Who Needs Air Read online

  I let go of the headboard, sitting back, rocking my hips against August and he hisses. My hands find his chest and his free hand goes to my hair, wrapping it around his wrists.

  Feeling myself tighten around him, I work myself – work him. He meets me with intense pressure, his pace unforgiving. My knees rise and fall, dropping down on him with every emotion I have. His thumb works my clit, demanding and delicious.

  He takes hold of the nape of my neck, hair still wrapped around his hand and guides my lips to his. Teeth and mouth, tongues and gasps, we chase our climaxes together.

  August sits up, releasing his grasp on my hair and I wrap my legs around his waist. Sitting back just slightly, he anchors himself to the bed with one hand and wraps his other around my back, forcing himself in and out of me.

  Working himself farther, reaching new depths, I cry out his name. Promising him every truth I’ve ever held inside me.

  August groans, his hair falling into his eyes, pushing hard, applying pressure, filling me.

  I can feel it.

  He can feel it.

  I see it in his eyes. I can feel it in the flex of his legs, the stiffness of his arms. The shortness of his breath. I roll my hips, back and forth, picking up the pace. My heels dig into his back, my hands finding the muscles of his shoulders. Legs arched, rigid against his skin, August’s arms tighten around me.

  He kisses me. It’s intense and powerful. His tongue works hastily against mine, claiming my moans.

  Taking me prisoner like the wave of a tsunami, rough and unremorseful, August thrust into me, sending me over the edge.

  My mouth catches his name and I cry out. August comes seconds after me and we moan together, thrusting into one another, riding out our explosions. Bright, white light surges into my eyes and I feel it from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.

  I feel August tauten, his body going stiff.

  Then my legs go lax and I feel August’s hold on my back soften.

  “Nobody loves you the way I do, Belle,” August whispers, pulling back. He pushes my hair out of my face and smiles. The wrinkle near his right eye gleams with sweat and I wipe it away. His face is red and glimmering – he looks marvelous.

  I sigh, feeling his love wash over me like fire.

  He’s quiet for long moments and I can feel his heartbeat slowing. “That was so…whoa.”

  I chuckle, tightening my legs around his waist. “I know.”

  All The Hoopla

  “Hurry up, Belle! We’re gonna be late!”

  I grind my teeth and push in my pearl earrings, fastening the back. “I swear, August, it’s all your fault! I was supposed to be at the museum ten minutes ago.” Not that I’m complaining because holy hell, that was the best sex I’ve ever had.

  I reach down to slide on my off-white, embellished heels. I trip over my own feet and end up tumbling on the bed, my hair falling all around me.

  I get myself up on my feet and rush to the bathroom, giving my eyelashes one last coat of mascara.

  I hear August’s footsteps as he stops in my bedroom doorway. I glance at him quickly and then back to my reflection.

  For a moment, he doesn’t say anything. He stays quiet as I finish spraying my hair with hairspray and when I reach to zip up my blue dress. The same color as his eyes. He simply watches me, a smirk on his face. I haven’t looked, but I know it’s there. Proud.

  I swipe under my lip one last time, making sure my deep red lipstick is perfect and turn to him. In a black tux and tie, fit to precision, he shoves his hands in his pockets. His eyes greedy and hungry, he stares. Relentless.

  I see the breath in his chest catch. He gulps, his Adam’s apple bobbing his in throat.

  Standing awkwardly in the doorway of my bathroom, I can’t seem to move, jolted by his scrutinizing gaze.

  A smile tugs on his lips. “Worth it.”

  I laugh and stride to him, taking his hand as he kisses my cheek.

  “You look absolutely stunning, Belle,” he whispers against my skin. He pulls back and shakes his head, scratching his neck with his free hand. “I’m in for it tonight.”

  My gaze turns to him as we enter the living room. “What do you mean?”

  “Won’t Beau be there tonight?”

  I let go of his hand and grab my matching clutch off the dining room table. “Yeah. Why?”

  August shakes his head, grabbing his keys from the bowl by the door.

