Breathless (The Breathe Series) (8 page)

“Jack, this
is a real sport,” Sav shot from across the table, confidence oozing from her. She nodded towards the television propped up in the corner that showed a game called Rugby League, which to me just looked like men in tight shorts and jerseys crashing into each other. I made the mistake of calling it Rugby as we were walking to the bar. The look Sav had shot at me could only be described as pure death, and she’d then proceeded to give me a rundown of the history of the game, including her favorite players and a night she’d spent partying in a hotel room with them. I didn’t question what actually went on during this night of partying. Some things I didn’t need to know.

Jack scoffed and threw a chip in Sav’s direction. “If you weren’t family, I’d be hurting you right about now.”

“Just try it,” she retaliated, her eyes quickly dodging from the TV to Jack before refocusing when a loud cheer boomed through the bar. “See that? No padding, no protection, just tough men with amazingly awesome bodies covered in sweat and pulsing muscles. Seriously, if I had a dick, I’d be so hard right now.”

“Hear, hear,” Tanzi piped up, her eyes glued to the television while she held her drink just before her lips, obviously overcome with the so-called swoony guys on the screen.

“You two are like a couple of fucking horndogs,” Jack scoffed, giving me a roll of his eyes as we both watched our girlfriends drool over the television while our manhood was given a swift kick up the ass.

Sav didn’t remove her eyes from the television. “We know what we like.”

“Sav, do you realize that I am sitting here?” I questioned in amusement with a twinge of jealously in my voice.

“Yep,” she said, her eyes not leaving the television screen. “I am still a little pissed at you.”

A smirk took over my face as I looked at her. She grabbed a fry from the bowl in front of her, which she had drowned in ketchup, and moved it towards her lips. Her eyes flickered towards me and she came alive. Licking her lips, she opened her mouth and slowly, tortuously put the fry deep inside her mouth. Fuck, she was playing me again.

Leaning in towards her, I let my breath tickle her jaw as I moved my mouth to her ear. “You weren’t pissed at me when I was pounding deep inside you earlier, when your body was covered in sweat and you were screaming my name.”

Her eyes burned into mine as the memories flooded through her. I could play her just as much as she could play me. She opened her mouth to speak, but as soon as her fieriness showed in her face, it disappeared and it was now white as if she had seen a ghost. Turning in my seat I followed her gaze.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” “What the fuck is she doing here?” Sav and I growled at the same time. The room immediately felt like it was caving in on me, and the breath was taken from my lungs. Sav moved closer to me and I grabbed her hand in a death squeeze as if we were claiming each other, making it known that we were together. Solidarity and all that shit.

Blake and Chelsea had just walked into the bar
—
together.

The noise of the bar seemed to dwindle to a soft hum as we stood from our seats, glaring at them from across the room. Blake looked up, finding my dagger-firing eyes directed solely on him. His eyes flashed in recognition of who he was looking at and then dropped away from mine, quickly glancing at Savannah and then looking everywhere but us.

“Did you know he was going to be here tonight?” I asked in a hushed tone, my eyes never leaving Blake and Chelsea.

“Yeah, I invited them both and thought we could double date. Fuck no I didn’t know.”

It was like my worst nightmare coming to life. My stomach tightened and twisted into a knot, and for a split second, I felt a wave of concern for Blake. Chelsea was a loose cannon at the best of times. Hadn’t Sav told me that Blake was in a new relationship?
Oh shit fuck bullshit, do not let it be with Chelsea.
I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, and well, Blake was my worst enemy.

The fact they were holding hands and Chelsea looked like a kid in a candy store hanging off his arm answered my questions. Chelsea only made guys happy for one reason and that was for a few simple minutes when she was either on top or below you. She had a personality like a dishrag.

“Tate, they are coming over,” Sav whispered beside me. She manipulated her body towards me and huddled closely to my chest, and my protectiveness of her kicked in. I knew that Chelsea was a thorn in her side but I had never seen Sav looking or acting so vulnerable.

