Falling In (23 page)

“But why? I don’t understand. We’re not going to talk, or hang out? I mean, we have hours to do anything.”

He lets out a frustrated, deep breath, almost as if he’s suddenly annoyed by me. I drop his arm that I was still holding and take a step back. He shakes his head, and I can feel some of that earlier distress seep back into his body.

“You told him you loved him right in front of me. Right after my hand was about to touch your bare skin. I can’t be here right now. I can’t be in the house that you share with
him
right now.”

“You’re acting like this is some big surprise to you. Like you had no fucking idea I was with another man. I’ve been with him since I was six, for fuck’s sake! We have kids. I’ve told you I loved him.”
Yep, now I’m getting riled up
. He’s about to witness firsthand my Latina fire for the second time. I poke him in the chest with my index finger. “
You
were the one who started this.” Poke. “
You
kissed me.” Poke. “
You
touched me.” He grabs my finger before I can poke him again. “
You
want something that isn’t yours! You chose
this
!” I can feel the tears beginning to form, threatening to betray my now fading anger. “I’m trying, Jake. But I don’t know what the fuck I’m supposed to do!”

He yanks me into his arms just as a sob escapes. His hold is tight and firm, his arms gripping me as close as humanly possible to his hard body. I melt into his embrace and let some of the stress I’ve been holding captive finally release.

“I’m sorry. This is just getting—hard. Hearing you tell him—I—”

“I know.” I finish for him, whispering into his chest. He releases his grip and holds me out in front of him, looking as helpless as I feel. He wipes a stray tear that slides down my cheek.

“I think—I think I still need to go.”

I shake my head in confusion. “But—”

“We just need a moment.
I
need a moment. And I think you need one, too.” I shut my eyes tightly, hoping to keep the budding tears at bay. He pulls me back into a hug. “Hey. It’s okay. I’ll see you later, alright?”

I nod into his chest just before he releases me. He kisses me on the forehead, lingering a few beats, and then turns around and walks out the door, leaving me rooted to the spot, with my arms around my stomach, feeling colder than I ever have before.

***

Jake

I’m almost positive I will not be getting my safety deposit back. I just punched what is probably the tenth hole into my wall since moving here, and now I’m icing my hand while lying on my damn bed that still smells like her. And yes, I am in fact sniffing the fucking pillow like a psychopath, but I need to feel connected to her right now. I can’t believe I left her standing there, holding back tears, scared shitless and confused as all hell. I feel like a fucking asshole. I
am
a fucking asshole.
And a pussy. A wimp. A sad excuse for a man
. But hearing her tell him she loved him, it…it cut me deep.

And I know she’s right. I have no right to be pissed or upset. I knew what I was getting into. I know she loves him. But it doesn’t make it any easier. It doesn’t stop me from wanting to punch something or a certain
someone
every time I see him or even hear his damn name. He doesn’t deserve her.

Or maybe he does.

I don’t fucking have a clue anymore. All I know is that in the end, there’s going to be one loser. And I don’t want that to be me. I want to win. I want
her
. I’ll fight for her if I have to.

The last few days have been everything. Finally kissing her, feeling her underneath me and against me. It was more than I ever thought it could be. She makes me feel again. She makes me want more. She drives me fucking insane, but I don’t care as long as she’s here, with me. She feels right.
We
feel right, and I have to show her that. I have to convince her that we’re right. We were meant to be. But that’s the thing…

I shouldn’t have to convince her.

No, it’s not her fault. She has
him
clouding her judgment. She can’t think straight. She has to know. I know she knows. I just have to remind her. I have to tell her.

Fuck.

I love Evangeline.

Evangeline

It takes me a good ten minutes to move from the spot Jake just left. I’m shivering from the cold air and emotions that have come over my body. When I feel like I’m at my most pathetic state, I turn and climb up the stairs, headed straight for the bath, hoping the comforting warmth will make this knot in my stomach go away. Or at the very least, distract me from it.

I sit on the ledge and watch the water slowly fill the tub. I throw in vanilla salts and bubble bath before easing myself into the welcome heat, submerging my entire body under the water. I close my eyes and just stay, enjoying the quiet, trying to keep my complicated thoughts at bay. Wanting to feel something other than everything I have been lately. When my lungs begin to burn, feeling like they’re about to explode, I burst out of the water, heaving like a madwoman. I throw my head back and take a few deep breaths before relaxing like a normal person.

Damn, I should’ve brought wine.

              As I sink further into the tub, I hear what sounds like the front door open and close downstairs.

             
Jake
.

