Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Eight
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Carried Away
A Hope Falls Kindle World Novella
By Mayra Statham
Copyright
Carried Away
A Hope Falls Kindle World Novella
By Mayra Statham
Blurb:
Software developer, Joel Vega, knew the moment his eyes caught sight of school teacher, Carrie Blue, she was unlike any woman he had ever met. Carrie can’t deny the attraction she feels towards Joel, she just isn’t the kind of woman who lets people in easily. Especially not drop dead gorgeous men who look like trouble.
Fate shines its light on Joel, giving him the perfect opportunity to sweep Carrie off her feet while showing her that he isn’t the man that she thinks he is, and Hope Falls, California is the perfect place to do that. With the magic of the picturesque mountain town and its people as their backdrop, Joel and Carrie share the sweetest, sexiest, longest first date ever.
Between bowling at Lone Pines Lanes, slow dancing at JT’s Roadhouse and getting lost in the aisles of a used bookstore, will Joel finally talk Carrie into letting herself be carried away by what they feel for one another? Or will the fear of letting herself trust and rely on someone have her running the other way?
Take a chance and get ready to fall in love…
Acknowledgments:
Melanie and Shawna: Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. I had so much fun writing Carrie and Joel’s amazing date in Hope Falls.
My Forever Boyfriend: Getting carried away and falling in love with you was the best thing I have ever done, even if some thought we were crazy.
My Crazies: Thank you for your patience when mommy needs to work.
Julia Goda, CP Smith, Tracie Douglas, Kelly Tucker & Kimi Flores: Thank you for your endless support, friendship, and love! Each of you is so special to me. I hope you know how much I love you guys!
#WordSprintSisters: You guys rock! You helped me push through and get Carried Away done on time. Thank you!
Statham’s Sexy Stars: Your support and love meant the world to me!
To you, my reader: Thank you so much for taking a chance. Hope you enjoy and fall in love with Carrie and Joel as much as I did!
Dedication:
As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen.
-Winnie the Pooh
Chapter One
Carrie Blue
Staring off into space in her empty classroom, she let her mind wander to the one guilty pleasure she allowed herself to have if she didn’t include the pastries from her best friends’ bakery. Thoughts of the tall, dark, and way too handsome man had been inundating her mind for way too long.
Two months to be exact.
Two months might not sound like a long time, but for her, it was too much. Two months ago, Joel Vega had shaken up her life with just one innocent embrace.
Sitting at her desk, Carrie could feel the smile on her face as she remembered how she’d been in a hurry that afternoon, trying to avoid bumping into her boss, but instead had rammed right into him. Slamming into his hard-muscled body would have been enough to take her breath away, but it was the moment their eyes met that had really taken the wind out of her.
With one look, he turned the color in her life up a notch the second he directed the darkness of his eyes at her. He was masculine in a rugged kind of way. And with that one look, she knew he was completely out of her league, which made him nothing like her usual type. Not that she dated all that often, but when she did, it wasn’t a man who screamed testosterone and sex.
Just thinking about how he had worn a dress shirt, crisp with rolled-up sleeves over his thick, muscular forearms, to the way his perfectly bowed lips angled upwards, told her more than she needed to know. He was trouble with an uppercase T. Then, when she found out he drove a motorcycle, the ‘bad boy’ neon sign lit brightly over his head.
Because of that and her own past, she reminded herself, almost daily, she shouldn’t go there. Joel Vega would more than likely chew her up and spit her out. Sure, everyone had a past, but hers was a little more sordid than most. Not that she regretted it. She didn’t. She had made the choices in life so she could be exactly where she was right then and there. As she took in her colorful classroom, the desks, and books, she was certain there was no way she could regret the past.
She just didn’t need the headache that Joel Vega more than promised with his sinful smile and smoldering, dark chocolate eyes.
Knowing this, she still couldn’t seem to stay away. He was a software developer for a company called Riley Tech that had created an educational program helping with reading comprehension. Their school was one of the few in Southern California that was testing it out to see how it worked in actual classrooms. He was there almost every week to get her feedback and what she assumed other teachers’ who were using it in their classrooms.
“Miss Blue.” Poof! There he was, like she had somehow summoned him with her mind. She looked toward the door, where he stood. Tall. Strong. Breathtaking.
“Mr. Vega,” she muttered, hating how nervous she felt around him. She was hardly a wallflower, but being around him made her feel like the awkward girl in high school with a crush on the jock.
“Joel,” he corrected her like he always did. He shifted in the doorway, and she saw the laptop bag over his shoulder.
“More software issues?” she asked looking at the bag. He shrugged, lifting and dropping a perfectly defined bicep that looked more than capable of being leaned on. Stop it, Carrie! she mentally scolded herself.
“Something like that.”
“So mysterious.” She raised an eyebrow as she stood from her desk, smoothing down the edge of her pale pink cardigan.
