Breathe With Me

by Kristen Proby

  My brother’s a lucky bastard.

  But so am I.

  I park on the street outside the studio and walk inside and the sight before me steals my breath.

  A popular Starla song is blaring on the speakers and Jax and Mer are dancing, perfectly synced with each other, looking into each other’s eyes.

  They didn’t hear me come in. I lean back on the desk and watch avidly as they sway and drift around the floor, watching themselves in the mirror.

  “Watch your arms!” Jax calls out, scrutinizing Meredith.

  Her arms look good to me.

  The song is haunting, about love gone horribly wrong, and the dance has been translated to reflect it, portraying abuse and betrayal. The choreography is flawless, and when Jax moves like he’s hitting Mer across the face, it looks almost real.

  My hands and jaw clench as they continue through the dance, and suddenly Jax lifts Mer up over his head and throws her, and she falls on her ass.

  “Son of a mother fucker!” she yells, surprising the hell out of me.

  “You’re not concentrating,” Jax says and stops the music. “We did this same move four years ago during the “Love’s Kiss” routine.”

  “Not with the combination that comes before it. I can’t get my bearings in time for you to throw me like that, Jax, and I’m telling you, Starla won’t either.”

  “What if we cut the half turn right before it?”

  She leans her elbows on her knees and thinks it over for a minute. “Yeah, that could work.”

  “Again.” Jax holds his hand out for her and lifts her to her feet. The music begins from the top, and they begin the routine again.

  They are magnificent. The love and friendship they share shines through in their dance. They trust each other.

  Part of me is jealous that I’ll never have this connection with Meredith, and the other part of me is just so fucking proud of her and thankful that she’s found this with Jax.

  They approach the throw and change up the steps leading up to it, so when he throws her this time, she lands on her feet and they finish the routine flawlessly.

  “Yes!” she yells and runs into Jax’s arms, hugging him tight.

  “There we go,” he says and hugs her back. “God, you’re so good, cupcake.”

  I begin to applaud in earnest, smiling wide and they glance over in surprise.

  “Oh my God!” Mer runs to me and jumps in my arms, her arms and legs wrapped around me and kisses me hard. “I didn’t see you come in.”

  “You were busy,” I reply.

  “I landed the throw!”

  “I saw. It’s awesome.”

  “I can’t wait to show Starla. She’s going to go ape-shit,” she says excitedly and kisses me again then buries her face in my neck and takes a deep breath. “You smell good.”

  “You… don’t,” I reply with a chuckle.

  “I know. I’m going to go take a quick shower and then I’ll be ready.” I set her down and she jogs to the back of the building.

  “It’s a great routine, man,” I say to Jax.

  “Thank you. She’s a dream to work with.” Jax wipes his face and bare chest with a towel then loops it around his neck. “Gonna keep her out again all weekend?”

  I prop my hands on my hips and watch the man before me for a long moment. “Yes.”

  He nods once and begins to walk away, but I decide to confront this here and now.

  “What’s the problem?” I ask quietly.

  He stops in his tracks, his back to me and slowly turns to face me. “I don’t know you,” he begins and keeps his eyes trained on mine.

  I have to respect a man who maintains eye contact and isn’t afraid to stand his ground.

  “I don’t know what your intentions are. You say you love her. You spend every waking moment that you aren’t working together.” He frowns as though he’s searching for the words and I cross my arms over my chest, waiting. “She’s consumed by you right now and—”

  “And you’re jealous?”

  “I’m concerned.”

  “About what, exactly?”

  “What are your intentions with her?”

  “I’m going to be with her until the day I die,” I say honestly without even thinking about it. He blinks, clearly surprised by my response and then sighs deeply.

  “I’m fucking jealous, yeah,” he says and wipes the towel over his hair. “Not because I want her the way you do, but because for a long time, it was just her and me, dealing with life and we were doing just fine. You need to know, man, I’m here for the long haul. Meredith is my only family, and I’m hers.”

  I nod, but he keeps talking.