              I quickly yank the hair tie from my wrist, throwing my hair up in a messy bun, then hop out of the bath, sloppily drying off before wrapping myself in my robe that was hanging on the bathroom door. Before I know it, I’m flying through the bedroom, out the door, and down the stairs. I’m about to call out his name when I see Cole sitting on the coffee table, just as I was half an hour ago, my phone in his hand. I halt at the bottom of the stairs just as he turns to me. There’s a weird expression on his face, one I’ve never seen before. But it’s gone before I have a chance to truly examine it.

              “Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask while making my way toward him.

              “I wanted to check up on you.”

              Once I reach him, he captures my wrist, pulling me into his lap. He begins to kiss my neck, forcing my eyes to close from the softness of his lips. The familiarity of them. He knows just where to place his mouth, hitting all of the right spots.

              “And, I thought maybe if you’re up to it, we could finish what we started this morning.”

              He pulls away from my neck, licking his lips while looking into my eyes that opened immediately after his mouth has left me. They’re a combination of lust and what looks like anger, although I have no idea why he would be angry.
Maybe something happened at work? Or maybe…

             
No. He wouldn’t want me as much as I can see he does right now if that were the case. Cole doesn’t wait for a reply before he pulls my mouth to his, his tongue penetrating the inside with an eagerness that leaves me breathless. I turn in his lap, wrapping my legs behind his back, straddling his warm body. I can feel his cock straining inside his jeans, rubbing against my bare pussy. I moan loudly in his mouth from the tantalizing sensation. Then I mentally shake off the feeling of déjà vu, trying my damnedest not to think of Jake and I in this exact position. And thankfully, Cole is making it easier than I thought it would be. Of course it probably helps that I’m horny as hell, and I’ll take anything that comes along at the moment.

              Cole pulls back from my lips again. With heavy-lidded eyes on mine, he unties my robe, slowly pulling it open and down my arms until it makes a puddle on the floor. I’m completely naked for him now. His eyes take me in as if it’s the first time—only, it’s probably about the millionth. Cole appreciates my body. Requires it. With one hand supporting my lower back, he uses the other to run down the center of my chest, between my breasts, all the way down to my pelvic bone, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. I can feel my pussy begin to pulse, needing relief.

              “Fuck, baby, I love it when you look like that. Like you want nothing more than my hands on you.”

              I groan as his hand moves back up to my sensitive breasts, rolling my nipple between his fingers, tugging it almost painfully hard before popping it inside his mouth, sucking the pain away.

              “Tell me, baby. Tell me only I can make you feel this way,” he says after releasing my nipple, only to move on to the other one. “Tell me,” he urges with my breast in his mouth, sending vibrations to my needing nipple.

              “Only you,” I breathe out. And with that declaration, he places his hands on my ass and stands up hastily, lifting me with him with ease. Then he gently lays me down onto the coffee table. I yelp from the rush of cold wood on my back.

              “That was the right answer. I think you deserve a reward.” He says, staring down at me with a smirk.

              “What kind of reward?”

              “The best kind. I’m going to eat your pussy like I’ve been starved for weeks. I’m going to re-claim what is mine, and make you remember why that is. I’m going to fuck you with my mouth and then my cock so hard, you’ll never forget whose pussy this belongs to.”

              My breathing goes haywire from his words, and my palms grow clammy. I can see it in his eyes. He means every word. He’s set on making me forget everyone else but him. He’s on a mission to remind me that it’s only him for me.

             
He knows. Maybe not exactly what, but he knows something. But how? Am I really that transparent?

              Cole places his hands on my naked thighs, spreading them apart as wide as they can go, and then he just hovers over me for a few minutes, admiring my glistening pussy from all angles. He runs a finger up and down my open slit, teasing me before finally dipping down and making the same movements with his tongue. I prop up on my elbows and arch my back, shoving my pussy even closer to his face, needing more intensity, needing to find my release—
fast
. 

              “Tell me I’m the only one who licks your pussy like this. Tell me I’m the only one who can make your body shudder uncontrollably with my tongue.” He commands as he assaults my clit, causing my body to do exactly what he says.

              “
Only you
,” I reply on a moan. “Oh god, Cole.”

              He hooks his arms under my legs, pulling me so close that I’m not even sure he can breathe. I can only see the top of his head, but damn, I can feel…
everything
.
He flicks and sucks my clit, then rolls his tongue around it in circles, over and over again, until I’m smacking the table with my hands and bucking my hips, screaming his name. Digging his fingers into my thighs, effectively holding me in place, he rams his tongue inside me, sending me completely over the edge.

              “Fuck!” I scream out as my body convulses against his mouth. I’m still riding my orgasm when I hear the sound of a zipper, and without any time to recover, Cole thrusts into me. We both cry out from the welcome intrusion. Then he stills inside me and looks down into my eyes with a fierceness I’ve never seen before.

