Red looked into the eyes inches from his face. His vision was blurred but he could make out the shape of her face and see the smile tilting her lips up at the corners. She was an amazing woman, even if a little unusual. But that didn’t have to be a bad thing, he reasoned. If he could talk her into accepting a proper date with him he might just have a chance at this. He didn’t know if he was keen to try but so far things were working out just fine.
“Red, I was wondering if you might like to come over for dinner tomorrow night?” She ran her tongue over his bottom lip, her breath warm against his skin.
“Um, if you're sure, I guess it would be okay.”
She bit him softly on the mouth. “Of course I'm sure, silly man. Make it about six thirty. Then clinic will be finished and we can have a drink on the veranda before I get stuck in the kitchen.”
Chapter 4
As Red rode his bike home, he marveled at Rhian’s response to sex. Healthy, earthy, and normal is the way she described it. So far from his usual life experiences, he still found it hard to believe what they had shared was real. He pulled his loaner bike into the dark driveway and turned off the key. Pulling of his helmet, he placed it in front of him on the fuel tanks and reached into his pocket for his glasses. Settling them onto his nose, he looked around.
He was thirty-two, owned an expensive house in a prime real estate area, had a great job and was living alone.
Ha, fucking ha.
Not where he thought he would be at this age. His parents had married late in life. Luckily for Red, his mother was the pushy, outgoing type and had set her heart on the meek and mild scientist. To hear her tell the story of their courtship was always something of a bitter sweet thing for Red. His father's life sounded so much like his own. Only difference was the pushy female. He had a funny feeling he’d just found his own.
Swinging his leg over the bike, he grabbed the helmet and skipped up the stairs to the front door. Once he was inside, he hung up the keys on the hook by the door, set his helmet on its specially placed shelf and double checked the doors were all locked before heading to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked at the meal sitting on the shelf covered in cling wrap ready for the microwave.
He reached past it, grabbed a beer instead, and walked into his bedroom. Popping the lid, he took a deep swallow before putting it down on the bedside cabinet so he could sit and take off his boots. He unclipped them and put them in the closet along with his jacket. He looked at the sleeve while he was placing it on the coat hanger.
His elbow had hurt like a bitch when he‘d crashed and Red knew there was damage done. He flexed his elbow now, remembering the heat from Rhian’s hands when she’d asked if she could heal him. He had been too stunned at the time and in too much pain to comprehend what she was saying to him. Shaking his head, he disregarded the thoughts popping into his mind. He was a scientist and didn't believe in 'woo hoo healers.' If you can't prove it scientifically, it just didn’t happen in his books. And that was what had been drummed into him since he was small. Prove it to believe it.
He remembered when he discovered Father Christmas wasn’t real, another of his father’s theories that broke the young Red’s heart.
“I don’t believe in telling untruths to anyone, my own son included.” Red was sitting at the table eating dinner and the conversation between his parents went on around him. “If he learns the truth about the world now he will be better off.”
“But dear, don’t you think he is too young to learn the harsh realities of life just yet? Give him a childhood before you toss him to the real world. He is only a little boy and needs his dreams just like other children his age.” His mother was smiling at him sadly while she spoke to her husband.
“That is what’s wrong with this world, my dear. Too many people shelter their children from reality and they never grow up strong and balanced. Too much overprotection if you get my drift. My son will grow up knowing what is fantasy and what is not. I am a scientist so I can hardly promote fiction as real life now, can I?”
He downed the rest of his beer and walked into the bathroom. He flicked on the shower and peeled off his clothes, putting them in the wash basket, colors in one side, whites in the other. Before he took off his glasses, Red looked into the mirror. Geeky was the first word that came to mind. Red hair, pale skin with a smattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose and thick glasses that screamed out ‘nerd’!
