Rescue Breathing (16 page)

Scrapbooker?
I won
't ask.

“
But wait, young lady,” she scolds
impatiently. “I still need to hear about what happened last
night.”

I smile to myself. I forgot that I haven't
filled her in yet. “Last night was pretty fantastic. He is amazing
in bed. Oh, and did I mention
enormous?
Like mind-boggling, holy-shit-how-will-that-fit
enormous.”

Charley gives a shriek.
“Jesus, Liv. You hit the hottie
jackpot!”

I give a smile.
Yeah, I think I did,
I think to myself. “Well I
certainly hit the penis jackpot,” I laugh. “Anyway, we had
breakfast this morning and he asked if we wanted to go with him and
his friend Travis—he's the bachelor—and a few other friends to
the...um...What was it called? Room Seventy-something?”

“
Room 73?” she confirms. “That's a great
bar! I've been there a few times. Lots of dancing and good music.
That sounds like fun actually! Are his friends hot?” she asks with
obvious hope in her voice.

“
Well, if they're the same ones he was with
last night, you ought to be pleasantly surprised, my
friend.”

We both give a laugh and finish up our
conversation. She tells me that she's going to bring me an outfit
for tonight since I haven't brought anything really club worthy and
we come up with a time to meet. We hang up, and as if on cue, my
phone buzzes. It'
s
Owen.

We'll be at the club at 10:00.

I hope I'll see you there.

I respond with a smile.

I talked to Charley. We'll be there.

I'll be the girl in the fuckable dress.
;)

I throw my phone down on the bed, not waiting
for his answer, and go to take a shower.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Olivia

Charley and I step into the club.
It's dark but lit just enough
so you can see the plush surroundings. In the center is a beautiful
bar. People are packed like sardines around it. On one side is an
enormous dance floor. Clusters of seating arrangements—velvet
couches in dark corners, loveseats around tables meant to be shared
by friends—are on the other side. I feel anxious knowing that Owen
will be here. His obvious interest in me this morning, and the
promise of something else tonight, makes me slightly giddy but
cautious.

I move unsteadily toward the bar with
Charley confidently leading the way. I am wearing a short
pleated
-leather skirt
that barely hits mid-thigh and a fitted black lace bustier. I'm
also wearing sky-high heels, which are making maneuvering around
the club difficult, but I'm managing okay. The outfit definitely
qualifies as “
fuckable.
” This
is really not my usual attire, but Charley brought the outfit for
me when she found out that Owen would be here and forced me to wear
it. Charley thinks Owen and I are perfect for each other. A bit of
a stretch for someone who hasn't met him, but I'm having a hard
time getting her to believe that.

Luckily, we find two barstools together
and sit. I order a cosmopolitan and she orders herself a martini.
As the bartender hands me my drink, I look up. There, at the polar
opposite side of the bar, is Owen. He hasn't noticed me yet. He
looks…wow. He's dressed in black jeans and a white button-down
shirt, buttons undone at the neck and the sleeves pushed up to his
elbows. His hair has clearly been brushed but is still a little
wild, and my fingers itch to run through it. He is laughing with
his friends, carefree. He turns toward me and catches me watching
him. We sit staring across the bar, and despite the distance, I
feel that pull deep in my belly. It's like someone sucked the air
out of my lungs. I squeeze my thighs together
unconsciously.

Charley clears her throat. “Ahem! Earth to
Olivia!”

I turn to her. “Oh God, I'm so sorry,
Charley. Did you say something?”

She shakes her head, laughing, “I said, go
over there and get him, Liv. Don't wait for him to make a move. Own
it.”

I look back up at him. He's still staring
at me. I put my head down self-consciously. “I'm going to make an
ass out of myself. I'm going to trip in these shoes and land on my
face.”

She laughs and shakes her head again. “You
are so adorably clueless. You look amazing. You totally own that
outfit with your hot little body.” She nods toward his end of the
bar. “Not to mention the fact that he's eye-fucking you from across
the bar.”

“
I also came here with you. I don't want to
leave you here sitting by yourself. I came out to spend time with
you.”

She grabs my hand. “Olivia, go over there.
I'll be fine here.”

“
Are you sure?”

She nods emphatically.
“Yes I'm sure. He makes you happy. I want
you to be happy. Go get your guy.”

I squeeze her hand and nod. “Okay. Wish me
luck.”

I stand, adjusting my skirt, and start to
walk over to his side of the bar. As I round the corner and come
fully into his view, he straightens. He is assessing me. His eyes
graze from my head to my toes and back again, lingering at the spot
on my thigh where my skirt hits. I can't help but smile and blush.
When I get about two feet away, I stop and look up at
him.

He steps out from behind his
friend
's barstool and
comes over to me, a smirk at his lips. He slides his hands around
my waist, slowly pulling me into him. As he squeezes me, he buries
his head in my hair and says, “You look un-fucking-believable
tonight.”

I smile and shiver. Thank God that's the
response I got. Anything else and I would have run out of here
crying. I feel his hand run down my back and over my ass. He plays
with the hem of my skirt, letting his fingers touch the back of my
thigh, and then runs it back up my side.

“
Give me a minute. I'm having a little
trouble standing back up.”

I look down between us, where a sizable bulge
has appeared between his legs.

He finally straightens and walks me over
to the bar. He introduces me to his friend Travis, the one who's
getting married.

“
Congratulations, Travis. I have heard
really great things about your fiancée. You're a lucky
man.”

He smiles and thanks me.
Owen then introduces me to his
other friend, Marc.

Owen pulls me against his side and calls
the bartender over. “What would you like to drink?” he asks into my
ear.

“
I'll take another cosmopolitan,
please.”

