Running Into You

by Taylor Love

  Robert, who was sitting across from them, also gave her a few speculative looks. She tried to ignore the scrutiny as the day continued. It was great to see how Camden moved within this family setting. He seemed to be well known and well-liked by everyone. The kids and young adults seemed to gravitate towards him and value his opinion. At the same time, he didn’t seem bothered that they wanted some of his attention. He gladly gave it, though this didn’t really surprise her, as she knew how patient he could be.

  After dinner and some conversation, the men took the kids into the living room and a video game tournament ensued. That’s when the women headed back to the kitchen and sat around the center island, drinking a variety of wines and having a second helping of dessert. An hour after that, all six men walked through the kitchen dressed for the outdoors. Camden walked up to her, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead, as if it was something he did all the time, which it was…but only in private.

  “We going outside for a bit.” He threw a look over his shoulder at her. “I won’t be long. Then we can head out.”

  “Take your time. I’m in no rush.” She gave him a smile and a shrug.

  The men collected her liquor contribution from the counter, along with some insulated mugs, and headed through the house to Robert’s back deck. Once their footsteps receded, she felt all eyes on her.

  She found herself laughing and shaking her head. “No one say nothing!”

  “As much as I hate to say this…and trust me, I do.” Brihanna took a big gulp of wine. “Mom and Aunt Dolores were totally right.”

  The men spread out around the back patio. While there was no snow on the ground this year, it was still cold with temperatures in the mid-thirties. This was normal, as the temperature dropped quickly in the evening, and it was already closing in on six thirty. The back lights were set to turn on come dusk, so they had plenty of light.

  Devon, better known as “Dev” was looking at the bottle of liquor. “Man, your lady got taste and money. She got us the LVHM brand.”

  “Stop caressing the thing and open it, before my balls freeze off,” Darrell grumbled.

  “You got circulation problems? What you not getting no action lately? Gotta keep the blood flowing!” Edward baited his youngest brother as Dev passed around the bottle.

  “Hell nawl! The chick I was talking to for the last couple of months wanted to talk about her relationship goals.” Darrell shook his head disgustedly. “She was expecting a ring at the six-month mark. As you can guess, we were not on the same page, so that was that. I’ve been getting zero action for the last month.”

  “Man, it’s rough…two months for me,” Cam mumbled, unfortunately not low enough.

  “What was that I heard?” Robert loudly asked, getting everyone’s attention. “Cam, did you say it’s been two months for you? You finally ready to share with the class or not?” Robert was looking forward to finally getting some real information on what exactly was going on with those two.

  Cam gave him a dirty look and downed his shot of Henny to stall for time, but apparently, they had no plans to give him any, as he heard Thomas say, “Wait a minute. You bringing that fine woman to holiday dinners but not getting none? What madness is this?”

  Cam scowled at him too, then snatched the bottle from the person to his left and poured more into his cup. “She…we’re taking it slow.” There was no way he was telling them that they’d slept together, before she’d called a halt. There would be a litany of unflattering jokes at his expense. He wasn’t sure they would ever let him live it down.

  They all looked at him before busting out laughing, though Robert just stared at him.

  “You had it right the first time, brother. She taking it slow. You know you want a piece of that.” Dev threw the comment at him and the laughter increased.

  “Of course I do, but if she wants to wait, we’ll wait. She’s worth it.”

  That cut the laughter off abruptly, as all the men looked at each other. Thomas glanced at Robert before clearing his throat. “Do you know what you getting yourself into?”

  “It’s not that big of a deal. I’ve gone longer, when I’ve been in-between girlfriends.”

  “Key word there is ‘in-between’. You got a woman now. You can’t tell me that’s not hard?” Dev questioned.

  “Yeah, especially when you spend all your time with her.” Robert said, taking a slow sip of the fine cognac. If Cam kept knocking back a brand this expensive so fast, he wouldn’t be able to drive. His overdrinking was a sign to Robert that this subject bothered him more than he was willing to admit.

  “It can be hard sometimes, but it’s not killing me. I’ll survive.”

  “Hell, lack of sex is already affecting your cognitive ability!” Darrell shot out. “There is no way I could constantly be around that woman and know that I’m not getting those legs wrapped around me. Shit would drive me crazy!”

  Edward, smacked Darrel in the arm. “Hey, watch your mouth.” Darrell had never been in a serious relationship yet. He didn’t realize how close he was to an ass-whoopin, if the tightening of Cam’s mouth and fist was any indication.

  “What we do is working for us,” Cam said tightly.

  “And that’s all that matters,” Edward soothed. “As the only one with a wife –”

  Thomas cut in. “You’re not the only one who had a wife.”

  “My bad. As the only one who got a wife and kept her…it only matters what works for you two. Every relationship is different. She seems like a fine lady.”

  “Yeah, real fine,” Darrell mumbled, then louder to Cam, “Man, look if you need pointers, there’s no shame coming to me. I’d be happy to help you out.”

  Cam took a sip of drink instead of a gulp this time, then smiled. “If I wanted advice, I’d go to Dev’s ass way before you.”

