Breathe Me

PROLOGUE

Love can hit you when you least expect it. It could also be a soft easy wind that caresses you and gets stronger over time till it absorbs into your body and heart. Other times it can hit you like a gale-force wind and take every breath you will ever have, and breathe life into the person who took it in the first place. Laken stole my breath. She was my gale-force wind, and I will gladly give her every breath I have just to keep her safe, alive, and mine. If I have to live without her then I don't want my breath. I don't want anything but her. I will go to hell and back to get her from the grips of death.

And as I kneel on the bathroom floor with her blood covering my hands, she has stolen my breath once again, because I can't breathe. I can't move. They took her out of my arms and I'm frozen in this nightmare that's on a loop in my mind where I'm seeing the light slowly leave her eyes. I need that gale force wind again because I will die without it. I will die without her.

CHAPTER ONE

Laken

First day of senior year. The first day of my continuous hell till I'm out of this God-forsaken town. If I could have left before now then I would have, but my grades are my ticket out of here. I don't want to be stuck working at the local diner for the rest of my life, popping out screaming babies while my husband gets head every Friday night from a bar slut who can't keep her panties dry, out behind the only bar in town. And trust me, this town has plenty of bar sluts.

I'm sitting here in my beat-up Ford truck, stalling as long as I can before I have to walk through the gates of hell. This school is so cliche it's ridiculous. On the steps of the school you will find your football team surrounded by the cheerleaders, and in the midst of them is the Queen Bee, Tillie Rogers, who for some reason hates my guts. We were best friends all throughout elementary school and middle school, but once ninth grade hit, she did a total 180 and I was the scum beneath her shoes. We went from sleepovers to having her drinks poured over my head in the lunchroom, garbage in my locker, and slut-shaming graffiti on the school walls. I've been with one guy, who by the way, was a two-pump chump, and I'm a slut? Whatever. She has a stick up her ass the size of Texas, and one day I will figure out what I did to deserve her wrath for the last three years.

Just as I'm getting out of my truck I hear a loud rumble from a car I've never seen before, that's peeling through the parking lot like a mad man. It's actually a really nice car so it's caught everyone's attention. When he pops the door open and gets out, all eyes are on him. An angular jaw and sharp cheekbones are what grab my attention first because it's perfection personified. The aviators he has on cover his eyes, but I bet they are just as perfect. He's wearing a black t-shirt that fits him perfectly and shows off the curves of his muscles underneath. Black ripped jeans cover his legs, and black biker boots complete his swagger bad boy look. He has tattoos that cover his neck down to this fingers, and I bet his whole torso is covered in that gorgeous ink. Caramel-colored hair that's shaved on the sides and long on the top, with locks of hair falling over his left eye, and a nose ring in his left nostril. He was bad boy perfection with the air of "I don't give a shit" and "fuck off". The kind of boy your mama warns you about, and your daddy forbids you to date. If you have parents who give a shit about you, but mine certainly doesn't. My mom stays in her room medicated from sun up to sundown, and my dad goes to work in the morning and comes home drunk every night. If he's really bad then I tend to stay out of his way or a busted lip is very likely.

I tend to stay to myself and stay out of trouble as much as I can, but the people in this school make it hard to behave. I need out of this town as soon as I graduate, and this boy looks like trouble. The kind of trouble I need to stay away from. I've never had such a visceral reaction to a boy before. Although, this one is all man, and he is the type to grab a woman by the ovaries and reduce her to her most primitive core.

He starts walking up the steps to the entrance of the school, and every girl is flipping her hair, waving, and smiling to try and get his attention, especially Tillie. She just found a new target. Good luck with that, honey. I get a moment of satisfaction when she tries to say hi and he just walks on by like he didn't see her. Maybe my day won't be so bad after all.

I walk into the school just as the first bell rings and head to my locker, to which it's no surprise to see "whore" written across it in red spray paint. Just another regular day at Prestview High. Can they not come up with something better, or are they not smart enough to come up with a new word? Amateurs. I grab my book for math and store the rest of my books in my locker, and head to my first class of the day. Math hates me, and I hate it. I won't use most of this shit once I graduate so why do I have to take it? It's the only class I am barely passing in. But as long as I keep a C average then I shouldn't have any issues with getting into college. I just dread having to take more math classes there. I will definitely be studying more than I have to do at this shit school.

