a warm breath over her skin and whisper, “So did you slam into home with him?”

  She drops her head forward and I can barely make out a hot lustful, needy expression as she scrunches up her face and turns to me with a sexy ass glare.

  “Ummmm…” she tries to speak and her frustration tickles the hell out of me.

  Her chest vibrates in and out beneath her shirt as she answers, “Well yeah, I did.”

  I pause, now curious on his delivery. “So, what…he swings, runs the bases, comes into home and then goes back into the dugout?”

  She blows out an exasperated breath, frantically pushing at my hand which has unknowingly become idle. Oh shit, forgot about that. I slowly flick my fingers, picking up where I left off and immediately igniting a jumpy reaction from her as she melts back into me.

  “Well…ahhhhh…” she hums and my fingers pick up pace over her soft skin. With quivery words, she goes on, “Are we really discussing this now?”

  I smile, wanting to crack up. I don’t give a damn if we’re discussing another dude during this. I can rock her world from one end of this place to the next if I want to and she knows it.

  “Sure.”

  She groans and drops the back of her head to my shoulder. “Well, he more like hits a homerun and then steps up to bat again.”

  My eyes go wide. Stamina, huh? Figures with the way he gets around.

  “Reeeeally? So, he doesn’t stop at the bases or anything…just hits a fielder and rounds back to home?”

  A shaky laugh moves over her lips. “Actually, he never even kissed me, but he stopped at a few bases,” she gasps as I press my face into her shoulder, now concentrating on the goal at hand. “Like with you…ohhhh,” she moans again and I nearly stop, curious at what she’s going to say, but I keep strumming. “You’re more concerned with my reaction and my needs, but he was just working towards the end game…ummm…all,” she breathes out sounding sexy as hell, “…all six times.” Her face falls with a laugh.

  Oh, that’s it! I jerk my hand out of her jeans with the zipper catching on my knuckle and determination spilling through my veins. She spins around on her heels, placing her hand on my chest and with a shocked, ornery look dancing in her eyes at my abrupt action. Two can play at this game. We’ll see if she’ll be laughing in a second.

  “Six…seriously six?” I say on a chuckle while my hands flick the button of my jeans followed by quickly pushing the zipper down. I cannot even fathom how that is possible. Six? After dropping my jeans to the floor, I pull my shirt over my head and waste no time finishing the job until I’m standing there buck ass naked.

  “Get it off.” I raise my eyebrows with a smile as I motion my finger up and down towards her clothes.

  Her eyes sparkle and she complies, taking less time tha
n I did to strip down. I’m impressed. Free of any articles of clothing, I grin and take her by the waist, gently pulling her with me to the cushioned bench seat to our right. She falls back with no help from me and lays there looking at me excitedly with her legs dangling to the ground. My brows quirk up and down playfully as I slide onto her, my lips instantly finding a nice warm slice of skin at her neck to nibble on.

  Nonchalantly reaching up to the table with one hand, I feel around the flat surface until I find the condom package I placed there earlier. Thankfully I snagged a good handful from Judd’s dresser before I left. I’m gonna need them.

  My fingers fumble as I slip it on, but I keep my mouth busy gliding over her skin. Free of any further tasks rather than getting busy, I bring both hands up to get a good two handfuls as my mouth dips lower to enjoy the plumpness. Her mouth goes wide on a moan and I dive in, devouring her succulent skin as I thrust forward to make full contact with her body. A shock wave of sensations moves through me shooting up to my lower abdomen and down both my legs. The sparks continue, immediately growing and I am more than ready to rock this boat, but suddenly my mind hits a road block.

  “Wait,” I steady my breaths and she looks at me like I’ve done lost my mind. “You didn’t do my brother, did you?” Why have I never wondered this before, and why the hell am I thinking about it now? Just say no.

  “Eeeew…no!” she snaps and my confidence in sealing this deal soars. Finding out she got it on with my brother may have been a show stopper.

  Extremely aroused and still focusing on keeping my hips idle, a sneaky smirk rises across my face and I breathe out anxiously, “Ok, good. Now hold on tight, because I have several grand slams to hit.”