Shit, I needed that.
I clean myself off and get out of the shower. It’s almost time for Ben’s bus to drop him off, so I grab a pair of gym shorts and a white tank before heading downstairs. My nerves are still slightly on edge, so I grab a beer from the fridge, hoping it’ll calm me down. No, that rub-n-tug wasn’t enough, because I know what I need. But I’m not sure it’s something I will ever get. And at that depressing thought, I take a long ass pull.
I walk to the door and step outside to wait for Ben. When I sit down on my lawn chair, I look over to Evangeline’s house and my eyes automatically connect with hers. She offers a small wave and smile. I dish out my sexiest smirk that I know gets to her. She just rolls her eyes, which makes me laugh. I think I’ve laughed more since moving here than I have in the last few years of my life. This girl is doing something to me. We continue to make funny faces from our porches while we wait for the bus. It’s so childlike and ridiculous, but I can’t bring myself to stop. She brings this out in me. This joy. It’s unnerving but not unwelcome either.
And then it happens.
Cole pulls up right before the bus stops. He hops out of his truck, strolls right over to Evangeline, scoops her up, and kisses her like her like fucking depends on it. I think my heart stops. Just. Fucking. Stops. Then, to make matters worse, the bus comes, letting out all of the kids. I sit there and watch Dylan and Cadence run to their dad and my Evangeline. They’re all smiling and laughing. Like a family. Like a happy fucking family.
Yeah, I’m dead. Done for.
Cole picks up the kids and takes them inside. Evangeline remains on the porch. Our eyes lock, and that look guts me. Those eyes tell it all. Whatever passed between us today is gone. Forgotten. She gives me one more desolate look and goes inside. My hands clench. I need to punch something. Now.
“Hey, Uncle Jake!” Ben shouts, scaring the shit out of me. I didn’t even notice him standing right in front of me. I take a deep breath, trying to erase that perfect family image that is now ingrained into my head.
“Hey, buddy! How was school?”
Ben proceeds to tell me about his day as we walk back into the house. I shut the door and that fucking look with it. Tomorrow is a new day.
The battle for her heart has just begun. And I’m ready to fucking fight.
***
Evangeline
I can’t get that look on Jake’s face out of my head. When Cole came home and lifted me in his arms, kissing the life out of me, all I could feel were Jake’s eyes on me. Searing me with those intoxicating green pools. We were having so much fun, and he was laughing again. That deep, guttural laugh that melts my heart and wets my panties. He was being so free and silly—two words I wouldn’t normally use to describe the tall, dark, handsome and cocky man. And then it all disappeared with that kiss. Which was amazing by the way, not gonna lie. Cole can definitely kiss, but it wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth the hurt I put on Jake’s face.
Yes, I know my head is all kinds of muddled.
So now, I’m sitting here on the couch, curled up into Cole, trying to focus on Mad Men but failing miserably. I’m definitely going to have to re-watch this episode, because all I can see or think about is Jake. Damn it. Why? Why him? Why now? He’s doing something to me. I’m starting to feel for him, which is so fucking disconcerting. Not even effing, but fucking. I need to stop. Stop thinking about him. Stop wanting him.
Just stop.
Cole. I need to focus on my amazing man who’s got me tucked into his arm. I grab the remote and press pause on the sexy man beast that is Jon Hamm. Cole looks up at me questioningly, but when I pull my shirt over my head and slither my skirt down my legs, those eyes burn with lust. He hisses out a curse as I step between his legs. I kneel down and hook my fingers into his pajama bottoms. He lifts his hips as I bring them down, along with his boxer briefs. His cock is rigid and ready for me. I love that my body can still do this to him so quickly. I grab his cock with my right hand, stroking with just the right amount of pressure while I dip my head down, taking his balls into my mouth. I suck and lick, teasing him until he can’t take it anymore. He tugs my braid, pulling me away. We look at each other with hooded eyes. I lick my lips seductively, tighten my hold on his cock, and then swirl my tongue around the head, tasting his pre-come. As he moans, I wrap my lips around him and take him all the way into my mouth. My man is large, full, and thick, but I was somehow blessed without a gag reflex—which he is now thanking the heavens for. I moved up and down quickly, sliding my tongue along the length and taking him deep.
