Kissing Her Crush

by Ophelia London

  “No.”

  “Well, then.” With that out of the way, he was unsure what to do next. Although he knew what he wanted to do. No interns around, no security camera. His boss would never know; the NIH would never know.

  “So,” she took a step toward him. “You, me, chocolate. Will you take the dare?”

  “Natalie…” He’d meant to continue the sentence with something about working together and ethics and promises and the fact that it was five a.m. and they were both sleep deprived, and a long string of other reasons why she shouldn’t tempt him.

  But he couldn’t remember any of it when she dipped her gloved index finger in the gooey chocolate. Instead of touching it to her lips as the dare, she dabbed it down the side of her neck.

  “What about now?”

  His goggles knocked into hers as he lunged forward, taking her in his arms, then planting his mouth over the trail of sweetness on her neck.

  “This is your fault,” he said against her skin.

  “I know. Over there,” he heard her pant, but didn’t know what she meant and could only concentrate on her skin, kissing her clean, taking the dare. Her fingers gripped his shoulders and she pushed their connected bodies away from the counter and to the other side of the lab. “We can’t contaminate the good samples,” she added, flipping off his goggles then removing her own, along with her gloves.

  Luke tore his gloves off with his teeth, then went straight for her lips. “What’s in your mouth?”

  Natalie smiled up at him, chocolate rimming her lips. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue to show a tiny brown square on the tip. “Another trick to get you to try it.”

  He felt a groan rumble in his chest as he cupped the back of her head and pulled her in. She tasted delicious, every inch of her mouth. When they broke for air, she popped in another piece, richer than the first.

  “Your turn.”

  Ignoring what all the health books say, Luke allowed her to place a square of chocolate on his tongue.

  “Let it sit,” she said. But it was damn hard for him to stay still, hard for him to not be kissing her, relishing in the sweet frenzy she’d started. Then, the chocolate began to coat his tongue and the roof of his mouth.

  She must’ve noticed something in his expression because she smiled. “Nice, huh?”

  “What is it?”

  “My own recipe from deep in the Amazon. You like?”

  He could only laugh, then pulled her to his chest. “Will you and I being here like this mess with your research? Shouldn’t this be a sterile environment?”

  “All we’re doing is sampling products,” she said, lifting onto her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck. She held a square of chocolate between her teeth. “That’s why I moved us over here. Safe zone.”

  The chocolate was gone in an instant, but Luke couldn’t tell into whose mouth.

  He’d also called the lab a “safe zone.” He thought they’d have control over themselves here—business only. And he had for a time, until he’d let Natalie tempt him out of his head.

  “Not dating, no sex,” she said, plucking at a button of his lab coat. “I could never really be with someone who doesn’t love Hershey.” He was about to reply but was derailed when she pressed her mouth to his neck, her soft lips at first, then her tongue.

  Hooooly suuugar.

  He clamped his eyes shut and walked them until her back hit the wall, steadying them both. As his fingers dug into her hair, she made that sound again—a gaspy whimper—the same one she’d made in the tunnel, and just hours ago at the park. The sound fed his frenzy, and might echo through his mind forever.

  But he didn’t have forever. He had less than two weeks. In a matter of days, this harebrained research project would be over, and he’d go back to his life in Philly. Then, if he got what he wanted, Washington DC.

  Natalie’s teeth nipped his neck, and fire exploded behind his closed eyes. They could do it right now. He could tear off her lab coat, rip off that flimsy thing that could hardly be considered a shirt, and do what he sure as hell knew they both wanted, right here on the floor.

  But he couldn’t. Even as she was opening his lab coat one-handed while sliding her fingers around his belt loop with the other, Luke knew he couldn’t do that to her. Or to himself.

  Her heart, his head, not ready.

  Dammit, she was right.

  Which probably meant he had to temporarily return his man card, but somewhere down the line, after she’d had time to process, she would resent him. In turn, in his book, Natalie Holden would be nothing to him but sex. His screwed-up head couldn’t let her be anything more, and he couldn’t stand the thought of reducing her to that.

