Worth the Risk (Blue Falls #2)

by Stella James

  *

  I walk the couple blocks to the public library and enjoy the fading warmth of summer. Autumn is right around the corner and soon Blue Falls would be blanketed in fluffy white snow. It will be my first winter here. Olive said that Thanksgiving and Christmas are busy for the café. People don’t want the hassle of baking treats and desserts and place massive orders to accommodate their family get-togethers. I’m excited to bring in some samples of the things I can make and I hope Olive will be impressed enough to let me contribute my own creations.

  The Blue Falls public library sits on the corner of Main Street on a well- manicured lawn. The building itself is actually an older home that has been converted. Many of the larger buildings in Blue Falls were houses at some point that were gradually upgraded to stores or office spaces, even apartments like the one Mona and I live in. I open the heavy door and spot Lily at her desk hunched over her computer. She looks up at the jingle of the bell and gives me a warm smile.

  “Hey! I was wondering when you’d be by today,” she says brightly.

  Lily is one of those people who can comfort you by simply offering a smile. She is kind and friendly and we’ve become good friends over the last several months. Both of her parents died when she was young and she understands what it’s like feel completely alone, it was something we bonded over immediately. When she first came to Blue Falls it was to escape her abusive marriage. She met Cole when she hired Stone Contracting to build an addition onto the library. Cole often says that he fell for her the first time they met. They are the type of couple that you can’t help but admire and also be envious of at the same time.

  She reaches over to the shelf beside her desk and grabs the stack of books I had ordered. I’ve been waiting weeks for them and I’m ready to devote the rest of my day to them.

  “Ohh, gimme gimme gimme!” I hold my hand out like a greedy toddler and promptly bring the books to my chest. The other thing Lily and I bonded over was reading. She laughs at my eager reaction but we both know she isn’t above doing the same. Books are an escape, a necessary one when your reality is less than appealing.

  “So, I promised Mona I wouldn’t say anything, but we both know she’s capable of breaking a promise in the name of good intentions, so I’m going to go for it. There’s more to Trace than you think Sophie.” she says.

  I’m not surprised that she knows about what happened between me and Trace. I confessed everything to Mona later that same day. I told her about the attraction I’ve felt for Trace since the day I met him, and everything that happened after he woke up that morning. She was sympathetic and had several choice words to describe him but she also told me to be patient with him. Apparently everyone already knew that there was some sort of “thing” going on between us so she wasn’t shocked in the least by my admission. I guess I was more obvious than I thought. I’ve been awfully tempted to follow Mona’s advice and I suspect Lily is about to convince me further.

  “I know. Trust me, I know. But I can’t keep waiting for him to decide whether or not he’s interested in me. Whatever this chip is on his shoulders, he’s hell bent on letting it dictate his life and his feelings. I hate to think of him hurting in any way but I can’t take on the responsibility of trying to fix him,” I sigh in defeat. This whole thing is turning into a mess. Based on what Mona has vaguely told me, I suspect that his insecurities stem from his parents splitting up. But I can’t spend my time convincing him of his worth. Until he sees it for himself, it won’t matter how many times I tell him what I think. I can’t be the only one trying, we both deserve more than that.

  “I know sweetie, and I agree, you shouldn’t have to fix him. But trust me when I say that he hasn’t had it easy either. Just don’t give up on him completely, that’s all. If it makes any difference, Cole says he’s been totally miserable all week. He says he’s been moping around feeling like a total jerk.”

  The sincerity in her voice and the fact that she is genuinely concerned for him has me thinking that perhaps I should give Trace a chance. I only hope that if I decide to take the first step, I won’t end up with a broken heart. The risk is just as big for me as it is for him.

