Rescue Breathing (28 page)

Suddenly, he steps out of the bathroom
doorway.
I hear him
rummaging in his drawer, so I step into the door space to see what
he'
s doing.
He grabs a pair of shorts and a
t-shirt.

“
Here,” he says, handing me the clothes.
“You can put those on. I can bring you back to your place after
breakfast if you'd like, but I'd like you to stay. We can go out
and do something together. What do you say?” His voice is hopeful,
and I am now completely out of my element.

I step forward and take the shorts and
t-shirt from him, confused. “You want me to stay?” I ask as I look
around, wondering what the protocol is for getting dressed. I
finally decide on just dropping my towel and going for
it.

Whether he wants me or not, it
doesn
't change that he's
already seen all of my bits—several times actually. I drop my towel
and hear a faint, “Wow,” from his lips as I bend over to grab the
shirt from his bed. I try and stifle a grin. I can still like that
sound, right?

I put the shirt on and knot it at my waist
since it's far too long for me. I pull on the shorts, sans
panties—those were long ago destroyed by Owen—and tie the
drawstring tight in an effort to keep them on my hips. I probably
look ridiculous. I run my fingers through my partially dried hair
in an attempt to look less crazy. When I am finished dressing, I
right myself and look at him, skepticism surely written across my
face. I'm intrigued but confused by his wanting to do something
with me today. Maybe I should just tell him that.

“
Owen, I
…
I
don
't mean to… You
didn't seem very happy to have me here last night.
I just
…
I
don
't want you to feel
like you have to… I mean, I'm a big girl. If you don't want me
here...” I start scuffling my feet on the floor again. Why do I
always feel like I sound like a thirteen-year-old?

I watch him as he pulls his half-zip and
shirt off over his head, tossing them towards the clothes hamper.
He stands in front of me in just his shorts, running his hands
nervously over his bare chest and eventually resting them on his
hips. He looks…tormented.

“
Yeah, about that…” he starts. “Listen, I
was an asshole last night. I have nightmares, as you saw, and…to be
honest, I'm, uh…well, embarrassed about it. I'm not used to someone
being around to witness that and I reacted badly.” He moves his
head side to side as if weighing his thoughts. “Really badly
actually. I'm sure you were probably scared and my snapping at you
didn'
t
help.
” He walks toward
me, and my eyes get wider as he gets closer. I am frozen in my
place, completely unsure what to do. I was not expecting this
conversation to go like this. He takes my hands and pulls me to sit
on his lap on the bed.

“
I apologize for how I reacted and I'm
sorry you had to see that.” He looks down at my hands in his. He
links our fingers together and squeezes mine. “I want to spend more
time with you, Olivia. And I most definitely want you
here.”

I look down at my hands in his. It's
almost comical how we're both avoiding eye contact.
“
Owen,
I
've worked with
servicemen for years, talking to them about the things that keep
them up at night. I know where that comes from. But more
importantly I know it's a strongly personal thing, and I don't want
to make you feel like you need to pull me into that part of you if
you're not ready.” My eyes find his and I run my finger down his
cheek and across his jaw. “I want to spend time with you too, Owen,
I really do.”

He leans forward, tilting his head
slightly and kissing me gently on the lips. My heart is racing from
the combination of the intensity of the conversation and my sincere
hope that we will work it out. Even though that seems to be the
direction it's going, I'm still wary.

“
Good. It
's settled then. You'll spend the day with me,” he
announces. Then he plants a kiss on my lips, slides me off his lap,
and starts to walk toward the bathroom. “Hot coffee and breakfast
await you in the kitchen, beautiful. I'm going to hop into the
shower.” He takes off his shorts and boxers, throwing them in the
general direction of the hamper, giving me an impromptu
peepshow.

I smile as I watch him walk into the
bathroom. When he is safely inside his shower, I turn in search of
breakfast, hoping that I'm making right the decision by staying
today.

* * *

The afternoon is amazing.
After breakfast, we made a
quick stop at a store to trade in the pair of his flip-flops I was
wearing for some sneakers and socks. Owen insisted on paying, and I
wasn't going to complain. With proper footwear in place, we decided
to go walking around Park Slope to look at the shops and then to
the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I can't believe after all these
years I have never gone, and it's breathtaking. I feel like we're a
couple as we walk through the gardens, holding hands, sneaking
kisses behind the plant displays. Owen can be very playful when he
feels relaxed, and we spent a lot of time laughing and chasing each
other around. Owen frequently makes fun of the fact that I am still
wearing his clothes. He's getting a real kick out of
this.

As dusk begins to fall, we start to walk
back toward his apartment. The walk is long, but it is so nice out.
On the way, we decide to pick up some items from the corner deli
and take them back to Owen's place to eat for dinner. After setting
up a spot for us on the floor in front of his coffee table, we
stretch out our legs, eat, and laugh. It's so easy to be with him
when he's like this, when he's not guarded.

I put my arms above my head stretching
after taking my last bite of my enormous pastrami sandwich. With my
arms outstretched, I look down at my stomach.

“
Mmmm, that was so good. I have a pastrami
baby… Wow.” We both start laughing. As we collect ourselves, I
notice Owen staring at me. “Thank you for today. It was really
nice. I enjoyed myself,” I say, giving him a smile to convey I
really mean the sentiment.

“
It
was
really nice. Thanks for spending the day with me. Wearing
my clothes and all.” He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles.
“Without a doubt, the best second date I've had. When can we do it
again?”

I laugh and smile. “Soon.”

“
Good enough for me,” he says, leaning
forward to kiss me. His hand comes behind my neck, pulling me
towards him so we're lying side by side on the floor.