I walk into my math class as soon as the second bell rings and Mrs. Conners gives me a glare as if I were ten minutes late for class. I take the last seat available, which is right in front of Jared Miles. I roll my eyes and head to my seat. Just great. Mr. Popular and captain of the football team. Also, the guy who has tried to get in my panties ever since I grew tits. He's gorgeous with his raven-colored hair, green eyes, and a thousand-watt smile. But his heart and soul make him ugly to the core. He is your typical"I'm better than everyone"jock. Someone I want to dick punch on the daily, and I know by the end of class he will be trying my patience, and a dick punch will be the least of his concerns.

Mrs. Conners drones on at the front of the class, and I feel him touching my hair, so I gather it all in my hand and pull it over one shoulder to get it out of his reach. "Hey, Laken," he whispers in my ear, making me shudder, and not in a good way, "those tits are looking extra juicy today. Did they grow over the summer?"

I ignore him, because if you feed the gremlin then it will come back for more. For the love of God, I just want to be left alone till I can grab my diploma and get the hell out of here. Is that too much to ask for?

"How about after practice you meet me outside the locker room and you can bounce on my dick? I mean, that's what sluts do, right? So maybe you could fit me in your schedule?"

Oh God, I'm taking the bait. I turn around and don't bother lowering my voice, "You're disgusting! Why the hell would I want to bounce on your dick and get chlamydia? Fuck off!" Laughter erupts in the classroom and his face turns red from anger as he shoots daggers at me."Miss Manning, get your stuff and get to the principles office, now! I will not have you disrupting my class and using profanity!"

Are you fucking kidding me right now? Of course, it's me who gets in trouble. Jared fucking Miles can do no wrong in this town. The golden boy just because his parents own most of our shitty town. He gets away with everything. It's disgusting. I grab my book and stuff it in my backpack and head out the door. At least I get to skip math class. My dad will be pissed if I get suspended though. Calling him at work, before he's too drunk to remember, will definitely cost me a busted lip or bruised ribs when he gets home tonight.

As soon as I open the office door Miss Janet, our old as Methuselah secretary, looks up and sighs. "Have a seat, Laken. I will tell him you're here." Yeah, I may get sent in here often, so she's not surprised to see me here during the first period. Seriously though, she is way past retirement age and I have no idea why she would want to stay at this school and work. Maybe it's because she never married or had kids so working in hell for shitty pay doesn't bother her. I turn to sit down in one of the chairs lined up against the wall by the office door and come to a halt. I am immediately ensnared by the most intense blue eyes I have ever seen. An ice blue that gives me chills with its intensity. His gaze is so intense that I feel like he's seeing right into my soul. And though I want to look away so he can't see all the darkness and pain I live with, it's hard to pull my gaze from his. My eyes finally drop down to his chest. Ah, hell, that's even worse than the eyes! My fingers twitch wanting to touch every groove and contour I can see beneath his form-fitting shirt. I continue my appraisal, and his legs are wide open as he lounges back in the chair like he hasn't a care in the world. The way he's sitting draws my attention to his...package. Lord help me, now I'm picturing what his dick looks like, and this isn't normal behavior for me. But the close-up version of the new guy is even better than I saw in the parking lot. I run my eyes back up his body till I get to his lips. Lips that look soft with the lower lip being puffier than the top, and it makes me want to pull that bottom lip into my mouth and bite down on it. I'm just standing here like an idiot staring at his lips till it turns up into a smirk. My eyes shoot up to his to see there's humor shining in them. It's like he knows what I'm thinking, but it snaps me out of the trance his sinful body had me in. My cheeks burn with embarrassment, and I narrow my eyes at him, then walk over to sit down in the seat on the end, putting two chairs between us. I can feel his stare on me and it's making me nervous. I hate being stared at. "Do you have a problem?" I snap at him without looking his way. There's no way in hell I'm looking at him right now and chance looking like an idiot again. He just chuckles, and holy hell is it deep and going straight to my core. I think I would rather be in math class right now.

The door to the Principal's office swings open, and when Mr. Jackson sees me he lets out a sigh that sounds just like the one I got from Miss Janet. I just roll my eyes and wait for it. "Laken. You didn't even make it through the first period before being sent up here. Why am I not surprised?" With the biggest smile, I can muster I say, "I aim to please, Mr. Jackson. I just knew you missed me all summer so I got in trouble just so you could bask in my greatness to start the school year off right." Bad boy next to me chuckles, and now I'm regretting my words because that sound does something to my lady parts that I don't need to happen right before I go into the Principle's office.

"Get in here, Laken, and tell me what you did this time so I can send you back to class", Mr. Jackson says in a dull voice. I don't know why he doesn't like me. I'm so personable and sweet. What's not to like? I may have a smart mouth, and sarcasm is my middle name, but that's just the beauty of me. So I walk into his office with a smile and sit down in front of his desk as he takes his on the other side.