  No matter what she said, being together in this damn lab would compromise everything. Even though he didn’t agree with the theory of her research, he didn’t want to hurt her.

  “Natalie,” he said, after taking the time to kiss her once more, tasting heat and sweetness. “Hold on.”

  “Onto what?”

  “Just, hold on a minute.” He ran his hands up her arms, resting them on her shoulders. “Let me think.”

  Those big brown eyes blinked up at him. “You want to think?”

  “Yeah.”

  She blinked again, causing a notch of utter bewilderment to form between her eyes. He felt pretty bewildered, too. “Oh, okay.” She dropped her gaze from him and bit her bottom lip, but he knew it wasn’t to get him going again.

  Dammit. Not wanting to hurt her had hurt her anyway.

  “Look,” he began.

  “It’s fine. You don’t have to say anything. I get it. I honestly don’t know what came over me.” She laughed but without any trace of happiness. “What’s wrong with me anyway? Being around you turns me into this out-of-control maniac who’ll do anything to be with you. It’s ridiculous— I’m better than that.” There was a sharp edge to her voice as she backed away. “Even if we didn’t work together, you’re covered in caution flags. You’re dead set against my research, you’re against my work in general, against Hershey—my home—and you told me flat out you don’t want to date. I don’t want to date, either. All of this is pointless. What the hell is my problem when it comes to you?”

  “Natalie,” was all he could say when he got the chance to break into her soliloquy. But he didn’t have a follow up. Wracked with irrational guilt and confounded by his own incessant attraction, Luke reached out.

  “I’m fine.” She backed farther away and passed a hand over her forehead. “Damn, I hope I didn’t ruin the chocolate. It would suck to have to start over.”

  “You’re worried about chocolate?”

  “Yes, Luke. It’s my job. And is any of what I just said not true?”

  He didn’t have to think. “No.”

  “See?” She lifted her eyebrows, but she didn’t look right, and he didn’t feel right.

  “What happened in here?”

  They both jerked around to see Ivy. Luke quickly re-buttoned his coat.

  “Hey,” Natalie said. “You’re here early.”

  “It’s almost seven. Why are you covered in chocolate? Your clothes and your…your face. Both your faces.”

  Luke looked at Natalie, really looked at her. Yep, she was smeared with chocolate like it was camo paint, transferred from his mouth to hers and back again too many times to count.

  “We were…” Natalie began. “We were just—”

  “Sampling,” Luke cut in. If Natalie had wanted Ivy to know, she would’ve come straight out with it.

  Ivy crossed her arms. “Sampling?”

  “Yeah, I’m interested in her…product. So she let me, uh, try some.” Wow, he couldn’t have sounded kinkier if he’d tried.

  “But it’s all over the floor on that side of the lab. Like, all over the place. It’s even on the wall. How did it get on the ceiling? You must be one sloppy eater.”

  He forced a laugh. “I am. A real pig.” He glanced at Natalie. She’d closed her eyes
and was shaking her head. He wasn’t sure if he’d made things better or worse.

  Probably worse.

  “We lost track of time,” Natalie said, sounding much more composed. “I’ll clean it up.”

  Ivy frowned. “No, I’m thinking you guys are too punch drunk exhausted to work this morning. You should go home.”

  “That’s not happening, Ivy,” Natalie said. “We’re already behind, and Mr. NIH over here”—she hooked a thumb at Luke—“insists on observing while any of the trial is happening. And if he’s here, I’m here.”

  Her sternness and blustering made Luke almost want to laugh. Almost.

  “We’re not behind anymore,” Ivy said, sliding her arms into her lab coat. “I did some figuring last night, and I think there’s a way to shave off another few days, if we pull one or two more all-nighters.”

  It was a reflex for Luke to shoot a hopeful glance at Natalie. But she shook her head firmly. Of course. No more all-nighters together.

  “I still can’t leave,” Natalie said.

  “Yes, you can.” Ivy pulled out her tablet and swiped a finger across the face. “See, we move this here and do this part tomorrow night. Get it?”