He took off the offending spectacles and put them on the counter. The water was perfect when he stepped into the shower. He held his face under the warm stream, eyes closed while he tried to figure out what Rhian’s plan for him was. Maybe when she had enough sex she would dump him. Who knew, she might not either but it wouldn’t do to get his hopes up. Going on his usual track record he would still be dateless by the time Valentine’s Day came around in less than a month's time. No matter how much he wished for it, he never seemed to have a date on that day. He tried to tell himself it was no big deal really but his mother had always made sure she and his father had the night on their own. It was the one night of the year she put her foot down and Red was dying to know the same feeling. A small thing in the scheme of things but it niggled him he always missed out on the one day that celebrated love. The only thing he thought, missing from his life.
And if that was the case, he would be only one of many lonely guys holding up the bar at the local pub by the end of the night. How unusual and unexpected, not!
He turned off the shower and reached for a towel. Drying himself, he hung it up and started his teeth cleaning routine. Twenty brushes up, twenty brushes down followed by flossing every single tooth. Then he walked into his bedroom. Taking a fresh set of boxers from his drawers he pulled them on before he climbed between the sheets.
It was a long time before he fell asleep and when he did he dreamed of the creamy soft skin of the woman who made his balls ache and his heart wish for more than he thought he deserved. He dreamed of being loved for himself, sharing his passion for his work with another human being, and not being the nerdy kid in the group who felt more at home with his microscope than with the feminine species.
When Red woke, he was gasping and his heart pounding. His blood was racing through his veins faster than normal. The sheets were twisted around his legs and his erection was pushed into the mattress that was nothing like the skin he had just worshipped in his dream.
With a roar of frustration, he threw back the blankets and stormed into the bathroom. He turned the shower to cold before he stepped in. He stood and shivered under the needle- like jets until his body reflected his lonely state. Satisfied he could get dressed without getting horny again, he turned off the water and dried himself. Cleaning up the bathroom behind him, Red dressed and without stopping for breakfast he rode to work, his mood dark and brooding.
He brushed past a perky Cara, grunted a greeting and headed to his own space. Red slammed the door to his office and shut the blinds to give himself some privacy. He pulled on his white lab coat and flopped down in the chair behind the desk. Frame by frame he replayed last night in his mind. The gentle seduction and the way she’d managed to maneuver him into her room, the ease with which she stripped him of his trousers and drained him before she led him into her bath. He had gone willingly like a sheep to the slaughter and now he was at a loss as to what he should do next. He hadn’t gotten this far in a relationship for ages, someone asking him for a meal. All of his dates had been uncomfortable conversation, rushed sex, and no phone numbers exchanged at the end of it.
Dinner at her house tonight. What the fuck was he going to do?
Did he take flowers or chocolates or what? Did he ask her out somewhere after this or should he let her take the lead? She seemed pretty bloody good at doing that so far.
He rubbed his palms on his coat drying the sweat slowly but surely covering his body. Sucking in a deep breath, he reached for the phone. He dialed a number and sat back in his chair. He nervously ran his finger ar
ound the collar of his plain white shirt and coughed before it picked up
“Hey, Jake, I need some advice man. I've, um, I've been invited to someone's house for dinner tonight.” He paused and took the phone away from his ear, worried the scream and high-pitched laugh from the other end would shatter his eardrums. “Fuck you dude. Settle down. Shit, it's not like this is a world first you know. Well, maybe for me but seriously give me a break here. I want to know what to take, you know. Do I give her flowers or what?” Red settled down to take the good-natured ribbing of his best friend. A small rush of heat shot through his body as he told him the bare details of his date last night leaving out everything to do with the hot sex.
“Yes, she is partly responsible for the damage to my bike. Can I pick it up after work?” He crossed his fingers and waited for the dressing down that would come before he was given the news it still wasn't quite ready. “Okay, tomorrow then, hopefully. Thanks for that.”
