Breathe (12 page)

He stepped back and we all looked at it, then at the rose, picturing them together. Tyler finally picked the sketchpad up and walked it to the easel and placed them side-by-side so we could see them closer.

“Joey I think it’s perfect.” The boy’s voice was warm when he spoke to Joey, completely different then the icy tones he usually took with me. After last night’s conversation I understood why but I didn’t have to like it. “Once it’s done let me know. I want to see it before you send it to Hendricks.” He stepped back again and looked at it, then walked over and gave Joey a hug.

“Momma will love it. Thank you.” Joey nodded then hugged the young man again. Tyler glanced over at me then walked out of the room without saying anything to me. I looked after him, then ran a hand through my hair and down my neck.

“I have no clue why that boy hates me so much.”

“Can’t you guess?”

I shook my head and looked over to my best friend.

“I mean he told me he knew about men like me and that his mom wasn’t someone to wine, dine, fuck, and then drop. But what have I ever done to make him think I would?” Joey walked to the canvas, starting to transfer the filigree to the heart waiting there. He shook his head and looked back over his shoulder at me.

“That may be part of it, but you have to remember Kathryn lost her husband six years ago under circumstances that rocked that little family hard. It has only been them for six years.”             

“Surely I am not the only man since her husband.”

This time Joey turned fully around and faced me.

“You are the only man Kathryn has ever even looked at since her husband.”

“That you know of.”

Joey shook his head. “No mate. Her and Cora have gotten to be really good friends, we spend a lot of time with all of them. I know for a fact that you my old mate are the only man she has even thought about since her husband Sean was killed in action six years ago.” I was having a really hard time wrapping my mind around that. Kathryn was a gorgeous woman how has she been able to stay out of the arms of even a single man for six years? “Her life was shattered, she rebuilt it solely around her children, keeping herself busy and unavailable until you came steamrolling in.”

I wasn’t surprised when Joey answered my silent questions. We knew each other so well that we didn’t need as many words as other people. When he first met Cora she would get so irritated because we would never finish sentences, and we were constantly answering questions that weren’t asked or responding to sentences never said. Since then she accepted it, even joining in sometimes.

“Tyler is a sweet lad but he is protective. While they have been able to shield Lily from most of the ugliness of this business and Kathryn did her best to shield him as well, he is older and has seen more than Lily has. He thinks that Kathryn doesn’t understand the ugliness either, but he is wrong. Kathryn is well aware how it works, she has no illusions whatsoever. Tyler is trying to protect his mother from getting too close to you, from getting her heart broken. She is a strong woman, Daniel, but her heart is fragile and as your very best mate for life I am warning you once and only once. If you like this woman, if you see a future for her and you, I am a hundred percent behind you. If however, she really is someone that is just a passing fancy, jog on.”

Joey was normally a man of a few words so I nodded to let him know I heard him and I accepted what he said. Pondering what all this meant for Kathryn and I. I was the only man for six years? Seriously? We heard the girls chattering as they climbed the stairs to the studio and then burst into the room, laughing. Tyler followed them with a huge quilt in his arms. Without being asked Joey grabbed the easel and moved it up against the wall and helped Tyler spread the quilt. The girls unloaded their bags on the quilt once it was settled and started handing out sandwiches. I sat next to Kathryn who was sitting primly, her legs bent to the side, her ankles crossed. She glanced at me and smiled, handing me my sandwich, a small container of salad and a bottle of water.

“Thank you missus.” She nodded shyly before turning and handing out the rest of the food. Lily and Cora engaged us all in an argument the girls had been having about music.

“She just doesn’t understand that the older music is just as relevant as the music today. That folk music and classical music is the backbone of what she listens to.”

“But it’s old. Nobody listens to that stuff anymore. Like momma’s music. Nobody even knows who Queen is, or Van Morrison, or any of them. I mean Kansas is a state, not a band, Eagles are birds. And don’t even get me started on the other music she listens to.” Kathryn hung her head sadly.

“I have failed so very badly at parenting if my child doesn’t appreciate Van Morrison, or Queen. I fear she hates my country music as well. Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw…it is so very very sad.”

“Who?” Kathryn threw up her hands and everyone started laughing. I turned to Lily.

“Who do you listen to?”

She started rattling off bands I had never even heard of, making me feel incredibly out of touch and old.

“So no Beach Boys, The Beatles, Elvis?” I switched when I saw the confusion. “Okay, how about Eric Clapton, Colbie Caillat..”

“Ooh I know her! I love her.” I felt triumphant for a split second. “She is the only old person I listen to.” I shook my head.

“I give up.”

Kathryn smirked over at me.

“What? You weren’t doing any better.”