"Why are you in here so early Laken?""Well, there I was just sitting in math class, minding my own business-" "Were you even paying attention to the teacher, Laken?", he interrupts me. "Of course not", I say with an "are you kidding me" glare. "Of course not", he repeats with an eye roll. "Carry on", he says. I clear my throat and continue on, "Like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted"- hearing him mutter under his breath- "I was just sitting there minding my own business when Jared asked me to bounce on his dick". "Can you not be so crude, Laken!" I gasp and put my hand on my chest like I'm thoroughly offended. "You told me to tell you what happened, Mr. Jackson! Do you want to hear the story or not?" He just groans and puts his head in his hands, so I take that as my cue to continue.

"Where was I? Oh, yes, when Jared asked me to bounce...on his male member-when he gives me a sharp look- "since I'm already a slut"."So I ask him why he would want me to bounce...on his male member because I don't want chlamydia." I pause for effect. "Oh, and then I told him to fuck off," I finish with a bright smile. "Laken, drop the profanity and stay after school for one-hour detention. Now go back to class." I jump up out of my seat and yell, "Are you kidding me! He asks me to bounce on his dick, on school grounds might I add, and calls me a slut, and I'm the one that gets detention?" "Well, now it's a two-hour detention since you're yelling profanity in my office."

Shit. Shit. Shit. Dad is going to lose it when I come home late because of detention. This is bullshit. I hate Jared Miles with a passion, and I wish I could grab his balls and squeeze till he's squealing like the pig he is. I am steaming mad so I grab my backpack and haul ass out of that office. I can feel the new guy's intense gaze on my back like it's searing me from the inside out. I just keep on walking and go straight to the girl's bathroom since the bell will be ringing for the second period in a few minutes. My senior year is going to be a pain in my ass if it's starting off like this. I hate this place.

CHAPTER TWO

BLAKE

Laken. I've never heard that name before, but it fits her. She makes me think of a cool wind blowing across the lake behind my grandma's house on the hottest day of summer. A wind that makes you turn your face up to the sky and beg for more. She has an intensity about her that draws me in. She also has spunk and I like that in a woman. A soft woman can't handle my brand of sex. I saw how she was checking me out, and I could tell that I was affecting her just as much as she was affecting me. She's beautiful with her shiny, straight, dark brown hair that goes down to her shoulder blades, and I want to run my fingers through it to see if it's as soft as it looks. Her brown eyes hide the darkness and pain I am dying to uncover. She's not pencil-thin like a lot of girls I've seen so far in this school that were trying to get my attention. I like my girls curvy, and Laken definitely has curves, but all in the right places. Thick thighs that are the perfect size to wrap around me. Tits that are bigger than a hand full, but not overly large. A small waist, but her hips flare out in the most erotic way. But her personality fills the space around her. I could listen to that smart mouth all day. She's very entertaining, and I want to know everything about her. When her eyes met mine I was entranced just as much as she was. It was a cosmic collision. She took my breath, and I don't think I want it back.

I need to see who this Jared fucker is. If he's bothering her then he has another thing coming. She obviously doesn't like him, and she definitely doesn't want to "bounce on his dick." I hate guys who prey on girls like that. Saying no the first time should be enough, even if it's delivered in a smart ass way. Damn, she makes me smile and I haven't truly smiled in a long time. This girl can end up being addictive. I can tell she's a loner, just like me. But my loner status is because I just got out of juvie, and had to move in with my grandma in a different town than I grew up in. So I don't know anyone here, and the plan was to stick to myself and just get through this last year of school without fucking up so I don't get sent back to juvie. This is a small town so I'm sure by the end of the day there will be rumors going around about me on how I got sent away. I don't regret what I did to land myself in juvie, and I would happily do it again. But being on probation for the next year has me watching my step so I don't land back in there.

But Laken is someone I want to figure out. What is that darkness I saw behind her brown eyes? I don't like the pain I saw either, and the panic I saw in her eyes after Principle Douche extended her detention made my instincts go haywire. Why would she panic from having to get detention for two hours? Are her parents strict? I just know that when I saw it, it made me tense up with a bad feeling.

