by Kori Hart
My Valentine
An Insta-Love Romance
Kori Hart
My Valentine Copyright © 2020 by Kori Hart. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Cover designed by Kori Hart
Editing by EmCat Designs
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Kori Hart
Visit my website at www.korihart.com
Need more Insta-Love? Sign up for my newsletter!
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: Feb 2020
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Epilogue
About the Author
Chapter 1
Hannah
It was another Saturday night, and I was sitting at my desk with my nose in the book studying. It felt like this was all I did. I knew it would all be over soon. Graduation wasn’t that far away. All I had to do was make it through a few more weeks and I'd be done with my Master's program. I had no idea that marketing could be so complicated. It wasn't hard; it was just a lot of information to take in and a lot to remember.
All the reports. How to do things to get better results. There was so much to remember and a lot to soak in. With my final paper due, I knew I had to get everything right if I wanted to graduate.
I don't know why I thought getting a Master’s degree was a good idea, but here I was. There was a promotion coming up at work and I wanted it. Some would say I needed it. I would get out of this neighborhood and find a condo downtown. There was nothing wrong with where I lived. The house was cute, yet small. The closet didn't hold all of my clothes, but then again nobody needs as many outfits as I do. Or as many shoes.
The area was for people like me. Professionals that commuted to downtown and families just getting started. I was looking for more. I wanted the shops, entertainment, nightlife. I wanted to meet people. I wanted to find somebody. But that was a whole other story. I didn't have time for a love life with all the schooling I was going through.
I turned the page in my textbook and read. I highlighted a section I knew I'd want to remember later. I kept reading, absorbing all I could for my report.
Boom boom boom.
The bass of my neighbor’s music was so loud, I could feel the vibrations. We didn’t live that far apart, and I knew it was Saturday but come on. Nobody needed music that loud.
I tried to ignore it. I tried putting in headphones. I turned up the volume in a desperate attempt at drowning it out the best I could. And yet it seemed like it just kept getting louder. I changed my music to something more upbeat. But it wasn’t doing anything against him.
I closed my eyes and tried to push away all the negative energy I felt. I would get through this chapter. My plan was to write more on my report the following day so I would not let some stupid music from my neighbor interrupt my plans.
After ten minutes of trying to concentrate, I took my headphones off. I got up from my desk and went into the kitchen. As I stood at the sink drinking a glass of water, I looked out the window. It appeared as if my neighbor was having some sort of party. There were cars lining the street outside of his home and I sighed. I didn’t want to be a party pooper, but I had work to do.
I made my way back to my desk and sighed as I slumped down in my seat. I had no idea what I was going to do because I couldn’t seem to concentrate with the music basically thumping through the floor. I thought about calling it quits and trying to watch a movie. I could get a fresh start the following morning and hopefully not be too far behind.
I took one last look at my laptop and decided to give it one more try. After twenty minutes, I knew there was no use. I would have to go over and talk to him.
I grabbed an oversized sweatshirt to throw on over my ratty t-shirt. My shorts were barely visible, but I didn’t care. I grabbed my keys out of the kitchen and slid into some flip-flops. This isn’t usually something I wore out in public. Desperate times mean that I don’t really care. It wasn’t like I was on my way to meet the love of my life or see my advisor. I didn’t care what my neighbor thought.
I opened my front door and realized it was raining. Oh great, I thought. I was going to be soaked to the bone before I even reached his doorstep. Reminding myself that I didn’t care what he thought, I closed the door and took off down my steps. I ran across my lawn, the small patch between us and then his grass.
The music was much louder now that I was closer to the source. I stared at the door for a second before I took a deep breath and knocked. I wondered how anyone inside was even enjoying themselves with it so loud. I glanced around at the neighborhood. It didn’t seem like anyone else minded. If they did, they weren’t saying anything or standing on their porch glaring at the homeowner.
I didn’t know what to expect. A naked girl to answer the door? I interrupted her romp to loud music. Or maybe a guy stoned out of his mind thinking I was there to bring him another pizza. I took a step back from the door as all these images flashed through my mind.
When the door finally opened, I was taken aback by what I saw. I didn’t realize how muscular he was or that his short hair was nearly shaved completely. There was a little fuzz on top of his head and I found myself wanting to touch it. His eyes were kind, a shade of brown that I couldn’t place. And then his lips. They were the most kissable lips I had ever seen.
I cleared my throat and my mind. He was standing there in a pair of gray sweatpants that hugged him in all the right places and a fitted white t-shirt. His arms were covered in tattoos and I bit my lower lip.
He was looking at me, a smirk on his lips. There was a toothpick jetting out of the corner of his mouth and I forced myself to look back at his eyes. I lost my breath for a second and knew I had to get it together. I was standing there looking like a drowned rat on his doorstep and he, well he was looking like nothing I had ever seen before. Every time we crossed paths, he was in coveralls coming from work.