  Natalie studied the screen for a while. “Ivy, this is brilliant. Nice going.”

  Ivy grinned while putting her hair in a ponytail. “You can thank me later. First, you need some serious shuteye. I’ll clean up and make another few trays of samples to make up for your, um, sloppy little taste test.”

  Luke didn’t like how the redhead was eyeing him so knowingly, but he wasn’t about to argue. “I suppose if all you’ll be doing is the same thing Natalie and I did all night…” He paused. “I mean, if you’re making more molds, I don’t have to be here.” He looked at Natalie. “You’re leaving now?”

  “I guess I am.” She exhaled. “Go ahead, I’m right behind you—and don’t even think about waiting around. No more lurking in parking lots.”

  This made Luke laugh, but Natalie didn’t so much as crack a smile.

  Huh. Stopping the kiss really had pissed her off. Or was she upset about something else?

  “Lurking in parking lots?” Ivy repeated.

  Natalie shook her head while throwing another frosty glance his way. “I’ll text the others to reconvene at noon.”

  “See you then,” Luke said. Neither of them said good-bye, so he walked to the door, then down the hall, more than ready to leave. If Natalie didn’t want him to even walk her to her car, he wouldn’t. So much for small town charm, he thought as he tore off his lab coat and tossed it in the back of the Jeep, forgetting it was med center property. When things don’t go her way, she goes as cold as Celeste.

  Before the thought had gotten far, he yanked it back. That was completely unfair. His ex and that feisty blonde were nothing alike—which had confounded him the first time he’d felt real attraction to her. Natalie had a reason to be pissed at him. Even if he didn’t know what that reason was yet, he accepted it.

  He climbed in the Jeep and drove home, blasting angry rock all the way up the hill.

  Chapter Ten

  “Spill it,” Ivy said.

  “Sorry about the mess.” Natalie ran a hand through her hair; it was still slightly damp from her shower and had clumps of chocolate in it. She didn’t even want to think about how that happened. “I’ll help you clean up.”

  “You’re going home to sleep, but not until you spill about Luke.”

  There was nothing to say except that she was an idiot.

  What was going through your mind to do that? You tell the guy ten thousand reasons why you can’t be with him for one night—or for the long run. Then your fortitude weakens for half a second and you’re smearing chocolate over your body and daring him to lick…

  She shut her eyes hard and counted to ten.

  And then Luke was the one to put on the brakes because you have no control. She hated what this guy was doing to her.

  “It’s like I said,” Natalie said. “It got late and we…he wanted to try…”

  “Mm-hmm,” Ivy said, sliding on her gloves. “You can stick to that lame-ass story about sampling chocolate, but judging by the smudges all over both of you, no one with a pair of eyes will believe it.”

  Natalie puffed out her cheeks, not knowing what to say.

  “If you had sex in here, we’ll have to throw this batch away.”

  “We didn’t have sex. Jeez, Ivy.”

  “Oh, please. Look at you.”

  “I’m fully clothed, we both were,” she said as she removed her lab coat and stuffed it in the laundry chute.

  “You call that clothing?” Ivy pointed at her. “You’re wearing my stripper shirt.”

  “This is yours? No wonder I didn’t recognize it.” She fingered the sheer collar. “Back up, why are your clothes in my trunk, and more importantly, why do you have a stripper shirt?”

  “Oh, my.” Ivy’s hands flew to her giggling mouth. “You’re not even wearing a bra. Okay, now I understand what went down here—or almost went down.” She laughed again. “The poor guy. You seduced him.”

  “No, I…” Natalie crossed her arms over her chest, indignantly. “I mean, okay, maybe it was my fault this time, but he totally started it with all his guitar playing and midnight picnic, and don’t get me started about the Kiss Tunnel—that was all him.”

  “Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Ivy held up both hands. “You better back up and tell me what’s going on, Nat. I’m your partner and need to know exactly what’s up so I can fix it.”

