Page 1 of Breathing Without You

1

EMERALD

“Mind if I dance with you?”I hear someone whisper into my ear, as their warm, somewhat muscular arms come around my waist as I get lost in the music. I’m sweating from all this dancing and enjoying girls’ night with my best friends.

Mystery man’s body starts grinding against my ass making me smirk, hoping he’s a hot guy around my age. Winter, Chastity, and I are dancing at Black Velvet, waiting for country night to start. We’re doing our normal dancing like hoochies having a blast, grinding up on each other and shaking our asses. I look over at Chastity because she’s diagonally across from me, her eyes going wide as she stares at the man behind me. She starts trying to shake her head no without making it too obvious and shit I don't want to turn around but if she’s giving me that look then that means I’ll have to tell him to get lost. Why does this always happen to me? I take a deep breath in and turn. Fuck…of course it has to be a man who’s old enough to be my dad and creepy enough to drug me and leave my dead body in an alley way. I watch way too many crime shows, but it’s true, he has ‘run now’ written all over him. He’s a tall, somewhat heavy-set man, somewhat muscular with barely any hair left on top, atone point he could’ve been attractive but with the look he has on his face tonight he has creep written all over him. He’s drunk too as his glossy eyes look me up and down, drinking me in with this disgusting smirk on his face. He licks his lips slowly as his eyes stay focused on my shirt that’s way too low, staring at my cleavage. But hey I’m allowed to dress like this for a night out with my girls.

“Sorry, I'm just trying to dance with my friends while our boyfriends get us drinks.” I lie a little, but he doesn’t need to know that. That’s something we always do if we don’t want to dance with a guy, we back each other up on our imaginary boyfriends when we come here alone. Usually, it works but sometimes we get the assholes who just don’t want to listen, kind of like tonight.

Except I’m the only single one here tonight. My best friend Winter’s fiancé, Carsten, is part owner of Black Velvet so he’s working tonight, and Chastity, I’m not sure where her boyfriend is tonight. I’m surprised she’s allowed out alone, he’s usually up her ass, the controlling dick head that he is. I hate the guy but I’m a supportive friend and I’m there when she needs me.

“C’mon baby.” He grabs me a little tighter around the waist, pulling me closer to him. “I watched you walk in; I didn’t see you with a man. Dance with me.” He starts grabbing my ass pulling me closer to him and his junk. Ew, I think I can feel his boner on my stomach. That’s fucking gross. I turn my head back to the girls and mouth “Help” to them and right as I'm about to turn back to him to try and push him off since he’s not taking the hint, someone comes up to me placing their hand on my lower back.

“Hey babe, sorry I took so long to get back over here to you.” I look over confused at the familiar voice. I see Creedence standing there looking at me with a big smile on his handsome face and boy does he look fucking hot tonight. His dark washed ripped jeans are tight in all the right places, hugging his junkand his ass perfectly. Fuck, he’s always been so attractive to me. It’s been hard living next door to him and not throwing myself at him every chance I could. He’s wearing a tight fitted white T-shirt that looks like it could be painted over his skin, that’s how tight the thing is on him. But that’s because he’s pure muscle. You can see the lines of his abs as his shirt forms to the definition, trailing down to that defined ‘V’ that goes right down to that large bulge in his pants. Fuck I would love to see what his cock looks like. What is wrong with me?

“Hey man, I was dancing with her first,” the creep says to Creedence, trying to pull me away from him, pushing Creedence’s hand away and replacing it with his on my lower back. The guy has a nasty look on his face like he’s pissed off at him for stealing “his” girl, but I already know who is going to win this fight.

“The fuck you are, you’re not dancing with my girlfriend, back the fuck off before I make you back the fuck off myself.” He pushes his hand between me and the creepy man while gently pulling me back towards him to get me away from him.

“I already told you I’m dancing with the girl; you back the fuck off.” The creep pulls me closer, his lips curling up at the corners, with an angry look on his face. I place my hands between us trying to push myself away so I’m not so close to him but it’s no use, the guy’s grip on me is too tight and I can’t push myself away.

“Excuse me, I’m right here, stop fighting. Sir, I’m not interested in dancing, and I told you I was waiting for my boyfriend to come back, now get off me.” I push him again and this time he loosens his grip on me, but still keeps his hand on me, like he still has a chance to win this little fight he created.

Creedence pulls me away from the creep and my body slams into his. At the same time, he places his hand at the nape of my neck, his hand tangling through my hair, he leans down, hismouth crashes into mine, his tongue swipes across my lips and I part them without hesitation. Holy. Shit. Goosebumps break out across my body, and chills shoot through me, my stomachs doing somersaults… What the fuck, I’ve never felt this way over a simple kiss but there’s something about this kiss that’s different than just your normal kiss, I just can’t put my finger on it.

He finally pulls away from me, his breathing a little heavier from how intense that kiss just was. Then he looks over at the guy who’s standing there with a pissy look on his face but also a look of defeat like he can’t believe he just lost me, when I was never his, or something.

“Back the fuck off and leave my girl alone,” he says in a husky voice, he sounds out of breath from the kiss we just shared, like it affected him as much as it did me. I can’t help but stare at him and how handsome he truly is, his beautiful brown eyes and his light-brown beard that's trimmed close to his face, that I’d love to run my fingers through. The tattoos that run up his hands and both arms and around his whole neck that make my thighs tighten together, making my pussy wet from how much they turn me on. Fuck, he’s so sexy.

The creepy guy finally gets the hint and walks away, shaking his head. I don’t care if we pissed him off, I’m not trying to get murdered tonight, and like I said before–he definitely looked like the type of guy who would leave my dead body in an alley after having his way with me.

