Worth the Risk (Risk Duet Book 1)

By Lori Meyer

Emmy Cross hopes to put her summer vacation behind her and press forward into her senior year, including dreams of winning homecoming queen. However, her plans don’t include falling in love with the mysterious new guy, Salem Gandes. But when the person she is running from finds her, her senior year spirals completely out of control and Salem is the only one who believes she is in danger.

For Salem, starting over at a new school - again - is never easy. In the past, he has always kept to himself but that changes when he meets Emmy. However, when he falls in love with her, he realizes he can’t keep his secret from her.

Devastated by his confession, Emmy turns away from him and his protection. So now Salem must decide how much he is willing to risk to protect the girl he loves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lori Meyer
• Release date: Aug 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370608614

Lori Meyer

My name is Lori Meyer. I am a mother of two and an elementary teacher. During the 2008 – 2009 school year, through the enthusiastic encouragement of my classroom full of fourth graders and my own two daughters, I decided to create a story from a dream I had had one night. And from that dream a series grew and then a spin off.From the day I started on that journey of creating a story from a dream, I found I couldn’t help but become hooked. They say once you are bitten by the writing bug it becomes a part of you. I found that to be true and have been writing ever since.I have always been an avid reader, with my favorite stories involving sexy vampires and fierce shape-shifters. But now I find even more enjoyment in creating my own characters and stories.I currently have three short stories and nine novels available as e-books and at amazon you can get them in paperback as well.The novels in Cedar's Series are entitled DISCOVERING CEDAR, BREAKING CEDAR, BEYOND CEDAR, and RESCUING CEDAR. My spin off series (Cole's series) has three novels entitled SOUL OF SEVEN, SEVEN DEGREES STRONGER, and SEVEN'S END . The Worth Duet has two novels, WORTH THE RISK, which is currently available, and WORTH THE SACRIFICE will be published in August.

Book preview

Worth the Risk / Meyer

Worth the Risk

By

Lori Meyer

Worth the Risk

Lori Meyer

Copyright © 2017 By Lori Meyer

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

For my Mom

who always asked how my writing was going,

now you can keep an eye on it from heaven.

Preface

Emmy~

I jack-knifed into a sitting position in the middle of my bed, my eyelids snapping open. I could barely catch my breath. My brain – in a dazed state of consciousness – wouldn’t allow me to make sense of what was amiss. Was it merely a voice in my head – drummed up from a fitful night sleep – or had a noise traveled into the sanctuary of my room? Glancing to the sliver of star lit sky visible through the small opening of the curtain, I released a heavy sigh. Although the moon was in its final stages of descent in the night sky, it was still too early to be awake.

Using the shreds of moonlight that had slipped into my room, I searched for something or someone who may have also snuck in as I slept. As ridiculous as that sounded, it could quite possibly be true. I barely contained the shiver that raced through my body with that thought.

As I scanned my room, my eyes landed on my bedroom door and I discovered it was slightly ajar. I couldn’t remember if I had closed it completely prior to climbing into bed. And that little question stirred up huge feelings of unease in the pit of my stomach.

For a normal person, forgetting whether or not the bedroom door had been closed before crawling into bed wouldn’t cause a hint of anxiety. However before I could consider how absurd I was being, a disturbing remark grabbed my attention and my head jerked toward my bedroom window.

My Emmagina, I always get the beautiful girl; absolutely no one gets away. His cold voice slithered across my skin, raising gooseflesh in its wake.

Forgetting about the door and focusing on the name I despised – God I hated that name, almost as much as the man taunting me with it now – I twisted my body and untangled myself from my sheets. Then I dropped my feet quietly to the floor and warily crept toward the window. Unlike the door, I had left the window open a crack for some fresh air before climbing into bed. And with every step that edged me closer, I prayed I had imagined that voice – conjured it up from a deep seated nightmare – because there was no way anyone was outside my second floor bedroom window. I mean seriously; no trees stood nearby or anything else to scale to get within reach of it. It was an impossible feat for anyone.

Especially him.

Even though I was not eager to see what loomed outside my window, I closed the distance in a heartbeat. Worried something would jump out at me, I cautiously pulled back the shades that were hiding whatever lurked in the night.

In that split second, I came face to face with a cruel smile and eyes that looked like they could swallow me whole. A scream locked in my throat and my eyes went wide.

No! This couldn’t be right!

Stumbling backwards several steps, as if a blunt force shoved me, I toppled. The last thing I saw was a white explosion, as my head connected with my nightstand; then I saw nothing at all.

One

Emmy~

I awoke with a start, resting on the cold, hard, wooden floor, my muscles aching and crying out in protest. My heart raced as if I had just run a marathon. While I tried to sort out some sort of rationale for my current position, remnants from last night started trickling in, answering my question as to why I was dumped on the floor with a slight throbbing in the back of my head. The answer was enough to bring back the horrid memories triggered by last night’s vision outside my bedroom window.

Shakily, I crawled the short distance back to my bed, climbed in, and pulled the comforter up to my chin, attempting to reassure myself I wasn’t in any danger. My bed, which sat on the opposite side of the room from the window, should be a safe place but it didn’t feel very secure at the moment and my body continued to shudder.

