The Air I Breathe

by K. Renee

  “Of course. What do you need, babe?”

  Her sigh fills my ear, and I wait for her to tell me what’s wrong. “So I went to run on the treadmill for twenty minutes, and I got a flat tire.” I laugh at that, and I can already picture the frown on her face.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to the gym? I would have been there.” I get out of bed and pull on a pair of jeans that I left on the floor last night.

  “Well, if I would have told you, I would be on my back in your office and not on the treadmill. I already am starting to feel fat, and I just wanted to run.”

  I roll my eyes at that. She is not fat and isn’t getting fat. “Babe, you’re pregnant. You’re supposed to gain weight.”

  “Ugh. Just please come fix my tire. You can tell me I’m not fat when you get here. Please.” She probably has her lip all puffed out like she does when she wants something. I grab a shirt from my closet and pull it over my head before slipping my feet into a pair of Vans.

  “Where are you?”

  “Still at the gym.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute, and I expect a little sugar for helping the damsel in distress.” She huffs out, and I grin. “Just say you love me then.”

  “I love you. Now hurry up. I’m sweaty and starving.” I can hear the grin in her voice. As much as she tries to act like a hard-ass, she just can’t pull it off.

  When I pull into the gym parking lot, I see her car, and she’s sitting inside still. Her eyes are on her phone when I park beside her, and it isn’t until I open her car door that she notices me. Her gasp fills the car, and she puts her hand to her chest.

  “You scared the crap out of me.” She smacks my stomach, but I ignore it and lean down to kiss her.

  “Maybe if you got your nose out of the book on your phone you would have seen me pull up. Pop your trunk.” She rolls her eyes at me, and I kiss her again.

  “What did you run over?” I ask, toeing her flat tire with my shoe.

  “Nothing.” She looks like one of those innocent little girls, and I reach out to run my hand over her ass, squeezing it before walking over to her trunk to grab the spare tire and jack.

  Once I get her tire changed, I press her up against the side of her car. My hands cup her face, and I gently kiss her lips. “Even though you didn’t tell me you were coming here, I’m glad I got to see you for a few minutes.”

  Her hand rests on my chest, and she grins up at me. “I love you, Sager.”

  “Good. Now come back to my place, and I’ll show you just how much I love you.” She sighs and lets her head fall back against her car.

  “I can’t. I have to go. I should have already been home, and I’m sure he’s going to be calling me soon to find out what’s taking me so long.”

  “And where are you supposed to be right now?” I trail one of my fingers down the center of her chest like I’ve done a million times.

  “Yoga class.” She grins at me, and I shake my head.

  “I didn’t know we had yoga classes here. But I can teach you a few moves.” I wink at her and she giggles.

  “I’ll text you later.”

  “Fine,” I mutter. I hate having to fucking share her. I want her to be coming home to me every night instead of him. ,

  “Don’t get all pissy. I love you Sager.” I kiss her again so I don’t say something to piss her off. I’m so close to asking her to move in with me, but I know she’ll just say no.

  “I love you too.”

  I let her go, and she gets back into her car while I close the trunk of her car. “Take your tire in to get fixed. You can’t drive on this one for long.” She nods her head and blows me a kiss.

  “Bye.”

  I watch her drive away, and I kick myself for letting her. She’ll fight me on it if I told her to stay, and I swore I would wait for her to come to me.

  Instead of heading back home to sit in my house alone, I head inside the gym to get some work done. I need to make up the work schedule for the next three weeks and shit still, even though I don’t feel like doing a damn thing.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t pull your girl into your office with you for a quick fuck before sending her on her way,” Jenner says leaning against the doorjamb.

  “She said she needed to go. I didn’t even know she was here until she called to ask me to change her tire.” He raises an eyebrow at me, and I just shrug. I don’t know why she didn’t say anything either, but I’m not going to say anything about it.

  “That’s weird as fuck. Maybe she didn’t want you to know she was here.”

  “No idea, brother. She just went home to him.”

  “Is shit between the two of you still good?” he questions, coming in and taking a seat in the chair in front of my desk.

  “Yeah, things are fine. I found out why she still hasn’t left him though.” He puts his elbows on his knees and leans in.

  “She told you after you guys left the bar?” I nod, and he just waits for me to tell him.

  “She’s pregnant.”

  He leans back in the chair and lets out a whistle. “Fuck man. Is it yours?”

  “She doesn’t know. She’s still being the dutiful fiancée even though she swears she doesn’t love him. Fuck, she tells me she loves me, but here we are still in this fucked up circle, never really moving in either direction.”

  “Sometimes I swear this shit couldn’t get worse for you, and then you tell me this shit. Make her decide what she wants. You’re letting her use you, and it’s slowly destroying you. I see it written all over your face, Sager. You’re one of my best friends, and I hate that this shit is eating away at you.”

  “Yeah, seven months is a long time. I just can’t give her up though. I crave her like nothing before, and I don’t want to lose her.”

  “Seven months should give her all the answers she needs. If she loves you man, she should be able to fully commit or say goodbye.”

  I lean back in my chair and run my hands over my face. “Fuck,” I grit out.