“It’s hopeless mom. She will never understand what you are talking about. She blares that bass music all the time. Her girl power, man hating, I am woman hear me roar music all day long. No one is going to change her mind that there is much better music out there than that.”

“It isn’t man hating music. They like men, I like men. We just don’t necessarily think we can’t live without them.” She stuck her tongue out at Tyler who rolled his eyes, acting like she was beneath him, right before he stuck his tongue out at her.

As the conversation turned to other things I turned to my sandwich and saw Kathryn pulling mushrooms and onions out of her salad, placing them neatly on a napkin.

“You don’t like mushrooms or onions?”

She made a face and shook her head. I laughed, and snagged the small pile of mushrooms from her. “Ew… Seriously? Those are so slimy.” She fake shuddered as she watched me pop one in my mouth and I grinned.

Lily leaned over and threw her tomatoes in her mom’s salad and the green peppers from her own.

“You don’t like mushrooms or onions but love tomatoes and green peppers. See I am learning all kinds of things.” She looked at me from beneath her lashes and smiled, but didn’t say anything.

“As much time as you to spend together you didn’t already know that? What have you been doing?” Cora threw her napkin at her husband’s head and when I saw the blush on Kathryn’s face I burst out laughing earning me a glare from Kathryn and a narrow eyed look from Tyler but I couldn’t help it. The woman was delightful and so easy to mess with. We all sat on the quilt talking, I heard the story of how Lily and Kathryn were stopped in New York on the street by John Hendricks and how he had become like a grandfather to both Lily and Tyler through the years even after they stopped modeling for the campaigns he was working on and how him and Kathryn had started the Golden Hearts foundation. Again I was enthralled with what a wonderful woman she was.

I didn’t realize it was getting late until we heard pounding feet on the stairs, turning just as Cora’s twins and Jamie came flying into the room. All three of them talking at once.

“It is really that time? Guess we better clean up and head out. Lily and Tyler, you are still coming over for movie night right?” With a resounding yes, the twins grabbed Lily’s hand and pulled her to her feet. I helped Kathryn finish gathering up the trash and loading it back into the bags.

“Movie night? And I am not invited?” The twins shook their heads at me.

“Uncle Daniel you wouldn’t like this one. It has scary things in it.” Kathryn looked up at me.

“You don’t like scary things in your movies?”             

“I hate them. Why do people insist on getting scared out of their minds?” Joey shook his head, muttering about how people just don’t take the time anymore to find out even the simplest of things. I followed the group down the stairs and said our good byes to everyone. I stood watching them, wondering how often they hung out, how close they were, if I wasn’t here would Kathryn be with them? And how the hell do we not know the simplest of things about each other? That was going to change. Tonight.

(Kathryn)             

We watched Tyler and Lily walk away with our friends, and I glanced up at Daniel noticing the slight frown on his face, coupled with curiosity. I grinned and tried to reassure him.

“They are very close to Joey and Cora. I think they spend more time with them then they do with me anymore.” I smiled over at Daniel as he grabbed my hand and pulled me down the street.

“Well that works well for me then. I am taking you to get an ice cream and we are going to play a game.” He grinned over at me and I couldn’t help but grin right back. We walked to a small ice cream parlor not too far from Joey’s studio, he ordered himself a triple scoop chocolate and I went for the rainbow sherbet in a cup.

“You just have to be a little different huh?” I nodded and took a big bite of the vividly colored sherbet.

“It’s better than being predictable and boring.” I looked pointedly at his cone. He gasped in mock shock and shook his head.

“No, this is chocolate. Far from predictable and boring, this is saying that I live on the edge and laugh in the face of danger.” He wriggled his eyebrows at me and I burst out laughing. He grinned and wrapped his arms around my shoulder, pulling me in close to him. It felt so right and normal to be tucked in against him as we walked toward the river and the lights. When we got closer we turned to walk along the river, enjoying our ice cream and each other’s company.

“So what game did you want to play?”

“Well something Joey said back there reminded me that despite the fact that we have had some pretty passionate moments.” He turned and looked down at me with a wicked grin. “Which were beyond amazing by the way. We don’t know much about each other. Like I had no idea that you used to dance, and that you clearly have a thing for 80’s hair bands.”

“Okay. This could be interesting. Do you wanna start since this is your idea?”

“Okay first question. Favorite color?”

“Really? The lives on the edge man starts with that?”

He grinned and nodded. “Answer.”

“Is rainbow a color?”

He laughed and shook his head. “Nope doesn’t count.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Fine. Rose pink, lilac, and yellow I guess.”

“You just couldn’t pick one could you?” I grinned up at him and showed him my sherbet.

“Different remember?”

“Okay. Next, favorite movie?”

