Barely Breathing Read online

  “Now you look away.” Her teeth clicked because of the cold.

  He looked at her again, and she stood there in her wet, purple underwear. The color brought out her milk-chocolate complexion. He’d never personally seen a black woman naked or almost naked, and she took his breath away.

  He sat on the floor, took her hands in his and helped her to sit so they embraced each other.

  She was silent and then looked up into his eyes.

  He just gazed at her. Maybe he was getting a little delusional, either because of the bump on his head or the cold. “We can pretend,” he said, combing his fingers through her still-wet, curly hair.

  “Pretend?” She gazed at him, looking a bit confused. “John, do you know whom you’re talking to?”

  “Yes.” He gazed back at her. “Pretend that you need me.” He cupped her face, gently kissing her lips. “I need you…I need this.”

  What are we doing? She sighed. He just needs to feel wanted. “John…” She gazed into his eyes. “I can’t.”

  “We have nothing to lose,” he said, capturing her lips.

  He settled her on his lap. Apparently the cold didn’t affect his cock, because the blood seemed to rush straight there.

  He played with her lips, until she opened up slightly for him, and his tongue took control of hers, making her play along. The kiss began soft and passionate and soon turned hungry.

  She pulled away. “I’m so sorry, John. We can’t do this” She went to move, but he kept her in place.

  “I’m the one that should be sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

  “Were just feeling sorry for ourselves.” She looked away. “I don’t want to leave my baby.” She started crying in his arms. “I am all she has.”

  He caressed her back. “I understand completely. Johnny is my world too, but he’ll be taken care of, if not by Amy, by my family, and I know Jason and Kay will take care of your daughter.”

  “I don’t want to feel anything. I would rather forget.”

  He caressed her cheek. “Then let’s forget together.” He kissed her lips.

  Their cold lips met again.

  He unhooked her bra, and reached underneath to find her nipples were like cod tight points like icicles. He took his hands and began molding her breasts. Tentatively, he began sucking on her right nipple. Her hands made their way to his hair and she moaned every time he drew in her taut tip.

  He dipped his hand into her panties.

  “Cold,” she moaned.

  He put his finger in his mouth and went back to her core.

  “Better.”

  She was already wet for him. They stared at each other while he played his finger against her clit. Her mouth was slightly agape; tiny sounds escaped her lips. He dipped one finger into her core, and her muscles rippled along his finger tightly. Still staring at her, he kept pumping his finger in and out. He could feel his pre-cum leaking out. She was so tight. There was no way he could resist.

  Sophia slid a palm down his torso and over his thigh, slipping a hand between them. She slid her panties to the side.

  He slipped his dick through his boxers and gently slid into her. She grabbed his shoulders and gently began to move to his rhythm. She took in his dick in slow increments, gasping and moaning with each tiny thrust. He could barely move, the feeling was that overwhelming. Her eyes filled with pleasure, and he imagined his must look the same. Fuck, she was so tight and warm.

  She placed her hand behind his neck, and nodded almost imperceptibly. He thrust into her gently at first, then with more determination and speed.

  “Damn… Sophia…”

  Her fingernails dug into his back. “Oh God,” she said, as he nibbled on her nipples and gave her long, slow thrusts. She closed her eyes, enjoying the ride.

  He knew he’d found her G-spot because her hold on his back got tighter and he could feel her pussy pulsating.

  “John…” Her shivering had stopped.

  He stared into her chocolate face. “Are you getting warmer?” he asked, waiting, gazing at her closed lids.

  She opened her dazzling eyes. “Yes…I can’t feel…” She slowed down and his tempo slowed, too.

  He commenced hitting her sweet spot in slow, long movements. She burst into ecstasy. Her whole body shook, her eyes rolled, and she dug her nails into his back, but instead of pain he felt passion, lust, desire.

  She was still shaking, but he didn’t know if it was the cold or her orgasm.

  He searched the face of the goddess before him. His cock was deep inside her, still thrusting in and out. She opened her legs wider, giving him better access, and he plunged into her with no mercy.

  She matched his fast strokes.

  He gently pulled her hair and whispered in her ear. “Sophia… Thank you…for making me forget…” he bit her collarbone.

  She screamed as waves and waves of her juices covered his cock.

  He came deep inside her. “Nice way to die,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. The cold came back to them in full effect. They lay down on the dry floor, and he held her tight until they fell asleep, neither sure they’d see another day, but both grateful they’d been able to forget about the pain and hurt for a few, short minutes.

  ***

  Hours later, John’s eyes slowly fluttered open. It seemed like early morning. “We’re still alive,” he whispered, hardly able to speak. He leaned on his elbow. “Sophia.” He tried to wake her, but she wouldn’t move. Her lips were purple. “Sophia!” He shook her harder—nothing. “Please wake up! You said you wouldn’t leave me.” He pulled her into his arms.