“I could clear it up over dinner,” he offered, taking a step into her room but keeping his distance. He always did.
He might have looked like sin and trouble, but he was respectful and behaved like a gentleman at every turn, tempting her unlike any other man ever had. There was something about him that was so different than anyone she had ever met; she just hated she couldn’t put her finger on why.
She wanted to say yes to going to dinner with him. She knew they would have a great and witty conversation while they shared a delicious meal. But it was the after dinner that worried her. Because she was almost sure she might do something slutty, like take him back home and…
“Miss Blue?” he called out to her, and she refocused her attention on the sexy specimen in front of her.
“Carrie,” she said out loud, snapping out of her lust-filled thoughts. With a tight smile, she looked at him. “I told you to call me Carrie, Joel.” His serious face softened slightly.
“Carrie.“ She liked the way Joel said her name, though she couldn’t—or better yet shouldn’t.
“I tried out the new program you brought me last week, the math one,” she shared, trying to steer the conversation away from her having to turn him down again. His eyes lit up with interest.
“You did?”
“Yeah. The kids loved it,” she continued, noting the way his dark eyes seemed to almost shine back with happiness. “Though I should be honest, you might be mad at me.” She bit her lip.
“Oh? Why is that?”
/> “You know how I mentioned that I tutor—“
“The inner-city school,” he finished her sentence, and she tried not to overthink the fact he had actually listened.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Joel, I used it there the day after I saw you.” She tried not to blush at the fact she had just given away that she remembered exactly when she had last seen him.
He blinked slowly, his long dark lashes fluttering over his face then opening to look at her. “And?”
“They liked it.” She beamed.
“Good.” He nodded, his eyes grounding her to the floor. Everything in her wanted to go to him, get closer, but she couldn’t.
“No, I mean they really did.” Excitement was evident in her voice. “I have this boy in the class. Miles. He gets in trouble a lot. Mostly because he tries to shy away from the fact he struggles with his numbers. But this week, he has been great. And so focused, Joel! It’s like he has turned a new page. His teacher even emailed me to tell me she’s noticed a difference in his math work.”
“I’m glad.” He grinned.
“Riley Tech will do great with that program. I know you wanted it tested here exclusively. I just couldn’t resist. But I will pay for a copy—“
“No need.” He shook his head. Always a gentleman.
“Joel—”
“Go to dinner with me.” There he was. Dangling a carrot at her, and she was a starving horse.
“We really shouldn’t,” she shrugged him off. He asked her out every time he came in to see her to get feedback. And every time she bit away a yes with a regretful no.
“I beg to differ. Come on, at least give me your number,” he requested with a tilt to his head, a boyish look on his face.
“I don’t think th—“
“E-mail?” he suggested, and she couldn’t help but grin at his persistence, tempted beyond belief to give in. “Give me your e-mail, and we can message while you’re on break. Maybe I can talk you into dinner? Or who knows, maybe I can talk you into going with me to a New Year’s party or two.”
She opened her mouth, ready to say yes when a semi-whiney and nasally male voice she was all too familiar with rang out, “Miss Blue.” Both Joel and she looked toward the door where her boss stood.
“Mr. Vega!” Trent Lara jovially announced, placing his hands on his paunchy belly. “How are you?”
“Very well, Principal Lara.”
“Trent, please!” the creepy man said way too happily, and by the way Joel looked at her, she knew he couldn’t stand the principal either.
“Right.”
“Did we have another meeting scheduled for that software you brought in?”
“No. I just wanted to see how the new software was working—“
“Buddy, you coulda came to my office. No need to bother—“
“We like to hear from teachers directly,” he pointed out sternly before turning to her. “Thank you so much, Miss Blue. If you have any other ideas of how we could fortify the program,”—Carrie watched him reach into his pocket and pull out a business card—“give me a call or send me an e-mail.” His dark eyes smiled, yet his facial expression remained serious and completely professional. A thrill rushed down her spine that she shouldn’t let herself feel. Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded. “It was nice seeing you again, Miss Blue.” His hand reached toward her and she extended her own. When their hands touched, the first thing she took in was his warmth. His hand was so damn warm that all she could think about was how right it felt. Comfort mixed with a zing of something more, like attraction and hope shaken up together in a snow globe. “Hope you have the happiest of holidays.”
She watched him let her hand go and instantly missed his touch. It felt right. Joel Vega waved good-bye and walked out, leaving her in almost a fog, full of her own thoughts. Someone cleared their throat. How could she forget her boss was in the room?
“Sorry about that, Principal Lara. How can I help you?” she asked and saw his face twist in a way she knew whatever he had to say wasn’t going to be pleasant.
“Can I see you in my office?” he asked, and she nodded.