Chelsea strutted across the bar like she owned the place, dressed like she had just stepped out of a Vegas strip show. What had I ever seen in her besides that fact that she was an easy lay? Yep, that had pretty much been it. Fuck, I was a man-whore, plain and simple. I was a fucking disgrace.

I actually felt sorry for Blake as Chelsea pulled him across the bar towards us like he was on a leash. He hadn’t lifted his eyes but my glare on him was still hard. There were so many things I wanted to say to him but I knew this wasn’t the time or place. Our time would come.

The air filled with disgust as Chelsea greeted Sav and me with a filthy smirk, and her vindictive eyes travelled straight to Sav’s stomach. Instantly I pulled Sav close to me in protection.

“So I hear that you two are having a baby,” Chelsea shot out in malice.

“You heard right,” Sav spat.

Chelsea scoffed, took a step towards Sav, and glanced down at her stomach once again. “He will never stick around because he loves random pussy too much. You are kidding yourself if you think for a second that a baby will change that. You’ll be pushing out that kid and he’ll be screwing some nurse in the hospital supply closet. It wouldn’t surprise me if he called me. You are a joke.”

Sav gasped beside me and I took a step towards Chelsea as my blood boiled at the words she was spitting. Who the hell did she think she was? Sav grasped hard on my hand and pulled me back to her.

Blake finally raised his gaze and his eyes were burning. “Chelsea, shut the fuck up. Don’t speak to them like that.”

“You are a fucking waste of space, Chelsea, and for the record, you’ve got nothing on this girl. All those times with you were a waste of my time, and you know what? The only person I am
making love
to now is this girl. There is an astronomical difference between fucking and making love, something that I NEVER did with you.” My temper raged and I took a deep breath, flashing my eyes towards Blake. “Blake, get her the fuck out of here.”

“It’s a public place, Tate, so I can stay wherever the fuck I want.”

Sav suddenly went rigid beside me and took a step towards Chelsea. “You do not disrespect me, my boyfriend, or my baby EVER. Now I really don’t want to hurt you so I would suggest you get the fuck out of here,” Savannah hissed at Chelsea.

Chelsea rolled her eyes and huffed. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Really? You just disrespected the two people I love most in this world. Do you really think I wouldn’t protect them. You are as fucking dumb as you look,” Sav snarled, and for a second, the look on her face scared me. She meant business, and I couldn’t deny that I felt a little turned on by it. Sav took a step forward and Chelsea took two steps back, bumping into Blake.

“I am so sorry, guys,” Blake said softly, looking directly at me as he spoke. His face was rigid, his eyes apologetic. My breath caught in my throat.

“Come on.” I wrapped my arm tightly around Sav’s waist and led her away from Chelsea and Blake.

“Tate, I have to speak with you,” Chelsea snickered. Sav and I froze. What could she possibly have to say to me?

Turning back towards Chelsea, I didn’t give her another chance to speak. “Chelsea, I have absolutely nothing to say to you. Stay away from me and stay away from Sav.”

Sav didn’t release herself from my grasp but she didn’t step closer as we stormed back towards the table. Her body shook against me, and I hated that this had affected her so much. Her reaction was understandable though. Fuck, she had just been told that I was going to cheat on her. What kind of person would say that to someone? Chelsea
—
that’s the type of person.

Tanzi and Jack looked at us wide eyed and furious. Tanzi dropped her gaze from me and looked at Sav with worry etching on her face. Slumping down in a chair, I pulled Sav down with me.

“I can sit on my own chair,” she whispered while trying to get up.

“No, you are staying here with me.”

Sav finally looked at me, and her green eyes showed me she was fighting every emotion swimming through her thoughts. Sighing softly, she sat down on my lap and I wrapped her up in my arms. She buried her head into the crook of my neck and her breath ricocheted off my neck.

“Stupid bitch,” she mumbled against my skin. My eyes were drawn to the door of the bar where they landed on Chelsea and Blake in a somewhat heated discussion. Chelsea’s arm flung around the space and Blake stood with his hands in his pockets and his head down. Chelsea looked through the crowd and her eyes locked with mine. Sickness bubbled deep in me as she blew me a kiss from across the bar before shooting a look of pure hatred at the girl in my arms. My arms tightened around Sav and I knew I wouldn’t be leaving her side for the rest of the night.

