Just Like Breathing (Bring Me Back Book 1)

by Diana Gardin

  Brantley rolls her eyes and glances at Flash. “He didn’t tell you?”

  Throwing a suspicious glance toward Flash, I fold my arms across my chest. “Tell me what?”

  Flash intervenes, smug amusement scrawled across his face. “That’s the whole point of a surprise, Brantley. The person being surprised doesn’t get to know about it.”

  Brantley huffs an exasperated breath and looks pointedly at me. “Ards, your boyfriend here set up a spa day for the two of us to get ready for the launch party tonight.”

  I whirl on Flash, walking over to him and winding my arms around his neck. “Seriously? For me and B?”

  His head dips and he brushes his lips against mine. Just the lightest touch of his skin to my mouth makes an errant shiver crawl down my spine. “Brantley is Axel’s date.”

  My head whips toward my best friend, who’s watching us with a satisfied little smile on her face. “What?”

  Brantley shrugs. “Axel asked me to go with him. It was a last-minute thing.” Her casual tone tells me there’s so much more going on under the surface than she’s letting on, but I know I’ll get it out of her eventually. “Our appointment starts in thirty minutes.”

  I turn back to Flash and, stretching up onto my toes, I take his mouth with mine, letting him know with my lips how grateful I am for this little surprise. When I pull away, the expression on his face is dark with the raw heat I know is simmering just below his skin. “Thank you. I’ll see you at my house tonight?”

  “Absolutely,” he murmurs. “I’ll be here to get you around seven.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  “Bunny?”

  Flash’s voice alerts me to his presence downstairs, and I put the finishing touches on my makeup before heading for the staircase.

  We exchanged keys to each other’s houses weeks ago, knowing that we’d both be coming and going far more frequently, now that we’re together. I still find myself sitting in disbelief, staring out into space with a silly smile on my face when I think of what I’ve found with Flash.

  Trenton was the love of my life, and I was certain we were only granted one of those. And even though we haven’t used that word to describe what we have, I can’t deny the feelings drawing themselves tight around a heart that was mangled.

  The relationship developing between Flash and I is natural, without restraint. It crept up on me before I even realized what was happening, and once he was there…once he was the person in my life I turned to above all others? There was no going back. There’s a tether between us that grows more invincible with every step we take.

  When I see him standing there at the bottom of the staircase, alone, my heart pelts my ribcage like it’s trying to escape my chest. And when I take in, absorb, how he looks and what he’s wearing, my blood turns molten and my breath catches in my throat.

  He hears my small movements, something in his expression shifting as he looks up at me. I feel like I’ve been stripped standing on the top step, even know I know he can’t see me.

  One side of his mouth lifts in the way only Flash can, as my heels kiss the steps, and I descend slowly toward him. With each step I take, the tension between us thickens, stretches, grows.

  This man. He’s mouthwatering, in a black suit that’s tailored to fit his broad shoulders and chest, the lean cut of his hips, and the muscular length of his legs. He wears a crisp white shirt underneath, no tie. My eyes snag on his throat as he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He’s wearing his usual dark sunglasses, but as I approach, he removes them, offering me the full view of those turbulent gray eyes.

  I don’t stop until I’m standing right in front of him, and my voice is a little breathless when I speak. “You’re the most beautiful man on Earth. Do you know that?”

  He sucks in a breath but doesn’t respond, instead reaching up to cup my face with his big, big hands. He allows his thumbs to trace the lines of my cheekbones, his favorite gesture, before sliding his hands down my neck and over my shoulders. The dress I’m wearing is form-fitting, a silver-sequined thing that clings to my slight curves before flaring out below my knees to puddle around my feet. The sleeves are long, but the neckline coasts just above my breasts, allowing a generous display of my cleavage. The dress swoops dramatically behind me, leaving my full back exposed.