  “Force her to choose. I know it’s going to fucking suck and that she might not choose you but then you won’t be in this limbo waiting for something to happen.”

  “I know you’re fucking right, and if you were in this position, I’d say the same damn thing, but that baby could be mine too.”

  He nods and rubs the back of his neck. “You’ve been fucking her without protection.” I nod my head, not really caring if he knows or not. “And he doesn’t use it either?”

  “She told me they use protection but that he said something when she told him she was pregnant that made her question it.” He starts to laugh, and I stay quiet for a second.

  “Did he do something to make it not effective?” I nod, and he just shakes his head. “Does he know about the affair?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “I hate to be the one to say this, but I think he does. Why else would he try to get her pregnant on purpose?”

  “Fuck if I know. He wants to move her to New York too.”

  “Sager man, he has to know. Or he’s got some other shit up his sleeve.” I think about that for a second, but my phone starts to ring. Looking down at the screen, I push all thoughts of Alec and whatever shit he’s trying to pull out of my head and answer it.

  “What’s up, G?” I ask in greeting.

  “Come by the house. Let’s play some Madden. I know you ain’t doing shit at the gym.” I grin.

  “Fuck yeah. I’m on my way.” I hang up and shove my phone into my pocket. “I’m heading to G’s to play Madden. Call me if she comes back?” He nods and slaps me on the back as he stands.

  “Don’t be stupid, Sager.”

  He already knows that when it comes to Cameo Hartley, I do stupid shit. I would give up everything I have just to have her in my arms at the end of the day.

  I head out of the gym and to my car, taking off toward G’s. One good thing about heading over there is that she lives only a block or two away from him. I’ll be cl
oser to her just in case Jenner is right. Maybe he does know, and maybe he’s getting ready to make a move of some kind.

  Either way, I’ll be ready for whatever it is that is going to happen.

  Nineteen

  Cameo

  Once I got home from the gym, I knew something was wrong, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to think of anything else today, all I wanted to do was get Alec’s lunch made and ready for when he was hungry and then take a nap.

  The last few days I’ve been so tired, and a nap sounded divine. Although part of me missed Sager so badly, I still left him in the parking lot of his gym, not giving him much of anything to go on other than I had to go.

  Every time I leave Sager, I break my own heart a little more. I don’t know how much longer I can take it, but I also can’t just leave Alec.

  When my phone dings with an incoming alert, I scan the room to make sure that Alec is nowhere to be found. If he found out, he would be devastated, no angry. Well, maybe more than that but I can’t think about that right now. My only thoughts are consumed with Sager and the words that are now dancing on the screen in front of me.

  S: Did you think of me as he fucked you last night?

  His crude words cause me to pause, but I feel the heat creeping up my neck. I don’t know how he does it, but he always knows when Alec and I have sex. It’s almost like he watches us or gets some alert on his phone like the dirty boy he is. He would probably be someone to get off watching someone else have sex.

  Me: No.

  He hates when I give him one-word answers. The last time I did it; he bent me over a table and fucked me hard in the back of his gym while there were classes going on. I’m pretty sure one of his classes heard me cry out as I came. I was red as a tomato when we left the gym to grab some food to take back to his place.

  So somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m hoping he does the same thing this time.

  S: You know how I feel about one word answers.

  My pussy clenches, and I wiggle in my seat. I knew he would send that message. It’s definitely not the first time I’ve gotten the words from him via text message.

  Me: No, I didn’t think about you last night.

  His response is instant. He knows I’m lying. I don’t know how he can read me so well, but he always knows. For the past seven months, he’s all I’ve been able to think about.

  S: You’re lying. I know for a fact that your pretty boy can’t make you come like I can.

  Biting my lip, I try not to imagine the cocky smirk that’s probably spread across his lips. Like I said, he always knows. Instead of writing back, I delete the messages and turn my phone on silent. Getting off the bed, I make my way to the bathroom and start to get ready for my day.

  Once I’m ready, I grab my phone and check it. I see a few messages from Sager, but I don’t open them yet. I hear someone walking down the hall, and when Alec comes into the room, I can see the anger written all over his face.

  My stomach sinks and the only thing I can think of is that he knows.

  When he stops in front of me, I swallow the lump that’s caught in my throat, and I try to keep calm. He grabs for my phone before I can react and he holds it up in front of me. Alec looks nothing like the man I fell in love with five years ago.

  Right now he looks like he could commit murder. I’ve never seen him look like this before and for the first time, I’m afraid of what he might do.

  “Who is S?”

  Hearing the question is painful, and I wish I never got involved with Sager. I knew better, yet I went against my better judgment. But I don’t regret it.

  Sager made me feel something, even if it was wrong. Even if I should have never gone to his gym that first time, I learned more about myself in the last eight months than I ever have in my twenty-nine years.

  When I don’t answer his question, he turns the screen on and hits my messages. He forces me to read them, and I think I’m going to be sick.

  S: So you’re going silent on me? You can always tell me the truth.

  S: I know your pussy is clenching just thinking about what my mouth and fingers are going to do to you next.