  “Don’t misunderstand me. I have living relatives, but do you know what happens to a gay kid who loves to dance in the Deep South?”

  I raise a brow. “Enlighten me.”

  He swears under his breath and paces away then paces back. “They get the shit kicked out of them every fucking day. Their parents disown them and claim they’re a blasphemous abomination.” He laughs humorlessly and shakes his head. “Meredith is my sister. She’s my best friend. She’s the first person who has accepted and loved me just the way I am. She’s my confidant, and I trust her implicitly, and you need to know, I don’t trust many. And over the past ten years, I’ve been that for her too. She missed you every fucking day. Every time she got drunk, which I think was exactly four times, she did nothing but talk about you.” He points at me and I just don’t know what to say. “The guys who made their way into her pants were worthless assholes, and out of her life before the sheets cooled. It’s only been you for her, and I’ll be Goddamned if I’m going to stand by and watch you let her fall in love with you all over again unless you plan to also be around for the long haul because she doesn’t deserve anything less.”

  He’s panting now, his eyes feral with protective anger and frustration. I’ve respected few more than I respect him in this moment.

  “I don’t deserve her. I’m not good enough for her because no one will ever be,” I reply calmly. “But I missed her every fucking day too. I don’t know if I believe in soul mates, but she belongs with me. She belongs to me.” I shrug and hold my hands out as if in surrender. “I don’t know what else to say to you. I can tell you that I would take my own life before I’d ever deliberately hurt her.”

  There are tears in Jax’s eyes as he watches my face and finally he nods and scrubs his face with the ends of the towel. “Fine. I don’t have any reason not to believe you.”

  “I’ll never give you one.”

  “I smell so much better!” Mer exclaims and comes running out of the back, then stops and looks between us. “Am I interrupting?”

  “Nope, just more guy talk,” I reply and smile down at her as I tuck her against my side.

  “What are you doing tonight?” Mer asks Jax.

  “Logan and I are going out to dinner,” he replies and checks the clock on the wall. “I’d better hit the shower myself.”

  “Why don’t we all go out together?” I ask. Jax’s head whips up in surprise. “If you don’t mind us crashing your dinner.”

  “Yes!” Meredith agrees and nods. “We talked about doing dinner this weekend anyway.”

  “Are you sure?” Jax asks.

  I nod and kiss Mer’s hair then smile at Jax. “I could use some guy time.”

  “Your girlfriend accused me of being a girl the other night. She almost made me watch Pretty Woman.”

  “No man should have to endure that,” I reply with a shudder.

  “I know, right? I’ll call Logan and take a quick shower.”

  “Cool.”

  He jogs away and Mer looks up at me, searching my face.

  “What just happened?”

  “I think I just bonded with your best friend.”

  “Really?” She grins widely, ridiculously pleased.

  “Yeah, we should hang out with Jax more often. He’s cool.”

  “Okay.” She frowns and
searches my face again then shrugs and walks behind the desk to collect her handbag. “I haven’t met Logan yet. But he sounds really nice.”

  I circle the desk and pull her into my arms, burying my nose in her hair. “After dinner, I’m going to take you home.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. And then I’m going to strip you out of these clothes and fuck you until you can’t remember your own name.” I slide my hands down her back to her ass and tug her against me so she can feel my cock against her stomach.

  “Let’s skip dinner,” she mutters.

  “That’s too easy.” I grin and tuck her hair behind her ear. “But all during dinner, I’m going to remind you how much I want you.”

  “How?”

  “You’ll see.” I lower my lips to hers and sweep them across, gently, barely touching her skin, then nibble the corner of her mouth before sinking in and claiming her. She wraps her arms around me, anchoring herself to me and surrenders to me beautifully. Every time she does this, it makes me fall in love with her all over again.

  “Seriously?” Jax asks as he walks into the room, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a red button-down. “Are y’all going to do this all night?”

  “Maybe,” Mer replies and nuzzles my nose with her own before pulling away. “Are you and Logan gonna be mushy?”

  “You know how I feel about PDA,” Jax replies dryly.

