Free Falling In by Andrea Hopkins

line?
    Fuck.
     
     
     
     

Chapter Six
    Jake
    I just crossed the line.
    But fuck, I couldn’t help myself. Every time I’m near her, I can’t think straight. All of my common sense flies out the damn window. God, she smells so good—fruity, with a hint of vanilla. I’ve honestly thought of breaking into her house and stealing her damn body wash just so I can smell it whenever I want to. How fucking creepy is that?
    It’s fucking creepy as hell.
    But that was before. Before I held her. Before I felt her perfectly curvy little body against mine. Before I touched her smooth, sun-kissed skin. Before I touched my lips to her ear and felt her shudder in my arms. Damn, that was the hottest thing I have ever experienced. And we were fully clothed, for fuck’s sake. Now, all I can think about is touching her again. Feeling her. Being inside of her.
    I’m so fucked .
    God, I wish my sister was still here. She was always smarter than me, always there to give advice, always talked me down from doing whatever stupid shit I was about to do. And this—this is way past stupid. Dangerous . Beyond messed up. You don’t fuck with another man’s girl. But I can’t stop. She’s gotten under my skin. I can feel her everywhere. My body gravitates toward her like we’re tethered to one another. And I know, especially after today, that she feels the same way. I can see it in her eyes. I affect her just as much as she does me. But she’s fighting it, trying to do the right thing—which makes me fucking want her even more.
    I’m a bastard. I’ve never denied that. I want what I want. And I want her . I swear, she was meant for me. Not him . We’re so much alike. Our childhood and adolescence was chockfull of loss and all around fucked-upedness. Damaged down deep but fighting every day to heal, to fix what was broken by others. After she told me last night what she went through with her dad, I punched a hole in the wall. I was insanely furious. Sick to my stomach. And fucking jealous . Jealous that Cole has been there for her when it should be me. Yeah, not only am I bastard, but I’m also an insanely irrational one. And Jesus, if her dad wasn’t already dead, I would beat the shit out of him until he took his last breath. Then I’d do it all over again. No one should ever be allowed to lay a hand on her. She’s perfection. Beautiful. So fucking beautiful . She makes my heart ache.
    Crave.
    I don’t know how much longer I can hold back, be the bigger man. The better man. My resolve to keep my distance is cracking, wavering. I have to try. I’d regret it for a lifetime if I didn’t, because I’m falling for her. Shit—I’ve already fallen . It’s been a week, and I’ve fallen for the girl next door. The girl who happens to be practically married, with kids. But I can’t get over this. I can’t fight it. I need to be careful, though. He caught me this morning, watching her. He isn’t stupid. He saw it in my eyes, even if it was briefly. He saw the want. Fuck, am I really going to do this? Come between a man and the mother of his children? The love of his life?
    Yeah. I am.
    Geez, I really am a bastard. 
    ***
    Evangeline
    I feel like I’ve been walking in a daze since Jake left me standing outside our houses hours ago. I keep absentmindedly touching the nape of my neck where he whispered in my ear. When I felt the warmth of his lips exhale against my lobe. The intake of breath in my hair. My skin erupts in goose bumps every time my mind wanders to that moment. That brief moment, where everything around us disappeared and I was in his arms. It felt right and so wrong at the same time. These conflicting emotions just won’t stop circling inside me. I want him. Badly. But yet, I don’t. Or maybe I just don’t want to want him.
    I think Cole knows something is up with me. No— I know he does. When he got home from the game, he found me in the kitchen, staring off into nothing with a glass of wine. I don’t normally