“Fuck, Evie. You know how to suck my cock. Oh fuck, baby,” he breathes out while throwing his head back. He tangles his hand into my hair, pulling slightly. I moan loudly at his words, sending vibrations to his erection. I caress his balls as I continue my rhythm.
“Shit, baby, I’m close.”
I quicken my pace, then hold him deep inside my mouth. When I finally move back up, I lightly bare my teeth. His balls tighten in my hand and with a strangled and incoherent sound from Cole, he comes into my mouth. I swallow the warm liquid with pride and hunger. When I take every last drop from him, he pulls me up and onto his lap, his softening cock resting against my pussy. His lips claim mine ravenously. I start grinding, moving my hips up and down, and sliding my wetness against his now hardening cock, moaning into his mouth. I need him inside me. Now. He pulls my braid again, yanking my head away from his so he can kiss down my neck.
While he moves down to my nipples, I grip his fully erect cock into my hands, lift my hips and ease him into my awaiting sex. We both hiss as he fills me up completely. I slowly move up and down, letting him know that I don’t just want to be fucked tonight. I want to be loved. One hand grips my hips, directing my motions, while his other is behind my head while I wrap my arms around his neck. Our eyes are connected, emitting so much emotion that I feel tears threatening to spill. This thing that is happening inside me, this longing for another man, is causing so much guilt to build within that I feel like he can see it through my eyes. I turn away, only to have him bring me right back.
“Look at me, Evie. Feel this. Stay with me, baby. Please. I’m close. So close.” Cole pleads to me as he reaches between our bodies and rubs rapid circles against my clit. I scream out, but still maintain eye contact.
Finally, I rest my forehead against his, feeling the pressure building, feeling this moment. Feeling the love this man has for me. The unconditional love that he’s given me since as far back as I can remember. I can’t stop the silent tears that finally fall down my cheeks as we both find our release, coming fiercely together. He grabs my face in his hands, placing a gentle kiss on my swollen lips. And that’s when an unexpected sob breaks free, and those silent tears turn into ugly, body-wracking cries.
What the hell?
“Shit, baby? What’s wrong?” He swiftly wipes the tears that keep flowing, while his face is a mask of confusion.
I can’t tell him what’s stirring inside me. I wish I could. I want to so desperately. Sometimes I miss my friend, Cole. He would listen to every single problem I had without judgment, rub my back, and tell me everything would be okay. I’m pretty damn positive that wouldn’t be the case this time around. So I just tell him what I can.
“Nothing, nothing is wrong. I just—I love you so much, Cole. I really, really do. No matter what. I love you,” I profess through sniffles.
The confusion on his face lessens, but doesn’t disappear completely. He knows there’s more. He knows me. But he doesn’t push. Why, I’m not quite sure, but I’m thankful nonetheless. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest while caressing my hair tenderly. My tears finally stop, my body calms, and my eyes start to grow heavy. Just as I’m about to give in to the slumber that is attempting to pull me in, I hear Cole whisper into the night, “I love you, Evie. Don’t forget us. Please, don’t forget us.”
***
I wake up with the sun shining through the windows, blinding my drow
sy eyes. It takes me a minute to realize that I’m no longer downstairs on the couch. Cole must’ve carried me upstairs sometime in the night. Cole. I feel around and come up empty. Shit. What time is it? I turn to the clock on my bedside table and—holy mother eff—it’s eight in the morning! I never sleep this late. Not even on the weekends. The kids will be way late for school. I fumble wildly out of bed, tangled in my sheets, and grab a robe before flying out the door. Once I step out, I realize it’s eerily quiet. I walk towards Cady’s room. Empty. Same as Dyl’s. I head downstairs for the kitchen and find a note on the countertop.
Evie,
You were sleeping so soundly, I decided to let you sleep. I think you needed it, baby. I took the kids to school, so no worries. Just relax today. It’s going to be a busy weekend. I love you. See you after work.
Cole
Well, damn. He really is amazing, isn’t he? I blow out a huge puff of air, drop the note, and turn around to make my tea. Just as I’m setting my kettle on the stove, the doorbell rings.
Jake.