Hearing Sav’s
voice was like music to my ears. She was so Australian, and I hoped to Christ she never lost that about her. We had made our way back to the hotel after Sav’s
footy
team had won. She was so quiet on the trip back and it was obvious that the atrocity that was Hurricane Chelsea still lingered in both our thoughts.

My eyes narrowed as I drank her in while she made her nightly call to Simon. Her eyes met mine and they smiled as she spoke. I tore my gaze from her, collapsed farther into the couch, and closed my heavy eyes.

Exhaustion hit me hard. I hadn’t expected to be sitting in Sav’s hotel room in New York when I’d woken up this morning but it was worth every bit of tiredness I was feeling. I had never flown across the country for a girl before, but for Sav I’d fly across the globe. To say that karma should have ripped me a new asshole was an understatement, and knowing that the girl standing opposite me, wearing her cute little pajama shorts and cami with her hair piled high on her head was mine was mind blowing.

My eyes scoped the room and landed on the bed. I couldn’t wait to collapse beside her and finally get some sleep. The sleepless nights were taking its toll on me, almost to the point of delirium. I had become so dependent on the security she provided that I’d barely slept without her. I was so pussy-whipped. I shook my head and huffed while trying to grow a set of balls.

Standing from the couch, I walked through the hotel, grabbing Sav’s hand as I passed, giving it a quick squeeze before slipping into the kitchen. Hurrying around the expansive kitchen with its marble kitchen tops and stainless steel appliances, I opened cupboards and drawers until I found what I was looking for. It was the perfect time for hot chocolate. I knew Sav would have a stash. She still didn’t get that we went out for coffee, not hot chocolate, in the States, so it was beyond funny when she’d gone searching for a kettle to buy. I fumbled around the kitchen, making her hot chocolate just the way I knew she loved it: two heaping spoons of chocolate, a quarter hot water, three-quarters warm milk, with extra chocolate sprinkled on top.

The air shifted around me. I closed my eyes as I felt Sav’s arms snake around my waist, and she rested her cheek on my back as she pulled my body towards hers. “What are you doing?”

I swivelled around in her arms and was greeted with a content smile. I took in every inch of her face, her eyes looking tired but her cheeks flushed with what I hoped was happiness.

“How’s Simon?” I questioned, tucking her loose hair behind her ears. Her eyes fluttered shut at my touch.

“I miss him so much.” Her arms tightened around my waist and she buried her face into the ridges of my chest. I would never fully understand the extent of the relationship Sav shared with Simon. It was something stronger than I had ever witnessed. The two of them only had each other and they were reliant on the other breathing. It was something I would never interfere with. Tanzi and I had an unbreakable bond, and I knew that was the same with Simon and Sav. Mr. Davenport may not have given her life but he chose to give her a reason to live, and I would be forever grateful for him for that sole reason. He ultimately gave me a second chance at life.

“I like this,” I said with a smile, tapping the bun that was flopping around on the top of her head.

She blushed at my compliment. “What, my ‘I don’t give a fuck’ hair style?”

“I like your whole ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude.”

“Believe me, it’s all an act.”

Pulling her arms from around my waist and grabbing the two hot steaming mugs from the counter, she walked towards the couch, motioning for me to follow. It was almost midnight but I didn’t want to sleep. She folded her long legs beneath her and sat so she was facing me. The lights of New York City were bursting through the windows, illuminating the room as we sat in the darkness with only the flicker of a few candles Sav had scattered around.

“What are you thinking?”

Her eyes flashed between me and the hot chocolate she was gripping in her hands as she contemplated her answer.

“A lot of things actually. You being here, the incredible sex we had today, me throwing my shoes at you, fuck knuckle Chelsea and how delicious this hot chocolate is.”

Her honesty made me smile. “Fuck knuckle?”

“Yes she is a fuck knuckle. I just wish she would piss the hell off. How dare she insult you and Jellybean. What kind of bitch does that? I can’t believe you had anything to do with her.” She took a massive gulp of her hot chocolate before turning back to me. “I know, I know, she was just your fuck buddy, but she is not a nice person.”