  Dev reached over and gave him some dap.

  “Devon? Man, are you crazy? I taught him everything he knows. Sadly, he sucked as a pupil!” Robert made the dig, and just like that the tension was broken.

  The men went on to laugh and talk for another half an hour, almost finishing the big bottle of Hennessey, until they heard a knock on the patio glass door.

  Andrea opened the door and peeked out. When she noticed how little was left in the bottle, she shook her head, then smiled around at the group of men. “I see my gift was appreciated at least. Camden, Johanna wanted me to see what you wanted on your to-go plate?”

  Cam stood up quickly and the alcohol hit him. “Let me go in before she piles everything on my plate. Robert, your mom acts like I’m a starving kitten.”

  “That means she likes you.”

  “Also…” Andrea aimed her comment at the other men as she watched Camden stumble towards her. “Dolores said, and I’m quoting, ‘Tell the rest of them to get in this house before they catch their death’.”

  The rest of the men stood up with a little grumbling, but it was clear none of them had any intention of defying the order.

  Robert caught up to Cam and Andrea then said to her, “I think you’ll need to drive home to be on the safe side.”

  Cam looked at Robert. “I’ll be all right.”

  Robert continued to look at Andrea. “Don’t forget what city you in. You should drive.”

  “Not a problem. I don’t mind. I stopped drinking when ya’ll went outside with that bottle.”

  “Good. You got to take care of our boy.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Saturday night after Thanksgiving found Andrea laying on her couch reading a book when her cell phone rang. She saw who it was and enthusiastically picked up. She needed to talk.

  “Hey! I’m glad you called and made it back safe. How’s your family?” Mika’s family did a mini-retreat for Thanksgiving each year.

  “It was good! Nobody got on my nerves this time, and the drive was good too. My cousins are my cousins. The parents are all doing well of course. Enough about me, though. I called you so I could detox from my family visit
, not relive it. Did you go to the spa or just relax?”

  “I did get a massage on Friday. I actually spent Thanksgiving with Camden.”

  “Say what now?”

  “Before you start, I honestly…mostly…forgot about it. You know how work is crazy right before a holiday.”

  Mika cut her off. “Yeah, yeah. Skip the excuses and tell me how this came about. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were meeting his family.”

  “That’s because I really didn’t.”

  Mika rubbed her temples and tried to keep her annoyance to a minimum. “Andrea, you know I love you right…but I will punch you like I did my one cousin two Thanksgivings ago, if you don’t start speaking in complete sentences.”

  “You would try.” When her friend just remained silent on the phone, Andrea sighed. “Sorry okay. He’s not close to the family he has here, but he asked me to go over his best friend’s house for the holiday.”

  “Now we getting somewhere. So, you finally met the best friend! How did that go?”

  “Robert? It went okay. He was a little chilly, in my opinion. He didn’t grill me like you did Camden at least. He left that for his mom, aunt, and sister to do.”

  “Oh, ignore the friend. Men act real sensitive when they think they’re losing a friend to a woman. More importantly, you got the concerned ‘women of the family’ treatment. Things must be getting serious.”

  “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

  “Who besides me is saying it?”

  “All the women in Robert’s family. They seem to think Camden was treating me differently, more seriously than anyone else they’d met.”

  “Hmm, well they know him better than you, unless they were just trying to be nice.”

  “They are a very outspoken and genuine family. I liked them a lot actually. I think they were just telling the truth as they saw it. They just got it wrong is all.”

  “What did Cam have to say about it?”

  “Nothing! I didn’t mention what they said to him.”

  “Why not? Never mind…so did you spend the rest of the holiday break with him too?”

  “No, he was called in at the last moment on an important project out of town. I’ve talked to him since Thursday, but he’s been preparing and trying to get up to speed with the little information they sent him. He leaves tomorrow. He said the company is putting him up at the downtown Hilton in Los Angeles. I told him at least they got him really good digs.”

  “How long is he going to be gone for?”

  “He said a full week.”

  Mika heard the displeasure in her friend’s voice over the phone and smiled ruefully. “That man is so gone on you. If Thanksgiving wasn’t a clue, this sure is. He wants to make sure his boo-baby knows where he’s at!”

  “None of that means much.”

  “If you don’t stop saying ridiculous things to me. I know you are not that clueless, cause I wouldn’t be friends with someone who is. Don’t no man who don’t like you give you his hotel info while he’s on a business trip if he doesn’t care for you.”

  “I guess you right, he did make a point to tell me all of it in advance.”

  “Of course I’m right. Are you finally giving him some again?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “What exactly are you waiting on? He treats you right and seems to want a serious relationship with you.”

  “I know, I know. He really is great. We get close sometimes, but it never seems to happen.” Andrea thought again about how sexually distant he’d been lately.

  “Andrea, you betta make it happen. You trust me to give you the truth right? So, I’m going to give it to you. You got a good man who happens to be fine as well. Who is A-Okay that you slowed things down. He’s what most black women would outright cut you over. He’s also the type, successful white women would feel okay taking home to daddy. Now, it’s clear that he likes you for you. Isn’t in it, to hit it and quit it, but even the most patient man has limits. You know women seem to be able to smell when a man has a woman. You’re making it easier for fine upstanding Cam to be tempted, is all I’m saying.”