  *

  My last stop before heading home is to the grocery store for supplies. Being in the kitchen helps me focus and I need the quiet calm of baking to sort through this whole Trace situation. I unpack my bags in the kitchen and set my new books on the table beside my bed. My plan to lounge in bed for the remainder of the day is going to have to wait. I turn up the iPod on the kitchen counter and get to work. I never really know what I’m going to make until I’m halfway through the process. I get started mixing ingredients and melting chocolate. I slice strawberries and make whipped cream from scratch. But mostly, I think about Trace. The speakers blare with Duffy singing about syrup and honey when there is a knock at the door. I’m not expecting anyone but sometimes when I bake, the kids living downstairs can smell it and come up for samples. They are adorable and very polite, so I’m always happy to oblige. Their Mom was mortified the first time they snuck out and I had to bring them back home. I assured her that they are welcome to come up and visit whenever they feel that what I’m baking smells worth it. I wipe my hands on my apron and open the door, I expect to see two eager little faces but instead I’m greeted with a broad chest encased in a tight black T- shirt and two strong arms covered in ink.

  Chapter 5

  Trace

  The minute Sophie opens the door my mind goes blank and I forget why I’m even there. She looks surprised to see me, but not angry. That’s a start at least. The smell of chocolate and vanilla drift through the open door. I know she likes to bake, Mona raves about it on a daily basis. I should know these things about her without Mona telling me and I’m pissed at myself for the amount of time I’ve wasted keeping her at arm’s length. The last week has been complete shit. I’ve been kicking myself every single day for the way I handled things with Sophie that morning. Particularly the way I assumed that we had slept together and the way I spoke to her after. I have no explanation other then I panicked. I did the first thing that came to mind and that was to treat her like it meant nothing and completely reject her. I felt like a total prick when she set me straight, and rightly so. The thought of hooking up with her while I was drunk off my ass disgusted me and I vowed to myself the morning after she left that I would quit this drinking myself into oblivion shit. No more self-pity. It’s time to man up and accept that everything she said to me is true. I respect the fact that she called me out on all my shit and if I’m being honest, it makes me want her even more than I thought possible. I’ve decided to lay everything on the line with Sophie because the truth is, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hooking up with random women. Seeing Cole and Lily build a life together and this connection I feel towards Sophie is enough to make me want to at least try.

  “Trace?” Her soft voice reminds me why I’m there.

  “Hey, can I come in?” I hate that I sound so unsure. Confidence isn’t something I often lack but Sophie has the power to rip me to shreds, whether she knows it or not.

  “Sure, I was just doing some baking,” she gives me a thoughtful smile and opens the door wider.

  I brush past her and fight the urge to inhale deeply. I usually don’t get too close to her but on the rare occasion that I do, she always smells like cookies. Sweet and delicious. Fuck me, I need to focus. I gesture to the small cakes sitting on the counter. “Those look good, what do you call them?”

  She blushes and wipes her hands down the front of her apron. “Oh, um, well I don’t really know what they are, I just kind of made them up. You can try one if you want,” she scoops one off the counter and passes it to me with a hopeful look in her eyes. I eat the treat in one bite, it melts in my mouth and I swear I’ve never tasted something so delicious.

  “Oh wow, that’s really good Sophie.”

  “Thanks. What are you doing here Trace?”

  The million dollar question. Time t
o find my balls and lay it all on the line. “I owe you an apology for last week. God I’m so sorry for how I spoke to you and the assumptions that I made. You deserve so much better than that and I hate myself for the things I said.” I release a deep breath and figure I might as well get it all out now before I lose my nerve. “The truth is, I’ve never in my life wanted someone the way that I want you. I felt it the minute I laid eyes on you and I’ve been feeling it every day since. The other women that you’ve seen me with are nothing to me but a distraction from what I really want but feel like I can’t have. I wish I was strong enough to walk away from you Sophie, but I’m not. You were right about everything, I am a coward. The thought of letting you down kills me but I knew the minute I lied to you that morning that I will never be strong enough to follow through with what I said. I can’t stay clear of you and I can’t just think of you as Mona’s roommate because you’re more than that. I swear if you give me a chance I’ll try so damn hard to make you happy.” The seconds before she responds feel like hours.

