Falling Sweetly: Starling Falls II Read online

  “What are you doing, Niki?” I swallowed before asking her hoarsely

  “Touching you, silly,” she replied simply, as her hand left my hair and travelled back down to stroke the stubble on my jaw.

  Okay then. Apparently after drunk-Yoda- Niki makes an appearance, flirty-frisky- Niki soon replaces her.

  “You should stop,” I told her weakly, in a pathetic attempt to do the right thing.

  “You don’t want me to touch you?” she asked quietly, as her fingertips found my lips in the dark.

  “There’s nothing I want more, but you’re still wasted, baby. I don’t want to do anything you’d regret later.”

  She giggled in a very un-Niki like manner. “You keep calling me “baby.” I like it… I like you.”

  “Uh…” I stuttered, completely at a loss for words.

  In a sudden movement, Niki sat up, pushed me onto my back and swung a leg over me to straddle my hips.

  Oh, fuck. Well that escalated quickly. Apparently this attraction is not so one-sided.

  She pressed hot kisses to my jaw as she rubbed her body against mine. Her dress had ridden up, and I could feel her bare thighs on either side of my hips and the warmth of her pussy against the crotch of my jeans.

  That feels fucking awesome, though you should probably stop this now…

  “Niki.” I had intended to say her name as a warning for her to stop, but it had somehow come out as a moan instead.

  “Yes, Jake?” she asked as her fingers attempted to undo the buttons on my shirt. I put my hand over hers and stopped her eager fingers from any further actions.

  “No more,” I managed to grunt.

  I could hear the pout in her voice when she spoke and her hands went to the button of my jeans.

  “But, Little Niki wants to meet Little Jake. They’re gonna be real good friends,” she purred as she ground her core against my throbbing cock again.

  “Oh God, baby. You have no idea how badly Little Jake wants that too, but it’s not going to happen when you’re drunk and might not remember anything tomorrow.”

  Did you just refer to your own penis as Little Jake?

  “Jakeee,” she whined in frustration and bounced on me as her hand hit my chest lightly. “What if I promise to remember?”

  Despite the pain I was in, her words made me laugh. I rolled us over so she was under me. I would be a liar if I said this particular position hadn’t been a recurring fantasy of mine whenever I jacked off.

  Though in my fantasies, Niki was completely naked, had both legs wrapped around my waist and was moaning my name loudly as I pounded into her deep and hard.

  I lightly kissed the tip of her cute nose. “That’s not a promise you can make in your current state.”

  She wrapped her legs around my hips and I couldn’t stop myself from nuzzling her neck, breathing in the light floral scent that always surrounded her and pressing a quick kiss to her throat.

  You’re a bad man, Jameson.

  “But, I wanted you to be my first. You’re tall, nice, cute and funny, and your eyes are a nice blue. I’ve been thinking about this, and I’ve made up my mind about it. So take off your pants and let’s do this thing,” she said petulantly.

  I smiled against her neck. “First what, baby?”

  She tutted in annoyance, “My first first. You know, Jake.” She made a popping sound with her mouth.

  I froze above her. “Niki, are you a virgin?”

  “Duh. What else would I mean by first?” She laughed, playing with hair at the nape of my neck.

  Okay asshole, start thinking with your head and not your dick.

  I tried to move off her, but her legs locked tighter around my hips. “Hey. Where ya going, big guy?” she asked happily from under me.

  Drunk, flirty, frisky Niki just might be the death of me.

  “Niki, I’m so honoured you want me to be your first, but we’re going to talk about this tomorrow morning.”

  “So, no sex now?” she asked confused. “But I’m horny. And you’re horny. Little Jake doesn’t feel so little.” She started laughing as she tilted her panty covered pussy up towards me.

  Hell. This is a whole new level of hell.

  I rested my forehead against hers. “No. No sex now.”

  “Just one teeny, tiny orgasm?” she pleaded as she began to rock her hips against mine.

  I groaned against her neck. “Niki, no.”

  “Two orgasms?” she asked hopefully.

