A Risk Worth Taking (Book 1) Read online

  “Total opposite for me,” Hayden said. “But I get it. Small town life has been more intimate. I have to admit, it was nice growing up here, sometimes.”

  “Was it hard being bisexual though? I know some small towns are notorious for being less accepting than cities.”

  “Actually, no. At least not that I’ve ever encountered. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are plenty of bigots in town. Luckily I’ve just never had to encounter one.”

  “That’s always good,” Kate smiled. “It’s nice that you could grow up in such a nice place and still feel safe to be who you are openly.”

  “Yeah, I agree,” Hayden replied, looking at the woman with admiration.

  She’s amazing. How could I have met someone so amazing? Why did I have to meet her now when I’m in the middle of making a huge life changing decision?

  “So, I finally heard back about the job.”

  “And?” Kate asked excitedly.

  “They offered me the job.”

  “That’s great! I knew they would!”

  “Thanks. Now I just have to give them my final answer if I accept the salary and all of the other logistics that come with the job.”

  “You said it was your dream job right?”

  “Yeah, it would allow me to travel so that’s a major plus.”

  “Then you should totally do it,” Kate said, looking down at her plate. It seemed like the brunette had something deeper on her mind.

  Maybe she’s thinking the same thing I’m thinking. If I go to New York, this will end. But I don’t want this to end. Whatever this is, I like it.

  “And I plan on sticking around Staunton for a while so I’ll be here when you come visit,” Kate replied cheerfully.

  “Yeah, that’s true,” Hayden said hesitantly.

  “I’m sensing a ‘but’ there,” Kate said.

  “It’s nothing, it’s just…”

  “It’s just what?” Kate asked sweetly.

  “I don’t usually do girlfriends,” Hayden responded slowly.

  “To be clear, I never asked you to be my girlfriend,” Kate joked.

  Hayden blushed as she looked down at her now empty plate. She never felt so nervous in front of a person before. It was weird, but she kind of liked how it made her feel. The fluttering of butterflies deep within her stomach.

  “Hayden, I don’t expect anything from you. I know you have your rule and I don’t intend to pressure you into something you don’t want.”

  What if I do want this? I don’t even know what I want.

  “Right now we’re just hanging out and having fun together,” Kate continued. “This works perfectly.”

  “Oh yeah?” Hayden inquired. “How so?”

  “I was actually looking for something more casual anyway. I’ve been having really bad luck with women lately. It’s kind of refreshing doing what we’re doing.”

  “What are we doing exactly?”

  Hayden wasn’t used to seeing someone she slept with for a second time. Kate didn’t feel like just some woman she was hooking up with. She felt like much more than that. She wouldn’t call Kate her girlfriend, but she felt like something similar to that.

  “I guess we’re getting to know each other,” Kate shrugged.

  “I’m pretty sure we already know everything there is to know about each other, Kate.”

  “Fair point. Okay, how about we just continue having fun together and just see where things go.”

  “And when you say having fun, you mean sex?” Hayden smirked.

  “That and of course breakfast, maybe dinner. No commitment. Just fun.”

  “And no strings,” Hayden finished.

  “No strings.”

  “Okay,” Hayden agreed.

  Hayden felt relieved. It was the perfect plan. It would give her a chance to still be around Kate without truly being in a committed relationship with her. As much as she liked Kate, and she really liked Kate, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to be her girlfriend.

  “Now that that’s settled,” Kate said, “I have to take a shower before I head in to work. You could join me if you want.”

  Hayden smirked at Kate as she leaned in, brushing her lips against Kate’s.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Kate smiled, standing up from her chair. She moved forward until she was looking down at Hayden.

  Brown eyes gazed into green eyes as Kate grabbed hold of the hem of the oversized shirt Hayden was wearing. She raised it over her head, exposing her firm breasts.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you have amazing breasts?” Kate said quietly.

  “Once or twice before,” Hayden replied, allowing Kate to straddle her lap.