He shook his head at the lewd comments coming down the phone line and finally ended the call. Looking around his office, he noticed the stark bare look and wished he had a photo to decorate his wall or desk. If things went well, he could get one of the two of them together. Worried he was getting ahead of himself, Red jumped up and went out to the laboratory to check over the latest test results and soon lost himself in the world of microbes and germs.
* * * *
Rhian ushered her last patient out the door and breathed a sigh of relief. May had left minutes earlier and she was now alone. Red would be here shortly and she had so much to do. Casting a quick glamour spell, she cleaned the surgery and the breakfast dishes in the kitchen she had left this morning, leaving her just enough time to have a shower and dress in something a little sexier than utilitarian green scrubs decorated with dog hair.
She flicked her delicately painted nails and lit the masses of perfumed candles adorning every room in her house. The tension slipped from her shoulders and she turned on the shower, dropping her clothes to the floor. She stepped in under the warm water and closed her eyes and sighed. It had been a rough day. Two more dogs to castrate, one dear old cat beyond help had been put to sleep and the usual run of vaccinations and general checkups.
The cat’s owner, a dear old man on his own, was devastated. Rhian had sent him on his way with a healing hug knowing he would not recover from his loss easily. She would wait a couple of days and then visualize a stray for him. Days like this always dragged her down and she tried to wish it away. To take her mind off it she thought about what she was going to cook Red for dinner tonight. With any luck she would get him into her bed again. In fact, she was intent on it, nothing like a good bout of sex to encourage the boy to lighten up and accept himself as he was.
Rhian soaped up a cloth and ran it over her breasts. Her nipples hardened when she imagined Reds mouth suckling and teasing her deep pink buds. She resisted the urge to let her fingers slip lower, saving her orgasm for tonight when she wouldn't be alone. She rinsed the soap from her body and turned off the water.
As she stepped out of the shower she heard an insistent knock at the door. Crap, she must have been dawdling or he was early. She wrapped a towel around herself and ran out through her bedroom to look down the hallway to the front door. Red’s shadow was outlined through the colored glass of the front door. Rhian breathed deeply and made sure the towel was secure before opening the door.
She stepped back and looked up into his eyes. “I'm sorry but I'm running late tonight. Come on in.” She sucked her cheeks in and watched him walk into the hallway. Her hungry eyes followed his tightly clad leather butt as he walked down to her living room. He put his helmet on the floor beside the door and turned to look at her. She grinned at his awkwardness. She loved the effect she had on him.
She waved her hand in the direction of the kitchen. “Grab yourself a beer. I won't be long.” Avoiding looking at the growing bulge in the front of his leathers, she skipped out of the room leaving him standing there.
Rhian hummed to herself as she chose her dress. It was off the shoulder and very soft and delicate. It hung from her hips to float around her ankles in wisps of green and pink strands of silk. She chose to leave her feet bare, and quickly combed her hair up into a messy knot on top of her head. A brief glance at the mirror and she swiped a soft pink lipstick over her mouth. She sprayed her floral perfume on the dip of her throat and her wrists before taking a final look in the mirror, spinning to get the full effect of her dress.
A wisp of lavender perfumed fog hovered in the glass above her shoulder.
“What do you think, Grammy? Will this be enough to get the poor boy muddled enough to fall for me, do you think?” Rhian laughed softly at the answer sounded in her head. “Yes, you're right. He is just what I want and I aim to have him. Wish me luck.”
She looked over at the miniature painting of her Gram on the wall and wished the dear woman could have met the man waiting for her in the living room.
Rhian twirled away from the mirror and walked out of her bedroom. Red was out on the veranda with a beer in his hand looking over the harbor. Nero was rubbing against his legs, twining in between the heavy leather boots. She met his gaze and the cat closed his eyes and rubbed against the man again, his purr loud through the quiet house.
“‘T is a nice night to be looking over the bay.” She walked out and stood beside him leaning into his arm. “I'm sorry I was running late, the downside of being your own boss. How is your beer? Another one?”