He was absolutely gorgeous, when not covered in grease.
“Hey,” he greeted, finally breaking the silence.
“Hey,” I replied. “I live next door…”
“I know. I’ve seen you around,” he commented. “What can I do for you?”
I studied him for a moment. I didn’t know how he would react when I asked him to turn down his music. I couldn’t see past him enough to know if there were many people inside but who knew what might happen when I started to complain.
“I was hoping you could turn down your music. I’m trying to study and can’t concentrate with the bass practically rattling my whole desk,” I explained.
“Oh.”
His response confused me. Was he expecting me to be on his doorstep for another reason?
“Yeah.” I had to say something or else my mind was going to start going a million miles per hour and who knew what I would say then.
“I hate to be a party pooper,” I added.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose I could turn it down some. I didn’t realize it was so loud.”
I bit my tongue and held back all the snarky remarks that came to mind. The bass was rattling my house; it was obviously doing something at his.
“I would appreciate it,”
I said honestly. I took a step back, feeling like we were finished. Besides, yelling over his music wasn’t much fun.
“Why are you studying on a Saturday night?” he asked.
“Because I’m a few weeks away from graduating. The paper I’m working on is really important.” I looked at him and felt my blood pressure rise a bit. I doubt this guy ever took a college class so he wouldn’t know a damn thing about what I was talking about.
“Well, if you get done early and want to let loose, relax… stop by. You’re more than welcome to join in,” he said with a smirk that had my stomach flopping back and forth.
“Thanks, but I still have a lot of work to do.” I pasted a smile on my face.
He shrugged his shoulders and gave me a smile. “I’m Raoul by the way.”
“Hannah,” I replied, taking a step back.
The rain was coming down on me now. I hoped that he would at least turn down his music, but I didn’t say another word about it. I turned on my heels, ran back to my place and onto my porch. As I unlocked my door, I glanced over and he was still standing there watching me with the same smile on his face.
Chapter 2
One month later - Valentine’s Day
Hannah
I survived my finals and graduated early. I also survived the holidays with my family. This year, my parents decided everyone deserved a break. They booked a cruise to the Caribbean so we could enjoy some 80-degree weather and sing Christmas carols without having to pick up a thing. It was strange being in a bikini on a day that always made me think of the cold, but it was a good time.
Now that I had my degree, I was waiting to hear on whether I landed the promotion. In the meantime, I signed up for a charity event. It was to help and to get me out of the house. I felt like I had been cooped up for months because of all of my school work.
The charity built ramps at the homes of kids that used wheelchairs or had mobility issues. It was a good cause, and it gave me a reason to turn down dates from random weirdos. The event was on Valentine’s Day. They warned it would be a blind date of sorts. At first, I was worried but then decided that those that gave to charity couldn’t be all that bad.
February 14th finally arrived, and I stood in front of my mirror. I looked from side to side, trying to decide if this was the outfit I was going to wear or not. I wanted to present myself as an accomplished woman since I had a good job, a house of my own and a Master’s degree. But I also wanted to show that I was fun, easygoing and liked to have a good time. A good time meant a lot of things and I was open to whatever interpretation a suitable guy wanted.
I worried I would come off a little sleazy but decided that my black dress was more classy. It would hopefully get me a second date, outside of whatever this event was counted out as.
After putting on a pair of matching shoes, I went to worry on my hair and makeup. I wasn’t sure what to do with my light brown hair. Up or down, that was always the dilemma. It was pretty straight and fell just past my shoulders. I put a few curls in it before brushing it out so there were some waves. I didn’t think I needed much else.
My makeup on the other hand. I spent more time making sure I looked as good as possible. There was no way I would find the love of my life at this event, but I wasn’t going to roll in there looking like I didn’t care.
I glanced at the time and realized my cab was going to be there any minute. I applied a little more mascara before I got up, collected my things and went to the front door.
It was still a bit chilly out so I stayed inside until I saw a yellow vehicle pull up in front of my house. I know some would probably laugh that I wasn’t driving, but I was the type that would rather be safe than sorry. I had no idea how much I was going to drink, especially since I knew it was going to be an open bar.
I got into the car and told the driver where to go. He pulled away from the curb and headed in the right direction. I took in his appearance. He seemed like a nice older man. If I had to guess, he was retired and doing this to get out of the house. I was about to ask him how long he’d be driving a cab, but he turned up the radio. Soft jazz filtered out of the speakers and I leaned back in my seat. It was probably best if I didn’t ask questions and just enjoyed the view.