I've been sitting here for the first two class periods of the day waiting on my damn schedule. I'm finally given my schedule and books when the bell rings for my lunch period. I find my locker and stuff all of my books in it and try to find the cafeteria. As soon as I walk into the doors I have a thin blonde in my face, flipping her hair over her shoulder, and giving me a sultry look."Hi, I'm Tillie. I know you're new here so I just wanted to welcome you and tell you that you can sit at our table," she waves her hand in the direction of the table she's referring to, and I see more perfect skinny girls staring at me with various smiles and hungry looks at my body, and the guys who are giving me a death glare. Don't worry guys, you can have them. I'm more interested in a woman who doesn't think her pussy is gold and everyone wants a piece of it. I can probably find out who fuckface is so I nod my head at her, and she smiles even wider and puts her hand on my arm to lead me over there. I brush her arm off and her smile falters a bit before she fixes it. I follow her to the table and she makes a pretty redhead get up and move to the other side of the table so I can sit next to her. Red isn't happy, but I get the feeling that if you don't do as Queen Tillie says then you will pay for it.

She starts introducing me to everyone, but I'm not really interested till I hear the name, Jared. I look to where Tillie is looking and see the piece of shit guy who is staring at me like he wants to punch me. I have the girl's attention instead of him right now, and he's not liking it. So, he's an attention-seeking fuckface who thinks he's God's gift to women everywhere. I tune into what Tillie is saying."Jared is the football team captain, and I'm head cheerleader, of course, and I'm also captain of the volleyball team." She's looking at me like I should be impressed. Hate to say it Blondie, but you are absolutely not my type. My type just walked through the door, and I can't take my eyes off of her. I see most of the guys are looking at her too and I clench my jaw. She has no idea she draws so much attention, but Blondie notices it. The attention isn't on her anymore and she can't stand it. She tries to grab my attention again, but at this moment, no one could drag my attention from Laken. The way her hips swing when she walks brings attention to her perfect round ass. Fuck, just the way she walks is making me hard.

Laken grabs her plate and starts walking to a table on the other side of the cafeteria, and I'm so entranced by her that I don't even notice that Tillie has gotten up and is headed her way. What the hell is she doing? Laken notices her as soon as she sits down, rolls her eyes, and looks exasperated that Tillie is coming her way. I notice that the whole cafeteria has gone silent. I look around and see that everyone's eyes are on them. Is this normal? Through the silence, I can hear every word they are saying.

"Welcome back, whore, I see you're still here. No one wants you here, bitch," Tillie sneers at her. Laken smiles and bats her eyelashes at her and says in a sweet voice, "Oh, Tillie. I'm so happy to be graced with your mean girl presence. I don't know how I lived through the summer without seeing your grotesque face every day. Oh, wait. I did see your Mom though. She was bent over the front receptionist desk of your daddy's car dealership exchanging cars for dick." Everyone starts laughing, and Tillie's face is almost purple from the anger shooting out of her eyes at Laken. Tillie lets out a high-pitch squeal that makes my eyebrows pop up to my hairline, as she grabs Laken's drink and splashes it in her face. Now everyone is laughing at her, and Tillie looks like she just won a prize. Laken just freezes, and this flat expression covers her face. Her eyes turn hard, pushing her feelings behind an instructable wall. "Leave this school, leave this town, and stay the hell away from here,'cause you are a nobody and no one wants you here," Tillie decrees. No one gets up to help Laken as Tillie sashays her way back to our table, looking at me like I'm supposed to fall in love with her for what she just did. Everyone just goes back to eating and talking. Laken gets up and starts walking towards the cafeteria doors. I get up and walk her way, hearing Tillie call my name, but Laken gives me a hard look, with dim shrouded eyes that sends a punch to my gut. I stop in my tracks and let her walk by me and through the doors.

Tillie is still calling out my name so I go back to the table since I know right now isn't the right time to talk to Laken, even though my feet want to follow her. I sit back down next to Tillie, and she tries putting her hand on my arm again so I jerk my arm back and cross my arms over my chest. Jared is staring daggers at me so I stare right back at him till he looks away. I pretend like I'm listening to Tillie talk the entire time till it's time to go to our next class. Thank God.

Walking into English I take a seat in the back and slouch down. Right when the bell rings, Laken walks into the room and searches out a seat. And the only seat available is right in front of me. She stalls for a moment, then straightens her spine, and plops down into the chair with a huff. I can't help but chuckle, and her whole body tenses. I don't know what that's about, but at least I'm affecting her in some way. The teacher starts talking about an essay that will be due in a week- what teacher assigns an essay on the first day of school- and I lean up and put my elbows on the desk. I can smell her and she smells absolutely edible. A mix of vanilla and cherry. I take in a big breath of her scent, and she notices. She turns her head to the side and hisses in a low voice, "Are you sniffing me?""I am, Sweets, and you smell incredible," I rumble back. "That's really creepy and don't call me Sweets!""Why not? You smell like sweets and I have a really big sweet tooth. I could eat sweets all day long." She huffs and turns back to the teacher, but I catch her squeezing her thighs together. Oh, this is going to be a very fun school year.