  He heard sirens coming closer to them. “Sophia, we’re not going to die. They’re coming to rescue us. Please wake up…” She didn’t move. “Cara needs you.” He stood on shaky legs and grabbed his shirt and put it on her stiff body, not wanting the rescuers seeing her naked. He also yanked on his pants. He picked her up and began to walk to the door.

  The rescuers rushed into the cabin, looked at him holding her. “She won’t wake up!”

  They ran over to him and took her from his arms. One of them wrapped a thermo blanket over him, but he didn’t care about himself. “Is she going to be okay?”

  “Sir, you need to wrap the blanket around your body. You are experiencing hypothermia. She’s still alive. We’re trying to get her body temperature up.”

  John wrapped the blanket around him, and could do nothing but watch as they tried to get Sophia to respond.

  Chapter Five

  At the hospital

  Sophia’s eyes slowly fluttered open. She stared at the ceiling and then at the machines she was hooked up to, on her right. She realized she was at a hospital and started to shake, trying to speak.

  “John…John… Is he okay?” she asked, trying to get up, but found she couldn’t. “John!”

  “I’m here, I’m right here.” He gently took her hand. “We made it.” They gazed at each other.

  She took a deep breath and smiled through the pain when she saw his smile. He was okay. His head and left arm were bandaged up, but he was okay.

  “Thank God,” she mumbled.

  “Welcome back.” His smile reached his concerned green eyes.

  She placed her hand on the side of his head, combing back his black silky hair. “Are you really okay?”

  “Yes. I was worried about you.”

  “We’re still alive.” She squeezed his hand.

  “I told you we would make it.” Their eyes met again. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  “I know.”

  “I meant what I said. I’m going to help you.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I always keep my promises.” He kissed her hand. “I want to help you.”

  “We’re safe for now.”

  “I’ll start working on it as soon as I get back to work.”

  “Thank you.” She caressed his knuckles. “How did we get here?”

  “Remember when I left the cabin searching for a signal? Well, I didn’t find one, so I decided to send a text, but I got an error message saying it would send it when it got a signal. I guess sometime in the night there was a signal and it sent out the text. Jason called 911.”

  She smiled. “My hero.”

  He looked away. “I hardly think so.”

  She touched his chin. “Yesterday you saved me from the wreckage, saved me from coyotes, and kept me warm. You are my hero.”

  She moved her hand and her leg ached. There was a huge bandage wrapped around it.

  “You have eight stitches.”

  “That’s a small price to pay for my life. Don’t you think?” She arched a brow. “How many do you have?” She pointed at his arm.

  “Five.” He took her hand in his again. “About what happened?” He stared at her.

  She gently pulled her hand away. “We thought we were dying, John. I understand.”

  Was that the only reason he’d had sex with her, or had he been trying to forget the pain Amy had caused him? Was it payback, sleeping with someone else? If it hadn’t been Sophia, would it have been someone else? No, that’s not true.

  “Because of you I’m alive.” He clutched her hand again. “That moment gave me a reason…”

  She placed her finger over his mouth. “Don’t…it was two friends comforting each other. If we weren’t dying, we know it would’ve never happened.” She sighed. “I would never, ever sleep with a married man, ’specially my best friend’s, friend’s husband.”

  He looked at her oddly. “That’s a tongue-twister.”

  She rolled her eyes at him.

  “I know.” He stared at her. “I’m grateful we’re still alive.”

  “Me too.” She started laughing.

  “What?”

  “I’m just remembering the look on your face when you saw that tiny worm.” She laughed harder.

  “It wasn’t small.” He laughed, too. “You’re crazy.”

  “We’re blessed.” She smiled.

  He stared at her and kissed her knuckles again. “Yes, we are. We were given a second chance in life.”

  Her room door opened and Kay rushed in. “Are you guys okay?”

  “We’re okay,” she said, looking at John.

  “Where are the kids?” John asked, standing.

  “Kay left them with my parents.” Jason answered. “We didn’t want to bring them to the hospital.”

  Kay sat next to her bed. “What happened?”

  John began speaking. “We were both on Route Sixty-Six—”

  “Long story short, we were in an accident, got attacked by coyotes, and almost froze to death, but he saved my life.” Everyone stared at John.

  “Thank you, John,” Kay said.

  “No need to thank me. She’s being modest. I caused the accident.” He took a deep breath. “A deer ran out in front of my car and I lost control, hitting her head on.” He stared at her. “I’m sorry, Sophia, for everything.” He quickly exited the room.

  “John…” Sophia called out, trying to stop him.

  Jason followed him, racing to catch his friend. “John, wait up.”

  “I almost killed her.” He placed his hand in his pocket. “She could’ve died.”

  “But she didn’t. According to her, you saved her life.”

  “She’s just being Sophia. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t be in this hospital. She would be at home with her little girl. She saved me in more ways than one.”

  “I’m grateful you guys were there for each other.” Jason put his hands on John’s shoulders. “Let’s go get your son.”