I know it’s him without even looking. I sluggishly walk back into the living room, wringing my hands and taking slow, measured breaths. It’s now or never.
I open the door, and just like yesterday, Jake is standing right in front of me. Only today, he has circles under his eyes and his hair is messier than usual, like he’s been raking his hands through it all night. His sexy smirk from yesterday is replaced by a timid smile—if you can even call it a smile. Now, don’t get me wrong, he somehow still looks damn fine in basketball shorts and a faded Lou Reed tee, but he also looks completely uncertain about being at my doorstep. Which gives me goose bumps, but not in the good way. I’m suddenly feeling chilly. I wrap my arms around myself.
“Hey.” Jake finally breaks the beyond awkward silence.
“Hey,” I say back, offering a small smile. I look into those eyes, those green eyes that have been so bright and mischievous lately and see—pain. It’s like he’s back to that guy from two weeks ago. Did I do this? Is he still upset from what he saw yesterday? No, it can’t be that. He has to be over it by now, right? But something is definitely weighing down on him.
I rub the skin that covers my heart, feeling it burn. He looks so lost. I have the sudden urge to take away the hurt he’s feeling right now. Only, I’m not sure how, or if I even can—at least not in the way he probably wants me to.
But I have to try.
I step forward and grab his hand, pulling him to me, and wrap my arms around his body. Molding mine into his. I feel his arms squeeze around me tightly, so tightly that I can feel every muscle in his sculpted back. We breathe into each other. I can feel some of the tension release from his body. I’m not sure how long we stay locked in this embrace, but eventually he pulls away first. When our eyes meet, the light is there again, faint but there nonetheless.
“Come on. I’ll make you some coffee.” I motion to my house with my head and wait for him to answer. He nods, so I take his hand again and lead him inside. Thankfully, our other neighbors are at work—otherwise, this would look a lot worse than it really is.
Jake follows me to the kitchen. I swear, most of our time together has been spent inside a kitchen. As he sits down, I put a pod inside my single cup coffee brewer and finally turn on the stove to boil water for my tea. I’m looking in the refrigerator for something to make for breakfast when he interrupts my search.
“I finished your book last night.” I turn to him and raise my eyebrows, my wordless way of asking him to elaborate. He smiles. A real but small smile. It’s still a smile, though. “It’s exactly how it should be. Fucking perfect. I was up half the night reading it. The ending blew my mind. You’re seriously talented, and—damn amazing.” The smile on my own face could not get any bigger.
Nope, I lied. It just grew to ten times the size when he flashed me an equally large one back. I jump up and down like a little girl, clapping my hands excitedly.
“You really like it? I’ve been so petrified that everyone was going to hate it. Jesus, I still am. But you like it?” I ask again.
He chuckles at me. “No, I don’t like it. I love it. I already told you it was perfect, girl.”
I run around the counter and practically jump into his arms. Laughing, he accepts me. I give him a big squeeze and whisper a thank you. We release each other, both blushing from the contact. I go back into the kitchen, get my tea ready, and grab his coffee before settling down next to him.
For the next hour, we go through all of the mistakes I made. There aren’t any big ones, just small errors. As I’m typing the corrections, I catch him staring at me every once in a while. And each time, it makes me hotter and hotter. I’m just about to take off my robe when I realize I’m completely naked underneath.
“Shit!” I hop off the barstool, clasping my robe closed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, startled by my abrupt movement.
“Nothing, I’m just going to go get dressed real quick.”
Then an idea springs to mind. A cunning smile crosses my face, and he narrows his eyes.
“What is that look for?” I don’t answer, just turn on my heel and walk out of the kitchen. I hear Jake shouting, “Evangeline! What was that look for? Evangeline!”
I smile to myself as I walk upstairs. Once I’m inside my room, I quickly disrobe and pull on some yoga leggings, a sports bra, and my aged Velvet Underground tee. Figured since he’s rocking some Lou, I’d do the same. Gotta love Lou Reed. May he rest in peace.
Before stepping out, I also grab two mats. I’m going to teach Jake yoga today! I am almost giddy as I rush back downstairs. Yoga is no joke, and he’s about to learn that real quick. He’s in the same spot I left him, though his arms are crossed, and he turns right to me as I enter. His assessing eyes take me in slowly from head to toe, but as he’s traveling back to up my eyes, he pauses at the mats in my hand. His eyebrows shoot up, and he’s shaking his head back and forth. Ha. Like he’s getting out of this. No way. Besides, I think it’ll change his mood. I hope so, at least. I want my hot neighbor with swagger back.