  Andrea actually sucked her teeth at Mika’s tirade. “You finished?”

  “Yeah…no I’m not. Let me put it plainly, stop teasing that man!”

  “I’m not being a tease! I resent that. I’ve been honest and upfront with him. He can walk away if he doesn’t like it.”

  “Okay.” Mika softened her voice. “I take it back. You’re not teasing him. But you are torturing yourself. You need to trust him…no better yet, trust yourself to be with him.”

  It was Andrea’s turn to get quiet on the phone. Finally, she said, “I’m trying…I really am.”

  * * *

  Cam had left for L.A. the Sunday after Thanksgiving. He was semi pissed that the one week trip had turned into two. He’d called Andrea to let her know his time would be extended, and her voice had sounded just as disappointed as he felt. Cam was missing Andrea, and was man enough to admit it. He’d gotten accustomed to seeing her on a regular basis. He was busy getting as much information as he could for this rush project, so that excessive stays like this wouldn’t be needed again.

  Because he was so busy, they barely spoke. Their conversations were limited to a few minutes at a time, and they tried to fill in the gaps with a few emails and texts. He was finding it wasn’t the same as seeing her or touching her. Halfway through the second week, he was itching to get back, and that was a departure from the norm. In the past he hadn’t minded some travel here and there. After all, it was on the company’s dime and he usually found time to chill and explore a little before he left. Once in a while, when exploring he had found an interesting woman to help the hours go by. Some he’d even kept in touch with for a while.

  Now, there was only one woman he wanted to get back to, just to see her face. He had to wonder if she thought about him, half as much as he did her. Oh, he knew she was feeling him, as they always had a great time together. It was easy between them. They were in sync most of the time. She wasn’t “easy” like those women who never had their own opinion, who never argued, and were so thirsty for a man they agreed to pretty much everything.

  No, she was easy in the sense that she didn’t argue just to argue, but she made her thoughts and ideas known. She could be shy or serious at times, yet always had a genuine laugh at his teasing and jokes, even when they happened to be corny. She had a quiet confidence to her that showed in how she carried herself, yet she could be silly and have fun when she was given the chance to. Cam sighed and got back to work. If he wasn’t careful, he’d spend all day thinking about her.

  Andrea had thought a lot about Mika’s words in the almost two weeks that Camden had been gone. Now, as she lay in bed on Wednesday night, she realized the time he’d been away had made a few things clear to her. First, she was way too comfortable with him being a part of her life. She was missing him like crazy! She was just realizing how often they touched base in some form. More importantly, she was wondering why she was holding their relationship back from moving forward.

  They had been talking technically a week after their first meeting, so since the first week of September…almost four months. Even though they hadn’t had the “exclusivity” talk yet, as far as she could tell, they were a couple that spent every spare moment together. Camden was doing everything right, and had been from the very start. Damn, but Mika was right! He was a catch inside and outside the bedroom. Hell, for what he could do between the sheets alone…women would run her over, for pipe laid like that.

  While she’d enjoyed sex without being one of those women who were obsessed with it, she now understood why some might be. Why was she denying herself mind blowing sex? She didn’t know how long this thing with Camden would last, so why wasn’t she enjoying the physical parts like she enjoyed everything else he offered her? More importantly, why was she denying him? If ever there was a man deserving of the cookie, it was him.

  Righ
t then, she made up her mind that the next time they were alone, she would take their fooling around right to the bedroom. She was excited that she’d made her decision, and wished she could see him now! To bad he was on the other side of the country. An idea took hold, and she sat up in bed pondering it more. Did she have the nerve? She couldn’t sleep anyway. Looking at the clock, it was about nine-thirty his time, so she figured it was now or never. She spent a few minutes getting into her costume, so to speak, before picking up her cell phone and hitting his number. He picked up on the fourth ring.

  “Hey! This is a pleasant surprise.”

  “Is this a bad time? Am I calling too late?”

  “Never a bad time for you baby. You good. I finished up work for the night a little while ago and just got out the shower, so perfect timing. Though now that I think of it, this is late for you to be up on a Wednesday night. Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is fine…well not really. I couldn’t sleep. I missed you today at lunch.”

  “Aww baby, I missed you too. I’ll be home this Friday afternoon. I can’t wait to see you.”

  “Me either.” After a pause, she asked, “What you wearing?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me, you said you just got out the shower. What do you got on?”

  Cam literally took the phone from his ear and looked at it. Was he losing his Andrea-starved mind? “Clue me in. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, since you won’t tell me what you wearing. I’m trying to have phone sex with you, but you making this difficult.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cam’s brain froze for a minute as he tried to digest her words. Luckily, his dick didn’t seem to have that problem, as it twitched to attention. Once he got his mouth closed, and could form words, he said, “Baby, say no more! Let’s FaceTime so we can do this right.”