  “How does Logan feel about it?” she asks.

  “Logan feels good about it.” We all spin in the direction of the voice coming from the front door. He must have just walked through.

  “We need to put a bell on that door,” Jax murmurs.

  “Hi!” Meredith immediately walks to him and gives him a hug. “I’m Meredith.”

  “I figured,” he replies and hugs her back then smiles down at her. “I’m Logan.”

  “I hope so,” she replies, then loops her arm through his and leads him over to Jax and me. “This is my boyfriend, Mark Williams. You’ve met Jax.”

  “Once or twice,” he agrees with a laugh as he shakes my hand. His grip is firm. As he pulls away, Mer steps back to my side and Logan takes Jax’s face in his hands and plants one right on him.

  “Oh my,” Mer murmurs.

  “Logan is fine with it,” Logan says again, his eyes locked on Jax’s, before turning back to us with a smile. “I’m also hungry. Where are we going?”

  “You’re adorable,” Mer says honestly as Jax watches Logan with lust-filled eyes. He’s clearly falling in love with the other man.

  “So are you,” he says with a wink. “Your man’s not bad either.”

  I feel my cheeks go red as all three of them watch me with sober faces and then burst out laughing at my expense.

  “Thanks, I think.”

  “Come on. Mexican food is calling our name.” Mer takes my hand and leads us all to the door.

  ***

  “So you both leave Monday morning?” Logan asks as we eat chips and salsa and wait for our meals to be served.

  “Yeah, really early,” Mer replies. “I’m glad it’s only a two hour flight.”

  “The VMA’s are next Sunday, right? How long are you staying?”

  Holy shit! Will they be gone almost a full week?

  “We have rehearsals until Wednesday, then we come home and they’ll rehearse each day before the performance,” Jax replies.

  “You’re not dancing in the actual show?” Logan asks.

  “No,” Mer replies. “We’ll teach Starla and her dance partner the routine and then they’ll rehearse until the show on their own.”

  “So you’ll be home Wednesday?” I ask Mer softly.

  “Yeah, mid-afternoon.”

  “My whole family is taking a celebratory trip to Vegas on Friday for the weekend. I want to take you with me.”

  Her eyes grow big and then she bites her lip.

  “That’ll be fun,” Logan says. “What’s the occasion?”

  “My brother-in-law is getting married, so it’s a combined bachelor/bachelorette party.” My eyes haven’t left Mer’s yet. “You don’t want to go?”

  “I don’t want to leave Jax with all that work…”

  “Jax is coming too,” I reply.

  “He is?” Mer and Jax reply at the same time.

  “Sure. Just close the studio for the week. You’ll love the girls, man. They’re a riot, and they’re already excited to have girls night out with you.”

  “I am good with the ladies,” Jax agrees and nods with mock seriousness. “It’s a shame.”

  “It sounds like fun,” Mer says with a smile.

  “Can I trust you in Vegas?” Logan asks Jax. “Liquor and beautiful women and all that debauchery and shenanigans?”

  “I may come home married, but those are easily annulled. You know, it’s Vegas.”

  Logan leans in to whisper in Jax’s ear and Mer’s jaw drops when Jax’s cheeks flush and he clears his throat then coughs into his hand.

  “Point taken,” Jax says and rests his chin in his hand, unable to look anyone in the eye, but looking very smug.

  I lean over and whisper into Mer’s ear, “Go take your panties off.”

  She raises a brow but wipes her mouth with her napkin and excuses herself from the table. When she returns, she sends me a wicked smile and under the cover of the tablecloth passes her panties to me, which I immediately tuck into my pocket.

  “Good girl,” I murmur and kiss her hand.

  “So, Logan, Jax tells me you’re an architect,” Meredith says after our food arrives.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replies. “Going on almost fifteen years now.”

  “Good for you,” she replies, and I can see that she’s trying to figure the age difference in her head. “Would I have seen any of your work in Seattle?”

  “Probably,” he says. “My firm has worked on several of the buildings downtown.”