  “No.”

  “Okay, we can go for three, but we’re going to be so tired tomorrow,” she said sounding exasperated.

  “Sorry, baby. No orgasms for you or me tonight.”

  Way to go, willpower. Who knew you had it in you?

  “Well, that sucks,” she said with a huff that made me laugh again, despite the fact my cock was harder than it had ever been before. “Can we have sex tomorrow? I think it could be pretty good. I mean I don’t know if it would be, but it should be, right?”

  “Niki,” I laughed and groaned at the same time, “Tomorrow morning we’ll talk. Okay, sweetness?”

  “Fine,” she said, sounding like a five year old who just had her favourite toy taken away from her for being bad.

  “I’m tired anyway, and my head is starting to hurt. Jake, why does my head hurt?” she asked as she finally released the grip she had on my hips.

  “That would be from whatever poison was in those drinks Addie gave you.”

  She gasped in horror as she rolled onto her side and moved so I could spoon against her again. “Addie poisoned me?”

  Drunk Niki is seriously cute.

  “I was joking, baby. She just gave you some pretty strong drinks. She’s the devil.”

  “Well, it wasn’t a funny joke. And don’t be mean about Addie. We’re best friends now, but don’t tell Mitchell. He may get upset,” she said with a sleepy sigh.

  “Your secret’s safe with me,” I whispered in her ear as I felt her relax in my arms.

  “Good,” she murmured sleepily, “I trust you, Jake,” were the last words she uttered before she fell asleep in my arms.

  CHAPTER 8

  Jacob

  “Jake…” Niki’s voice shook me from my memory.

  “Yeah. Sorry, what’d you say?” I asked her, hoping that she didn’t ask anything else about New Year’s Eve, because I fucking hated lying to her.

  Niki had woken on New Year’s Day, and hadn’t been able to remember anything from the night before.

  She apologised, before I could speak, and had fled from my room like a bat out of hell, not allowing me to talk about what had happened between us.

  Turns out, when Niki wanted to avoid talking about something, she was really fucking good at avoiding the topic.

  The thought that she may have regretted spending the night in my bed left a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  I was still hopeful that the attraction I felt between us wasn’t a purely imagined one but knew I had to go slow. Niki was still shy and skittish around me, so I didn’t want to overwhelm her with any intense, over-the-top acts.

  I figured pinning her to the bed, and kissing her until neither of us could breathe, like I really wanted to do, would probably be classified as one of those intense, over-the-top acts.

  Niki would have flipped out if she knew what she had propositioned that night, and I wasn’t going to make things weird between us just as they were returning to normal.

  As pathetic as it was, after months of being treated like I had an infectious disease, I’d take whatever interaction she would give me.

  I felt like an ass for lying to her, but I was resolved to tell her the truth eventually when she was more comfortable around me again.

  “Where’d you go just then?” she asked curiously.

  “I just spaced out. Did you ask me something?” I pushed away the unfinished plate of food.

  She stared at the plate and then at me, a concerned expression etched on her beautiful face. �
�I was just wondering… You don’t have to tell me or anything, but is something wrong? You just don’t seem like yourself,” she said timidly.

  “You were worried about me?” I leant back against the headboard of the bed.

  “Of course. I mean, we’re friends aren’t we? Friends worry about each other,” she blurted out quickly.

  Friends. Right. Awesome, I’m back in the fucking friend-zone.

  I looked at her wide, concerned eyes and spat out abruptly, “Marco’s is closing.”

  Niki frowned as she spoke. “What? Why did the owner decide to close it after all these years?”

  I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone, found the review on Wine and Dine’s website, and handed it to her silently.

  Her eyes grew wider, and the cringe on her face intensified with every line she read. When she finished, she turned to me with a pitying expression.

  “Did he… fire you? I mean, he must have known that something went horribly wrong. It couldn’t have been you cooking for this man. Anyone who’s ever eaten at the restaurant knows that you would never serve anything that’s less than perfect. I’m sure if you just went to Marco and explained to him-”

  I interrupted her before she could finish, though I was thrilled that she had been so quick to defend me.