  Kate kissed along Hayden’s cheek and down to her neck. Hayden giggled softly as Kate kissed and licked her neck.

  “I thought we were taking a shower?” Hayden laughed.

  “We are,” Kate confirmed. “I just figured we should get dirty first.”

  Chapter 10

  “You’re dating Kate?” Gabe asked bewildered.

  Hayden and Gabe decided to hit the gym together. Hayden was filling Gabe in on what was going on with Kate. She needed to talk about her feelings with someone and Gabe was the obvious choice.

  “No, we’re not dating,” Hayden insisted.

  “You said you two are having fun together. Obviously I know that includes a certain something that I’m not comfortable discussing with my little sister. But, it also includes having breakfast and dinner together. “

  “So?”

  Gabe glared at his sister incredulously. Hayden was smart, but she could be so thick sometimes.

  “Hayden, that’s the definition of dating.”

  “No! We’re hanging out. We’re not girlfriends or anything.”

  “Dating doesn’t make you girlfriends! God, you’ve really been away from the dating world for way too long.”

  Hayden stopped her treadmill in frustration and turned towards Gabe. “Fine, I guess you can call it dating! You don’t have to rub it in.”

  “I’m not!” Gabe exclaimed. “I think it’s great that you’re finally dating someone. It’s about time, honestly.”

  Gabe stopped his treadmill and turned to smile at his sister. He knew she was a free spirit, but he also knew that deep down his sister was a romantic at heart. As much as she’d like to pretend she didn’t need love in her life, he knew love was exactly what she wanted. It made him happy that she was finally opening up to the idea.

  “I’m just being over the top about this whole thing,” Hayden sighed.

  The last time Hayden had been in a relationship, it ended terribly. She was heartbroken with the way things had ended with Joslyn. It took a lot of work to put her heart back together. She was terrified of having to go through that again. It’s one of the reasons she didn’t want to be in a committed relationship.

  “No, it’s totally understandable. Plus, I know how stubborn you are. You’ve been following this ‘rule’ of yours for a while now. You’re out of your comfort zone now.”

  “I’m not that stubborn,” Hayden said quietly as they started walking towards the weight machines.

  “You kind of are,” Gabe laughed.

  “She’s kind of what?” Kate asked, surprising both siblings.

  “Kate,” Hayden smiled. “Hi.”

  Hayden was staring at Kate with googly eyes and acting awkward again. It was clear to Gabe that Hayden really liked Kate. He’d never seen her like this before, not even with Joslyn.

  “Hi,” Kate responded.

  “She’s kind of stubborn,” Gabe answered.

  “Oh, I know. It’s kind of annoying.”

  “Hey!” Hayden admonished.

  “Don’t worry, I’m kidding,” Kate smiled.

  “Getting in a workout before work?” Gabe asked.

  “Yeah, I had to,” Kate whined. “I’ve been slacking lately.”

  “I couldn’t tell,” Hayden commented.

  Gabe rolled his eyes
as he looked away from the two women. He was far from a prude, but he hated when his sister flirted so openly in front of him. Hayden was always very outspoken. She just said whatever came to mind. She wasn’t born with a filter.

  “Hey, I’m working Gabe’s shift later,” Hayden said excitedly. “We’ll get to work together!”

  “That’s going to be interesting,” Kate smiled. “I’ll get to see The Hayden Kovacs behind the bar.”

  “Careful with this one,” Gabe commented. “She forgets that not everyone has the same tolerance as her and makes the drinks a little too strong.”

  “I do not!”

  “You so do, Hayden.”

  “I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on her,” Kate stated suggestively.

  Gabe rolled his eyes as he started pulling Hayden towards the weights. “Alright, you two will see each other later. Let’s do what we all came here for; workout.”

  “I’ll see you later,” Hayden smiled brightly as Gabe pulled her away.

  Kate laughed as she made her way towards the locker room.

  “Man, you really do like her,” Gabe stated.

