RESCUE BREATHING by Zoe Norman

 
When Manhattan Psychologist Olivia Burke receives an invitation to present her research on trauma in servicemen in Seattle, she is determined to turn the business trip into the start of healing her own traumatized heart. FDNY Firefighter Owen Maxwell is an unapologetic playboy who spends his days saving lives and his nights breaking hearts. He puts his life on the line every day and is skeptical about doing the same with his heart. But when he meets Olivia, the girl with the shattered spirit–sparks fly. They share a hot weekend in Seattle and discover that they want to share so much more. Both Olivia and Owen are in need of help mending their hearts. What remains to be seen is if they can do that for each other, or if they are so damaged they go up in smoke. Rescue Breathing is the journey of two lost souls, trying to breathe new life into each other without losing themselves along the way.  
Light is hurting my eyes, and I give a groan. One eye struggles to open, and I get a full face of sunlight coming through the enormous window I obviously forgot to shut prior to passing out last night. Clearly that was because I was exhausted after Owen and I made love for most of the night. Mmmmm...last night. I look over to the space beside me and note that I’m alone in my bed. Owen left last night, leaving me to sleep by myself and ruminate about what has been going on in the last few days. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all that’s happened, and I suddenly feel an urge to think it through, start to make some sense of it all. Realistically, this can’t happen can it? I mean, yes we come from the same city, but what are the chances that he’s really going to reach out to me when we get home? And I sure as hell won’t be reaching out to him. Aside from not wanting to look like an idiot if he rejects me, my recent history does not set me up to be the one to make the first move. I’m lucky if I make any move at all. And just as I start to feel hopeless about Owen, I remember moments like last night, or in Starbucks, and the connection we clearly have. Yes, we have had a lot of sex. But is that just because we’re out of our element and we’re just doing what’s accessible? I mean, it’s not like we can learn about our regular lives when we’re not home. Maybe it’s opening a door to our being able to learn more about each other moving forward. But didn’t he say he wasn’t looking for a relationship? Yeah he did. Of course, that was before all that’s happened this weekend, before last night. And last night... Just…wow. We didn’t just fuck last night. That’s not what that was. We made love. We connected. And I swear that’s not just me being a silly girl. In fact, there were moments where he seemed downright uncomfortable, like he was feeling things he wasn’t accustomed to or didn’t want to. Why does all of this have to be so complicated? Why can’t it be like in the movies? Boy meets girl, boy seduces girl, they have sex, they get married, they have a kid, roll credits. I pull the covers over my head and groan. This is going to be a problem. And I don’t know what to do about it. I’m leaving tomorrow. Then what? I don’t want to get hurt. I’m really terrified of that. The bottom line is that if I let this guy into my life, then I risk letting him into my heart. And if I let him into my heart, I risk getting hurt. Simple. But as Charley says, I can’t spend the rest of my life wanting but not trying, hurting and not living. I think it might be time for me to take some chances, and who’s to say that taking chances has to end in my being hurt? I can take some calculated risks, right? Be careful where I step, make my intentions known, let him know about my fears, and keep an open mind. Christ, my fears… Wait until he hears that story.
Zoe Norman is the brainchild of Stephanie Krulewitz and Heidi Haveman, two women with one very important thing in common—their love of good erotic romance novels. After a year of writing fanfiction and developing a swoon-worthy friendship from across the country, the decision was made to write their own novel.