  “I did go to see him, ba- uh Niki.” I stopped myself before the word baby could leave my mouth, and cleared my throat before continuing.

  “Marco knows it wasn’t me. He said he has wanted to let go of Marco’s for a while, and I couldn’t talk him out of it. Then he said some other rubbish about spreading wings and setting me free.”

  “What wings?” she asked, her eyebrows scrunching together.

  I shrugged half-heartedly. “Beats me.”

  Niki paused and looked at me thoughtfully. “Jake, you’re a talented chef and a hard-worker. I’m sure any other restaurant would be happy to have you.”

  “Niki, have you seen the size of this town? The only other place nearby that serves the type of food I cook is Cannata’s, and I’d rather scoop out my own eyeballs with a spoon than go work there.

  “I’ve called around; most places aren’t looking for a new head chef, or they’ve seen the review and don’t want to touch me with a ten-foot pole. But there is a small place in Chicago being set up. I know the guy who’s investing. He’s offered me a job, and I’m thinking about it.”

  She began chewing on her bottom lip. “So, you would have to leave Starling Falls?”

  Frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t want to. I’m not sure what the fuck I’m going to do.”

  “I’m guessing you haven’t told any of your family yet?”

  “No,” I said bluntly. “I was trying to fix this mess before I said anything to them… so much for that plan.”

  Niki surprised me by placing her hand on top of mine. “You have no reason to be ashamed, you know. What happened is not your fault. They’re all so proud of you and everything you’ve achieved. You have an amazing family, and they’ll always stand by you and support you no matter what. Tell them, Jake,” she finished quietly.

  I started to absentmindedly play with her fingers, mulling over her words. Her perceptiveness and gentle nature were more reasons I found her so damn endearing. I looked up and saw Niki’s cheeks turned pink under my heated gaze.

  “I will. I’ll tell them later. Aunt Deb already suspects something’s up, anyway. There is no escape from her.”

  I ran my thumb over a scar on the wrist of her right hand.

  “I got burnt taking cookies out of the oven,” Niki said softly.

  I resisted the urge to press a kiss to the scar on her hand. “Professional hazard,” I said as my thumb moved back down to her knuckles.

  Fuck it. Just tell her. What’s the worst that can happen?

  She rejects you, and your heart gets smashed into a hundred pieces, and you lose her as a friend forever?

  “Niki-”

  “If you could do anything, and I mean anything at all…what would you do?” Niki asked, staring pensively at the ceiling.

  “What do you mean? I cook, that’s the only thing I’ve ever done well. It’s the only thing I enjoy. Well, I used to enjoy it.”

  “I know that. Anyone who’s seen you in a kitchen knows that’s where you belong. What I meant is, if you could cook any kind of food, like your favourite food, what would it be?” she asked, excitement in her voice.

  “Uh, comfort food I guess. The stuff I grew up with that Aunt Deb cooks for us,” I said, confused by what was causing the gleam in her eyes.

  “Then that’s what you should do, Jake!” She pulled her hand out of mine and placed it on my knee. “Think about it, who are the people who used to actually eat at Marco’s?”

  “They were usually foodies or people looking for fine dining cuisine. They mostly drove in from out of state because of the restaurant’s reputation.”

  “Exactly! Not many people from Starling Falls ate there, apart from maybe the odd couple on a date, because it doesn’t appeal to them. Forget about Scottie McKenzie and all that pretentious fine-dining nonsense.

  “You should open your own restaurant or diner! Cook the food that you, and the majority of people in this town, would actually want to eat. There isn’t a place like that here already, is there? There’s only the Starling Café, and they don’t have a wide range of food on their menu.”

  She took a deep breath, her gorgeous face practically glowing from excitement.

  “You could keep some of the staff you have at the restaurant, and you already know all the local producers and suppliers. All you would need to do is find a suitable site that you can afford!

  “It may be a risk, but it could be pretty cool, right? Having your own restaurant and the freedom to cook whatever you want to?”