“
Mmm… There's that sexy word again. I love
it when you say it.” He smiles and orders my drink and another
Guinness for himself.

He pulls a barstool up and offers me to
sit down.
I do, paying
careful attention to cover my ass as I do, and simultaneously look
over at Charley. She is engaged in a conversation with a man and
another woman. I assume these are the other friends of hers who
were coming tonight. She looks over at me and gives me a smile and
a thumbs up, indicating that she's okay.

I turn back to Owen and cross my
legs.
“So…”

He looks down at my legs and places his
hand on my knee. “
So
…” he
replies, unable to look up from my leg.

I smile up at him. “Thank you for inviting
us out tonight. It was very nice of you.”

He finally meets my eyes. He's about to
say something when a redhead comes up behind him and taps him on
the shoulder. He turns, surprised. Owen glances back over at me and
then her. She whispers something in his ear and walks away. He
looks sheepish.

I look down, my face heated. I suddenly
feel stupid, like I've interrupted some moment. I look back up and
force a smile. “I'm gonna run to the bathroom real quick. One too
many cosmos.” I let out a chuckle and stand.

“
Olivia, wait…”

I look at him over my shoulder, giving him
the universal
'be right
back' hand gesture, and quickly run over to the restroom area,
feeling my face get redder and redder as I make my
escape.

There are two sets of restroom bays—one
with a larger common bathroom area and then four individual powder
room setups. There are lines at the powder rooms, but I'll wait. It
will take up more time, and I want to just go wallow in my
stupidity for a bit before coming back out and pretending that
everything is okay.

I
've never done the casual-sex thing, and I feel stupid for
having such a visceral reaction to the redhead. If I just take a
minute to myself, I know I can compose myself and save an otherwise
disastrous moment. I've waited about five minutes when it's just
about my turn. The door opens, and as I move to walk in, a large
body pushes me farther into the room before closing and locking the
door. I swing around. It'
s Owen.

“
What? What are you doing in here? What is
it with you and bathrooms?”

He is breathing heavily and staring me
down.
His eyes are
hooded, lustful. “Why did you run away from me just now?” he
asks.

“
I didn't run away.
I just
… Your friend looked like she needed to talk to you and I
thought…”

He shakes his head slowly.
“Do you always run? Is that
your thing, Olivia?”

This pisses me off.
“What the hell does that mean, Owen? Why
don't you just go back to the bar. I'll be back in a minute.” I
turn to walk back toward the cordoned-off toilet area, but he grabs
my arm and swings me around, pushing me up against the
wall.

I put my hand on his chest, pushing him
away. He doesn'
t
budge.

“
Owen, what the hell are you
doing?”

He leans down and plants a wet kiss on my
collarbone.
“I'm doing
what I've been thinking about doing all day and have had to
restrain myself from doing since I saw you in this top. Jesus, are
you trying to kill me here?”

I am speechless. What? He leans in
farther, his body towering over me as he continues to kiss my
neck.

“
Owen
…
you
don
't have to…
I—”

He pulls away for a second and looks down
at me. “I have been fantasizing about you since last night. I need
to be inside you, Olivia. I can't function. I need
this.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Owen

She has me coming undone and she has no
clue as to the effect she
's having on me. From the moment I saw her tonight, she's
been beckoning me. I can't stay away, and frankly, I don't want
to—but it freaks me the fuck out. This is a new feeling for me, and
it makes me very uneasy. In the middle of watching the baseball
game this afternoon with Travis and Marc, who was I thinking of?
Olivia. When we got a tour of the stadium and met some of the
ballplayers, courtesy of Marc, who was I wishing were there
enjoying it with me? Olivia. I met her just over forty-eight hours
ago and she's left a taste in my mouth that's as sweet and smooth
as caramel. I can't get enough. I need more.

I bend down to kiss Olivia solidly on the
lips, but she pushes me away, testing to see if I'll move. Her
hands may push me away, but her kiss begs me not to stop. I press
my hips against hers, pinning Olivia to the wall. She groans,
opening her mouth just wide enough for my tongue to slide inside
and caress hers. As she tilts her head back to allow me to deepen
the kiss, she slowly slides her hands up my chest until she reaches
my neck. The tips of her fingers play with the hair at the nape of
my neck and tug lightly. I can't help but moan.

My hands slide down her sides and over her
ass, grasping it tightly before moving farther down to tease the
flesh just under the hem of her sinfully short skirt. I break the
kiss and start to nibble along her jawline and towards her ear. My
tongue seductively flicks her earlobe before lightly biting it just
hard enough to make it tantalizing but not enough to hurt. Olivia
lets out an audible moan that makes my cock twitch. I press myself
against her again, my hardness wedged tight between our two bodies.
Olivia's eyes grow wide as she feels my length. Does she get it
now? Does she understand how much she turns me on?

I wrap my arm around her waist and kiss
her soft lips again. “I want you,” I whisper into her ear. “I need
to have your taste on my tongue again. It's all I can think about.”
I grab her hand and pull her over to a plush chaise lounge in the
corner.

I set her on the lounge chair and gently
push her back so she's propped against the back cushions. I lower
myself to kneel in front of her, my lips not having left hers. My
hands skim over the sides of her legs, turn slightly, and start to
run up the inside of her calves. When I reach her knees, I slowly
push them apart as my eyes lock on to hers, filled with
lust.

It's one of the most sensual things about
sex—the scent of a woman who is wet with desire. She's so turned on
that her body takes over. Olivia smells like sex, and it's
intoxicating. I inhale deeply as my hands spread her thighs wider,
my eyes hooded as if her scent is giving me a contact high. She
whimpers quietly as I place firm kisses along her inner knee to her
upper thigh.