Running Into You
Page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It should be reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Dedication
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Epilogue
Join us for the next book in the
About the Author
“Instant Chemistry Series”
Running
Into
You
Taylor Love
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It should be reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Running Into You
Copyright © 2018 by Taylor Love
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models. This book is for adult readership and may contain adult situations, language and sexual content.
Taylor Made Daydreams
P.O Box 85458
Westland, MI 48185
www.TaylorMadeDaydreams.com
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Epilogue
Join us for the next book
About the Author
Dedication
I dedicate my first book to all authors. Books have inspired me, comforted me, and encouraged me my entire life. The characters that were brought to life, the places they helped my mind to travel, and the words they helped my tongue learn, were a blessing. Books allow you to daydream and disconnect from reality for a few hours. Thank you to all authors who provide this gift. Thank you to those who inspired me to share my imagination.
Prologue
Andrea hurried down the street, doing what she knew she shouldn’t, even as she felt compelled to do it anyway. She was texting while walking…or trying her hardest to. She was running late, and the sidewalk was crowded with the lunch hour rush of bodies. Mika was going to fuss at her, since she was usually the one admonishing her friend about being late all the time. Add to that, she was trying to reply back to an annoying work email from a co-worker that always worked her nerves. So it was a given, she would eventually bump into someone.
However, she hadn’t thought it would feel like a brick wall when she did. Smothering the curse that almost escaped, she stumbled backwards, grappling with her phone and balance, as firm hands steadied her by the waist.
She looked up to see who she would be apologizing to, even though she was unreasonably irritated. When she met a pair of light brown eyes set in a handsome brown face, it was almost enough to make her pause. The amused smile on a pair of perfectly full lips certainly did.
“Whoa there, are you okay?”
“Sorry about that. I was on my stupid phone and wasn’t paying attention.” She stepped back from his hands and he blinked, as if he had just realized he was still touching her.
“I understand. I hate how uneducated phones are now days.”
“What?” She tried taking another step back into the jostling crowd. Apparently, gorgeous eyes hid a mentally defective mind.
“It’s a joke…apparently a bad one,” he commented. Putting one hand high on her waist, he navigated her to the side, closer to the shop windows and out of the crowd’s way.
“Oh.” Frown lines marred her forehead. “Okay…”
“You said your phone was stupid, I ran with it.”
“Oh!” She actually gave a small laugh. “I get it now, though that is a terrible joke.” Not to mention her mind had been elsewhere, like on those kissable lips that were smiling at her again.
“No problem. Like I said, I understand. You should be careful though, you can really hurt yourself walking and texting like that.”
“I know. I usually don’t. Thanks for being a good sport.” They stood there for another few seconds, staring at each other in silence. “I should get going.”
“If you have another minute, I’d love to get your number. I’d like to take you out when you have some free time.”
Another pregnant pause as Andrea’s mind raced. She didn’t even know his name! “I, uh…I don’t usually give out my number. I mean, I don’t even know you.”
“Cam, Cam Holden.” He held out his hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”
She found herself instinctively reaching out to shake his hand, and that’s when she felt a little jolt of electricity travel from her palm to her wrist. She could tell he felt it too, as those gorgeous brown eyes widened.
Cam shook his head as if to clear it. “And your name is?” His voice came out lower. It seemed the spark they’d felt affected more body parts than just his hand.
“Andrea,” she said softly, then a little louder. “Andrea Cole.”
“Andrea Cole,” he said slowly, as if he was tasting the sound of her name on his tongue.
Clearing her throat, she gave a gentle tug, realizing they were still holding hands. He resisted for a moment before letting go.
“Look Andrea, since you don’t feel comfortable giving me your number, let me give you mine.” He reached into his computer bag, pulling out a business card and pen. He took a moment
to write and then handed it over to her. “That’s my personal number on the back. Think about it and give me a call when you feel comfortable. I’d love to take you out and get to know you.”
“I’ll think about it…no promises.” She put the card in her purse and looked back up to see him smiling at her.
“You have really pretty eyes, did you know that?”
“What?” She frowned at him again as he stepped past her chuckling.
Cam departed with one last comment. “Walk safe, pretty eyes.”
