Breathe Again (36 page)

“He is harmless.” Blake laughed. “He knows she’s yours.”

“She isn’t mine. That’s the problem.”

“Well, change that.”

“I am planning to. I just told her that I pretty much have our lives planned out and she didn’t run off screaming, so that’s a positive.” I laughed at the stupidity of this whole situation. Blake and I were players from way back, but here we were, talking about the future, me about my grand plans of living in the suburbs with my girl and kids and Blake looking like a lovesick puppy as he stared at a pretty brunette sitting by the bar. Seriously, what the fuck had happened to us?

“Who is she?” I nodded towards the bar. Blake’s eyes followed mine and I heard him sigh loudly.

“Band manager of the band we are touring with.”

“I didn’t ask her profession, Blake. Who is she?”

Blake scrunched his face up and groaned loudly. “She is my perfect distraction.”

“It’s always the way.”

Blake shook his head and glanced one last time at the brunette before taking off towards the stage, clipping Colby around the ear as he walked past. It was their final song before the opening night of Red Velvet Las Vegas was officially done. I had no idea what time it was. Tanzi and Jack had disappeared about an hour ago, and now it was just Sav and me.

When the first strum of Blake’s guitar shattered the air, Savannah moved to the front of the stage. As her body swayed along with the sounds of The Fallen, flashbacks flooded through my mind of that very first night at Red Velvet Los Angeles. I had stood watching this stranger I’d only known as Tanzi’s new Aussie best friend move her body so seductively, so mesmerizingly. I’d wanted her in every sense of the word that night, and now, almost four years later, absolutely nothing had changed. If anything, I needed her more now than I ever had.

Throwing caution to the wind, I did something I should have done four years ago. Weaving my way through the crowd and making my way to the front of the stage, I moved behind her and slid my arms around her waist, pulling her tight against my chest. Her head turned to look at me and a smile covered her face. Our bodies meshed together in perfect sync as we swayed with the rhythm of the music. Her head fell back against my chest and her hands covered mine. We moved to the music, completely lost in the low pulse of the bass and the feeling of our bodies locked together.

Sav twisted in my arms to face me, her arms snaking around my neck and her nails running through the back of my hair. “I need to kiss you, Tate.” Her tongue swiped her lips as the look in her eyes intensified and ran over my face. Her lips caught the corner of my mouth in the most sensual way, making me forget that we were in the middle of the dance floor.

I gripped her waist tighter and dragged her as close as physically possible, needing to feel every inch of her body. My hand clasped the back of her neck, enticing her mouth to mine. Her tongue ran the length of my bottom lip, asking for acceptance. Slowly we molded together in a sea of bliss. I wanted to taste every inch of her mouth. I wanted the memories of every kiss we had to flood back. I missed this. I missed getting lost in the passion of kissing Savannah Rae. Never again would we be apart.

Breathlessly, she pulled away and smiled softly. “I’ve missed that.”

“It’s about time,” came a voice from the stage. We both swung around as Blake looked down at us and fired a thumbs up towards us. Sav buried her face in my chest as a giggle rose from her throat.

“Can I take you home, my Aussie?”

“I never thought you’d ask.”

A
S WE
walked into our room, Sav’s hand clamped mine as she walked unsteadily on her feet.

“You can’t handle your tequila anymore.” I laughed as I led her to the bed and sat her down.

She looked up with unfocused eyes. “Oh, I know it’s devastating. I am the queen of tequila and now look at me. I am a bloody disgrace,” she complained with a pout before falling back onto the bed with a giggle. “What are you thinking?” Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked at me and asked the question that was beginning to be our thing.

“I am having an internal battle with myself about whether I should take advantage of my drunk girlfriend. It has been a while, you know.” I winked as I undid the buttons of my shirt and slipped it off my shoulders.

Sav sat up on the edge of the bed, tugged on my belt, and reeled me in towards her. “Your drunk girlfriend would be very welcoming if you took advantage of her. I hope my va-jay-jay still works.”

“Your va-jay-jay? What the fuck?”

“Fine, my pussy. Jeez, Tate, I was trying to be a respectable woman. I’m a mother now, you know.

“I cannot wait to find out if your pussy still works, but it won’t be happening now. I want you to remember every single feeling, thrust, scream, moan, and depth my cock goes. I want to own you when we have sex, Sav, and I need you fully functional for that.”

“So you are just going to leave your girlfriend turned on and desperate?” The pout reappeared.

“Yep.” I winked at her and pushed her back on the bed. She fell instantly with a huff.

As she pulled off her heels one at a time, I felt her eyes burning into me. I counted to ten in my head, desperate to stop the blood flow flooding my high-alert cock. I could not have sex with her right now.

I motioned with my finger for her to roll over, which she obliged without a fight. Unzipping the zipper on the back of her dress, I slid the straps over her shoulders and removed the tight dress, making sure I touched every inch of her body as I slid it over her tits, her waist, and finally those hips. She rolled onto her back when I finished and lay before me in virgin-white panties and a push-up bra, her glowing skin, tinted from the California skin, beaming in front of me.

“You are a goddess, Savannah. It is killing me not to take you right now.”

“Can I sleep in one of your shirts?” she almost begged.

I walked to my suitcase, removed one of my shirts, and handed it to Savannah. She stood from the bed, removing her bra and pulling my shirt over her head. Seeing her in just panties and my shirt sitting perfectly short on her thighs was a painful turn-on. She walked uneasily towards the bathroom, turning the light on and walking to the vanity.

Pulling the comforter back, I lay down and watched her through the glass walls. Slowly she began taking off her makeup, not letting her gaze leave mine in the mirror.

I finally had her back.

