I pull out of her and fall onto my side. I refuse to let her go though, now she’s here she’s not going anywhere for a really long time.
“I just needed some time to sort my head out.”
“I thought maybe you’d gone b-” I start to say but get interrupted.
“No. I would never go back to him after what he did. I knew I didn’t want him but seeing him there that day, having to tell you to leave, it all became clear. I knew I wanted you, but I needed to get everything sorted before I could come to you.”
I smile down at her. It’s like she’s always been here. I guess in a way she has been. “I’ve missed you, Red.”
“I’ve missed you, too. I need to ask you something.”
“Go on,” I prompt.
“Do you still need a PA?”
Relief washes through me. She’s here to stay. I lean forward and kiss her with everything I’ve got, trying to put everything I feel, but am too scared to admit, into it.
“Is that a yes?” she says with a laugh when I pull back.
“When can you start?”
* * *
The End
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Keep reading for a preview of Falling For Ryan: Part One, the first book in the Falling Series or DOWNLOAD NOW
Acknowledgments
Beth and Daniel’s story was never a part of my plan for this series. But when I was offered to be part of a charity anthology to raise money for an amazing cause, March of Dimes, I couldn’t say no.
We saw Beth and Daniel meet in Molly and their story quickly came alive as I started to think more about them. I loved writing their novella and I was kind of gutted that it ended quite so soon. I hope you loved reading their little fling in Paris as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I want to say a HUGE thank you to Nicole for giving me the opportunity. It’s been great working with you and getting to know some amazing authors. I really hope the money we raise goes well above anything you could have imagined. I know it’s a charity very close to your heart, it would be great to be able to do something amazing for them after what they’ve done for you and your incredible little lady.
Thank you to the amazing Andie M Long who edited Beth for me. I still have a bit of a fangirl moment when I think about it because I love your books.
Michelle and Lindsay as always thank you so much for beta reading Beth for me and not being afraid to tell me what you really think. I love it when you apologise for being critical but that is what makes my writing better so criticise away!
As always a massive thank you to my husband and baby girl who put up with the hours I put into writing and everything else that goes along with it. I love you both so much, you’re my world.
About the Author
Tracy Lorraine is a M/F and M/M contemporary romance author. Tracy has just turned thirty and lives in a cute Cotswold village in England with her husband, baby girl and lovable but slightly crazy dog. Having always been a bookaholic with her head stuck in her Kindle Tracy decided to try her hand at a story idea she dreamt up and hasn’t looked back since.
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Keep up to date with Tracy’s books at
www.tracylorraine.com
Also by Tracy Lorraine
Angel Series
Falling for Molly: Part One #1
Falling for Molly: Part Two #2
Falling for Abbi #3
Falling for Beth (An Angel Series Novella)
Falling for Emma #4
Falling for Connie #5
Falling for Lilly #6
Falling for Taylor #7
Falling for Nicole #8 Coming Soon
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Chasing Series
Chasing Logan
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Ruined Series
Ruined Plans #1
Ruined by Lies #2
Ruined Promises #3
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Never Forget Series
Never Forget Him #1
Never Forget Us #2
Everywhere & Nowhere #3
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The Cocktail Girls
His Manhattan
Falling for Molly: Part One Preview
Prologue
* * *
Molly
* * *
“Mum, I’m going to Becky’s sixteenth birthday party tonight, then sleeping at Hannah’s,” I say as a reminder, as I walk into the kitchen where my mum is sat with her head in an interior design magazine while she waves her hands around, presumably trying to dry her nail varnish. I open the fridge when I get there and pull out a can of Coke before continuing, “I’ve taken the litre bottle of vodka from the drinks cabinet and I’ve got a pack of condoms…you know, just in case.” I lean back against the counter and watch my mum for a reaction.
“Uh huh,” is all I get.
“And I’m pretty sure some of the boys are bringing ecstasy.”
“Hum…” she says as she turns a page and begins studying the room pictured.
“Didn’t you only have a manicure yesterday? Why are you painting your nails already?” Now that gets her attention. Her head snapped up the moment the words ‘nails’ and ‘manicure’ left my mouth. Surprise, surprise: my mother cares more about those two words than everything I said earlier about me, alcohol, drugs and sex.
“Yes, I did, but I just couldn’t find a thing to wear out tonight.” Ha, yeah. I doubt that is actually true seeing as my mother has now turned my eldest brother’s old room into her personal wardrobe because she has so many clothes, shoes and accessories. “So I went to that little boutique in town this morning that I just love and found the most perfect dress. Your dad will love it, but it didn’t match the colour I chose for my nails yesterday.”
“Wow, what a disaster,” I mutter, as I go to leave the room. “I’ll be going out in about an hour, not that you really care,” I say the last bit quieter but I’m not sure why, because when I look back, Mum is once again engrossed in her magazine and doesn’t even acknowledge that I actually said anything.
