Breathe Again (37 page)

“Make love to me, Tate,” I begged as he pushed my back up against the edge of the pool.

He filled me without hesitating, his need for me evident from the groan escaping his lips. I cried out and my eyes slammed shut as the sensation of him filling me completely ripped through my body. He stilled, allowing me to adjust. Slowly, he moved, thrusting in and out, his eyes never moving from mine. Our breathing danced in perfect harmony as the rhythm of our bodies moving against each other increased with each movement. My fingernails clawed at his back as his body pounded into me with fevered intensity. I lifted my hips, begging for him to dive deeper.

“Fuck, Sav,” he groaned as he met my pleas.

Every word and curse that escaped him only fueled my desire for him. I felt my body succumbing to the pleasure being unleashed on to it.

“I’m so close, Tate,” I moaned into his shoulder and bit down into his flesh as the sensation of my impending orgasm drove Tate’s body into overdrive, his grip tightening.

“Come for me, Sav,” he demanded with assertiveness. With one final thrust, my body succumbed to his and I erupted in a wave of pure ecstasy around him.

Soon, his body fell against mine, and with a moan of my name against my neck, his body relaxed as release swept through him. Pulling his face away from my neck, our breathing heavy and broken, he kissed me ever so lightly and I felt the smile of his lips on mine.

“Well I’m pretty sure that’s the best idea you’ve ever had, Savannah.”

My head fell to his shoulder as we remained connected as our breathing settled. He didn’t pull out, and I had never experienced anything more sensual in my life. The water remained calm as we stood in silence, his arms around my waist and my arms locked tight around his neck. Being in his arms and feeling protected and loved was what allowed Tate to make me feel like no one else had.

I pulled my head away from his shoulder and my eyes fell on his face as I looked at him completely. The man standing before me was the one who had found me when I was my weakest, even when I was pretending to be my strongest. He was the one who had fought for me time and time again and hadn’t stopped until he’d gotten me. This was the man who loved me completely for every shattered piece I was and the one and only man I could never imagine living without. I was stronger because of him. I would never truly be Savannah if I didn’t have Tate.

“I figured it out,” I whispered against his lips as I rested my forehead against his. He moved his face slightly so his lips tenderly brushed mine. It was a moment we had both been waiting on for almost four long years.

“It’s about time, Sav.”

Tate

S
ATURDAY MORNING
sunshine filtered through the bedroom, illuminating the spray of blond hair that lay on my bare chest. Saturday mornings were now my favorite. My Saturdays now involved lazing in bed with Savannah until the door of our bedroom would slowly creep open and Max would bounce in and jump on the bed. Looking at the clock beside the bed, I knew we had at least an hour before Max would be joining us.

I still couldn’t believe this was my life. My life now involved living completely and utterly for two other people—Savannah and Max. Nothing else mattered but them. The moment we’d gotten home from Las Vegas, everything had changed. I hadn’t even given Sav a chance to unpack her things in the spare room. I’d wheeled her suitcase to our room and unpacked her there and then. She had sat cross-legged on the bed with a grin spreading across her face as she’d watched me go through all of her belongings and unpack them into the closet. We had since turned that spare room into an office. My life was almost complete. There was just one last thing to do.

I’d never thought I’d deserve this kind of happiness, but now it was a happiness that I couldn’t imagine living without, and it was given to me by a sassy Australian who rocked my world to its core.

“Ahh, it’s morning already?” Sav groaned from beside me. As she buried her face into the concave of my chest, her lips kissed my skin. “It’s too early.”

“It’s seven a.m.”

“Yep. Too damn early.”

I flipped her over and hovered above her as she giggled at my sudden movements. Savannah first thing in the morning was my favorite. Without any makeup, with crazy hair, and dressed in her little panties and cami, she was the perfect speciment to wake up to. A content smile tinkered on her lips as she looked up at me. Fuck, she was beautiful. My fingertips swept off loose blond hair that had fallen on her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. Her skin was awash of California glow.
My perfect Aussie girl.