Savannah

M
Y HEAD
pounded as the tequila I had so easily and recklessly consumed barely hours ago decided to remind me of its most recent assault. My love/hate relationship with the deliciously intoxicating spirit was now leaning towards the hate side at a rapid rate.

As I shifted in bed, a weight pressed firmly against my back, heating my skin with radiating warmth. Tate. I finally had him back in my arms. The night sky still floated through the windows, and the lights of Las Vegas allowed me to see the outline of his gorgeous face as I slowly turned to face him. Never again would I be away from him. I would stick to him like super glue.

Sliding out slowly from under his arm, desperate not to wake him, I held my breath as he rolled over with a sigh and huddled into my now vacant pillow. I quietly moved through the room towards my suitcase while my eyes remained locked firmly on Tate’s sleeping form. My fingertips found the satin of my favorite black gown and I quickly removed his shirt—that had left his delicious scent tainting my skin—and panties and slipped the gown over my naked body. Giving him one last look, I sauntered back to the bed with a seductive smiling taking over my face and the sass of Savannah roaring inside.

“Tate,” I whispered, grabbing his hand as I stood beside the bed. He stirred in his sleep but refused to be interrupted from his slumber. “Wake up.”

Kneeling beside the bed, I leaned over his sleeping form and placed my lips softly on his. If he wouldn’t wake on his own, then I’d make sure he woke with a start. Splashing his closed mouth with kisses, I ran my tongue along his bottom lip before pulling it between my teeth. The moment my teeth gnawed at his bottom lip, he came alive with a groan. His hand shot out from under the cover and moved to the back of my head, pulling my face closer to his as his lips opened and his tongue met mine frantically. Right after he started kissing me back, he pulled back suddenly and looked at me with hooded eyes.

“Sav?”

“I had to do something to wake you up.” My words vibrated against his lips. “You need to get up.”

“Sav, it’s like three a.m.,” he groaned after looking at the time on his phone.

“Tate, it’s like eight a.m. somewhere,” I taunted, mimicking his American accent.

“Are you teasing me?”

“Never.” Standing up, I pulled back the covers, revealing his naked body. “Now get that sexy body out of bed. We are leaving in ten minutes.”

“What? Where are we going?”

“Get your arse out of bed, Tate. Otherwise I’ll find someone else to go swimming with!”

His eyes widened as he slowly sat up in bed with increased interest. “Are you going to wear
the
bikini?”

“I’m wearing this,” I slowly ran my fingers along to sash around my waist. A gentle pull allowed the front of the gown to open and reveal my naked body. His hungry eyes swept over my bare skin. I’d finally gotten his attention. “Now, if you don’t get your arse out of bed, my naked body and I will be swimming alone, and because of the way you left me earlier, I know for a fact I’ll be having sex tonight—with or without you.”

Tate shot out of bed in one swift movement and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before I had time to laugh. Grabbing my hand and the room key, he dragged me out of the room and towards the elevator without a word.

“You do realize that I have never ever felt this turned on in my life,” He growled from across the lift as the air around us grew thicker with need and anticipation.

“What better way to make up for lost time?” I hit the first floor button and started watching the numbers drop. “We have to get off at the first floor and use the stairs so no one sees us.”

“How long have you been planning this?” he asked with a laugh.

“Since the moment I saw the pool.” The chime of the lift door opening broke our gaze, and I impatiently pulled on his hand as we stepped out into the quiet of the first floor. In silence, we rushed down the hall and down the stairs until we reached the emptiness of the pool area. My eyes darted frantically around for any signs of life; it was just me, Tate, and the beauty of the pool.

The fairy lights around the pool were still shimmering like a billion stars in the night sky, and the translucent lights at the bottom of the pool made the crystal-clear water radiate through the air. I grabbed hold of both of Tate’s hands and walked backwards as I led him to the secluded area at the back of the pool where it was almost cave like.

“I love you, Tate. Like no one I’ve loved before.”

“I know, Sav.” His words were simple but full of promise.

Dropping his hands, I undid the sash, pulled the satin robe over my shoulders, and felt it skim my body as it dropped to the floor. I had never felt as sexy as I did right this second. I moved into the water, taking one step at a time. The coolness of the water met the fire of my body as I swam away from the steps towards the middle of the secluded pool.

The feeling of Tate’s eyes on me only increased the desire flooding me and the ache of my body for his. I turned back to where I’d left him and found a very empty poolside. What the hell? My eyes darted frantically around the pool edge for any sign of him.

Suddenly, hands wrapped around my bare waist, pulling me back against a firm, equally naked body. His lips crashed onto my neck as I fell back against him. With his arm around my waist, he held me in place as my arm traveled to the back of his neck. My entire body felt like it was on fire, a stark contradiction to the cool water surrounding it.

“Tell me this is it, Sav. That there will never be another time where we are apart,” he murmured against my neck as he kissed his way along the sensitive skin to my ear, pulling my lobe between his teeth. “Tell me we are forever.”

“I’ll always be here, Tate,” I groaned as a hand swept over my hips, dropping dangerously close to where I craved him the most. “You are and will always be my priority, my number one.”

Without warning, he thrust one finger deep in me. Instantly, my body bucked against him and he drove deeper inside me as his mouth continued its assault on my neck. The feeling of his teeth gnawing at my skin and his finger plunging further within me were pushing me to a place only he could take me. Rocking back into his body, I felt the swell of his erection grind against me and heard the break of his breathing.

With one swift movement, I twisted my body to meet his. His hands gripped under my arse and lifted me from my feet, my legs wrapping around his body fiercely and our chests colliding and meeting as one. The water swished around us as we moved to the secluded corner of the pool, hidden away from the rest of the world. My eyes burned into his as the intensity of this moment hit both of us. My heart thundered in my chest; my body ached to be filled with what I had missed for so many months.