  “Why do you say that? Did I make it obvious?”

  “No, Kate probably couldn’t tell. But, I on the other hand know you better than anyone. I can tell you really like her, Hayden.”

  “Yeah, I think I do,” Hayden sighed sadly.

  “Hey, this is a good thing. I’ve never seen you so happy around a person you were dating before. I really think you should stop running from love. If you fall in love you fall in love. Love isn’t going to ruin your life. It’ll make it better.”

  “I do have to admit, Kate does make me feel like falling in love again wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

  “So you do think you love Kate?”

  “We just met a few days ago. I wouldn’t say I’m in love yet. But, I could see myself falling in love with her. She always puts a smile on my face and I love being around her.”

  “That’s great Hayden,” Gabe said sincerely. “You deserve someone like Kate in your life. And for what it’s worth, I like her.”

  Hayden beamed at Gabe’s words. Hayden was starting to believe that she did deserve someone like Kate in her life. That she did deserve unconditional love. But, she still had that nagging voice in her head telling her that this happiness was only temporary and eventually things with Kate would fall apart. She wished more than anything that she could ignore that voice for good. Give in to love. Give in to happiness.

  “Of all the days for me to work Gabe’s shift it had to be tonight,” Hayden said as she finished mixing up a cosmopolitan.

  “You seem to be holding up well,” Kate said.

  “It’s just an act,” Hayden said, turning to serve a customer her drink.

  “You could have fooled me.”

  Hayden and Kate had been busy the entire night. The bar was closing soon so both women could finally take a breather.

  “That’s the last drink of the night,” Hayden said. “I can truthfully say I have never been happier in my life.”

  “Really?” Kate asked with a suggestive smile. “Never?”

  Hayden turned to look at Kate. Hayden’s heart skipped a beat with the way Kate was looking at her. The way Kate looked at her made Hayden want her even more. If it weren’t for the fact that there were still customers in the bar, she’d kiss her right now.

  “Okay, maybe not never.”

  “I know what you mean though. This night has been killer.”

  “Yeah, I totally see what my dad was talking about when he said that business has gotten better. It was never this busy when I worked here before.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “Mainly before I went away to college. Then during my summers off.”

  Even though Hayden hadn’t officially worked in the bar until she was eighteen, she still grew up watching her dad run the place. She could run the bar with her eyes closed. It just came naturally to her.

  “I have to say, I was impressed,” Kate said.

  “Oh come on, I don’t have anything on you. You were impressive.”

  “No, I’m serious. You really have a way with the customers. They love you.”

  “That’s only because a lot of them have known me since before I was even born,” Hayden pointed out.

  “There is that,” Kate agreed.

  “I practically grew up in this bar, Kate. I watched my dad all of my life. It’s just second nature now.”

  “Is that why you want to go to New York so badly?” Kate asked.

  “That’s not the only reason. But, yeah that’s part of it. It is nice doing something different from what I know.”

  “That makes sense. You like being challenged. Working here wouldn’t be much of a challenge for you.”

  “Exactly,” Hayden smiled.

  Kate just seemed to get everything Hayden thought and felt. It had been a while since she felt as understood as Kate made her feel. Even with Joslyn, she never felt this understood. If anything she usually felt more judged.

  A few minutes later the bar had cleared out and Kate locked the front door. She turned back to Hayden and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Long day?” Hayden smiled, wiping down the bar.

  “Hey, I was here longer than you remember? And I had to deal with Chester before you got here so I’ve had a pretty long day.”

  “Chester’s not so bad,” Hayden said nonchalantly.

  “Umm, are you kidding? He’s the worse kind of guy. Guys like him make me glad I was born a lesbian. He’s a terrible flirter and he stares at my boobs.”

  “Well, in all fairness I stare at your boobs too.”

  “Yes, but I don’t mind when you stare at my boobs,” Kate said seductively. “Particularly because I get to stare at yours too. Not to mention, Chester is very arrogant. I don’t like arrogant people.”