  “What?” I ask, standing in the kitchen, hand on my hip. “He’s not into me. Trust me.” I think I wrecked him enough. He can hardly even stand to look at me for more than a few seconds.

  August makes his way to me and slides my hair from my shoulder, kissing the skin ever so slightly. “I know that won’t be the case after he sees you tonight.” He grasps my waist in a demanding manner, pulling my hips to his. His eyes serious, he meets my gaze. “It won’t matter, though. I meant what I said. You’re mine.”

  Heat pools between my legs, his hungry eyes penetrating. “Forever.”

  He releases me. “Damn straight.”

  We exit my apartment hand-in-hand and make our way to the parking lot. “Wait!” I say just before August opens the door to my SUV. “We can’t go together. You’ll get there way too early.” I don’t know why that thought hadn’t occurred to me before now.

  August opens my door and offers me his hand as I slide into the driver’s side. “I know, Belle. I’m heading to the studio. We rented a few limos and all of us will come when the party starts.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. It’ll be awkward enough being there alone with Beau. Having August there early would only add to the drama. At least when he gets there later it’ll be too chaotic to be an issue. “Okay. Great. You riding in with Jennings?”

  He shakes his head. “We’re playing this like an award show. Jennings, Whitley and Sophia will have a car, I’ll have my own and then the rest of the cast will pile in another.”

  The moisture disappears from my mouth. I know I wanted good press for the museum and the cast of a major movie will surely get it, but I don’t know if I’m ready. Plus, I don’t know if August wants us to go public.

  I bite my lip, nervous to ask. “August?” I look up at him through my lashes.

  “Yes, love?”

  I rub my lips together and sit straight in my seat, my hands beginning to sweat. “Are we…are we going public?”

  August’s eyebrows furrow and he kicks a rock with his foot. “Is that what you want?”

  I shrug a shoulder. “I don’t want to see anyone else and I sure as hell don’t want you to see anyone.”

  He laughs. It’s hearty and wholesome and it fills my chest with so much happiness. “I want that as well. I should talk to Andy before we do anything major. I know this is just a small town, but it could blow up if we don’t do it right.”

  “Andy?”

  “Oh, uh.” He scratches the side of his eyebrow. “Andy’s my publicist. She’s a hardass, doesn’t let me do anything I’m not supposed to, but I think she’ll be cool with it.” He leans down, claiming my lips. They’re soft and careful. “I’ll text you when we’re on our way.”

  I blink, feeling the absence of his lips the moment they’re gone. “Okay.”

  “I love you.”

  He doesn’t give me a chance to reply – because I do, I do so much – but he turns on his heel and walks away, climbing into his truck. He waits for me to pull out into the street before he leaves and he waves to me as he turns left and I turn right at the stop sign.

  I tuck my curled hair behind my ear as I make my way to the museum.

  “Holy shit,” Lily admonishes as I rustle the door open in the back of the building of the museum. I’m lucky I was able to get through the hundreds of people waiting at the front door. The line to get in is already growing, people in their best, waiting to see our new art.

  I blow my hair out of my face. “I know. What the hell? I thought the press wasn’t supposed to be here until later
.”

  Lily shakes her head. “Word must have got out that the cast was coming. There are reporters here from Atlanta. Someone said there was an entertainment reporter from New York.”

  My eyes go wide and my stomach churns. “Really?”

  She nods with an apologetic look. “Sorry, Cam. Someone from my station must have leaked it.”

  I shake it off and head to my office. It could have been anyone. “We’ll deal. Just let me know if they get out of hand. Only give passes to those who are supposed to be here. I’ll tell our security guard that only those with tickets for the event and press passes can come in.”

  I walk to my desk and power on my computer.

  “We can’t stop the press from hanging out outside.”

  I bob my head. “I know, but it’ll be okay. It’s for the good of the museum, right?” In the back of my mind, I worry about August and Jennings. God, Whitley and Sophia. The rest of the cast. Will they be okay with it?

  “Right.” Lily forces a smile, her long, black dress hugging her curves. She’s got her hair up in an intricate braid, tendrils falling along her face.

  Taking a deep breath, I open my desk, producing my mic and ear piece. “Did you get yours?” I point to the contraption in my hands.