Chapter One
Andrea walked into the restaurant and made a beeline for their table. They had a standing lunch date every other Friday. The medium sized café was happy to save a table for them. She sat down as Mika wrapped up her phone conversation and pointed a finger at her.
“You Ms. Cole, are late. You better have a good excuse.”
Andrea took a deep breath and huffed out, “I met a man.” She smirked as Mika’s mouth dropped open.
“You met a man? Well, that is the best excuse ever. Give me the when, what, where and how.”
“Three minutes ago. We had a brief convo that ended with me getting his number. I met him on the sidewalk coming here, while I was emailing on my phone.”
Mika was delayed in responding as the waitress brought over their order. When that was done, she tilted her curly head and fired off the rest of her questions. “Was he cute?”
“Yes…very.”
“Was he at least six inches taller than you?”
Andrea rolled her eyes at one of Mika’s dating rules. “How the heck should I know? I don’t carry a tape measure with me. I’d say he was about 6’1.”
“That works, you’re only 5’6. Does he have a job?”
“I’m 5’6 and a half, get it right. Yes, he has a job per the business card he gave me.” Andrea tossed the card down on the table.
“Good, good.” Mika took a look at the card. “Camden Holden…is he black?”
Andrea snatched the card back. “What difference does it make? I’ve told you I date all races.”
“Wrong.” She pointed her straw at Andrea. “You don’t date anyone.”
“Hey, that’s not true!”
“It is too! You haven’t been on one single date in the last six months.”
“That can’t be right.” They both cut off the conversation as their salads were brought out. Andrea wrinkled her forehead as she thought back to the last date she’d had. It had been…well it had to be…had it really been six months?
As if Mika could read her mind, she answered, “Yes, it’s been six months.”
“What are you, my stalker or something?”
“Heffa please! As if you’re good enough for me to stalk. What I am is your best friend. I remember stuff like your last date, especially since they happen so rarely.”
“Whatever. Eat your damn salad.” They ate quietly for a few minutes, before she glanced up to see Mika staring at her. “What?”
“So, are you going to call him?”
She paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. She’d been in shock as he left her with the compliment about her eyes. No man had ever complimented her on what she thought were plain, dark brown orbs. Those thoughts had carried her to the restaurant, where she was now being interrogated. “I doubt it.”
“Why in the world not?”
“I mean, I met him on the sidewalk.”
“So?”
“So, it was the sidewalk.”
“Now who has snobby dating rules?” Mika grinned at her exasperated friend. “I’d say a sidewalk is technically better than a club where half the folks are drunk. So cross that off your excuse list. Next!”
“Ugh…I don’t really have time…”
“Nope, nope, nope. I refuse to hear that nonsense. You have plenty of time. Besides work and hanging with me, you don’t do much else.”
“Hey! I take offense to that. I have other friends. I do stuff!”
“Mmm-hmm. Sure you do. Even so, you have enough time to give a few hours to a cute, black, employed, tallish man.”
“He was more than tall enough,” Andrea defended.
Mika threw up her hands. “Okay, so what’s your problem?”
“Dating…is so much trouble.”
“You kill me. You act like you entering a two year contract with T-Mobile. It’s just you picking up the phone and going on a date or two with a guy.”
“I don’t know, I’m not sure I should take him seriously.”
“Why, what did he do?”
“He…dropped a line on me. Told me I had pretty eyes.”
Mika just shook her head as their main meal arrived and studied her friend of six years. Andrea was what she considered an “under-estimator” when it came to herself. She was a literal type of person, so she often failed to see anything that wasn’t plainly in front of her. “Why would you think that’s a line? Even if it was, would it be such a bad one? At least he didn’t make a crude remark about your chest or ass. You do have pretty eyes.”
“No, you have pretty eyes, he had pretty eyes, I have plain eyes.”
“Not true, you have dark brown eyes with flicks of visible light brown around your iris, which make your eyes pop. It’s not odd that a man would think them pretty.”
Andrea took a long sip of her water. She’d never noticed that about her eyes. “Still…”
“Still nothing. He sounds like a nice guy, noticing something like that. Sounds like a guy who deserves at least a call.”
Still not convinced, Andrea attacked her burger and fries, making the small salad she’d just eaten pointless. “We’ll see.”