Glancing over at the alarm clock on my nightstand, I released a groan. Oh, man. Another nightmare and another missing hour of sleep. I don’t know if I have many more hours of sleep to give up. Since returning from vacation I haven’t been getting enough as it is. I exhaled another groan, slightly louder this time.

Emmy, are you awake? And are you talking to yourself again? My mother’s amused voice traveled through the opening of my door.

I sucked in a steadying breath before responding. Yah, just a pep talk to get me moving this morning. I tried to lighten my mood and shake off last night’s freak out. My parents worried enough about the nightmares I suffered almost nightly from my ordeal.

My mom chuckled. When you’re dressed, come downstairs. I made breakfast.

Thanks, Mom. I struggled to keep my voice steady. I’ll be just a few minutes.

She paused for a moment and I worried she detected the slight tremor in my voice but then her footsteps padded away. It will be ready for you when you get downstairs.

California sunlight peeked in through the lavender shades that encased my picture window, casting light upon my walnut colored furniture. Since sleep was a lost cause and breakfast awaited me downstairs, I decided it was time to face the day.

After a few deep breaths, I managed to gain some semblance of control and dropped out of bed and headed toward my door. On my way, I stopped at my dresser, tugged open drawers, and peered inside at my wardrobe choices for the first day of school. Pushing the memories of whatever it was that woke me last night into the deep recesses of my mind – desperately trying to forget about what I feared it could be even though it really was next to impossible – I shifted my thoughts to my senior year.

Homecoming queen popped into my mind first.

That brought a smile to my face. I harbored no doubts that I was the shoe in for that win. I had been working on claiming that triumph for the past two years. And how many more exciting things did I have to look forward to during my senior year? My smile just brightened with the possibilities.

Choosing a cute pair of cropped jeans and an emerald green tank top to layer a tan colored one; I hastily got dressed then headed across the hall to the bathroom to tame my strawberry blonde curls. They always seemed to have a mind of their own, which wasn’t a good thing.

I grabbed the smoothing crème from the drawer under the sink and after squeezing some into my hand, I began to work it through my tangles. Once satisfied they were as under control as they were going to get, I added some brown eyeliner to compliment my hazel eyes and brushed a little mascara across my long lashes.

Before heading downstairs, I slipped back into my room and headed toward the window – reluctantly peeking out to make sure no one was watching – to grab my bag off of my desk. I brushed my fingertips across a couple novels scattered about the desktop, and my lips curved into a small smile. It was refreshing to drop into another world or time and leave my own troubles behind to become immersed in someone else’s trials. During those hours, a sense of peace that I have long been missing would settle over me.

As I descended the stairs, my parents’ voices carried from the kitchen. So once I reached the bottom of the steps, I walked through the narrow entryway, – pausing to drop my bag by the door – and on past the living and dining rooms. Making my way into the kitchen, a delicious aroma greeted me and my mouth watered. Something smells yummy. Did you make blueberry muffins?

Grabbing a seat at the bar, I snatched a muffin off the platter and took a quick bite, while my mom smiled at me and handed me a plate.

Ready for your senior year? After pulling a gallon of milk from the refrigerator, my mom reached up to grab a glass out of the cupboard that hung above the dishwasher and handed both to me. Then she proceeded to clean up the muffin batter that had splattered across the island stationed in the middle of the kitchen.

Fresh from the oven and still warm. I moaned. Just how I like them. Guess I have to be. First football game this Friday to look forward to. Derek will be starting and wants me to sit right behind the team. We should make an awesome queen and king for homecoming, don’t ya think? Smiling to myself, I took a few more nibbles of my breakfast.

Glad to see you have your priorities straight. Finishing wiping the island, my mom draped the rag over the sink’s edge, before placing her coffee cup and plate into the dishwasher. Your father and I will be late tonight. Order pizza or something for supper. Have a nice first day and we’ll see you later tonight. She pressed a kiss to my forehead and then walked out of the kitchen.

Have a good day, Pumpkin. My father kissed the top of my head and then followed my mom out the door.

Once I popped the remainder of the muffin into my mouth, I chased it down with my glass of milk. Then I placed my dishes in the sink and returned the milk to the refrigerator. After heading back upstairs to brush my teeth, I glanced in the mirror. My outfit was definitely missing something, so I rushed back downstairs.

Before heading to the front door, I made my way into the living room and paused at the couch to grab a cute silken crème scarf, which was hanging off of the arm, to wind around my neck. Now my outfit was perfect. Swiping my keys from the table in the entryway and my bag off of the floor, I headed out to my car.

Before crawling inside, I glanced around to be sure no one was watching me. Content that for the time being I was safe, I jumped into my car and steered it toward my school.

Salem~

I can’t believe we’re going through this again. I glared at my sister Ivianna while shoving books into my backpack.

Another new school, just great.

Things will be better this time. We’re the whole way across the country. New start, new life. Smiling from ear to ear, Ivianna bustled about the small apartment, gathering her belongings to toss into her bag.