As we drove past my neighbor’s house, I noticed it was unusually quiet especially for a Saturday. I wondered if he was out of town or if he planned on having a party later. Then again, for all I knew, one of his many girlfriends wanted him to spend the holiday with them.
I shuddered at the thought.
I didn’t want to think about him with a bunch of others. Not that I saw a lot of them going into his place, but there were people coming and going all the time. I just assumed they were girls.
I shuddered. I didn't want to think about him with a bunch of other girls.
I tried my best to push him out of my mind the closer I got to the venue. I was determined to have a good time even if all the guys there were duds.
“Keep a positive attitude,” I whispered to myself, seeing the bar hosting the event come into view. My mini pep talk lifted my spirits. For all I knew, I might meet the man of my dreams. The idea made me laugh, and the driver glanced at his rearview mirror. I didn’t bother to explain.
After paying my fare, I walked to the front door and noticed several others arriving. Some were in khaki pants and a polo shirt. Others were dressed as if they were going to prom. Girls in formal gowns, guys in tuxedos. Any excuse to get dressed up, I assumed.
I made my way inside and went straight to the bar. Everything was on the house and I had plans of having my fair share. It was the whole reason why I took a cab.
Just as I was handed my martini, a woman’s face came over a speaker. I took a sip and glanced towards her on the other side of the room.
“Thank you so much for coming and supporting the Hope Foundation. My name is Beverly and I’ll be your MC tonight. Don’t worry, I won’t be talking long. This year, we’re going to do things a little different. There’s two bowls on the table,” she said, motioning towards the table beside her. “The men have one bowl and the women have another. Inside is a slip of paper cut into a heart. Each one has a number on it. Find the other person who has the same number and they’re your Valentine for the evening.”
There were some grumbles from those that wanted to circle around to the different singles. I suspected that the open bar was playing in their favor and they wanted to take home the girl who seemed to check off most of the boxes.
I found the whole thing a bit interesting and waited for a group to go pick numbers before I walked over. As I walked away, I unfolded my red heart to see a large, bold number 4 on the back. I glanced up and surveyed those around me. Guys and girls were standing around holding their numbers out so they could get matched up easier.
All the numbers were too high, so I stepped out of the way and took another sip from my glass. I was watching others pull their numbers, and some were immediately finding their match. I looked back down at my paper and when I looked up; I thought I saw a piece of red paper that had a black four on it.
I looked again.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
Raoul stood before me, holding his piece of paper out. The smirk on his face made my heart flutter, but I was going to ignore it. The man was extremely good-looking but there was no way in hell he was my valentine.
“Looks like we’re a match.” There was amusement in his voice and my mouth dropped open to say something but no words came out.
I lifted my glass and drank the rest of my martini in one go. If I was going to be stuck with this guy for the rest of the evening, I would have to make the most of it.
Chapter 3
Hannah
I couldn’t believe my luck. The chances of me running into him were slim to none. What was he doing here? I figured that a charity event wasn’t up his alley.
I looked at him again and took in his outfit. I was surprised to see that he knew how to dress up. It wasn’t anythin
g fancy but the dark blue jeans he was wearing clung to him in ways I wanted to cling to him. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a leather jacket. I was doing my best not to stare and daydream about what was underneath his t-shirt. He looked like he walked off of a magazine shoot.
My eyes finally made it back up to his, and he gave me an amused smirk. I was caught. He knew I was checking him out and there was no way I could hide from it.
“So,” he asked. “Should we find a table?”
I looked around and the other pairings were mingling about. Some were sitting down at the tables. Some hovered near the bar and some were standing near the window looking out. I studied them for a minute and wondered what was going on outside that was so interesting. I think they were avoiding their partner. Maybe I lucked out after all.
“I suppose that's a good idea,” I replied after I looked to Raoul. “We might as well get comfortable if we’re going to be stuck together for the next few hours.”
“Stuck?” he asked. “Is that what this is?”
I shrugged again. I didn't know how to answer him. He didn't seem to be as annoyed with this predicament as I was. Maybe I was more annoyed than I should be. But this guy, he drove me nuts. I don't mean the good kind of nuts. I mean the absolutely drive me insane, make me want to pull out my hair kind of nuts.
“Let’s just sit down,” I suggested.
Raoul nodded his head and then glanced around. There was an empty table on the other side of the room. It was kind of off by itself and seemed somewhat secluded. My luck was getting better and better. He pointed it out, and I reluctantly nodded my head. I waited for him to take the first step.
He began to walk in that direction and I followed behind. I looked at the others at the tables as we made our way passed them by. Some of them looked really happy with their matches. Others didn't look pleased at all. I didn’t blame them. Some of these guys were real lemons. I guess I lucked out in the looks department. It was the personality part that was questionable.