  ***

  Kay grabbed Sophia’s hand. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She looked at her. “Yes, John kept me alive. I hope he’s really okay,” she said, looking at the door. “He carried me for more than three hours.”

  “You were that far out?”

  “I took the back road because I wanted to get home to Cara faster. I guess I should’ve taken the highway. Anyways, I’m alive and that’s all that matters. How’s Cara?”

  Kay observed her. “She misses you. I told her you’ll be back today.”

  “I miss her, too.”

  “What are you going to do about Terrell?”

  Sophia thought for a second. “Nothing right now, but I’ve decided to leave.”

  “Why? You made a home for yourself here.”

  “I can’t chance it.” She grabbed Kay’s hand. “Thank you for being a awesome friend. I love you.”

  “I love you too…”

  There was a soft knock on her door. “Come in.”

  John and Jason walked in. John strolled over to her bed, and leaned down. “If you need anything, I mean anything, don’t hesitate to call me, okay?” He gazed at her.

  “Okay,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  He stepped away.

  “Baby, I’m going take him home,” Jason told Kay, and then looked at Sophia. “I hope you feel better soon.” Jason followed him out.

  The nurse came in with her discharge papers and a wheelchair.

  “Let’s go see Cara.”

  ***

  “Daddy!” Johnny ran into his daddy’s arms.

  John picked him up and hugged him tight, promising never to take him for granted.

  “I love you, Johnny.” He kissed his cheek.

  “I love…you, Daddy.” He watched the door. “Where’s Mommy?”

  He sighed. “Mommy went away for a while.”

  “I want Mommy.”

  “The rental is here,” Jason said, looking out the window.

  He placed him on the floor and took his hand. “Jason, tell Kay I said thanks for keeping him, and thanks for the ride.”

  ***

  “Mommy!” Cara yelled as soon as she saw her mom entering the Andersons’ home. She ran into her open arms.

  Sophia kissed her like crazy. “I missed you, sweetie.”

  “I missed you more, Mommy.” She reached up and hugged her.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m okay, just had a little accident.” She looked at Mrs. Anderson, Jason’s mom. “Thank you, so much.”

  “You’re welcome! She’s been my little helper.” She kissed Cara. “Bye, sweetie.”

  “Bye, Grandma Debbie.”

  She took her daughter’s tiny hand. “Let’s go home.”

  Chapter Six

  Later that week

  John sat in his living room, staring at a framed picture of Amy and him on their wedding day. He remembered how nervous he had been, waiting for his bride to walk down the aisle, but the moment his eyes met hers, he knew he was making the right decision, to marry the mother of his child.

  He placed the picture facedown on the table. It’s over. I need to get it together. Sighing, he picked up the phone and dialed.

  “Hello…” Sophia sang into the phone.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey, John…”

  “I’m sorry for calling, but I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine.” She giggled. “You don’t have to check up on me every day.”

  “I want to.”

  “Oh, well alrighty then.”

  He wished he could see her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m good. Just lying here with Cara.”

  “No dreams about the big, bad coyotes?”

  “I’m too grateful to have bad dreams. How are you?”

  “Physically I’m good, but…”

  She cut him off. “John, you know whatever you tell me will stay between us.”

  “I just wanted to let you know I’m clean.”

  “Huh…”

  “I got tested and everything came back negative, so you don’t have to worry.” There was silence on the line. For a moment, he thought she’d hung up. “Sophia?”

  “Thank you for doing that.”

  He took a deep breath. “Amy was unfaithful, and I wanted to make sure you weren’t harmed because of me.”

  “Have you heard from her?”

  “No.”

  “She hasn’t gotten in touch with you since she left?”

  “No, she hasn’t.”

  “Maybe she hasn’t heard about the accident.”

  “Sophia, she doesn’t care, but I need to take care of my son. It’s been a week and he’s been asking for Amy every day. I’ve tried a bunch of excuses but it’s not working. He cried himself to sleep last night.”

  “Do something fun to distract him.”

  “Like what?”

  “Take him out, play baseball, video games. I know you’re not used to doing fun things… You know what—?” She stopped talking.

  “Are you suggesting that I don’t know how to have fun?”

  She ignored him, and giggled again. “Meet us at Adventure Lane on Saturday at noon. We’ll have lunch and then have fun with the kids.”

  “I don’t know, Sophia.”

  “See what I mean? I’m not taking no for an answer. Your son needs to see the fun side of his daddy. If you’re not there at noon, I’ll be knocking on your door.”

  “We’ll see,” he continued. “I need some information.”

  “About Saturday?” She laughed.

  “No, about your ex-husband,” he said, getting a pen from his drawer.

  “I’ve never been married.”

  “But you said your last name is Delgado.”

  “That’s my maiden name. Delgado is my father’s name.” She laughed into the phone. “My father’s Puerto Rican and my mother is African American.”

  “My assumption was wrong.”

  “John, I don’t want to get you involved in my problems.”

  He could hear the concern in her voice. “I’m already involved. I need to know everything about him, starting with his name.”

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