I found a small, one–bedroom apartment on the south side of the city just blocks from East Carson Street. Carson Street was filled with all kinds of businesses; from small shops, store front cafés like Sara’s, and tattoo shops, to clubs and bars. It was a great place to be able to enjoy some of what this city had to offer without leaving your neighborhood.
Despite the nightmares, for the first time in my life, I was happy. I didn’t have a lot of money. I shopped in the thrift stores all the time, and I had no car, but I felt fulfilled. I hadn’t stopped smiling since I left New Brunswick, and to be honest, I had no regrets. Sometimes I think maybe something is wrong with me, that I should feel something, guilt for leaving my family maybe, but my family could care less about me.
I did send a postcard to my mom from Alabama, where I stayed for every bit of two weeks, but who knows if it ever got to her. That was five years ago, and I haven’t sent another since. Once I was freed, I was determined to never look back at who I used to be. Kenya Frost no longer existed, and I didn’t want her to be found.
Like ever.
I had a new life now. I had a new identity and a fresh chance on a new life, and by God, I was taking it. I needed to, for once in my life, think of myself. Living free was what I needed. I wanted to dwell in the peace I’d found, and maybe one day I’d be able to really let go of my fears and truly live.
Sara’s had been busy ever since I came in that morning, and I finally finished with the last of the rush. I was about to head to the back when I heard the bell above the door signal another customer. The moment I turned back around, I froze. As a matter of fact, it seems every female in the place froze right along with me.
Melanie, Sara’s daughter–in–law, nudged me, and all I could do was nod and smile. He smiled back, and his eyes never left mine as he approached the counter.
“Are you following me?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood or divert the fact that I couldn’t move my eyes from his.
His smile broadened. “What would you do if I say yes?”
I frowned and started to feel weird. It would be just my luck to find a stalker who is sexy as hell.
Suddenly, Stephen burst out from the kitchen. “Hey, man! Long time no see. Josh, right? How have you been? I haven’t seen you here in a while,” Stephen spoke to my perceived stalker as he shook his hand.
“I’m good, man. I’ve just been taking a break from the sweets.” My stalker then smiled. However, I didn’t see his dimples.
Strange.
“Are you getting the hang of the city? See any of the sights yet?” Stephen asked, raising his eyebrows at him.
“Not yet,” he replied and looked at me. “But I’m hoping to change that soon.”
I blushed.
That was all I could do.
Oblivious, Stephen just laughed. “Well, if you keep hanging out with that crazy group of yours, you’ll be running this town in no time, Josh.”
Josh. I repeated his name in my head and sighed. So now I have a name with the face that will undoubtedly stick with me forever. I didn’t realize that Stephen was gone and that the attention was back on me as I kept staring at Josh.
Josh tilted his head to the side and asked, “How is your knee?”
I felt Melanie nudge me, and I jumped slightly.
“Uh, my what?” I muttered.
“Your knee. I noticed you favoring it as you left the track.”
“Oh, my knee. Um, it’s fine. Thanks.”
We stared at each other for a moment longer when I felt another nudge.
I blinked. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
I’m so embarrassed.
“What can I get you?”
He looked down at our display case, and said, “As I recall, everything is made fresh here, correct?”
“Yes, it is,” I replied, glad for the focus to be on something other than me.
“So, what have you made here that I can try?” he asked and then looked back at me.
“She made the blueberry muffins today,” Melanie said before I could and then smiled at me.
“Really? Then let me have a large coffee and a blueberry muffin…” He paused as his eyes wandered to my chest and studied my nametag. “…Summer.”
Can I just say that the way he just said my name made goose bumps flood my body?
Blushing, I moved to get the items he asked for and rang him up. I handed him his change and his muffin as I said, “I hope you enjoy the muffin.”
His mouth curled into a half smile. “I’m sure I will.”
Then he winked and left. I swear when he passed through the door, every female in the place exhaled.