  “I want to believe you, Trace. But I need to know that this isn’t someone else talking. I need to know that this is what you really want, because if we do this there’s no more hiding. No more games. No one but us. I’m willing to put it all on the line but I won’t be a doormat. If you can’t give me all of you then I’ll walk away, broken heart or not,” her voice is so soft. She steps towards me and I swear I could drop to my knees right there. She brings her hand to my cheek, the same way she did that morning at my place, I lean into her touch as if I need it to survive. She raises up on her toes and brushes her lips against mine. She tastes like everything I never knew I always wanted. She tilts her head back, her violet eyes piercing mine.

  “No more hiding, no more games and no one but us, Sophie. I promise.” I rest my forehead against hers and know that I will never in my life be as grateful as I am in that very moment. I can be the man she deserves. I want to be the man she deserves. I have to be.

  Chapter 6

  Sophie

  I’m just wiping down the last table when I hear a knock at the front door. Trace is here to pick me up so we can walk across to Mac’s and meet everyone for a drink. I told him I could just head over when I was finished for the night but he insisted on walking me himself. It’s been four days since he showed up at my apartment and asked me to give us a chance. He ended up staying all afternoon, we talked while I continued to bake and he continued to sample. It was nice to have time alone with him. He left right around the time Mona got home from work but not before she could subject him to an exasperated speech listing the reasons why he should just listen to her in the first place. He was back on duty the following day and I’ve been working the closing shift at the café for the week so we haven’t seen much of each other. We’ve been texting every day though and he’s popped by a couple of times for coffee. Tonight will be our first outing as an official couple.

  I unlock the door and stand back, his body brushes past mine as he enters the café. Trace might be insecure when it comes to trusting his emotions but when it comes to all things physical, he radiates confidence. There isn’t a single thing about his appearance that doesn’t scream sex. From his colourfully marked arms to his muscular chest and strong jaw, Trace Meyers is easily the hottest man I have ever been in the company of. When he smiles at you it’s as if you’re the only person in the world. We haven’t so much as kissed since that afternoon at my apartment. We’ve agreed to take things slow and my experience with men might be limited but I don’t know how much more waiting I can take. For months now I’ve kept my feelings under the radar and now that we’ve decided to actually give this a shot I’m having a hard time not jumping on him like a depraved animal. I haven’t told him that I’m a virgin, I’m not ashamed or embarrassed. I’m twenty one years old so it isn’t completely unheard of, but I want to be in control of myself. I want to decide when and where I give that part of myself and I feel like if I tell him now he’ll add it to his list of ridiculous reasons why he thinks he isn’t good enough for me. I don’t want that on his shoulders.

  “Is there anything I can help with or are you pretty much done here?” Even his voice is sexy.

  “If you could just take those trays to the cooler in the back, I can go change quick,” I look down at my coffee stained apron.

  “You got it babe, take your time.” If he winked at me again, I might actually die.

  I grab my bag from behind the counter and head for the staff bathroom. The dress I packed isn’t overly sexy but it’s short and strapless. Mona insisted the bright lavender fabric matches perfectly with my skin tone and I want to wear it at least once before the weather starts to cool off. I slip on a pair of black wedges and take the elastic out of my hair, giving it a shake and running my fingers through the waves from my braid. I touch up my make-up and spritz a bit of perfume so that I don’t smell like a burnt coffee cup. I walk back into the café to find Trace leaning against the counter looking at his phone.