She followed the portly man to his office, closing the door behind her when she stepped into the spacious room. They worked at one of the best private schools in Southern California, catering to the children of the rich and famous, and the principal’s office showed that no expense was spared when it had been designed.
“Please, take a seat.” He pointed to the chair in front of his desk, and she nodded, sitting on the edge of the seat, slightly uncomfortable being around the man, let alone in his office. Not that he had crossed the line in the past, but he had an air to him that screamed he was the type of man to take advantage of a woman’s weakness. He was nothing like their old boss who had only just retired the school year before. Principal Hendricks had been nothing but a gentleman.
Trent Lara picked up a file from his desk and looked at her. His light blue, beady gaze made her brace and in that moment, she knew in her gut that she wasn’t going to like whatever he had to say.
“I have been going through everyone’s files and something has come to my attention about yours,” he said. Her mouth dried instantly, and her heart rate picked up.
“As you know, Whitfield Monarchs prides itself on being the best.” He let the file fall on his desk, his pudgy fingers tapping on the papers messily strewn over his desk space. “It has come to my attention that you have a somewhat...how should we call it?” His eyes gleamed at her, but she took in how he wasn’t looking at her face. His slimy stare was fixated on her chest, and she wished she had put on her loose-fitting hoodie before coming in here. He was making her feel dirty.
She had been worried about this, even if Hendricks had promised her there would be no problem about how she had gotten herself through school. This was a time in her life she wished she could have been wrong.
Principal Lara kept talking, but she knew the one of two ways this would go: he would make her an offer that she would definitely refuse or let her go without reason.
Either way, her past had caught up to her and she would be out of a job.
Chapter Two
Joel Vega
Two weeks after New Year’s
“Joel?” a voice called out. He stopped looking out at the city passing by the passenger side window of the expensive sports car. “Joel, are you even listening to me?” Nick Riley’s voice snapped him out of his own thoughts, and he looked at his friend and boss.
“Yeah,” he lied. His mind was full of nothing but the beautiful blond school teacher with the kindest eyes and sweetest voice. His pretty missing school teacher.
“Liar,” Nick muttered as he pulled them into the parking lot of a bakery the guy seemed to be addicted to lately.
“How many times a week do you come here, anyhow?” Joel asked, running his fingers through his overly long hair. He was way past needing a haircut.
“Why do you care? Anyhow, I really think we should try to market Kidoodles to—“ Nick kept talking as they walked into the sweet-smelling bakery, but Joel’s steps faltered. His gaze landed on the very woman he’d been thinking about. The woman he’d done endless research on, trying to find out as much as he could about her, because as crazy as it was, he was obsessed. Not in a creepy way, just in an infatuated way. He was a man with a crush trying to find a way in with the beautiful woman who seemed to push him away one moment and give him an in the other. To say she was the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on was an understatement. She was supposed to be in a classroom teaching voracious kids, not wiping down one of the couple of tables inside of a bakery. What the hell was going on? he wondered not for the first time.
“Carrie?” he said her name out loud, and time slowed down just for them. Her gaze slowly met his, and he watched her cheeks brighten as she stood straighter and took a step back before adjusting her work apron.
“Mr. Vega,” she breathed out, her facial expression not giving anything away.
/>
“Joel,” he corrected her. There was something about the way she said his name that made him like a junkie for his next hit.
“Joel.” She gave him a tight smile. “Nice to see you. I should—“ She tried to step around him. He should have let her go, but he didn’t.
Instead, he moved to stand in front of her, his hand lifting to caress her face, and he knew she felt what he did. He could see it in her bright blue eyes. There was something between them. Why is she here? Why hadn’t she returned to the school after winter break? Why hadn’t she called or e-mailed him?
“You’re working here?” he asked stupidly, his head filled with too many questions. He saw something flicker behind her eyes as she took a step back from him, so that he would no longer be touching her, and he missed the feel of her skin under his hand instantly.
“I am.”
“Why?” He frowned. He knew she loved to teach. She had a passion about teaching like he did about developing software that would make a difference in the world.
“How can I help you guys today?” she asked stepping forward, ignoring his question, and this time he moved to let her go by. It was obvious she didn’t want to talk about it.
“I would like a dozen—“ Nick started to say, but he cut him off.
“Shut up, Nick,” he muttered and then softly called after her. ”Carrie—“
“I’m working, Joel. I need to—“
“I can take Mr. Riley’s order,” a petite woman with wild, dark curls said as she stepped out of the backroom adjusting her own apron, and for a moment Joel wondered if she was the reason his buddy had suddenly acquired a sweet tooth.
“Carrie,” Joel called out to her again, and she looked at him, her gaze seemingly torn. Like she wanted to go to him and run off at the same time. She blinked and he saw it in her beautiful gaze when she made her decision. With a sigh, she tilted her head toward the entrance of the bakery.
“Let’s go talk outside,” she mumbled.
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