“Um, no thanks, not too much of a drinker actually. I might have another one later with dinner if that's okay.”
Rhian turned and leaned on the railing, her gaze on Red. “Sure, whatever you want. Now, tell me have you picked up your bike yet?”
“No, tomorrow according to Jake. He’s still waiting on the new foot peg. How was your day?”
“Not one of my best but that's the way it goes when you are a vet. Some days suck more than others but I love my job nonetheless. I wouldn't swap it for anything.”
A door slammed and they both turned toward the living room. A gangly teenager walked in, a frown on his face. “Hey, whose bike is in your driveway?” He stopped when he noticed Red, a flush coloring his acne-scarred face.
“That would be Red’s bike. Come and I'll introduce you if you can mind your manners for more than two seconds.” Rhian indicated for him to come outside. She slid her arm over the boy’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Red, this here is my brother in case you hadn't picked up on that fact. Fergus, mind your manners for a moment, and meet Red.”
Red held out his hand. “Hi, nice to meet you.”
The boy looked across at Red, a small sneer turning up one corner of his mouth. “Does he know about us then?” His glance locked onto Rhian’s and the heat rushed to her cheeks. She frowned at her brother, and willed him to keep his words to himself.
“He will know all about you soon enough Fergus. Best you tell me why you're here then, my lad, and be on your way. Da will have a fit if you aren't home by dark.” Rhian stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“I was just walking past and saw the bike.” He shuffled his feet and looked up from under his hair at his sister before sliding his glance over to Red. “Can you take me for a spin on it before I go home?”
“Uh, maybe another day. That isn't my bike actually. It's a loaner while mine is being repaired.”
“Why?” Fergus frowned and looked Red up and down.
“I almost ran over a small animal on the road,” Red explained looking over Fergus's head to her. “I was cruising down the coast and Bambi was on the road as I rounded a corner. I had no choice but to swerve and miss it and now my bike is in the shop.”
“Bambi, what a suckful name. Where is the little beast anyway?” Fergus looked around for the small deer.
“In the surgery asleep, hopefully.” Rhian shook her head. “If that is all you were after, I suggest you head home now. Da will be after you soon enough. Be off with
you.”
* * * *
She guided him from the house and Red could hear her talking to him as she shut the front door. He watched her walk back into the room. She stopped and gave him a tired smile. “Sorry about that. Fergus is such a boy sometimes, but he generally means well.”
“That's okay, no harm done. I can always give him a ride when I get my bike back.”
“Oh God, no. Mam will have a blue fit. If he goes anywhere near a bike I will never hear the end of it.” She crossed to the railing and leaned back closing her eyes. She sighed and tipped her head back.
Red ached to reach out and run his finger down her cheek to the hollow of her throat and along the soft rise of her breasts. He took another drink, finishing off his beer and turned away from her, willing himself to stay calm.
“Best I start on dinner then before it gets too late.” Rhian brushed her hand over his shoulder sending jolts of energy down his back.
“Can I help?” He followed her into the kitchen and leaned on the counter. She shook her head as she took food from the fridge.
“No, just sit and keep me company while I get sorted. It's an easy meal tonight, salad and steaks on the grill.” She filled the sink and set the salad greens in the water. Rhian looked over her shoulder at him and spoke. “What exciting things did you come up with in the lab today?”
“Nothing you would find the least bit interesting but thanks for asking anyway.” He was grateful she had enquired. He was well used to being the only one who found his work exciting.
“No, seriously I'm interested in your work. Tell me, please.”
Red looked at her and saw an honest interest. “We've been working on a new flu vaccine that will hopefully knock out more than one strain at a time. For years all we have had is a drug for the most common, but things are heating up.” The excitement was building in his voice. He couldn't help it, once he started on his work it took over. “The flu strains change every season and are getting more and more resistant to our efforts, plus there is always a new one from somewhere in the world hitting our shores. This, if we can get it right, will be a super vaccine.”
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