  Flash’s hands continue their journey, sliding down my arms before capturing my waist in a snug hold. I can’t take my eyes off his face as his full bottom lip catches between his teeth. His unseeing gaze is hungry, searching. His hands move around my backside, cupping me and pulling me against the hard length of his erection. I gasp, but he doesn’t pause, dropping to his haunches in front of me. He runs long fingers along the sides of my legs, a low rumble of approval the only sound he makes as he feels his way toward the stilettos I have on my feet. He spends time on those, feeling the length of the heel and fingering the soft leather at my toes.

  “Color,” he rasps. “Tell me what color these are.”

  His voice is so demanding I don’t even hesitate before answering. “They’re peacock blue. The sequins in my dress are silver, but when they catch the light, the dress appears multi-colored. The color that stood out to me the most was this one. So, I found shoes to match.”

  He nods, his concentration not breaking as he slides his hands up the insides of my legs, stopping when he reaches my thighs. My dress hitches up with his movements, and I swallow a moan as his lips find their way to my flesh; hot, wet, and silky smooth against my skin.

  God, I want him. I want him now. How does he do this to me?

  “Flash,” I breathe.

  He places another open-mouthed kiss on the opposite thigh before brushing a single finger against my quickly moistening center.

  This time, I can’t hold back the groan as it rushes free from my lips.

  He glances up at me. “You like that, Bunny?”

  I nod, biting my lip, before I say, “Yes. God, yes.”

  Still crouching, he palms my bottom with one hand and strokes his thumb against my clit with the other, a slow, torturous circle that has my legs trembling where I stand.

  “I can feel you…” His voice carries an undercurrent of the lust that mirrors mine. “Wet for me. Jesus fucking Christ, Bunny. I’m not supposed to be late to this damn party, but all I want to do is take you upstairs and fuck you until you scream my name.”

  His words fuel my need for him, igniting my skin and singeing my blood. “Please, Flash,” I whimper.

  “Fuck.” With a growl, he pushes me until I’m leaning against the thick wooden banister at my back and he pulls my dress up and over his head. He nudges the fabric of my lace thong aside just before he flattens his tongue against my aching, throbbing clit.

  “Flash...ah! Yes-yes-yes! Fucking hell, please…” My words are an incoherent jumble as he tastes me, making me squirm and thrust my hips into his face like a woman starved.

  “That’s my girl.” His words rumble against me, and my head drops back against the hard surface behind me. “I know what you need.”

  His tongue lavishes me, taunts me, brings me to the brink just before he drives two fingers inside. I cry out as the sensations rip me apart. I quake, trembling all over, my fingers threading into his hair and tugging as I crest over a wave and fall back to the sand.

  Slowly, Flash stands while keeping one hand on my hip. I open my eyes, staring at him in amazement, marveling at the fact that he can make me come on command in just minutes, while I’m still fully dressed. This fire that emblazons the air between us is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, leaving me dizzy but fulfilled.

  My cheeks heat and my body catches fire all over again, as Flash puts the two fingers that were just inside me into his mouth and sucks.

  Pulling them out slow, a smirk ghosts across his capable mouth. “I told you…I have to use all of my senses to compensate for my vision loss. Taste is my favorite. And you, sweetheart? You taste like heaven.”

  My eyes flutter shut
for a moment as his other hand settles on my back. He goes utterly still. “Your skin…God. You don’t know what you do to me, but taking you out, dressed like this? I won’t make it through this night without needing to be inside you.”

  I reach between us, stroking the evidence of his hunger. “Then don’t. Don’t make it through the night. Hell, Flash, we don’t even have to make it out of this house.”

  He barks out an amused laugh. “Don’t tempt me, Bunny.” His face settles, going somber. “You look beautiful tonight.”

  My heartbeat stutters before picking up its pace. When he says things to me like that, when he touches me, when he looks at me as if he can see me, even though I know he can’t…I want to hand every feeling I own over to him and trust him to keep them safe. “You don’t know that.”

  He dips his head until it meets mine. In the space between us, he whispers, “When I feel you, I can see you. And all I see is a fucking vision.”