              “You’re
mine
.” He pulls almost all the way out. “This pussy is
mine
.” He whispers harshly before slamming his cock back into me, all the way to the hilt. I can only whimper a response, unable to form coherent words. He teases my core like this for what seems like forever, slowly moving out before shoving himself back in, until I’m begging him to fuck me harder.

              “Please, Cole
.”

              “Tell me. Tell me and I’ll stop torturing you. I’ll fuck you however you want.”

              I know what he wants to hear. I mentally shake off the feeling that I’m somehow betraying Jake and summon the words. The words Cole needs to hear. The words that have always been true.

              “I’m yours. This pussy is yours. Only
yours
.” The last word comes out as a moan as he begins to pump into me, hard and fast. The sound of our skin slapping against each other fills the living room, along with our joined grunts and groans of satisfaction. He hooks my ankles around his neck, pushing deep inside me, and hits that special spot like he’s hitting the buzzer on the final round of a game show. I come loudly, squeezing my pussy tightly around his plunging cock, making him come right along with me.

He releases my legs and collapses on top of me as I milk his cock for all it’s worth. We lay there catching our breaths, and neither one of us says a word. Cole finally sighs against my neck and pushes off the table, slipping out of me and sending chills down my body. But not in a good way. I watch him pull on his boxer briefs and right into his jeans.

Is he leaving already?

              “Cole?”

              “I’ve gotta get back to work,” he says emotionless as he pulls his t-shirt over his head.

              I just stare at him in disbelief while he sits in front of me, not giving me even one glance while he puts his boots on.
What the fuck?

              He stands up with his back still turned to me and lets out a deep breath before walking away from the table and right out the door.

              No goodbye.

              No kiss.

              No ‘I love you.’

              Not even a ‘thanks for the fuck.’

             
Nothing.

             
I haven’t felt this cheap and dirty since that night. The night my innocence was robbed from me by the one person who was supposed to protect me. I let the tears run freely down my face while I gather enough strength to get up. Once I do, I reach down and grab my robe, pulling it on quickly, needing to cover myself up immediately. I also pick up my phone off the floor. It must have gotten knocked off the table during that—whatever
that
was. It’s flashing from a new message. I unlock the screen as I walk up the stairs and see that it’s a text from Jake.

                          
 
Jake: You haven’t answered my text but I need to see you. So I’m just                                                         going to come over anyway.

            
 
Text? What text?
I scroll up and find one that had already been opened, but I don’t remember reading it.

              And then I remember.
Shit.

              When I came downstairs earlier from the bath, thinking it was Jake coming inside, Cole was looking at my phone with that look I couldn’t decipher.

Until now.

Suspicion. 

I read the text that he saw first.

                          
 
Jake: Hey. I’m sorry I walked out on you. I shouldn’t have. You were                                                         being honest and I was being a jealous asshole. I’m sorry. Can                                                         I come back over? There’s something I need to tell you but I                                                         have to do it in person. No
w…
before I lose my nerve.

             
Double
Shit
. Cole read
that.
I mean yeah, it doesn’t say anything about kissing or touching—
thank goddess
. But it implies some things. And Cole doesn’t even know Jake and I have been hanging out, although I’m sure he’s been thinking that we might have. Which could be the real reason why he came home early. He
never
comes home during his lunch hour.

              He thought he’d catch something. Which also explains his douchebaggery, and all of that demanding I’m his while he fucks me. He needed reassurance. He needed to reclaim me. Show me. Remind me.

              Fuck.

              I reread the texts and it hits me like a punch to the boob.

              Jake said he was going to come over.

              I run back downstairs, barging into the living room. I swallow the huge lump forming in my throat. I’m looking at what I feared wasn’t true. The curtains are wide open for the whole world to see inside. Specifically, someone who could be out on the front porch. Possibly after seeing Cole’s truck, he decided that maybe he would peek in for the hell of it. Curiosity.

             
Triple shit.

Fuck.

Did he see? Did he even come over?
Maybe after seeing Cole’s truck, he just went back inside the house. It’s possible, and probably more likely to have happened.

I’ll just text him.

            
 
Evie: Hey. I just got your messages. Sorry. Cole came home for lunch.                                           Did you come over?

I wait.

And wait.

I sit on the damn couch for an hour. Nothing.

Shit times four.

***

I’ve got about a good ten minutes now before the kids come home. I’m pacing back and forth by the front door, so damn nervous I’m shaking. I don’t know if I can go outside and face him.
Something is up.
I know it is. I can
feel
it. It’s been hours since I texted him. I’ve called him three times, leaving three different voicemails. And I’ve yet to receive anything back. He’s gone completely silent.