Creedence looks down at me as butterflies form in my stomach from the way he’s smiling at me, he’s still holding his hand at the nape of my neck, and the other one on my lower back.

“Sorry.” He pauses, the corner of his mouth turning up. “Well, honestly I’m not sorry for sharing that kiss with you, but sorry for kissing you without a warning.” He looks downinto my eyes with a somewhat apologetic look on his face while shrugging his shoulders a little.

“Umm…it…it’s okay.” I brush some of the loose strands of hair out of my face, then look back up at him. “Thank you, for uhhh, helping me out there. I appreciate it. That guy was a creep,” I say shivering, not sure if it’s still from the way Creedence is touching me or if it’s from that guy creeping me out.

“No need to thank me, I’m glad I was walking by and saw you.” We’re standing there in the middle of the dance floor, shouting to have this conversation. We probably look crazy to everyone around us for just standing here and not dancing. But I don’t care, I don't want him to stop touching me or stop talking to me, and I’d love to feel his lips against mine again.

I glance over and see both Winter and Chastity dancing together giving me an excited look. Chastity nods her head and gives me a thumbs up and Winter shoos me with her hand as if to tell me I’m fine and to keep talking to him. They both know I’ve had a thing for him since seeing him in my driveway, that being the second time I’ve actually met him. But the day he and Carsten came over helping me unpack Winter’s things after her dad had beat the shit out of her, he introduced himself again. Then kissed my hand instead of shaking it and butterflies instantly swarmed my stomach. I didn’t know if it was because I’d never had a man do that or if it was due to being attracted to him. I’m leaning more towards because I've had a thing for him since I moved into the house a few years ago. They moved in a couple months after me and holy shit when I saw I was living next to four hot guys I felt like the luckiest girl ever, but Creedence was the only one who truly kept my attention. Only thing is I’ve never seen him with girls at his house before, so it makes me wonder why he doesn’t date. Or why it seems like he doesn't date. Maybe I just don’t pay enough attention to it.Ha. Who am I kidding? I pay way too much attention without it being noticeable to Creedence’s house and what he’s doing and who comes and goes with him. Maybe I’m a little obsessed but I can’t help it. I’m too much of a chicken to come out and say anything to him about how I feel. I don’t even know him enough to even be feeling this way. But fuck, the man is so dreamy it’s hard not to be obsessed with someone as sexy as he is.

“Why were you walking by on the dance floor instead of around the dance floor by the tables?” I look at him confused because that would seem to make more sense to walk around the dance floor, not through the dance floor. The way the dance floor is set up it’s in the middle of the bar, and there’s tables with chairs set up around it and then the booths and pool tables border the rest of the bar. So, it would’ve made more sense to me to go around the dance floor to get to the bar.

“Well shit, fine do you want the honest truth?” He gives me that half fucking smirk again making butterflies form in my stomach, yet again. What is this man doing to me? God I just want to lick him when he smirks at me like that. He even has a small dimple that forms on his right cheek when he gives me that smirk of his. Fuck is he sexy.

“Sure, as long as you don’t tell me you were planning on killing me or something like that last guy probably was. Actually, scratch that, don't tell me if you were going to kill me because then that’ll ruin this moment. I’ll take my chances.” I start laughing, I’d rather hear what he has to say anyway, hoping it’s something exciting. Besides if I’m gonna die I’d rather it be from someone as sexy as him than that creep that was old enough to be my dad.

He starts shaking his head while laughing. “No, definitely not. You’re way too beautiful.” Damn, I feel my face heat up from him making me blush. “I’d never do anything to hurt you. Well, hold on, that’s not the only reason why I wouldn’t hurt you, butyou get what I’m saying.” He looks at me with a nervous look while licking his lips, and I’d give anything to run my tongue across his lips the same way he’s running his tongue across his lips.

“Yes, I totally understand what you mean, but I am very curious about what you were going to say.” I smile up at him, he’s a lot taller than me, well over six feet and I love it. The DJ changes the music, and a slow song comes on, perfect, maybe he’ll want to dance now so we don’t stand here awkwardly on the dance floor anymore.

“You want to dance?” He asks me as he removes his right hand from my lower back and holds it out to me. He has the sexiest smile on his face, I’m beginning to think everything about this man is sexy though.

“I’d love to. Now stop stalling, I need to know, it’s driving me crazy.” I look up at him, taking his hand while he places his other hand on my lower back now and I place my other hand on his shoulder and move my body to where it’s right up against his.

“Oooh feisty, I like that,” he chuckles. “Okay, so I’m probably gonna come off creepy, but hopefully not as creepy as that last guy. I saw you come in; I was sitting at the bar talking to Carsten, he had to go make some shots real quick so he walked away and I just so happened to look at the entrance as you walked in. Truthfully there’s just something about you. I see this beautiful girl, with green and black hair, covered in tattoos walk in and I’m drawn to her instantly. Holy shit, she takes my fucking breath away, right? Then when you finally looked up. My heart stopped for a minute when I realized who you were. The smile you had on your face; goddamn baby you are absolutely gorgeous. But then I just couldn’t take my eyes off you.” He’s staring straight into my eyes telling me this, he didn’t look away once, I don’t even know if he blinked. But my heart feels like it’s about to pound out of my chest and it feels like it’s up in my throat andthose butterflies are back. Holy. Shit. Damn, talk about making someone weak in the knees. If he wasn’t holding onto me, I think I would’ve fallen.

“Wow,” I practically whisper. Suddenly I can’t talk and I’m at a loss for words. I slowly lick my lips, hoping that wetting my dry mouth will help me find words somehow. But that’s not the case because I feel like my mouth is even more dry than it was before. So dry that my tongue almost sticks to the roof of my mouth as I try to open it again to form words.

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