  We stand like that a moment, sharing our breaths, before I notice that someone is missing. “Where’s Nitro?”

  Flash tosses me a rueful smile. “I left him at home tonight. I have another guide.”

  I swallow around the large lump that forms in my throat. I know what it took for Flash to leave Nitro at home. The two of them have grown so close, their bond so strong, that he must feel like a limb is missing. And the fact that he trusts me to guide him, will allow me to step into that role? I’m honored.

  “I won’t let you go,” I whisper.

  He drops a kiss on top of my head before starting for the front door. “I’m counting on it.”

  23

  Flash

  “Flash,” breathes Arden.

  Just the sound of her voice like that, all breathless and excited, carries me right back to that place where I’m making her come with my tongue and my fingers; my dick practically pulses in my pants in its struggle to get to her. This woman is slowly driving me insane; has been since before I had her under me in my bed. And the sex with her? The sex with her takes things to a whole different level, sealing the fact that I can never let her go.

  “The view from your office window is breathtaking. I can see the Savannah River down there, even in the dark!”

  Her excitement pulls a smile out of me. “Yeah. Being down here on Bay Street, in the heart of the business district, went right along with the vision my parents had for this company to be a part of Savannah; integrate right into the history. Not just glass and steel and money, but memories and community and family. I think SJI has gotten away from that in the years since my parents died, but I’m ready to bring the purpose of the company home again. Moving forward, the SJI brand is going to represent what they stood for. It might be a multi-million-dollar corporation, but it’s still my family’s company. It’s going to be a legacy for years to come, not just for me.”

  Her breath catches, the way it does when I say something that affects her. Sometimes it’s when I make her body quiver before I’ve even touched her. Sometimes it’s when my words have touched her heart. I think that, this time, it might be the second one. I rewind my statement in my brain, trying to figure out exactly what it was that set that big heart of hers on fire.

  Cocking my head to the side, I give her my full attention. “What is it, Bunny?”

  What is it you’re not saying?

  “I… You caught me off guard. We haven’t talked about…” She trails away, like she doesn’t know how to say what’s on her mind, and it sends a jolt of lightning straight through me.

  Gripping her chin between two fingers, I lean forward, inhaling the scent of sweet peaches. “Just say it, Bunny.”

  I need her to know she can tell me anything. Trust me with her secrets and insecurities. “I don’t want anything left unsaid between us. Ever.”

  Her chin dips forward as she nods, but I don’t release her. Any excuse to touch Arden.

  “It’s just that we haven’t talked about…about the future? Not that I’m assuming we have one. But hearing you talk about your children and grandchildren…it took me there. I’m sorry.”

  Her words tumble out in a rush, and my jaw tightens as I move my hand to the back of her neck. “Don’t apologize. Don’t ever apologize for saying what’s on your mind. And no, we haven’t talked about it. But we will. You don’t need to assume we have a future, Bunny. We fucking have one. There’s no question in my mind that this ends with you and me and the whole damn white picket fence. If that’s what you want, then that’s what I want to give you. I know that I see you in my future. And yeah, I see kids.”

  Her breath hitches again, and I squeeze her neck a little tighter as I bring our foreheads together. “Talk to me, Bunny. What do you want?”

  Her lips brush against my mouth as her answer whispers, “You. I want you, Flash. I want this. I want us.”

  Relief floods my soul. “Thank fuck. Then whatever happens, it’s you and me against the world, sweetheart. We’ve got this.”

  I hear the smile in her voice. “Yeah. We’ve got this.”

  There’s a comfortable silence as she turns back to stare out the window. When she speaks again, her voice is thoughtful. “Tell me about your parents.”

  There’s a touch of pain that feels like the ghost of what it once was, and I take her hand. “They were great parents. My dad, he started this company when he was only twenty-two years old. He and my mom were high school sweethearts. SJI has always been a front runner in tech devices, and it’s always been a company with a real family vibe. That was something they were always proud of.”

