Chemistry of Desire

by Melanie Schuster

  “These are battle wounds. I was at work on a gang member in the E.R. when someone from the other gang jumped off his gurney and snatched a scalpel. His target was my patient, but when I blocked him he decided to come at me. Nice, huh?”

  He was both alarmed and touched when her eyes filled with tears and she covered her mouth with a shaking hand. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

  “Don’t be upset,” he said. “It wasn’t that big a deal. Ayanna probably didn’t mention it to you because the twins were under the weather and she had her hands full. Besides, I was only in the hospital for a couple of days and it was all over,” he said soothingly.

  Emily didn’t seem to be listening to his words. She was tracing the scars with a gentle hand. Suddenly her expression turned stern and she pointed a finger at him. “You’re giving me grief about being safe, and you got attacked while you were at work. Kind of hypocritical of you, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Todd pulled the tank top on again. “That’s my point exactly! There’s no telling what can happen to you at any time, anyplace, so you need to be careful. If you had a dog for protection, you’d be safer.”

  “Like you were at your place of work?”

  “A gang war in Chicago isn’t exactly the norm for my place of work,” he began.

  “Liar! You work in the busiest E.R. in the city of Chicago, and the crime rate there is pretty darned high, so you have an outstanding chance of being in a dangerous situation any day of the week,” she said hotly. “Looks like you’re the one who needs to be more careful, not me.”

  Todd tried not to smile, but it was difficult. She looked so adorable as she argued him down, her feminine appeal was irresistible. Plus, it was obvious that she cared about what happened to him, which was touching even as she told him off. The only way to shut her up was another kiss, which he willingly applied. He reached for her, pulled her to his chest and put his lips over hers. She stiffened for a second before relaxing against him and letting the magic happen. Her tongue tasted vaguely of grape juice, but more like pure sugar. He ran his hands up and down her exposed back until she sighed and leaned into him as her hands returned his caress. The kiss would have gone on much longer, but the overcast sky let loose with a torrent of rain. When the big warm drops of water got to be too much to ignore, they had to abandon passion and run back to the house.

  They were both laughing when a brilliant flash of lightning brightened the sky to herald a crash of thunder.

  “So much for my morning run,” Emily said as she wiped drops of moisture from her face with a kitchen towel.

  “Yeah, it’s a wrap for now,” Todd agreed as he looked at her lithe figure with ill-disguised desire. Her top was thoroughly wet and her nipples were pointing through the supple knit fabric. “So now what do we do?”

  Emily licked her lips and touched her damp ponytail. “I think we should get out of these clothes,” she murmured.

  Todd grinned and moved closer to her while he ripped off his tank top for the second time that morning. “I agree.”

  Her face flushed and her nipples were even more prominent as he continued to walk toward her.

  Emily was relieved when her cell phone rang, because if he’d taken one more step she was pretty sure she’d have lost all control. It was her sister Ayanna, calling to let her know that Todd was going to be using the house.

  “Thanks for the heads-up, Ayanna, but you’re a day late with that information. Todd got here yesterday.”

  “Here where? Where are you, Emily?” Ayanna sounded totally confused, which amused Emily to no end.

  “I’m here in Hilton Head with Todd. My science camp was last week and I came here to recuperate. Those kids wore me out,” Emily told her.

  “Ohhh, sweetie! You don’t mind him being there, do you? I had no idea you were there,” Ayanna said apologetically.

  “Oh, I’m fine with it, although you should be asking him if it’s all right if I’m here, since I was the one who called the police on him,” Emily said cheerily. “You did what?” Ayanna screeched so loudly that Emily had to hold the phone away from her ear.

  “It’s a long story and I’ll be happy to tell you all about it later. It’s all good, though. Do you want to talk to him, to make sure I’m not mistreating him?” Emily said with a laugh.

  “Not right now. I’m trying to get the girls dressed, and that can take a while. They like to pick out their own clothes now, and it’s quite a production,” Ayanna told her.

  Emily smiled at the thought of her twin nieces. They were two years old and just amazing. “How are my nieces and nephews?”

  “Everyone is fine. The boys are doing great in school and the twins are growing like weeds. You’ll see for yourself when you come up here. I’ll talk to you later, sweetie.”

  Emily was smiling as she ended the call. She and her older sister had developed a closeness that had seemed impossible at one time. Now they were friends as well as relatives, something she found very satisfying.