“What are you thinking?” she asked softly.

“I am thinking how lucky I am.”

“Max and I are the lucky ones.” She raised her head slightly, allowing her lips to meet mine in a featherlight kiss.

With a heavy kiss, I pinned her to the bed under the weight of my body. Her legs parted under us as I ground myself into her, driving my body into hers. My cock stirred to life instantly. Her hand moved between us and I moaned as I felt her fingers wrap around me. I pulled my mouth away from hers and found a look of desire flooding her face. Seriously, she loved morning sex just as much as me. Fuck, I was a lucky prick.

“We have about an hour before Max decides to join us. I want to play with this.” Her grip tightened. “And I want you to fuck me ‘til I’m moaning your name into the pillow.”

“You are the best kind of friend to play with,” I growled, my teeth nibbling the flesh of her collarbone. My hand swept down her body with intention roughly pushing aside her lace panties. There was no time to waste.

The moment my fingers slipped through her already wet folds, her back arched from the bed and a low moan escaped her perfect lips. As she pushed hard against my fingers, I increased the intensity of my stroke. With one finger and then two, I pushed into her, pumping, pushing, and stroking her into oblivion. Her pussy tightened around my fingers and her body shuddered in delight. It was the best sight in the fucking world.

Sav pushed on my chest with both hands, pushing me with determination onto my back. Her body slid down mine, her cami caressing every delicious curve of her body. In one movement, our bodies joined together, her eyes closed as her body took mine. She stilled, straddling my body, my cock so deep inside her that my breath caught in the back of my throat. Her eyes were hooded with desire.

“With every day that passes, I fall even more in love with you, Tate.”

My hands gripped her hips and lifted her. She took my cue. Her body pounded on top of mine, rising and falling, allowing me deeper and deeper with every crash of her body. Her head flung back, her hair cascading down her back. Her chest heaved, her perfect tits bouncing as her body attacked mine.
Best morning sex ever.

“Sav, I need to lose myself in you,” I moaned from deep within my chest. Her body clenched around mine and it slammed down on me one last time before she fell on my chest. She buried her face in my neck as her muffled groan rang through the room.

Our breathing danced with each other as we desperately tried to get it under control. She didn’t move from my chest and I was still inside her. “I want to take you out today,” I murmured against the side of her neck.

“Like a date?” she asked, looking up from the confines of my neck.

“Yep. Just like a date.”

S
ANTA
M
ONICA
Pier was splattered with visitors as far as the eye could see. Saturdays were always packed down here, and especially today since California had turned on a perfect day. The shrill of children’s laughter floated through the air, the smell of popcorn took over my senses, and the crash of the ocean near me calmed my increasing nerves by the second.

With my hand clasped tightly in Savannah’s and my other hand protectively gripping Max’s, we walked along the pier looking like the perfect family we were. Everything was finally perfection with us. Even though our relationship was far from easy, it had made us who we were today. It had embraced our stubborn traits and made us work for every part of our relationship. It had made us uniquely perfect for each other, and through everything, I knew this girl beside me was it for me. There was no one else. She was the mother of my child, the owner of my heart, the perfect beam of light that lit up my darkened life.

“Daddy!” Max’s voice ripped me from my thoughts.

“What’s up, buddy?” I looked between Max and Sav, who was looking at me with an amused expression. Sav turned towards Tanzi and started laughing at something randomly before dropping my hand and walking towards a store hand in hand with Tanzi.

“Uncle Jack said a naughty word.”

“What? When? I am on complete Max watch when I am around him!” Jack’s shriek caused deep laughter to roar from inside of me. “Do you realize how hard it is not to drop the F-bomb?”

“I heard him say a-s-s the other day,” I spelled out. “And he sounded exactly like Savannah with his Aussie twang. It was seriously cute. I couldn’t really discipline him for it, considering I laughed so hard.”