  S: Cam, I’m going to spank that sexy ass of yours when I see you.

  S: Imagine my cock filling your pussy. I can’t wait to see your pussy stretched over my dick as you ride me.

  I don’t even want to look into his eyes. He’s read the same messages I did.

  “Look at me, Cameo,” he growls.

  When I look up into his eyes, I can see the anger, hate, and betrayal. Before I even know what’s going to happen, I feel the sting on my cheek.

  “You’re a fucking whore.”

  Gasping, I grab my cheek and look up at him. He raises his hand again, and I flinch. He goes to hit me again, but my phone starts to ring causing him to pause. When Alec looks down at the screen, I can see his thoughts as if he’s saying them out loud.

  “Answer it,” he barks out, forcing the phone in my face.

  I do as I’m told, and he pulls it away from my ear and hits the speakerphone button.

  “Hello?” I force out the word, and I can’t imagine what Sager is going to say.

  “You know bad girls get punished right.”

  I can hear the humor in his voice, and I would give anything to be with him instead of here with Alec right now.

  “I know,” I whisper.

  Alec grabs my arm, and I whimper as he holds me close to him.

  “You okay, baby?” He sounds concerned, and Alec puts pressure on my arm causing me to wince. When I look up at him again, he motions for me to keep talking.

  “Yeah, just a little tired.”

  I hear his laugh, and it’s light and airy. Sager doesn’t take a lot of things seriously. He’s always joking and fun. Maybe that’s what attracted me to him in the first place.

  “I can’t believe that the pretty boy actually made you tired this morning, I’m impressed.”

  Alec’s grip increases and I know that I need to keep the conversation going before he does something else to me.

  “Did you think of me while he was fucking you?” Sager’s voice drops an octave, and I can feel Alec’s eyes bore into me.

  I refuse to answer that question, and Alec digs his nails into my arm. Sager asks me another question when he doesn’t get an answer from me.

  “Was it my cock that you envisioned being shoved down your throat while you were on your knees?” The raspy sound of his voice that typically turns me on scares the crap out of me now. Alec is hearing everything, and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

  When I don’t answer this time, Alec grabs the back of my hair and yanks until I answer Sager.

  “Yes,” I choke out.

  I can feel the bruises starting to form on my arm, and I close my eyes as the warm tears fall down my cheeks.

  “I already warned you about one-word answers.” His voice is still a husky sound.

  That voice has brought me to my knees so many times over the last seven months, but right now, I know that it’s only digging my grave further and further with every word he says.

  “Yes, your face was the one I saw when I came.” My voice cracks and Alec closes his eyes.

  When he opens them again, I don’t recognize the person staring back at me. Before he can end the call, I tell Sager, “He knows.” Alec slaps me again, and I try to keep the tears from falling down my face.

  “I should have fucking listened when everyone told me to stay away from you. That you were just a money-grubbing slut,” he all but spits at me.

  I can feel his saliva land on my cheek, and I try to wipe it off, but he doesn’t let me. Instead, Alec grabs my hands and pushes me back on the bed. I try to fight against him, but he’s stronger than me.

  “You want to be treated like a slut, I’ll treat you like a fucking slut.”

  He slaps me again, and I try to reach for my phone. His hands slip to my neck, and I beg for him to let me go. When he doesn’t, I can feel myse
lf start to go numb. Alec isn’t this person. I’m the one who made him do this.

  My vision gets hazy, and I think that I can hear someone yelling, but it’s way too far away. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. He wouldn’t be here or even in the neighborhood.

  Everything disappears, and I feel like I’m floating.

  Flashes of Sager and I stream through my mind, and I see every perfect stolen moment we’ve had. I should have just ended things with Alec. I fell out of love with him somewhere during this path I’m on, but I didn’t want to admit it.

  I didn’t want people to know that I liked – no loved, the dirty things that Sager did to my body. The way he made me feel was magical and everything else that I’d never be able to explain.

  I should have seen the end before it happened, but I honestly never thought that we would get caught. I was a fool, and now I only have the memories of what once was.

  Sager Stone was the best and worst thing for me wrapped up in a sexy package.

  ---

  A hand is hovering over my face, and when my eyes snap open, I see Sager looking down at me.

  He looks worried, and my mind is still too hazy to process what happened. “Thank fuck, you’re awake.” I look around the room, trying to place myself but I don’t recognize it at all.

  “We are at G’s place. He lives a few blocks from you.” Nothing makes sense. Why would we be here?

  I go to rub my neck where it hurts, but Sager stops me. “Don’t, babe. Your neck is bruised. It’s going to be sore for a few days.”

  “What happened?” I choke out. My mouth is dry, and my head is killing me. Trying to sit up, he wraps his arm around me and helps me up.

  “When I showed up, he was choking you. You said he knew and I heard your scream so we got in the truck and came right here. He had his hands on your throat when we got here.”

  Tears threaten to fall, and I close my eyes, leaning my body against his. “I’m so sorry.”

  He pulls my head into his neck, and his fingers play with the strands of my hair. “Don’t apologize for what he did to you. You didn’t deserve that. He should have never laid a hand on you.”