  I frown. “But Axel and I thought we had tons of time before we needed to learn the business. I knew I wanted to fly, so I went to the Academy. Axel ended up following in my footsteps. Our parents died when we were in college. Plane crash returning from an anniversary trip to South America.”

  Arden drops her head onto my shoulder. “You must have been devastated.”

  Nodding, I lean my head on top of hers. “I was. Axel and I both were. We had to leave the company to the board, keeping our seats but not participating in the company. We both wanted to finish what we started with the Air Force, and our degrees, and we knew that’s what our dad would have wanted. For us to follow our dreams before making sure his lived on.”

  “And that’s what you did.” There’s admiration in Arden’s voice. “I’m sure you’re making them proud every day, Flash.”

  I turn into her, my lips brushing softly against hers. “That means a lot, Bunny. Thank you.”

  I’ve just taken her lips fully with mine when someone clears their throat in my office doorway. “Don’t mean to interrupt.”

  My irritated growl is caught in my throat as Reese Manheim’s voice slides between Arden and me. When Arden goes stiff and I feel her attention snapping from me toward the intruder, my hands curl into fists and rage lances through my insides.

  “Did you need something, Reese?” My voice fucking drips with the disgust I feel for this slimy, oily motherfucker daring to interrupt a moment I’m sharing with my girl.

  His voice is pure irritation laced with amusement. “I thought you might want to make an appearance downstairs. Before the rollout. Potential clients and advertisers are asking about you.”

  Sighing, I take a step back from Arden, only to grab and hold tight to her hand. “Of course. I’ll be right down.”

  There’re no more words from Manheim, and after a couple of minutes, Arden breathes a sigh. “He’s gone.”

  “See what I mean about him?”

  She lets loose a light chuckle. “Yes. Ugh, he’s creepy as hell, Flash.”

  Thoughtful, I nod. “Not the person I want in the president’s seat moving forward, definitely.”

  Arden gives a little shake. “Definitely not.”

  When we arrive downstairs, music thumps through the speakers on the first floor, where I know the entire place has been transformed from lobby and work cubicles to an event space. The energy around me buzzes, excitement riding the a
irwaves and making everyone in the enormous space high with anticipation.

  Arden gives me a play-by-play of the décor (simple black and white, with splashes of turquoise throughout the space), the stage set up front and center (for the dancers hired to perform), and the extravagant dress of the attendees (black-tie). We’re stopped more than once, as we move across the room, by waiters offering heavy hors d'oeuvres and glasses of champagne.

  We’ve greeted clients and guests as we cross the room, stopping for introductions and idle small talk. There’s a feeling in my soul, like I might burst from the satisfaction of having Arden by my side as I engage in a meet-and-greet that would have been impossible for me to stand just months ago. The idea of people watching me fumble around as a man who can’t see, wondering how it happened, feeling sorry for me. I couldn’t stomach the thought of it.

  Now, here I am, prouder than anything, and it’s partially because of the product I devised and helped bring to life, but it’s mostly because of the woman standing by my side. I could give two shits now about what people are thinking or saying behind their hands. All I know is, I’m good enough for Arden.

  And that’s fucking good enough, period.

  “Oh!” Her voice lifts. “There’s Axel. Funny…he’s dressed just like you are, except his shirt is black instead of white.” There’s amusement in her tone. “Y’all have a ‘white knight, dark knight’ thing going on.”

  I chuckle, bending my head so my words brush right up against her ear. “I’m no white night, sweetheart.”

  Her erotic shiver might as well have swept through my own body, the way I feel it move from her shoulders to her toes. “And I plan on showing you just how dark it can be later. When I peel that dress off your body, one sexy-as-fuck inch at a time.”

  The memory of her heated flesh, her lust-soaked pussy dripping all over my fingers, the peaches and cream scent of her mixed with the musk of her arousal, makes me grow hard in my slacks.

  What this woman fucking does to me, in a room full of people. Insane.