  She pulls out the dark box and ear piece. “Yeah. Beau gave it to me about ten minutes ago.”

  “Okay, get that set up and I’ll let you know what I need.”

  Lily closes the door to my office and lifts her dress, strapping the tiny power box to the microphone around her ribs.

  I do the same, thankful she’s my best friend because otherwise it would be awkward right now. We laugh as we pull our dresses down.

  “Been workin’ out?” Lily jokes, checking herself in the mirror on my door.

  I roll my eyes and swat at her. “Shut it.” I kiss the air. “You can hang here if you want.”

  “Thanks.”

  I leave her to go find Hannah, our tour guide, and Harold, our security guard-slash-bouncer.

  Harold’s sitting at the bar, nursing a glass of water when I find him.

  His dark, ebony arms rest on the bar top as I sit down. “Evening, Harold. Doing okay?”

  He moves his arms, his enormous muscles twisting as he turns toward me. “I’m good, Cam.” His bright chocolate eyes shine.

  I found Harold a couple years ago when I went to a bar just outside of Bradshaw in a small town called Sawsen. He was the local bouncer at Arcade, a hot spot for young adults over twenty-one. I had been there for only one reason. Along with a dancefloor, bar, and food, Arcade also houses Georgia’s largest collection of old-school arcade games. I was a Frogger nerd. I grew up on the game and frequented the bar to get my fix. It was my dirty little secret. No one knew but Harold.

  I liked it that way.

  Harold and I met, bonded over our love of arcade games and I offered him a job. Right there on the spot. I don’t know why, and Mama would tell me I was just trusting my gut, but I knew I had to do it. I knew I had to hire him. I found out later that he was struggling with money and my offer was a godsend. He had a family, a wife and two babies, and his steady income at the museum saved him from foreclosing on his house and losing his car.

  It wasn’t that Harold was powerful – I mean, he was, he could easily snap me in two, his biceps are the size of my face – it was his kind demeanor that won me over. Even when he had to throw someone out of the bar or break up a fight, he always did it with kindness.

  Plus, he wasn’t bad to look at. Twenty-five and he obviously works out, he was more than just a pretty face.

  I smile. “I’m so glad to hear it.” I get down to business, glancing down at my watch. “As I’m sure you saw, it’s madness outside.” I point over my shoulder. “So we’re going to have to be really strict on who we let into the party.” I use my fingers and count. “Check every single person for a ticket and have Hannah check their names off the list.” That reminds me, I need to run back to my office and give it to her. “All the press outside is going to make it difficult to keep the crowd under control, were you able to talk to your brother about working tonight?”

  Apparently security runs in the Jameson’s family.

  He pops his knuckles. “Joseph will be here in ten minutes.”

  “Perfect. Thank you so much for doing that.” I give myself a mental note to thank Joseph as well. “The local PD is on stand-by in case we need any help. I had it arranged way before word got out about the cast from the movie coming, now I’m wondering if I should call them and have them come out anyway.”

  Harold’s eyebrows nit and he scratches at his head. “When was the last time you looked outside?”

  My eyes squint. “Thirty minutes ago? I was late.” I look down at my hands in my lap, blushing, thinking about August.

  Harold gets up from his stool and offers me his arm. He’s not dressed in his normal attire tonight. No dark black shirt and dark slacks. Tonight he’s dressed to the nines in a tux. It doesn’t fit all that well, but he’d look fantastic in anything. He’s just one of those guys who is effortlessly handsome. He adjusts his ear piece. “I think you need to go take a look, then.”

  He leads me out of the bar and into the main hall where we will unveil the new piece. Hannah is standing by the podium as we pass and I give her a quick nod, telling her I’ll be right back and need to talk to her.

  Pushing open the doors, Harold steps outside, keeping the door wide. I peek my head out, but only for a second because I’m bombarded with flashes of lights, screams and yelling from at least fifty paparazzi. Holy crapkittens. My eyes go wide and I turn to Harold. He shrugs a shoulder. Pulling me back, Harold closes the door and I rub my forehead.