Two small bedrooms sat on one side of the living room with a bathroom and small kitchenette on the other side.

Doubtful. No one talks to you; instead they treat you like an outcast just because you’re new. Keeping people at a distance didn’t help matters, but it was something that couldn’t be helped. If my sister or I got too close to someone, there was more of a chance our secret would accidentally come out. I had witnessed firsthand the outcome of that type of scenario. Before moving here to California, we had a close circle of friends. We would make plans on the weekends, hang out in school, and cause commotion at football games.

Salem, we need to live our life –

Do I need to remind you about Leigh? A small smile tugged at my lips at the memory but quickly pulled into a frown. Leigh was beautiful – big bright blue eyes that sometimes appeared blue-green and long straight jet black hair. Although I wasn’t sure I really thought about her as more than a friend, I never got the chance to see if there was true chemistry between the two of us.

We started spending more time alone together because she showed an interest in me that went beyond just being friends. And during that time, she managed to put two and two together and came up with a secret that scared the hell out of her. The words barely escaped through my clenched teeth.

But Ivianna didn’t back down. I know Salem. She went into a panic and threatened to reveal our secret. But we both know she wouldn’t have. She just needed time to calm down.

"But she never got the chance, did she? The next day, a freak car accident took her life. My voice choked on all of the emotion. I was well aware it wasn’t an accident and who not what it was that silenced her. Even though her death was not by my hands, the guilt eats me up inside. Could I have prevented it somehow?"

Ivianna walked over to me, reached up and placed her hand on my cheek. I love you, big brother. And while we have each other, we need friends. And we both need to find that special someone.

I clasped her hand in mine. I love you too, Sis. But is it really worth the likely cost? Is it something we should risk? Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I grabbed the keys off of the end table.

Reading the miserable look on my face, Ivianna touched my arm. "Maybe there will be so much high school drama going on; we’ll be the normal ones." Gliding her bag over her shoulder, she gave me a small smile and pulled me out the front door.

I rolled my eyes at her optimism and followed her outside, closing and locking the door behind us.

About fifteen minutes later, we pulled my black Ford Explorer into the parking lot of one of the high schools in Moss Landing, Moone Valley High.

I glanced through the windshield and up at the three story grey stone building towering above us. Well, this place gives me more of the sense of prison than school. But really, what would be the difference? In either place, I’m going to feel trapped.

Ivianna rolled her eyes at me. Whatever, Salem. I guess we’re just going to have to plan a few prison breaks then.

I chuckled slightly at her response. I may take you up on that.

As I slid out of the driver’s side and out into the ocean air, my gaze was immediately drawn to a breathtaking figure standing under a tall hemlock tree. She was standing with another girl, possibly her friend. Her beautiful strawberry blonde curls blowing in the Pacific breeze. Prison didn’t house girls who looked like that. Stunning features, tall and slender with sun kissed skin. She was the epitome of a California girl.

I quickly scanned the perimeter, and smiled. No guys were hanging around nearby. Maybe that meant she was available and that I stood a chance. But then again, I was new, would never be popular, and probably couldn’t compete with what the other guys here had to offer her. I could only offer her secrets and complications.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I shook my head. Should I even venture a try?

Emmy~

I can’t believe you went to the Greek Isles over summer vacation. You are so lucky! My best friend Kennedy Links’ shrill voice sent my ears ringing.

In the shade of a tall hemlock tree outside the school, I stood with her as she reapplied lip gloss in between complaining about not going anywhere cool over the summer break.

Why aren’t you bragging to everyone about it? She stared at me as if I had two heads. You should be bragging. I would be bragging.

My lips thinned, almost transforming into a frown. It was okay. No big deal really. Without warning, a shiver ran down my spine. Glancing around nervously, I searched for the pair of eyes I was certain was watching me. My stomach twisted into a nervous ball of unease. And as I scanned the grounds, that anxious tremble graduated to a penetrating shudder and I couldn’t stop its course through my body.

However, my search produced nothing. But that was to be expected. It couldn’t be him.

Shaking my head, I attempted to rattle the disturbing thoughts free and dismiss the eerie feeling as my body’s unconscious refusal to forget about last night. Yet for some reason I couldn’t quite convince myself that it wasn’t possible for him to be anywhere near me.

Oblivious to my distraction, Kennedy threw her lip gloss back into her bag and gave me an exasperated look. No big deal? I know you had to have met a ton of gorgeous guys…with accents. She waggled her eyebrows at me. Who cares about Derek? How many hot guys were after you?

That was not something I wanted to talk about. None. Like I said; the trip was okay. And speaking of Derek; can you believe he didn’t call or text me once while I was gone? I tried calling him like a million times and he couldn’t pick up his phone once. He can be such an ass sometimes. I changed the subject in hopes it was enough to sidetrack Kennedy. I didn’t want to reminisce about my vacation anymore.

I don’t know what you see in him. So what if he’s the captain and quarterback of the football team. You’re right, he is an ass. Kennedy sighed in exasperation.

Mission accomplished. I smiled to myself. I could always count on ‘Derek bashing’ to be something Kennedy was always ready and willing to join in. That pastime could even be enough to distract her from