“Call him.”
“I said we’ll see.”
Mika let it go, as she knew Andrea had a stubborn streak that could rival her own. They finished the meal by talking about the work week and the weekend ahead. Thirty-five minutes later they walked out the café together, preparing to walk back to their offices, which were in opposite directions.
“So you gone call him or what?”
“I told you, I’ll see.”
Mika looked at her seriously and reached out to touch her shoulder. “Sorry to be such an ass about this, but honestly I’m worried about you. Six months…not one single date. You are too young to be out of the dating game.”
“I’m older than you remember.”
“By just a year! I don’t consider myself done with dating yet.”
“I know, I know! I told you I’d think about it.” Andrea gave her a brief hug before pulling back. “Can you be satisfied with that and stop clucking like a mother hen? You date enough for both of us.”
“I can share the details of my dating adventures, but the one thing I can’t share, is actual penis. You should look into getting some of that, every once in a while.”
“Shut up!” Andrea laughed and shooed her away.
“I’m just saying!” Mika started walking. “Give him a call! What could it hurt?”
Andrea shook her head and waved goodbye. As she made her way back to the office, she thought on her friendship with Mika. They had meet six years ago, when she was twenty-two in her last year of college at Wayne State, and Mika was twenty-one. They’d both been doing a year long rotational internship at Ernst & Young. They had been sitting in orientation listening to everyone do their introductions. Unsurprisingly they were the only two black women in the group of twelve. A white girl stood up front talking, her skirt tight, smile extra bright and in general, giving off that “dumb blond who will make it far” vibe. They’d suddenly glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.
From that day forward, they had become fast friends. Supporting each other through the micro-aggressions of being young, black, and in an ultra-professional setting. They’d partied together even though they went to different schools. Celebrating all the milestones of their lives, professional and personal. And now, as they both rounded up to thirty, they were still holding tight as friends.
The prob
lem was her friend believed in taking way more chances in her personal life than Andrea did. Truth be told, she’d poured most of her energy into her career at this point. She’d had real relationships over the years. One in high school, one in college, and one after college. That one had lasted a full year, ending when she realized her happily ever after of a marriage proposal would not be happening. That failure had left her really hurt. She could admit, that since then her relationships if they could be called that, had usually lasted three to six months. In the last year or so, it was rare if she got past three dates with a guy.
She didn’t really believe in causal hook-ups either. Sleeping with someone for sex, with no other connection had never appealed to her. Yet lately, she hadn’t found anyone who kept her interest long enough, to where she felt comfortable getting physical with them. That was why Mika’s question wasn’t easy to answer. That instant spark, attraction, whatever you wanted to call it, had been jarring. She had a feeling tangling with Camden Holden could hurt a lot.
Chapter Two
Cam sat at one of his favorite bars waiting on Robert to arrive. He had finished up his work early, not surprising since he hadn’t been able to concentrate for shit. His thoughts wandering often to the beautiful woman he’d met on the street. She had the prettiest brown skin and those pretty dark brown eyes that sparkled with flecks of cinnamon. But it was that smile that she’d only graced him with once which made him feel like he’d won a prize.
It wasn’t unusual for Cam to work outside of his home. As an independent graphic, web, and content designer, he could work from anywhere. When the weather was nice, he often would come downtown and pick an outside spot to work. He was taking advantage of the end of August weather. Since it was Michigan the weather could change on a dime. Even when fall and winter rolled in, he would often come down and pick one of the many small shops to work in. Detroit in the last few years, had increased its co-operative work spaces, so he could take advantage of those as well.
He owned a cheap two-story, four bedroom house right outside of the official down town area. When he’d purchased the house, it had been just shy of being a rundown property, but not so much that he couldn’t move in right away. He and Robert had done most of the basic repairs, then he’d paid a local electrician do some much needed updates to the wiring. With his type of business, the house definitely needed to be brought into the twenty-first century. Being a tech savvy guy, he wanted his home to have all the electronic bells and whistles. He was happy to plant his roots where he’d grown up. He believed in helping black neighborhoods and with the gentrification going on, every black body was needed. At the same time, he loved that downtown had started to thrive, so he liked to spend his time and money here as much as possible.