“You know that everything she said was not true. There is no way
—
”

Suddenly she cut me off. “You should talk to Blake.”

“Sav, I don’t want to get in to this.” Groaning in response, I hastily ran my fingers through my hair. This was the last thing I wanted to discuss, and I knew this conversation could lead to an epic fight.

“I can see that you know it’s the right thing to do. Blake is a major part of your life without you even realizing. I saw the way your eyes softened tonight when you saw him with Chelsea. You miss him. It’s okay to admit it. People make mistakes, and he made a massive one, but you could be the bigger person and talk to him about it.”

“Sav, I really don’t want to talk about this.”

“Well I think we should.”

“Can we please not get into this? I really don’t want to fight, and I know that we will if we continue this conversation.”

“He was your best friend, and you know you miss him. I can read you better than you think and I am not going to let this go Tate. If you don’t do it in New York then please promise me that you will consider it when you go back to LA. I know that he misses you too.”

“You spoke to him about this, didn’t you?”

“No...” Her eyes dodged from mine as her face was swamped with guilt.

“You are lucky I love you.”

She looked up hopeful. “So you’ll do it?”

“I can’t promise anything but I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

After
the atrocity of the night before, Sav worked until lunch time and then we spent the perfect afternoon together. It was an afternoon spent walking through Manhattan hand in hand and doing all of the touristy things Sav had wanted to do.

I laughed at the excited look plastered on her face and she teased me when I walked into a glass door. It was just us. I took her to the second best place for a cheeseburger
—
Hardrock Café because no place would beat Lachie’s in my eyes. We did Rockefeller Center, we took a horse and carriage ride around Central Park, and finally we ended the afternoon shopping, which I wasn’t excited about but Sav needed to shop. Most of our shopping adventure was spent in the lingerie section
—
my idea
—
and the baby section
—
Sav’s idea. We walked out, clutching at bags overflowing with baby clothes and lingerie. The cashier looked at as with an amused understanding. We were young, pregnant, and fuck it, we had good sex and that wasn’t going to change.

My thoughts kept swimming between reality and fear. Sav and I still had so much to talk about and it was clouding my mind. We weren’t just Tate and Sav anymore; we were Tate, Sav, and Jellybean. The craziness of finding out about the pregnancy, Sav’s trip to New York, and my fucked up reaction didn’t allow much time to talk about what was going to happen. My dreams for the future were overshadowed by the memory of my past. My future was Sav and Jellybean but my past was Candice and my father. I was torn in the middle of a whirlwind of emotions. I had known early on in our relationship what I’d wanted to happen, but whether Sav was into the idea was a whole different thing. Her stubbornness was what legends were made of. I could be cock-deep in her, she could be in the throes of passion, and still she wouldn’t budge. If her mind was made, nothing would change it, but that’s what I loved about her. She made me nervous in a way no one ever did. I always wanted to impress her. I knew she was mine, but the idea of making her fall in love with me time and time again was what I lived for.

Sav
glided through the room with a wistful look on her face, her fingertips running through the length of her freshly washed hair and her body covered in only my shirt and a pair of baby blue panties. How did I get so lucky?

“Sav, come here for a second,” I said gently and beckoned her with my finger. I sat back on the couch in perfect position to look out over the flickering lights of the city below.

A smile graced her face. It was bullshit how something as simple as her smiling could make my heart boom like a freight train in my chest. Rubbing the rest of her moisturiser up her bare arms, she made her way towards me.

“You beckoned,” she breathed when she reached me. My arms surrounded her as I pulled her towards me, and she collapsed on my lap. The smell of her strawberry-scented shampoo tickled my nose when I buried my face in her hair as her arms wrapped around my neck. “I had the best day, Tate. Thank you.” She spoke against my neck and swept light kisses on my skin.

“I’ve got something to show you and something to talk to you about.” I looked up through my lashes and swallowed hard. Her brows shot up and she kissed me lightly again before scooting off my lap and sitting beside me on the couch. Rubbing my hands anxiously on my legs, I stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen, grabbing Tanzi’s laptop, which I had borrowed, off the counter.