  I offer Mer a bite of my carne asada and while she chews, I lean in and whisper, “I’m going to spend about an hour with my face planted between your legs tonight.”

  She gasps and coughs, and I pass her a water glass. “Are you okay, baby?”

  She nods and swallows the water and then narrows her eyes at me. “I’m fine.”

  I chuckle and resume eating my meal, enjoying the way Mer’s cheeks have flushed and the pulse in her neck has sped up.

  She’s fucking turned on.

  Of course, that’s the point.

  “How long have you been dancing?” Logan asks Meredith.

  “Since I could walk,” she replies with a laugh. “I’ve always been in a dance class of some sort. I danced professionally for just under ten years.”

  “Good for you. I’d love to watch you and Jax dance sometime.”

  “Come to the studio tomorrow,” she replies. “We have rehearsal early in the morning.”

  “On a Saturday?” I ask with a frown. “You usually take weekends off.”

  “Not this weekend. We have to make sure the routine is perfect before we head to LA on Monday,” Jax replies. “You can come watch if you want,” he tells Logan.

  “I do,” Logan says.

  “Hopefully you won’t have to witness me land on my ass anymore,” Mer says and glares at Jax. “This one likes to throw me around.”

  She shifts her legs, uncrossing and recrossing them under the table, and the thought of her bare pussy under those jeans makes my cock throb.

  “Will you excuse us, please?” I stand, pulling Meredith with me. “I have to talk to Meredith about something.”

  I turn and lead her away from the table without waiting for an answer. We walk into a dark hallway that separates the restaurant and the bar and when we’re out of sight from nearby tables, I cage her in against the wall and press my thigh against her pussy, cup her face in my hands and kiss her hard and deep. No lead in. No softness, just hot kisses.

  She clamps her hands on my arms, holding on tight when I drag my nose down her jaw to her ear and growl. “I need to
get you home and bury myself inside you for hours. The thought of how wet you are right now is making me crazy.”

  “Let’s go—” she begins but I interrupt her.

  “No. We’re going to spend some more time with Jax and Logan and make small talk and you’re going to know the whole time how fucking hard I am for you. Just you.” I kiss her again and boost her up on the wall with my thigh, making her moan softly. “You make me nuts.”

  “I’m feeling a little nutty right now myself,” she whispers and pushes her hands through my hair. “I like it.”

  “You’re going to fucking love it.”

  Chapter Nine

  ~Meredith~

  “Everything okay?” Jax asks when Mark and I return to the table. My pussy is throbbing in anticipation and my cheeks feel hot. It’s a wonder I don’t have I’M ABOUT TO GET LAID tattooed on my forehead.

  “Fine,” I reply and sit in my chair, then squirm a bit in my seat, trying to relieve the ache between my legs. Mark is trying to kill me.

  Death by horniness.

  Mark lays his hand on my thigh and it slowly drifts up to rest just below the juncture of my legs. I cover his hand with mine and squeeze out of pure self-preservation. His lips twitch when I glance up at him.

  “That was delicious,” I announce and push my plate away, ready to get the hell out of here.

  “You barely ate anything,” Jax says.

  “I’m full,” I insist.

  “Did you save room for dessert?” Logan asks and gazes at the dessert menu. “The churros with chocolate sauce sound good.”

  “Yes, let’s get dessert,” Mark agrees and squeezes my thigh. “We have time.”

  I’m going to torture him later. I’m going to suck his cock until he’s begging me to let him come and then I’m not going to. I’m going to keep him on the edge for as long as possible.

  I grin at my new plan and nod. I’ll play his game.

  I slide my hand under the tablecloth to rest over his hard erection and give it a little squeeze through his jeans. Mark’s face doesn’t change a bit, he just takes my hand in his and lifts it to his lips to kiss my knuckles then rests our hands on the table.

  Jax places our dessert order then jerks his head toward Logan in surprise when Logan also lifts his hand and kisses his knuckles. Logan’s face is calm and happy and he winks at me across the table before pinning Jax with a hot look.