I let out a huge breath and head back up to my room to finish packing for the party and sleepover. I’m getting ready for the party with my best friend Hannah and her twin Emma who live next door. We’ve all been friends for as long as I can remember. Being twins, Hannah and Emma are really close but Hannah and I are not very far behind. The three of us do almost everything together; their mum and dad have often joked that they have triplets, really. I always laugh along. Even though they know what my life is like, I don’t think any of them really appreciate how much I wish that was true.
I’m just shoving my fourth outfit choice for the night into my bag when I hear my brother’s voice downstairs greeting Mum. She instantly responds to him, which makes me laugh to myself even though it’s anything but funny. One of her golden boys has come to visit. I bet if he needed something, she’d ruin that new nail varnish doing it for him instantly. For me, however, she couldn’t even be bothered to lift her head up to greet me. God, I can’t wait to get out of this hellhole I call home and live my own life.
“Is Molly still here?” I hear Daniel ask my mum.
Her reply sounds suspiciously like “I have no idea.” Did I not say just ten minutes ago that I was going out in an hour? For fuck’s sake!
I walk over to the window and rest my hands on the windowsill as I look out over the countryside, trying to calm myself down. I keep telling myself not to get worked up by their actions, but sometimes it’s easier said than done.
“Hey sis, I’m glad you’re still here,” Daniel says as he enters my room a few minutes later. My brothers are a lot older than me due to the fact I was an unplanned accident fifteen and a half years ago. Daniel is my youngest older brother and
is crazy protective of me. Steven is, too, but he now has a serious girlfriend so I am seeing less of him these days. Daniel is my idol, always has been. He doesn’t take life too seriously, does exactly as he pleases, works bloody hard but always has fun. That is exactly what I want my life to be like, and I plan on it being so, once I get out on my own.
“Hey.” I only manage one word because as soon as I see him I burst into tears. He pulls me into a tight hug. I hate that Mum and Dad can do this to me, make me feel so worthless. It makes me angry every time a tear falls for what they do to me. I should be stronger.
“What have they done now?” Daniel asks. Both him and Steven know how our mum and dad treat me. Hell, I couldn’t count the number of arguments I’ve overheard about it on both hands and feet, but nothing ever changes. I’m just grateful I have two amazing older brothers to turn to if I need to. Plus, I have my adopted family next door, who I’m pretty sure would do just about anything for me if I needed it.
“Nothing, I’m fine,” I say pulling away from him and wiping my eyes. I look at him and see the question in his. “No, really; I’m just being a silly, hormonal teenager.”
“Hmm…whatever you say, Molls. You still going to that party tonight?”
“Of course, why?”
“I got you something,” I watch as he reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small bottle of vodka before handing it to me.
“What’s this for?” He looks at me and quirks an eyebrow. “Yes, I know it’s to drink, you fool, but why are you giving it to me?”
“Because I remember what it was like being your age, and I didn’t think anyone else would be buying you some. Now, I only got you a small one and I want you to share it, not have it all to yourself, but you deserve to act your age, Molly. Let your hair down. You work too damn hard trying to get your grades. Saying that, though, you still need to be sensible. I don’t want to be visiting you in hospital or being an uncle yet, please. Actually,” he says as he reaches in to his back pocket and pulls out his wallet.
My eyes widen in embarrassment when I realise what he is about to give me. “No, no, no…I’m good, you don’t need to worry about that.”
I hate to admit it but Daniel is the only one who knows what I’ve been up to. He let himself into my room one day while I was in my en suite to find an open box of condoms on the bed, and being the protective brother that he is, counted them and realised two were missing. I’m hoping he doesn’t want more of an explanation than that because I really don’t want to sit here and explain to my adult older brother that I took myself off to the doctors a while ago and got myself on the pill, you know, just in case. Wouldn’t that make Mummy and Daddy proud, to be grandparents while their daughter was still a teenager? Imagine the embarrassment.
“Okay, good. Well, have a good time tonight, and ring me if you have any problems, yeah?”
“Yes, I promise.”
Now I know I mentioned drugs and alcohol to my mum downstairs, but our group of friends aren’t really into all that. Yes, there are plenty of kids at school that are at it every weekend but our group actually care about getting good grades and good jobs. So the bottle of vodka Daniel just handed me will probably be it for us tonight.
“See you later then, kid,” he says before kissing my forehead and leaving my room.
“That party was awesome,” Hannah squeals as the three of us stumble into the twin’s bedroom sometime in the early hours of Sunday morning. Emma heads straight over to her side of the room and immediately starts replacing her party clothes with her pyjamas, while Hannah and I sit and gossip about the evening on her bed.
“Soooo…come on, spill it…where did you go with Callum?” Hannah pleads.
“Just for a walk in the garden. I said this earlier.”
“Yes, you did, but I didn’t believe you then and I still don’t now. I saw you two getting off with each other in the corner before you disappeared.”