  Her enthusiasm was infectious, and I felt myself getting excited at the thought of having my own restaurant. I leant forward, moving closer towards her.

  “Niki. That’s fucking genius. How did I not think of that?”

  She laughed happily. “Well, if you had pulled your head out of the sand and tried to get out of your depressed, mopey funk, instead of throwing your pity-party-for-one, I’m sure you would have come up with the idea.”

  “Depressed, mopey funk?” I asked, amused at the term.

  “You’ve looked so moody and have been acting so sulky today, it’s like you’ve been channelling Nate,” she said in a teasing tone, which was something I hadn’t heard from her since the night we’d been together in my room.

  “I haven’t been that bad, have I?” I asked hesitantly.

  “Jake. There’s a party going on downstairs for your aunt and uncle, and you’ve managed to seclude yourself away from everyone else for hours now. Who does that sound like?”

  I stared at her in horror. “Shit. I’ve turned into Nate.”

  “Well, Nate is actually downstairs surrounded by other people. I mean, he’s not happy about it or anything. But he is tolerating it. So technically, you’re behaving even more anti-social than Nate right now.”

  “That is horrifying.” I stood, grabbing the plate in one hand and took one of Niki’s hands in the other. “This situation needs to be rectified immediately.”

  She laughed as she allowed me to lead her out of the room and down the stairs. Just before we took the steps out to the yard I stopped her and cupped her chin lightly, making her meet my gaze. “Niki. Thank you.” I pressed a kiss to her cheek.

  “You’re welcome. What are friends for?” she said as she blushed again and opened the back door.

  Friends.

  I’ve never hated a damn word so fucking much.

  * * * * *

  Annika

  The party had ended a couple of hours earlier, but I had stayed behind to help tidy the mess. The house had been cleaned and Liya and I, along with all the Jamesons were sitting in the numerous couches and armchairs in the cosy living room.

  Debbie and
Jeremy sat entwined on an armchair together, looking blissfully content.

  “Today was perfect. Thank you, my darlings,” Debbie said happily, resting her head on her husband’s shoulder.

  “Thirty years of marriage is definitely something which should be celebrated,” Liya said as she cut off a piece of cake that was on the plate she was holding, and put it in her mouth and groaned. “Oh my God. This cake is incredible.”

  “How many pieces have you had now?” I asked and laughed as Liya flipped me off.

  “It’s not my fault I’m constantly hungry,” she complained with a mouthful of frosting.

  Debbie let out an excited gasp, her whole body tensed in anticipation as she looked at Liya. “Are you-”

  “No, Aunt Deb. I’m not pregnant,” Liya said, interrupting her question.

  Debbie had gone through a phase of refusing to speak to me or Liya unless we called her Aunt Deb “like the rest of her children”. It was adorable and nutty all at the same time, a description which summed up Debbie Jameson perfectly.

  The extreme look of disappointment and pout that appeared on Debbie’s face was almost comical as she relaxed back onto Jeremy.

  “That would have been the best anniversary gift ever.”

  Caleb snorted, “Didn’t I tell you that’s what Aunt Deb would want, Liya? But you wouldn’t listen. No, you insisted on getting her the crystal vase. I’m just saying, making a baby wouldn’t have cost us anything.”

  Liya rolled her eyes at him, but didn’t say anything as she tried to bite back a smile.

  Debbie had been pushing Liya and Caleb to have a baby for months now, but with no success.

  Josh had started a pool on how long it would take before Debbie snuck into their house and either got rid of Liya’s birth control pills or swapped them for a placebo.

  My bet was by Christmas, but judging by Debbie’s broody-grandma-eyes, I thought that Addie’s bet of Liya being knocked up by Thanksgiving was probably more accurate.

  Addie dropped onto the couch and swiped some of the frosting from Liya’s cake, ignoring the outraged noise of protest Liya made.

  “Damn that is good,” Addie said, as she snatched the plate from Liya and moved to sit far away from her, leaving her holding only a fork.