“He is going to be the biggest ladykiller.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“I’ve got a girlfriend,” Max suddenly announced. The three of us stopped mid-sentence and looked at the little boy smiling up at us. “Her name is Daisy.”

Lucas laughed beside me and mumbled, “Exactly like his mother and father.”

My laughter soon joined his. Picking up Max, I placed him on a seat at the table we were sitting at for lunch. “Where did you meet your girlfriend, Max?”

Without missing a beat, he looked me square in the eyes and said, “In my dreams.” He nodded self-assuredly and looked between me, Lucas, and Jack with a certain grin. “That’s where you met Mummy.”

“He did not just say that!” Jack roared with laughter across the table. My son was a fucking Casanova at three years of age. What hope did the future women of the world have?

“Daddy teaches me a lot of things.” My eyes shot open at his words. Oh god, what the hell has he seen?

“I’m sure he does, Maxey.” Jack laughed. “I’m sure he does.”

“I might have to get locks on the bedroom door,” I muttered to Lucas.

Max started talking to Jack about god only knew what, but by the constant laughter coming from Jack, I was sure I would be informed. Max had absolutely no filter, just like his aunt Tanzi. He said what he wanted, when he wanted, and with no consequence. He was going to be a danger to society when he was older, and I knew for a fact that my mom loved every minute of it. The words “Payback is a bitch” had been heard from her on more than one occasion.

Savannah and Tanzi walked towards us, arms full of food and drinks. My eyes drank in Savannah.

“You feeling good about this?” Lucas asked from beside me. I turned to him and nodded. The fact that I now classed him as one of my closest friends shocked even me some days. He was good to my cousin, he was protective of my son, and he loved my girlfriend like a sister. That was more than I could have asked for. And he knew some damn good surf breaks.

My courage barged in as Sav sat beside me. I watched as she tended to Max, giving him half of his cheeseburger and ‘chips,’ as they both liked to call them. Oh, and of course his ‘chips’ had to be smothered with ‘tomato sauce.’ There was no way he would call it ketchup. Seriously, I could swear they were attempting to make me Australian.

“Max, what’s this?” Jack asked, holding up the bottle of ketchup.

“Tomato sauce,” Max said matter-of-factly.

“No, remember what Uncle Jack taught you yesterday? Ketchup.”

“Don’t teach my child American,” Sav laughed from beside me, throwing one of her fries at him. “He said flip-flops this morning, Jack. They are and will always be thongs.”

“Do you really want him to be saying to some chick when he is eighteen, ‘Show me your thongs’?”

“Point taken.”

“But with parents like you and Tate, this kid is going to be a fucking heartbreaker. Wouldn’t surprise me if he pulled out lines like that.”

The banter between Sav and Jack continued to fill the table as we all ate our lunch, but I sat in silence. Tanzi’s eyes flashed to mine over the table in silent encouragement, and I knew full well that she was reading me like no one else could. I nodded to her, telling her that it had to happen now.

“Maxey, you stay here for a minute while Mommy and Daddy go up there, okay?” I swallowed hard and pointed to the Ferris wheel behind us. Savannah’s eyes widened in shock, but the smile on her lips showed her excitement. Why did I have to have a girlfriend who had no fear when it came to heights? Pushing back my chair, I stood and held out my hand to Sav, which she clasped tightly.

“Why are you doing this to yourself?” She laughed as we walked towards the line. She took her hand from mine and wrapped her arm around my waist before nuzzling into my side.

“It’s the thing you do for the girl you love.” I smirked. “Either that or I have a death wish.”

Sliding into the seat beside her, I watched with petrified eyes as a boy who barely looked like he was old enough to work let alone be responsible for our safety closed the gate. I grabbed hold of the rail and rattled it to make sure we were secured in.
Fuck, I hate heights.
Sav slid on the seat so that she was facing me, her face calm and her eyes looking at me with happiness.