“Now Jake, don’t you shake your head at me. We’re so doing this. I need to, so I can keep drinking my wine every night, and I’m not just going to let you sit here and watch me like a perv. So, get your lazy ass up and follow me outside.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m liking bossy Evangeline. She’s hot!” He gets up and moves toward the back door, but I’m still rooted to my spot. Staring at him. He just called me hot! I can’t help the dopey smile on my face. No girl in her right mind could.
“Well, you coming? I thought you were going to school me in all things Namaste.” Jake says before opening the door. He walks outside, but not before giving me that sexy-ass, smug smirk. I shake my head free of teenage-girly giddiness and follow him outside.
Tossing him his mat, we set them down on the deck facing each other so he can see my movements. I take it fairly easy on him because within five minutes of starting, I find out that Jake has zero balance. I mean, I’m not even sure how this fool walks without falling. He looks so damn cute trying to perfect the moves, but he fails miserably. He’s been shooting me death glares every time I burst out laughing at his ‘skills’ or lack thereof. But about twenty minutes and probably twenty falls in, he lands on his butt pretty damn hard. Throwing his hands up in the air, he shouts, “I fucking suck at this!” I’m in the middle of one-footed chair, but his earsplitting shriek scares the crap out of me, so before I know it, I lose my balance and fall on my ass right along with him. We both erupt into a fit of giggles like little schoolgirls.
It’s the second time this morning that I have felt like a little girl around him. He makes me feel young again. While I know I’m not old by any means, after the way I grew up, I never really felt like a kid. He makes me feel like a kid. It’s refreshing.
“They call it a practice for a reason, Jake. It takes practice to do it like a boss, like me.” I say with as much arrogance I can muster—whic
h probably isn’t much. But it was enough for him to grab my arms and pull me to him.
“Oh, that’s it, girl. You’ve been laughing at me nonstop for the last half hour. You’re gonna fucking pay!” he whispers in my ear, sending dangerous shivers down my entire body. But just when I’m getting all kinds of hot, the mother effer starts to tickle me. Like seriously, make-me-pee-in-my-pants-and-hyperventilate type of tickling.
“Please! Stop! Jake! Oh. My. God! Stop. Ass. Hole!” I scream through his incessant attack. He’s got me flat on my back, my wrists in his right hand above my head while he’s straddling me. Yeah, I know this is all kinds of wrong. Like we are not only crossing the line, but effing leaping over it. But dang, it feels so damn good to be underneath him. I’m getting so turned on as I try to wiggle my way out of his grasp that the friction I’m causing is almost orgasmic. And I’m trying really hard to pretend like I don’t feel his hard-on against my lower belly. Which is actually an easy feat, since he’s distracting me with his relentless assault.
“Okay. I surrender! You. Are. A. Boss!” I scream at him while doing some sort of snort-choke-laugh thing that I am sure is quite sexy—not. He finally stops, allowing me to take a few haggard breathes as I try to calm my body down. I roll my head to face him, and the sight I see makes my heart stop.
His smile.
His smile is lighting up his entire face. His green eyes are gleaming with amusement. He looks so happy. And so mother effing gorgeous. Before I can stop myself, I’m reaching up and swiping the hair that has fallen over his eyes. I start to remove it, but he covers my hand with his and holds it there. I watch him close his eyes and take in the moment. This picturesque yet tactless moment that will be over way too quickly. When his eyes reopen, I see determination.
Shit.
He’s going to kiss me. I don’t know what to do. I mean, I know what I want to do. But what I want to do and what I should do are at total odds. My breathing picks up and my body temperature rises. All of a sudden, everything is in slow motion. He releases my hand, letting it drop by his thigh, which I in turn begin to grip as he very slowly leans in while supporting his weight on his forearms. This is it. Fuck. Shit. I am about to cheat on Cole. Our mouths are so close that I can feel his hot breath coat my eager lips. I lick them in anticipation and nervousness.
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