Me? I went quickly in the back, straight to the restroom to splash myself with cold water and… check my panties.
Joshua
As he got in his car, he shook his head and looked back at the cafe. What were the odds he would see her again?
Earlier when she left the track, Josh watched her walk, or limp, hurriedly away from him, making her hips and ass sway in a way that made his member twitch. He could still smell the coconut and vanilla scent that raided his senses the moment he got close to her.
He woke up about three hours ago with heavy shit on his mind and needed to unwind. There was a gym in his building that he typically used, but for some reason he wasn’t feeling it. So he drove around the city and ended up going over a bridge that brought him on the south side of the city. He saw a school to his right, and he turned that way, hoping that the school also meant that there was a track. A stadium came into view next to the school, and he thought, Even better. When he pulled up, he noticed the gate to the stadium was open. He parked and headed inside.
He needed this run; it’s when he did his best thinking.
As he entered the stadium, he saw her for the first time. She moved past him full speed and was completely oblivious of him being there, but he definitely noticed her. Her stride was beautiful to watch. She wasn’t extremely tall and her legs were beautifully shaped. The muscle in her legs contracted and tightened, showing the strength she had in them. A woman with sexy ass legs turned him on completely.
He could tell by the way she ripped around the track that her need to run was the same as his. It wasn’t for sport or the love of it, even though he actually did love to run. But at this moment, there was a purpose to his early morning run, and the look of focus on her face told him there was one to hers too.
As she came around again, she glanced his way for just a moment, and in a blink of an eye, she was lying on the track flat on her back.
“Oh shit,” he said aloud as he moved quickly to her side.
Thinking back to what happened, Josh could barely remember what he did to help her. Everything was a complete blur. All he remembered was rushing to her, bending down to speak to her with every intention of looking at her wrist until their eyes met. Shit, she was stunning. He instantly became entangled by her beauty, especially her eyes. She had big brown eyes that made her seem so innocent. The urge to protect her suddenly incapacitated him.
He remembered trying his best to concentrate on her wrist. She didn’t break anything, and he did tell her that, but his focus was more on the way her skin felt under his touch, the closeness of her body to his, and the strength he had to summon to prevent him from giving in to the urge to possess her completely. Fuck, he wanted to kiss her, to desperately claim her, and it confused the shit out of him.
What the fuck is wrong with me? he thought to himself.
This wasn’t something that he was used to. He didn’t know this woman from Adam, and he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her into complete submission. Her lips were lustful and soft looking. They seemed extremely kissable, and he instantly thought, What if he sucked on her bottom lip? What sound would she make?
Damn, she was sexy. And what made her even sexier to him was that she didn’t have a clue how sexy she was. She was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on at about five feet, six inches max with short loose–curled reddish, brown hair and eyes that could make him confess all his sins. He was enthralled by her. Her complexion was a flawless caramel color that made her glow when the sun shone on her. And he kept going back to her lips.
When she smiled and blushed… Holy hell, he thought he’d come on himself. He’d never reacted to any woman this way, and it was fucking with his mind. He’d had his fair share of models and model–type women, but this one made every woman he thought was a dime, worthless.
What he needed to do was dismiss the feelings he was having. He didn’t have time for this. He had too much going on in his life right now. But as he traveled on the streets of downtown, he admitted to himself that if he was ever given another opportunity with Summer, he would take it…
Chapter 2
Joshua
Josh was glued to his screen as he took in yet another spreadsheet of data. His eyes were starting to cross but he had to keep looking. He’d been at this for a few weeks now and if he didn’t find something soon, time was going to run out on them.
“Josh, if you don’t give me some kind of hint at what you’re looking for, I won’t know what you need,” Paula said.
“I’ll just know it when I see it, Paula. If the company has some shady dealings or insider trading, it will be in the investments we’ve made for our clients. There has to be something there in order for the Feds to want to investigate us.”