Life Support (The Breathe Series Book 2)
Read Life Support (The Breathe Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Zoe Norman
Tags: #The Breathe Series – Book Two
Life Support
Copyright © 2014 Zoe Norman, LLC
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persona, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Cover design prepared by Robin Harper, Wicked by Design
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This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights this work. Unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.
The subject matter contained herein is not appropriate for minors. Please note that this novel contains profanity and explicit sexual situations.
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“ARE YOU COMING, BEAUTIFUL?!” I yell down the hall toward my bedroom while checking my watch for the fourth time. I’m not-so-patiently waiting for my girlfriend, Olivia, to emerge. We agreed to leave my place at nine thirty a.m. and we’re currently running nearly forty minutes late. Big shocker. I don’t do late, so I’m growing mildly frustrated.
Olivia and I have been dating for a little over eight months, and I have to say that things have been going very well. I’m pretty impressed with us if I do say so myself. And if you know me at all, that’s saying a lot. She’s somewhat successfully managed to change my ideas on being in a relationship. I was an FDNY firefighter by day and a playboy by night. I’ve kept the job but lost the attitude. If I’m being honest, I still become paralyzed with fear at the thought of being in a relationship again, but love makes you do ridiculously stupid, awesome things. Gotta let go of your past to gain a better future and all that shit, right? See? I’m learning.
Speaking of learning, I’m taking notes on Olivia’s quirks, like running late—constantly—and how she fiddles with her fingers when she’s nervous. I’ve learned that she likes to have one pump of chocolate sauce—not syrup—in her nonfat latte and she’s an avid reader of smut. That last one comes in very handy for me, let me tell you. I’m learning that she loves sushi and, as much as I’ve tried to get her to like it, hates football. She’s also proven on more occasions than I dare to admit that she’s super smart. Jeopardy producers, if you’re out there, give my girl a call, because she’s freakishly intelligent.
I know it sounds cliché, but it really does seem like yesterday when I met the beautiful psychologist Olivia Burke in an airport bar of all places. By some twist of fate, I was seated next to Olivia on a six-hour flight from New York to Seattle. I turned slightly stalkerish in my attempt to see her again, and we spent five amazing days together, mostly with me buried deep inside her. Something changed for me on that trip to Seattle. If I stop and think about it, that change happened when I went in search of a beer at that dingy Irish airport bar. When her eyes hit mine –boom. I was done.
Olivia has since fondly dubbed that ride “the flight that changed our lives.” I know. I hear it too. I sound like a lovesick fool. Although that flight was less than a year ago, I’m hardly the same guy who was on that plane. I’ve changed. I’ve matured. I still have my moments of sheer panic when it comes to commitment, but I know I just need to stay focused on what’s important in my life, and what is most important, most precious, most treasured to me is the woman who currently occupies my bathroom and refuses to come out.
Although Olivia and I have been dating for a number of months, she has never pressured me into introducing her to my family. She met my sister, Emily, at the hospital after I had my accident. Outside of that brief encounter, there has been no interaction with Olivia and my family. I know she’s been patiently waiting to meet my mother and get to know Emily a little better. Admittedly, it’s long past due. Luckily, our work schedules have matched up for us to both have this weekend off, and today is the day where we make the trip to my mother’s house in Woodbridge, Connecticut, to formally introduce Olivia to my family as my girlfriend.
Surprisingly, I’m really not nervous at all. Olivia, on the other hand, does not share my sense of calmness. She’s been primping and preening for the past two hours and changed her outfit twice. I’ve witnessed the transformation of her hair from down in beautiful curls to an updo, and the last time I saw her darting frantically across my apartment, she had a half-up, half-down hairstyle—for now.
I have to chuckle to myself at Olivia’s nervousness. Of course, she has no reason for concern. My mom, Mimi, my sister, Emily, and my brother-in-law, Vince, are easy to love and as nonthreatening as a sleeping baby. I know, without a doubt, they will love her too. I’m not sure why I’ve waited so long to introduce her to my family, and I’m kind of embarrassed by it. Like with most things, I’m a little slow on the draw when it comes to all things ‘relationship.’ However, now that Olivia has agreed to move in with me, it’s gotten to that ‘it’s the next step’ phase and I’m happy to be making the day trip out to my mom’s to introduce Olivia to the other most important people in my life.
“Olivia!” I yell a little louder down the hall. “Babe, I’m sure you look beautiful as always, but if we don’t hit the road soon, the traffic is going to be a bitch. Will you please just come out already?” I wait two beats for a response.
Hearing none, I flex my arms, shake my fists at the ceiling, and throw my head back in a silent, frustrated yell. I walk the few steps down the hallway toward my bedroom. When I swing the door open, I catch Olivia’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her hips are pressed against the countertop and one eye is closed, her mouth agape as she applies her black mascara.
Olivia meets my gaze in the mirror as I enter the en suite bathroom and stand behind her. Instinctively, I grab her hips with my fingertips and pull her back toward me so she’s nestled against my crotch. She stands up straight and groans annoyingly as I begin to dry-hump her from behind. Hey, if I see an opportunity, I take it. Olivia bent over the countertop and in front of the mirror is one of my favorite positions with her.