I moved back towards the couch and sat cross-legged opposite her while the Mac came to life. It felt like eternity. Dropping my eyes, I focused on the screen, but I could feel her eyes burning into me. My next move had the potential to change everything.

The couch under me moved up and down as she stood and repositioned herself to sit behind me. Sav rested her chin on top of my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me close to her, allowing me to feel her heartbeat against my back.

“What are you showing me?” she breathed out with a question of so many possibilities.

I swivelled my head slightly, offering her a nervous smile. Finally the Mac powered up and I clicked through until I found what I was looking for. I turned towards her, grabbing her hands and taking a deep, shaky breath.

“Sav, I know I didn’t react the way I should have when you told me about Jellybean, and I will always regret that. You made me so happy when you told me we were having a baby because this little person is us.” I hesitated, swallowing hard. “I was wondering if you would do me the honor of
—
”

“Wait!” Sav pulled away from me, the color from her face draining. Standing abruptly, she began pacing the living room. “I can’t... You can’t... We can’t! I love you but we can’t... I want to but… Shit.”

I laughed at the cuteness of Savannah and stood from the couch, moving towards her. There wasn’t every day she got tongue tied.

“What? I can’t believe this,” I said in faux shock, grabbing her hands to stop her from pacing. “I can’t believe you are saying no to waking up beside me every day. You are saying no to being able to have my world famous mac and cheese whenever you want. You are saying no to being able to feel my hands on your body whenever you need. I can’t believe you are saying no to moving in with me.”

“Tate, I love you but we just ca… What?” Her eyes widened as realization of what I’d said sunk in.

“Babe,” I said with a laugh at the sight of her eyes wide and mouth agape. I pulled her towards me and collapsed on the couch, bringing her down with me. I swirled her on my lap so she was straddling me, our bodies flush against each other. “You would know if I were proposing to you, and I already know how I am going to do it. As much as I find you incredibly sexy, now it isn’t what I had in mind. I want nothing more in this world than for you to have my last name, and you know that I love you like no one else, but I also know we still have things we need to work on. I would marry you yesterday if I could, but what I want right now is for us to live together, to start our family together.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” I responded with an arched brow, clearly not the reaction I’d been hoping for.

Sav’s eyes searched my face. I smiled the most genuine smile I could ever show.

“You want to marry me?” Sav whispered.

“Don’t you remember when I told you in the bar that I would marry you one day and you gave me that smartass remark? You were wearing that cute little dress and that lipstick.” I leaned in so I was millimeters away from her lips. “I wanted to throw you over my shoulder and run off to Vegas with you then.”

“No one has ever said they wanted to marry me before. All I’ve ever been was a fuck. That’s all I thought I’d ever be.”

“You are my future, Savannah Rae.”

“I think I’m kinda really in love with you right now.” Wrapping her arms around my neck, she leaned her forehead against mine. Her shaky breath caressed my lips, and my eyes fluttered shut under the intimacy of what we were.

“Will you move in with me, Sav?” I asked when I finally found my voice.

She pulled back slightly and her face flickered with a million different emotions. This was a big deal
—
a big fucking deal. I hadn’t been lying when I said she was my future. My future was all about her and that cute little baby growing inside of her. I wanted nothing more than to be able to come home to her at night, wrap my body around hers at the end of a big day, make her breakfast in the morning, and simply sit on the couch together and watch our favorite television shows. Sav opened and closed her mouth time and time again as if she was ready to answer but then something triggered in her head. The longer her silence, the more I fidgeted.

“Yes.”

“Don’t fuck with me Savannah.”

Her laughter rang through the room, and it answered my question.

“I would love for us to live together, but where? When?”

“We could get something new together or I could move into your place. I think we should wait until you are back in LA so we can do it together.”

“Well I’d still like to live there when Jellybean arrives. I’d like Jack and Tanzi around.”

“Okay, that’s fine by me. You’ve just made me a very happy man. Now I’ll get to hear you snore every night.”

“Brilliant… I am going to be living with an arsehole. Fan-freaking-tastic.”