Breathe for Me (The Langston Brothers Duet #1)

by Brittany Ann

To the ones who try to save everyone but themselves. Remember that you are just as important as the person beside you. Remember to live.

My boys say it’s a miracle he has a good soul. That boy’s soul was made of rainwater, pure, untouched, directly from heaven above.

I felt her out there, on the ranch. She was in the wind, the rain, the dirt, and sunshine.

For the second time, I was running after my green-eyed woman. For the first time, I was actually scared shitless.

“You don’t touch my woman. You don’t look at my woman. You don’t think about her green eyes. You don’t think about her pretty hair. You don’t think about her enchanting face.”

“Baby, close those eyes for me.” “Den—”

“Close ‘em, baby,” I demanded gently. When she did, I fired my gun, staring at her as I did it. She let out a yelp with each shot.

“You don’t get out of the truck until I open the door for you, understand?” I growled. “Denver—” “Do you understand me?” I clipped, looking down at her.

“Anyways, that’s all I needed to say,” she noted, looking away from me. Don’t let her leave, my sweet boy. Don’t you let this one go. I nodded. To Valerie, not my mom’s voice, and pushed off the counter. “Gotta get dinner started,” I said, dismissing everything I wanted.

“Denv—” “Shut the fuck up,” he growled, his hand going to the back of my neck. Then he did it. He ruined me. His lips crashed against mine, his huge body, shoving me against the cab, pinning me to it as he pried my lips open with his tongue. His hot, delicious, tongue. My mouth fell open, letting him in, and I was kissing him back with the same urgency. I couldn’t control it. A sound ripped from him, causing my insides to quiver. It was rough, uncontrolled, dark…

“You leave me, so help me God, baby, I will hunt you down,” he clipped. “I will find you and take my anger out on that perfect, round ass of yours. You won’t be able to walk for a fucking month.”

“Coming on my ranch, looking like that, looking up at me with your big green eyes,” he sneered, head pressed against mine as he continued to shamelessly hump me. “Fuck, I shouldn’t want you.” “Honey,” I whispered. He froze and he squeezed my throat harder. “That guy who took your virginity and tossed you aside like trash, you call him that?” “What?” “You call any other man that?”

“You call any other man that, I’ll make this ass red, baby,” he murmured. I gaped at him, my body trembling against the door. My eyes drifted to the kitchen, to the window above the sink. Then a chill ran down my spine.

You didn’t let her go, my sweet boy. Now convince her to stay. You know how. You’re just scared. Let go of that fear, Denver.

She shook her head. “Denver, I have to go home and take care of my mom.” I’ll take care of her, and you. Both of you, baby. Just let me. I didn’t say that. I couldn’t say that. It was too soon. Fuck it.

She isn’t leaving you, my sweet boy. She will understand.

“Your little pussy is squeezing my cock so tight. It’s like she wants me to stay,” he hummed, his voice rough with lust. “Don’t ever leave,” I breathed. “You want this dick inside you forever, baby? Is that what you want?”

“I’m yours,” she repeated, her soft voice washing over me. Something snapped inside of me then. Something possessive—controlling—that scared the shit out of me. With a growl, I pulled her head back by her hair, my lips finding her ear. “You have no idea what you’ve just done.”

I would tell her every fucking day for the rest of my life.

I love you, Smoke. I couldn’t tell him, not yet. There was too much going on. Once the dust settled and nothing surrounded us but his smoke…then I would tell him. I would tell him he owned me. I would tell him my heart was his, that I never wanted to part from him or Hallow Ranch again. Until then, I would love him in silence.

When she looked back to me, she whispered, “I’m glad that I got sick, because it led my daughter to you.” My jaw tightened to the point of fucking pain and at this point, I wanted it to shatter. I remained silent, unable to speak from the raw emotion burning in my throat. I wanted to scream. I wanted to fall to my knees. I couldn’t. Valerie’s footsteps filled my ears, and I heard Beau call, “See y’all in a bit!”

I’m glad I got sick, because it led my daughter to you.

“She was the enemy, and now I’m afraid she’s becoming my whole world.” Good, my sweet boy. My eyes closed at the sound of Momma’s voice, and I swallowed hard. “What am I going to do when she loses her mom?” You continue to love her.