He runs his hands down my arm, my side, my
leg, placing his hand behind my knee. He then hitches my leg over
his hip, the whole time kissing me softly. I roll him onto his
back, my full weight on him. I feel his erection pressing against
my stomach, and I groan into his mouth.

He kisses down my neck and mumbles between
kisses,
“This. Floor.
Is. Killing. My. Back.”

I laugh and put my hands on his chest,
pushing off of him. “Let's go to bed.” I stand up and reach my hand
out to help pull him up.

His playful grin is one
I
've seen several times
today, and I am really growing to love it. It's sweet and sexy, and
as I'm learning, it usually ends up with something that makes me
feel good. I walk him back into his bedroom, but as he goes to walk
up to me and wrap his arms around me, I put my hand out to stop
him. Owen furrows his brow, confused. I give him
my
sly sexy grin and pull the
string holding his shorts up precariously on my hips. I have not
forgotten I have no panties on, although I suspect he
has.

I hand him the end of the string, urging
him to
“unwrap” me.
“Give it a tug, Owen” I purr in a soft sultry voice.

He pulls on the string and the
all-too-big-for-me shorts drop and pool at my feet. “Ahhh...I
forgot about this nice little surprise,” he coos, circling me. As
he comes behind me, he gives me a swift, sharp smack on my butt and
I let out a surprised yelp. “Do you like a little smack on that
perfect ass now and then, Olivia?” he asks, lust in his voice but
also a smile playing over his lips as he circles back around to
stand in front of me.

“
Ye...yes,” I murmur, clearing my throat as
my breathing increases with anticipation.

He moves in front of me, and with his eyes
locked on mine, he carefully undoes the knot in the
t
-shirt at my waist. He
lifts the shirt over my head and throws it to the floor. He is
standing there staring at me and his expression changes, his eyes
going soft. Wow. He seems almost…loving?

“
You take my breath away,” he whispers as
he reaches a hand out and skims his fingers lightly against the
side of my breast.

I inhale sharply and my nipples grow hard
under his touch.
With
his fingers continuing down my side, he falls to his knees in front
of me. He taps my ankle to have me step out of the shorts that are
still at my feet.

I smile down at him and run my hand
through his hair. Still looking me in the eyes, he leans forward
and plants a faint kiss on my lower belly. As he rises to his feet
again, he continues to place little kisses up my belly, between my
breasts, over my collarbone. I tilt my head, allowing him better
access to my neck, and he suckles on the sensitive skin just under
my ear. I can't help but let out a little moan. His hands skim my
body, worshiping me. I grasp the hem of his shirt and pull it over
his head. He shakes his head to get his hair out of his eyes,
smiling as he does. He looks so carefree and young, and
it'
s dazzling.
Stepping back slightly, he lets
me finish what I started. Then I slide my hands under his shorts,
over his hips, pushing them down. He kicks them off, standing just
in his boxers in front of me. I see his semi-erect penis, and I
smile.

I look back up at him and smile at him.
This is very different than the many other times we've had sex. I
know what's coming, but for some reason, it doesn't feel like we
need to get it over with before one of us loses our nerve.
I don
't know about him, but I want something slow. I
need to reconnect with him. I need to figure out if we can do this
as a couple and not just two people looking to get laid. We have
had a day filled with revelations, and I want to see where this
moment can take us too. In some ways, we have made a new kind of
commitment to each other today. I have committed to allow him to
let me in to his head, his secrets, at the pace that works for him,
and he has made a commitment to open up to me when it feels right
and safe. It's an unspoken agreement, but a powerful one
nevertheless.

I take a step forward and wrap my arms
around his neck. He is already pushing his boxers off, and as I get
closer to him, his erection bounces up to greet me, rubbing against
my thigh. I am significantly shorter than him, but he bends and
kisses me. So tenderly, so softly. His lips are tender against
mine, coaxing me for more as he offers me his tongue, and his arms
slide around my waist. I oblige and we kiss softly, quietly, just
touching each other, enjoying each other.

He guides me toward the bed, and when I
feel the mattress hit the backs of my knees, I let him slowly lay
me down.
I scoot back on
the bed and he follows me up, lying next to me at my side. He
places a leg over mine and just…kisses me, our hands linked
together. A lot. It's so oddly erotic and intimate.

He kisses down my neck, over my
collarbone, to my breasts.
He takes my nipple in his mouth and suckles, eliciting a
moan from me almost instantaneously. It's interesting to me that
we've barely touched each other and I'm more turned on than when we
had hot sex in the bathroom at the club in Seattle. It's true that
there is something to be said for what happens in the mind during
sex. That it's where sexuality starts, and I'm seeing that in full
force tonight.

He continues his kisses across my chest
and repeats the same treatment to my other nipple. I run my hand in
his hair, pulling as my body responds to his touch. I reach one
hand down, gripping him tightly in my hand. He groans, pushing into
me. I stroke him gently, firmly, alternating pressure and he moves
with me as if we've done this before. Without thinking, I move my
hips to the rhythm of my hand, and I'm finding it harder and harder
to not have him inside me.

I wrap my other leg over his hip and urge
him to lie back so I can straddle him.
I sit back on his thighs, reaching over to the
bedside table to grab a condom. His erection, which is lying
heavily against his stomach, is rigid and straining, lifting
slightly every time I move near it. I slide the condom over him,
careful to not instigate an orgasm as it is clear that he is
close.
We
haven
't said a word
other than little gasps and moans and it's more intense than if we
had been dirty talking the whole time. He holds out his hands for
me to grasp and I rise, positioning him under me and then slowly
sliding onto his rigid length. He closes his eyes as I do, a huff
of breath leaving his parted lips.