  “Well, shit. Better call the PD. We’re gonna need them.”

  Harold moves to his office to make the call.

  “I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” I admit to Lily, chewing on my fingernail. I pace in front of the door, the screams of people behind it causing my stomach to ache. I shake my head. “Nope. This is way bigger than I intended. How are we going to keep these people at bay?”

  Lily stops me, placing her hand on my shoulders. “The police department is already here. They recalled every deputy they could. It’ll be okay. We just have to get everyone in.”

  “What about the windows? They can see through them. They’ll take pictures of the cast. Of August.” My chest tightens. I didn’t think it would blow up like this.

  She pulls her hand away, her phone vibrating. She takes a quick look at it. “We can’t stop that, Cam. They’re actors. I’m sure they’re used to it.”

  I hope so. “How many people do you think are out there?”

  Lily’s mouth turns down and she plays with the bracelet on her wrist. “Five hundred. Maybe more.”

  That stops my pacing. “What?” I screech. “We only sold two hundred tickets.”

  The phone in her hand chirps again and she quickly reads what it says. “It’s pretty normal for fans to flock to a place like this. Somewhere Only We Know has a cult following, Cam, and because August is from here and we aren’t too far from the major city, I’d be surprised if the crowd didn’t grow.”

  I groan, my hands feeling clammy.

  “It’ll be okay. I’m going to let the press in now and we will open the doors in a few minutes. Take a couple of seconds, go to your office, take a shot of whatever you need to calm down and then come back.”

  I scoff at her, rolling my eyes. “Shush.”

  She laughs, her hand falling to my arm. “Seriously. Just go take a breather. Hannah, Harold, Joseph, Beau and I have this.”

  My eyes fall to Beau on the other side of the hall, his eyebrows downcast in a manner that tells me he’s not happy with how things are going.

  Seeing as how our museum is privately owned, not funded by the state, the entire running of the institute is in our hands. The owner came in two days ago, told us not to screw it up and we haven’t seen him since.

  Mar
shall Henderson is a rather widely known recluse in our town of Bradshaw, Georgia. Sixty-two, he’s almost always part of some sort of scandal – and never the good kind. He loves his women and his privacy. One flocks to him while the other mocks him. I’ve worked at the museum for a while now and I only ever see him right before an unveiling. He’s in the headlines, he’s never in the office. I almost guarantee he won’t be here tonight. Though, he should.

  I gulp and turn my eyes back to Lily, place my hand on hers. “Okay. I’ll be right back.” I turn but stop. “Oh, can you make sure the valet knows not to open the cast’s doors? Their driver will do that.”

  Lily winks and I head to my office.

  I give Beau a wave as I pass him talking to one of our servers and he grimaces. I feel my stomach churn at his peculiar behavior but push it away because tonight isn’t about him or our ever-growing problems. It’s about bringing money to our museum and showcasing a very unique and beautiful piece of art.

  I feel it the moment I walk away, the quiet. My body softens. It’s that moment before the storm. It’s calm and silent, not even a cricket to fill the stillness. I feel it because I can’t stop myself from thinking it’s foreshadowing. The peaceful serene before the BAM!

  I choose to ignore it, willing my feet to get to my office.

  Sitting down at my desk, I pull out the bottle of bourbon, studying its contents but then quickly return it to its spot. The last thing I need is for the press to smell alcohol on my breath. Sure, we’re going to serve it tonight but that doesn’t mean I need to participate.

  “You and Beau have to be of utmost profession, Campbell,” the owner, Marshall, had said, using my full name, the last time he was here. “You’re to do everything in your power to make this go off without a hitch.” He looked me hard in the eyes, pointing a finger into my chest. “I’m holding you accountable.”

  My mouth had dropped and my eyes shifted to Beau who had a confused look on his face. Me? I wasn’t the head curator. Beau was my boss and even he had a boss above him. It wasn’t the other way around. I was a damn antiques appraiser. As far as the totem pole goes, I wasn’t top dog. Instead of arguing, I nodded and agreed because Lord knows I needed the job and I’d pretty much do anything he told me to do if he allowed me to keep doing what I loved.