“
Gone With the Wind
without a doubt.”

“Favorite book of all time?”

“Again
Gone With the Wind
without a doubt.”

He stopped and turned me towards him. “What in the world is the fascination with that particular story?”

“Two words, Rhett and Butler.” I placed my hand on my forehead and pretended to swoon. “The original bad boy and my first love from the time I was a young girl and I read the book. Girls love a great bad boy.” It was my turn to wiggle my eyebrows at him.

He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me against his body. “A bad boy huh? Is that all it takes for you?” He pulled me even closer and brought his head down until his lips were just a breath away from mine and growled. “Cause baby, I am the best bad boy you will ever meet.”

My legs literally melted and so did my insides. I looked up into his gorgeous desire filled eyes and groaned. He kissed me softly on the forehead then pulled away.

“We have to get through this game before anything else amazing happens.” He winked at me then grabbed my hand so we could continue our walk down the river. Just the simple act of holding hands, something my stoic conservative military man never did was causing my heart to melt even more. “Next question…what is your favorite part of that particular story?”

This I had to think about. I took a few more bites of my melting sherbet as I thought. “There were so many great scenes with Rhett. When he gave Scarlett a new bonnet and told her she needed to be kissed and kissed often and by someone who knew how. Then there was the night the Yankees came to Atlanta and he told her he loved her and asked for just one kiss. Then the outrageous proposal.”

(Daniel)

I watched her mind work its way through the scenes of the movie. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she grinned wickedly up at me. I laughed, anxious to hear this.

“But the best part of the ENTIRE movie was the night he got drunk after he sent her to Ashley Wilkes house alone. He swept her off her feet, carried her up the stairs, two steps at a time and clearly ravished her, erasing all thoughts of any other man but him.” She pretended to swoon again. “What a man.”

I grabbed her around the waist again and she laughed up at me, her tiger eyes sparkling with pleasure.

“Better than me?”

She pretended to think about that for a second, then bit her bottom lip and nodded, trying not to grin. “They just don’t make them like that anymore.” I let her pull away but kept a hold of her hand. “A man willing to wait for the woman he loves, someone who sees straight into her soul and loves her anyway, someone who wants to give her the world and fights for her love.” She glanced up at me again and grinned. “Plus, Clark Gable? Yummy.”

I threw my head back and laughed. This woman was so fresh and delightful. She finished her sherbet as I asked her my mental list of questions and she took the time to answer each the best she could. When we got far enough down the river we turned back and started walking towards her flat.

“Okay now it’s my turn.” The smile on her face made me a little nervous.

“Suddenly I don’t want to play this game.”

She grinned even wider.

“I promise, it won’t hurt.”

I nodded, and pulled her back under my arm, her soft curves pressed against me, her arm wrapped around my waist made me content. I sighed, breathing in the night air and the smell of the woman in my arms.

“Okay grá, do your worst.”

“Favorite color?” I laughed, and hugged her even closer.

“For someone who has decided she is so different, that isn’t a very original question.” She elbowed me in the side.

“Just answer.”

“Okay. Hmm guess I never thought about it too much. Blue I guess.” She shook her head and muttered something about chocolate and vanilla. Before I could ask her to repeat it she launched into her list of questions.

“Favorite movie?”

“
Robin Hood
. The Disney version.” That made her stop and glance at me.

“Seriously?”

“Love the animals running around acting like people. Makes the story more fun.” She shook her head and started laughing. Bent over at the waist, tears rolling down her face laughing. I couldn’t help but chuckle with her. “It isn’t that funny.”

“Oh yes it is.” She managed to gasp out those words as she continued to laugh. I grabbed her and tickled her, making her laugh even harder and squeal as she pushed away. “Okay, okay!! I promise not to laugh anymore.” I grabbed her hand and we continued to walk, her hiccupping from laughing so hard preventing her questions for a few minutes. I just shook my head at her and she grinned impishly up at me. A look her daughter got a lot on her face, now I know where she got it.

“Okay. Favorite book, and please don’t say
Robin Hood
. I don’t think I can control myself.” I grinned but shook my head.

“
The Picture of Dorian Grey
.”

She made a face up at me. “Isn’t that the one where the picture aged while the man stayed young? Isn’t that a dark story about a man’s decadent desire for beauty and sin?”

I just shrugged, subtly impressed she knew it. “I enjoy it. The nuances of corruption and lust and the seduction of power and to live forever.”

“But you don’t watch horror films?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Hate them.”

“Seriously, but your favorite book is
Dorian Grey
? You are a man of many strange contradictions.”