  Natalie thought for a second, previewing what would happen if she told Ivy to mind her own business. Yeah, her best friend would grab her in a headlock. Plus, if something really did have to be fixed, Ivy deserved to know. So she took in a deep breath, sank onto a stool, and spilled.

  Mostly she stared at the wall, now splattered with smears of chocolate, as she spoke. Guilt and stupidity made it impossible to meet Ivy’s eyes. When she finished, she blew out a breath.

  “That’s all of it. See, I didn’t compromise anything.”

  “The hell you didn’t,” Ivy argued.

  “Luke and I were nowhere near the samples we need for the tests.”

  Ivy shook her head. “You compromised your heart. When it comes to you, that’s worse than anything. Forget Jack the rat, you’re in no way prepared to handle something like this.”

  Natalie gazed blankly at her.

  “You’ve had a crush on this guy for what, a million years? Do you call that healthy? Okay, so he’s tall and built and he’s got that chiseled old-school classically gorgeous thing going on. But the second you learned he was sent by the NIH, Nat, the very second, you should have—”

  “I know,” she cut in, covering her face with her hands. “I tried. You saw how we were the first day. I wanted nothing to do with him.”

  “And then you went straight to the Kiss Tunnel and sucked face.”

  Natalie shut her eyes and groaned. “That was a mistake.”

  “According to my calculations, you’ve made three of those mistakes. Are there going to be more?”

  “No!” She dropped her hands and looked straight at Ivy.

  “Are you sure?”

  “No! I mean yes, no more mistakes, I swear. Right before you came in, we had…strong words. He said things and I said things. I was mad and lashed out…though I…I don’t know why.” She exhaled, feeling disappointed then pissed at herself for it. “Nothing can happen between us now. It’s over. My heart is no longer compromised.”

  They weren’t just pacifying words. Natalie knew they were true. She and Luke couldn’t continue their kissing fling or whatever it was, because they had to work together. But even if they didn’t, even if they decided to somehow go for it after the trial was over, it would never work.

  She was a Hershey girl, through and through. She loved chocolate; she bled chocolate. Chocolate was going to help her brother. And Luke wanted none of it. Hell, this was the first time he’d visited h
is parents for longer than a weekend. He’d tried explaining that away, but how did she know he wouldn’t disappear again? He never wanted to live here, and she would never leave. The whole thing was pointless, hopeless, making her stomach sink all over again.

  “Get some rest, hun,” Ivy said. “And hey, it’s gonna be okay. Just stay focused on the prize. Our research is strong, we’re going to prove that, and we’re going to make a difference with Brandon and other kids like him.” She touched her shoulder. “You’ll see.”

  “Thanks.” She nodded, feeling choked up, but so grateful Ivy was on her side. “I needed to hear that.”

  “Please go home. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She tossed Natalie a sweatshirt. “Might want to put that on before you start roaming the halls in my shirt. It’s cute and everything, but even I’ve seen too much of your ta-tas today.”

  “If I wasn’t so brain dead, I’d make you tell me why you bought this shirt in the first place.”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Probably not, good night.” She yawned about twenty times as she walked out to her car. No sign of the Jeep. That should have made her happy, but it didn’t.

  Thanks to blackout curtains, the bedroom was dark as night. Luke rolled over and grabbed his cell to check the time. It was almost ten. He hadn’t slept well. Despite being half a mansion away from Dexter, he could hear his music blaring down the hall. How the guy got work done while being serenaded by 90s grunge rock, he’d never know.

  But it wasn’t Dex’s music that kept him tossing and turning. It was Natalie. How had he let her inside his head? If he hadn’t stopped by Hershey Lounge to catch up with Hank, he’d never have run into her, never felt the spark that kept her front and center in his brain. Her silky hair, that stubborn, sassy mouth, how she bit her lip when she thought he wasn’t looking, the way she clung onto her cockamamie chocolate theory like grim death.

  Getting mixed up with her put everything in jeopardy. If even the tiniest word got out about his behavior here, it could put the kibosh on any chance of being snagged by the NIH.