  “Sorry about that, I’m ready to go if you are,” I shove my bag back under the counter, Mona would have a heart attack if I ruin my outfit by bringing it. I look over at Trace and I’m pleased to see his eyes full of appreciation as he inspects me top to bottom. He doesn’t say anything as he steps towards me, not stopping until he stands inches in front of me. I swear I can feel the heat on his skin and we aren’t even touching. I bring my gaze to his and decide that enough is enough. I’m not some delicate flower. I am a woman who wants a man and it’s about time he realizes that I’m not as breakable as he thinks I am. I lean up and press my body into his. My arms come up around his neck and before I can bring my lips to his, I feel his strong arm snake around my waist and pull me tight to his hard chest. I can feel his heart beating as he takes my mouth in a tentative kiss. We take our time and allow our lips to linger for a moment but it doesn’t take long before I’m wanting more. I open my mouth slightly and nip his bottom lip, he groans deeply and takes over completely. There is nothing unsure about the way he tastes me, it’s feral and consuming. Trace doesn’t just kiss, he devours. His hands move down my backside and grip firmly into me, lifting me up onto the countertop behind me. My legs wrapped themselves tightly around him bringing the warmth of my core in direct line with the hardness between his legs. I cling to him while grinding my hips up, desperate for relief. He growls deep in the back of his throat and pulls his mouth from mine, leaning back just enough to force my heated gaze to meet his. The café is quiet, our heavy breathing echoes in the large room.

  “Christ Sophie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose it like that,” his voice is hoarse and apologetic. The last thing I want after a kiss like that is a damn apology.

  “Don’t ever kiss me like that and then tell me you’re sorry, you don’t have to control yourself with me. I’m not made of glass, you won’t break me.”

  He kisses me again and speaks softly against my ear. “I’m not scared of breaking you Sophie, I’m scared that you’ll break me.”

  *

  We walk through the front door of Mac’s and head past the dance floor toward the large booths along the back wall. Trace’s hand remains firmly on my lower back as we weave through the crowd and spot our group. Kate sees us first and waves us over.

  “It’s about time you guys got here, Sophie you look hot!” She shouts above the music.

  “Thanks, you too!”

  She grabs the pitcher from the middle of the table and pours us each a beer. We spend the next couple of hours laughing and visiting. At various points throughout the evening Mona forces us girls onto the small dance floor. Lily tells us her ideas for the babies’ room, she isn’t quite showing yet but Cole’s hand remains planted on her tummy most of the night anyways. Their kids will be lucky to have them as parents. They aren’t planning on finding out the genders, so of course we all placed bets. As expected, Trace and Mona go head to head. She says two girls and he says two boys. I value my life so I stay out of that one. I spo
t Melissa near the bar, her eyes fill with anger when she spots Trace’s hand resting on my leg. I know we will have to deal with her sooner or later but she keeps her distance for now. Cole and Lily are the first to leave, Trace and I head out shortly after. Kate and Mona are invested in a very competitive game of pool with two of Mac’s oldest and most loyal customers, so we leave them to it. Those poor old guys are in for quite the evening. I’m not sure where the night is headed for us, but I do know that I’m not ready for it to end.

  Chapter 7

  Trace

  It took every ounce of strength I had not to bend Sophie over the counter at Olive’s and rip that sexy dress off her curvy little body. I was texting Cole to let him know we’d be there shortly when she came out of the bathroom and literally left me speechless. She usually wears her hair in a braid but tonight she has it hanging loose down her back. The dress she’s wearing hugs her body in all the right places, showing off the flare of her hips and just a hint of cleavage. Sophie is sexy and innocent, a combination that any man would be helpless against. I ignored the voice in my head that told me to take things slow and instead listened to every one of my instincts that screamed at me to put my mouth on every inch of her creamy skin. It wasn’t until I felt the heat between her thighs as she rubbed up against me that I realized how far I’d let things go. I meant what I told her, she’s so strong and I know she won’t break easily. But I’m not so sure about myself. The way I feel about Sophie is completely foreign to me. Up until now I’ve been content to have a good time and nothing more. I’ve never worried about being alone and I’ve never bothered to spend time with a woman unless it involved a bed or an equally fuck worthy surface but Sophie isn’t the kind of woman you waste. She’s the kind of woman you savour. I’ve been trying to prove to myself that I can do right by her but it’s getting damn hard to stop myself from taking her in a way that I know will satisfy us both. If tonight’s little slip up was an indication of what could happen between the two of us, I’m not so sure that I want to be a gentleman for much longer.