  “I can be a little arrogant at times,” Hayden shrugged.

  “No, Hayden. You act confident, which I find hot. There is a major difference between confidence and arrogance.”

  Hayden smiled as she looked away from Kate. She wasn’t sure if she should tell the brunette about her past hook up with the man she apparently loathed.

  “Is Chester a friend of yours or something?” Kate asked.

  “Not really,” Hayden responded. “I mean we get along. I’ve known him for a while.”

  “Why does it feel like there’s something more to that?” Kate asked as she placed her elbows on the bar and rested her head on top of her two hands. She was giving Hayden a pointed look.

  “We may have hooked up at one point,” Hayden answered honestly.

  “Really?” Kate asked in surprise.

  “It was like two years ago. We were both drunk and I was getting over my ex.”

  “But I mean really? Like I get the whole hook up thing for you, but how could you possibly put up with him?”

  “Well, we didn’t do much talking.”

  “Okay, I don’t want to hear about you and Chester.”

  “Sorry,” Hayden laughed.

  Kate walked slowly over to Hayden, looking into her eyes as she put her arms around her neck. She gently kissed the woman on the lips. Hayden deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around the brunette’s waist.

  “I have been waiting to do that all day,” Kate said.

  “Me too.”

  “Are you doing anything tonight?” Kate asked, arms still wrapped around Hayden’s neck.

  “You,” Hayden whispered into Kate’s ear, pushing her back gently until both women were exiting from behind the bar.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather me call Chester over here?” Kate joked.

  Hayden pulled back to look at the woman, a bit of amusement evident on her face.

  “Are you jealous?” Hayden asked.

  “Maybe a little,” Kate shrugged.

  Hayden laughed lightly as she looked down at Kate’s juicy lips. Hayden grabbed hold of Kate’s hands and pu
lled her towards the back office.

  “That’s kind of hot,” Hayden said seductively, biting her lower lip.

  “Oh, me being jealous is a turn on for you?”

  “A little,” Hayden replied, kissing the woman as they entered the office.

  “What are we doing?” Kate smiled.

  “Isn’t that obvious?”

  “You know we could just go back to my place.”

  “What’s the fun in that?” Hayden asked as she kissed Kate.

  Hayden pulled back from the kiss just long enough to pull Kate’s shirt over her head. Her own shirt quickly joined Kate’s on the floor.

  Hayden kissed Kate, unbuttoning her jeans.

  “Someone’s eager,” Kate said in between kisses.

  “All day the only thing I could think about was getting you naked,” Hayden replied.

  Hayden lowered herself, kissing a path down Kate’s body. She grabbed hold of Kate’s jeans, pulling them down with her. Kate sat back onto the desk so that Hayden could remove her shoes and jeans from her ankles.

  Kate stood forward onto the floor, lips connecting to Hayden’s.

  As their tongues danced around each other, Hayden slid her hand into the front of Kate’s panties. She slid her finger up Kate’s slit, causing her to breathe out heavily.

  “Like that?” Hayden whispered into Kate’s ear.

  “Yes,” Kate moaned.

  Hayden applied more pressure to Kate’s clit, rubbing the bundle of nerves gently.

  Kate managed to focus on unbuttoning Hayden’s jeans. Hayden pulled her hand out of Kate and swiftly took her jeans and panties off. She smiled at Kate as she kissed her lips and reached behind her, unclasping the black bra. Kate allowed the bra to fall to the floor.

  Hayden kissed and licked her way back down Kate’s body. She stopped at each nipple and sucked softly on both before descending towards Kate’s sex.

  Hayden grabbed Kate’s panties and slid them down her legs. She kissed Kate’s sex before gliding her tongue up along Kate’s slit.

  Kate threw her head back, moaning out in pleasure. She leaned back onto the desk, her hands reaching back for support.

  “You’re so wet,” Hayden said.

  “You always seem to have that effect on me,” Kate panted.