Page 15 of Fear the Fall

“I don’t care about any of that, Tori. I just want you.” He clears his throat. “As my friend,” he amends.

“What if it’s just our connection to Heaven that has you feeling this way, Zeke? What if it’s not real?”

“Does it matter, Tori? Isn’t fate designed by Heaven? Do humans question the love they feel for another because it was destined? No. They embrace it, and so should you.”

“What if I’m scared?”

“What’s there to be scared of? We’re on Earth for a reason, and we’re lucky to have each other.”

I groan, turning my back to him. I don’t want Zeke to see my vulnerability. He’s already witnessed too much of it tonight. “What if He takes that away from us too?”

“God?”

“Yes. If we’re banished to Earth, He doesn’t want us to be happy. It’s a punishment.”

“I’ll take whatever I can have of you, for however long I can, Tori.” His chest is pressed against my back, and chills race up my spine at the contact. “Whatever it is pulling me to you, it’s strong. I don’t want to fight it.”

A desperate feeling comes over me. A crazed need to be held. To have the events of the night wiped away. I could give in to this intense pull too. I could have more with Zeke. If I’m condemned to this fate, why not allow this? He’s as perfect as they come. Looks aside—and those are some impressive looks—he gets me like nobody else ever could. I’m immortal. He’s immortal. We could actually have a chance at a future. But he doesn’t know my past.

“I’m broken.”

“Who isn’t?” he counters. “Tori, we both fell. The reasons behind it and the things that have happened since don’t matter. They don’t define us. They don’t define you.” He turns me back toward him, putting his fingers beneath my chin and tipping it upward. “All I see when I look at you is a strong, beautiful woman. Nothing evil. Never that.”

His words are a balm to my bruised and shattered soul. The way he looks at me, as if he truly sees me, gives me hope I dare not keep. Self-preservation has been my crutch, and losing that now wouldn’t be in my best interest. But to hell with playing things safe.

I inhale deeply, relishing the way Zeke makes me feel despite knowing better. I haven’t felt like this since—

I pull out of Zeke’s grip at the thought of him.

The man who made me fall. The ultimate deceiver.

“Don’t do that,” Zeke begs. “Don’t pull away from me. Don’t punish me for the sins of others.”

And that’s just it. I am punishing him for something he has nothing to do with.

I am broken.

He leans into to my ear and whispers. “I remember a time not long ago when you begged me to touch you, Tori.”

I shiver at the reminder of those early days. Days when I was more broken than I am now. More confused and lonely. Those days were my darkest, and I gave into every temptation imaginable, because I felt hopeless. I told myself I was damned to Earth without a chance of redemption. Little did I know I was correct.

“I had you in my arms once, and I know how good that felt. Let go.” Zeke lowers his mouth to mine, and I stiffen. “Give in to me, Tori. Let me take care of you.”

Some things never change, and in this moment all of my weaknesses are on full display. Without another word, I seal my lips to his. Temptation in the form of man has always been my downfall, and here again I prove that in fact, nothing has changed. I’m already damned. Might as well enjoy the perks.

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