Callum is the boy at school every girl dreams of. He is sporty, clever, funny and of course seriously hot, which is exactly why no one expected him to show his face tonight. But he did, and let’s just say that I got to know him a little better than I did before. I am yet to decide if that is a good thing or not, though.
“Will you two keep it down? I want to get up early tomorrow to do some coursework before we go to Grandma’s,” Emma complains from her bed. Okay, so I said before that we work hard to get good grades, but Emma takes it to the extreme, so much so that I was actually surprised she gave herself the night off to come tonight because she is seriously dedicated to her studies. She is doing AS level maths already and does Spanish lessons after school to get herself an extra GCSE. I think she is putting too much pressure on herself, but she can’t seem to stop in her quest to be the best accountant Oxford has ever seen.
“Sorry,” we both whisper simultaneously.
“Soooo…come on Molly, tell me,” Hannah whispers.
I let out a frustrated breath and just go for it. “Okay, so we went outside and found a quiet corner of the garden behind a bush. He pulled me down on to the ground and we rolled around for a while kissing and letting our hands roam a little.” I look up at Hannah and can see the excitement about what might come next pouring off her.
“Oh my God, did you have sex with him?” she asks, but says the word sex much quieter than the others. I don’t know why; it’s only Emma who could be listening.
“No, I didn’t. I sorta thought we were going to but by the time I got into his boxers he was so worked up from just kissing me and seeing me in my bra that one touch from me and he went off like a firework!” I can’t help it, I burst out laughing at the memory, earning me another grumble from Emma.
“But I thought Callum has slept with loads of girls?” Hannah asks, confused.
“Ha, yeah, that’s what the rumour mill says but after how quick he got off tonight and how mortified he was about it afterwards, I would be inclined to say that this was his first experience and the rumours are just that…rumours.” We both fall about giggling like the schoolgirls we are; I guess that vodka hasn’t totally worn off yet.
“So you were going to have sex with him then?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.
“But don’t you want to wait until you’re in love?” she asks sounding all sweet and innocent.
The only thing I have never told my best friend is that I lost my virginity last year to someone we go to school with at a party one night. Hannah has a different outlook on life thanks to her normal, loving family and I don’t want to have to explain my reasons for doing what I did that night, and a few times since. I totally understand her desire to wait until she is in love, and I admire her for it, but what I needed that night and what I still need is just to feel wanted by someone, to be made to feel like I’m needed for something. And that first night? That was exactly how I felt. He both wanted and needed me. Yes it was seriously painful and in no way was it good for me, like he asked me when it was over. But it wasn’t pleasure I was chasing like he was. It was the need to be wanted, just like it was tonight when Callum started hitting on me. That need just took over and I’d have almost done anything he wanted to feel that way.
I didn’t want to tell Hannah all of that though, because she would spend hours telling me how I do have people who need and want me, and I know I do but it doesn’t make how I feel disappear. Being with a boy in those few moments makes it disappear though.
Falling for Molly: Part One Preview
Chapter One
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Molly
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It’s now midnight and I’ve been sat here on Ryan’s doorstep for nearly an hour. Although it was a scorching summer’s day, the heat has now worn off, the clouds have gathered, and it is lumping it down with rain. I’m trying to tuck myself into his little porch to stop me getting so wet, but with the wind direction it’s not doing much good. I’m soaked though. I’m thinking now that it was a silly id
ea to pick white t-shirts when I rebranded the coffee shop; thank God for padded bras so everything can’t be seen through the wet material.
By the time I’d cleaned and locked up the coffee shop, it was just gone ten. I love working at Cocoa’s and have done since I was sixteen. Hannah and Emma’s parents own it. Susan started the business after she finished university. She came into some inheritance and with the money Cocoa’s was born. The place was a huge part of my childhood. Hannah, Emma and I would go there after school to do homework or just chat about boys, and it pretty much stayed that way until we finished university. We still have a booth in the back corner dedicated to us.
I will forever be grateful for Susan and her husband Pete, who she actually met as a customer in Cocoa’s. It was love at first sight for them; not only did they give me a job, but they had taken me under their wing when I was much younger. They are wonderful people and I wish they were my parents.
Megan, who works in the evenings, had a phone call from her boyfriend at eight o’clock saying their little boy was really sick. I let her go home to be with him and finished up the rest of the night on my own.
Once I got in my car to drive home, all I could think about was having a nice hot bath with a glass of wine and snuggling into my bed. I live in a tiny one bed flat with my boyfriend Max. We’ve have been together on and off for the past three years, but when Hannah, who I had lived with above the coffee shop, decided eight months ago she wanted her boyfriend to move into the flat, I decided it was time I moved out and left them to it. Max had suggested I move in with him. I wasn’t thrilled by the idea to be honest, but at the time I didn’t have the energy to sort out finding a place to live. I hate being alone. I would have had to find someone who was renting out a room anyway, so it seemed like a sensible suggestion and I guess a logical step in our relationship.
Falling For Daniel Page 7