An overwhelming guilt washed over me, like acid rain, burning my body, seeping into my skin and tainting my blood. It was immediately followed by anger, a fury so intense that I found my composure crumbling and then I started screaming into the forest, letting it out. I screamed for Nancy’s life, for Valerie’s pain. I screamed for my son. I screamed for the lost years between my brother, for Hallow Ranch. I screamed for everyone trying to take it from me. I screamed for my unforgiving father. I screamed for Momma.

Love is truly blind, shielding you from the pain that is to come.

My cowboy felt guilty because my mom was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. He didn’t need to feel that way. She wasn’t all that I had—not anymore.

“That was before I fell in love with you, Denver.”

I hoped he would share everything with me.

Within seconds, my hands were tied together, the end of the rope was thrown over a branch above us, the other in his hand. He tugged on it causing my arms to raise higher. “Honey,” I gasped. “Fuck, I love tying you up,” he growled.

“Look at me,” he ordered gruffly. When I did, I saw it. I sucked in a breath as the smoke in his eyes cleared, revealing his broken, tired soul. My soul called to his, and something flashed in his eyes. I knew it then. He loved me too.

“I love you, Valerie.” Here, on the forest floor, a dark cowboy declared his love for an enchantress. Nothing would ever be the same.

Oasis was an underground street racing organization on the outskirts of St. Louis.

“I.” Thrust. “Take.” Thrust. “Care.” Thrust. “Of.” Thrust and hold. “You.”

Now shut up and take this dick like the good, sweet, little, slut you are.”

get it now, ya know?” I tightened my hold on the reins again, and patted Ranger, giving him the reassurance he needed. “Kings,” he snapped. “Love ain’t meant for cowboys. Because when a cowboy falls in love, not even the fires of hell could stop him from being with her.”

“What do you mean?” Denver’s body shook beneath mine from laughter. I shot him a glare. “I’m serious, Smoke.” His handsome smile faded, and his eyes darkened. The next thing I knew, I was under him, his massive body pinning me into the mattress.

“Say it again?” he asked, his voice low. A dark lock of his hair hung down in front of his forehead. I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. It wasn’t working. “Would the baby sleep in Caleb’s room or would we have to redo—” “You tellin’ me my baby is inside of you?”

Tears formed in eyes as my arms snaked around his neck. I nodded, the diamond on my wedding band flashing in the moonlight beside his head. Life was good, Mom was healed, the cancer was gone, and I was going to gi...

For a moment, the world around me quieted, the smoke wasn’t burning my throat, the heat of the flames around me cooled. For a moment, I wasn’t the monster who hurt people and chased them away. Go east, sweet boy. My eyes snapped open and with all the energy I had left, I ran. Through the fire, I ran to her. For the rest of my life, I vowed I would run through fire to protect her.

Whether she forgave me or not, I would always protect her. I would always love her. I was a fool to think she betrayed me; Grayson’s data be damned. I was a fool to think she didn’t love me. I was a fool to push her away.

“I’m not a good man. You and I both know that, but she’s a good woman. She’s everything I didn’t know I needed. Please, please,” I begged, falling to my knees as slight pain shot up my thighs from the hard stone beneath me. I coughed again, but that didn’t stop me from holding my arms out wide. “You can take me,” I wept to the God I’d stopped believing in. “Let me save her and take me!” The smoke was getting to me, and I fell forward, landing on my palms. My head hung and tears fell from my eyes. “Take the broken cowboy, spare his enchantress.” My voice was cracking, and my head was spinning. There was no air.

Hell, forever wasn’t even enough. Not with a woman like her. I needed more than forever when it came to my Valerie. I wasn’t going get forever. I was only given days.

My soul was hers, and not even death could take it from her.

I didn’t understand it. My baby just needed to breathe. Why wasn’t she breathing?

“You can have my land! Take it, baby! As long as I get to keep you. Do you hear me? Hallow Ranch isn’t home if you aren’t here. Valerie, please—please,” I sucked in an unsteady breath. I pressed my forehead to hers and closed my eyes.

“Breathe for me, Valerie. Breathe for me and never stop,” I cried, shaking her body. “Breathe for me because I’m breathing for you.”