I grinned and wrapped both arms around her waist. “Maybe so, but I can still make a certain person scream in passion, and cry with laughter. Wouldn’t say that is a bad thing.” She smiled up at me as we both stood quietly for a few minutes, watching the lights dancing on the water. The moon was full tonight bathing us in its cool white light and the lights of the city around us shimmered as the current of the river flowed beneath them. She shivered against me, and I ran my hands up and down her arms.

“Are you cold?”

“Just a little. The wind has started to pick up, and coming off the water, it’s a bit chilly.” I shrugged out of my jacket and held it so she could slip her arms in. I laughed at how the jacket swallowed her up, then I saw her breathe in my scent and her eyes closed, making my laughter stop dead and my throat grow dry. With just a simple breath this woman could touch me in more places than I thought possible. She was sweet, beautiful, strong, intelligent, and very sexy without even trying. Suddenly I couldn’t wait to get her home.

(Kathryn)

I snuggled down into his warm jacket, relishing the warmth from his body, taking a deep breath, breathing in the minty manly smell that was Daniel. I closed my eyes as my legs went weak and my whole body heated up. His scent and his warmth around me were awakening me more than anything else ever had in the past six years, and it terrified me. When I opened my eyes and glanced over at the man who was responsible I saw his eyes darken, and his jaw tighten as he watched me closely. He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the river and towards the line of taxi’s waiting for the lovers walking along the river to want to go home.

He pulled me into the first taxi, giving the driver my address before pulling me into him as he leaned back. He cupped my face, turning it up to his. He brushed a lock of hair from my eyes, tucking it behind my ear, before he ran his finger softly down my jaw to my mouth. He outlined it slowly with his finger before gliding it softly down my neck.

“You are so beautiful.” He leaned close and pressed a soft chaste kiss to my lips. Then he pulled back and looked into my eyes. The world outside the taxi seemed to stand still. The world was just us, me and him, and the shimmering heat that was building between us. I pressed my hand against his chest, and I felt his heart rate increasing as mine was. His eyes darkened even further to a midnight blue color and he hummed seconds before he leaned down and kissed me again. He kept the kiss soft; his passion tightly reigned in since the drive to my townhouse wasn’t a long one. When he pulled back again we were pulling up at the curb outside.

I climbed out quickly walking up to the door and unlocking it while he thanked the driver and paid him. My hands were shaking so it took me a moment to open the door; by the time I did he was right behind me. I could feel his heat before I felt his body. He followed me in, shutting the door behind him. He looked up at the wide staircase in front of us, and then looked down at me with raised eyebrows. I had no idea what he had planned until he swept me up into his arms.

“I believe Rhett then carried her up the stairs two steps at a time and ravished her until she forgot all men before her.” He whispered this before he turned slightly and took my staircase two steps at a time, the muscles of his arms and legs bunching tightly as he moved upwards. I threw my arms around his neck and giggled. “I do not believe Scarlett giggled while her Rhett carried her like this.”

“Probably not but I am not Scarlett.”

“Fiery, stubborn, strong willed, smart, gorgeous... yep I would say you are pretty close.”

“You forgot selfish, conceited, self-serving, slutty…” He silenced my list as he reached my door and carried me through. He carried me to the bed and laid me softly down.

“Okay, maybe not entirely Scarlett. I will take Kathryn Anne James anytime over a simpering southern belle.” I grinned and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, pulling him down to me.

“Good cause for now that’s what you have.”

“I wouldn’t want anything or anyone else.” The heat in his voice matched the heat in his eyes before he dipped his head down to take my mouth in a kiss designed to melt every inch of my body, turning me into a molten puddle of lust. He sat back and grinned. Then he started unbuttoning his shirt slowly, watching me as his fingers worked down his shirt, pulling the tail out of his jeans as he went. I licked my lips as each inch of his magnificent body was revealed. He took great care of his body, every inch toned and beautiful. My eyes traveled slowly over him, from his perfect fuck me hair with the flecks of silver, his deep desire filled eyes, his sinful lips, down his perfectly formed strong chest, his six pack abs, down the small line of hair to the waistband of his jeans.

He groaned. “Ah my grá, your eyes give you away every time. Keep looking at me like that and this will only take a few seconds.” I raised my eyebrows at him.

“Pretty sure Rhett lasted longer.” My laugh was captured with his lips and the growl coming from deep in his throat as he ravished my mouth. He grabbed the hem of my sundress and pulled it straight up and over my head; breaking the kiss only for the instant it took the clothes to clear my mouth. He unclasped my bra and threw it in the general direction of the dress, leaving me naked except for my soaking wet panties. His hands cupped my breasts, his thumbs rubbing against the sensitive nipples. I groaned into his mouth, begging for more. He grinned against my mouth before kissing his way across my jaw to my ear.