  When she ended the call, she found Todd looking at her intently. “What?”

  “I was just thinking you might want to get into some dry clothes,” he said. “And I was thinking I should make you breakfast.”

  Emily’s clothes were unpleasantly damp from the rain and she was a little self-conscious about her scanty attire, since they weren’t running. And the toast and juice seemed like hours ago. She was ravenous, for some reason. “That sounds like a plan. Can you cook?”

  “You can give me your opinion after you eat,” Todd said with a smile. “Let’s get out of these wet clothes and I’ll do my best to amaze you.”

  It didn’t take long for Emily to take a quick hot shower and change into dry clothing, but she dragged it out as long as she could. She was still processing the fact that Todd had kissed her again, and the second time was way more sensual than the first. How was she supposed to get her head around the idea that she was under the same roof as her fantasy man? And that he’d put his arms around her and kissed her not once, but twice? She sat down heavily on the chair next to the window and watched the rain come down. She wasn’t used to lighthearted flirting and frivolity with handsome men. Relationships with serious-minded scientists were basically what she knew of romance and sex. She’d only been involved with men she’d known for a while, men who respected her as a colleague. This business with Todd wasn’t exactly in her comfort zone.

  The smell of bacon floated up the stairs and reminded her that she was hungry. She had a keen appetite for food and for Todd, too, if she was going to be honest with herself. She finally stood up and walked over to the dresser to look in the mirror. A blue plaid shirt, jeans and some ancient Birkenstock sandals with her unruly hair held back by a headband; that was as good as she was going to get. She didn’t see her perfect skin, the deep Cupid’s bow that made her mouth irresistible and her beautiful eyes. All she saw was the same geeky science nerd she’d seen most of her life. The rich scent of coffee joined the other cooking aromas and her stomach took control. With a small sigh she left the room and headed for the back stairs. At least one of her appetites would be taken care of—or so she hoped. Entering the kitchen, she took a deep sniff and said, “I hope this tastes as good as it smells, or you could be in deep trouble.”

  Todd gave her another blisteringly sexy smile. “Come see for yourself. Have a seat,” he invited.

  She did so at once, trying to act casual when he held her chair and slid it in as if this was something they did all the time. He had set the table and poured her coffee as well as juice, this time orange. There was a fluffy omelet on her plate, along with a serving of buttery grits. A small plate held heavenly smelling cinnamon toast, and there was a bowl of cantaloupe chunks at each place.

  “Wow, this looks really good, Todd. I’m impressed.”

  He took his seat across from her and held out his hand to take hers. “I hope it’s to your liking. We’d better say grace so you don’t get ptomaine poisoning or something.”

>   Emily gave him a mischievous grin. “That’s probably wise. Everything that looks good to you isn’t necessarily good for you.”

  “Damn, Emmie, that was harsh.”

  She had to take back her words after she cut into the tender omelet with her fork. It was perfect, filled with diced potatoes, red peppers, onions, cheese and tomatoes. It was probably the best omelet she’d ever eaten. A groan of pleasure escaped her mouth before she realized it.

  “This is so good,” she sighed. The cinnamon toast was a real treat, crisp and golden brown on the edges and moist inside with just the right amount of cinnamon sugar on the top. “Where did you learn to cook like this?”

  “A starving student can learn to do anything. I don’t do much besides breakfast, but I do breakfast well.”

  “Yes, you do. Best I’ve had in a long time,” Emily said appreciatively.

  Todd gave her a smoldering look and asked, “So how do you plan to repay me?”

  Unfortunately, his words came right after she took a big swallow of orange juice and she choked on it, sending a fine spray everywhere. He laughed, to her chagrin, and she glared at him from her end of the table. It looked as if the pleasant part of the morning was over.

  Chapter 6

  It continued to rain all day, but it felt as if the sun was out at the beach house. Todd had apologized for his laughter and explained what his comment meant.

  “I wasn’t trying to say anything scandalous, I promise. I was going to ask if you were going to wash dishes since I’d cooked, that’s all.”

  Emily had felt rather foolish when she heard his simple explanation, but he could see that and wasn’t about to let her feel bad.

  “I tell you what, I’ll wash and you dry, how’s that?” he asked.

  “No, I’ll clean up the kitchen. It’s only fair since you made me this nice meal,” she said. She bit into a juicy piece of cantaloupe and sighed in repletion. “This is so good. It’s perfectly ripe and sweet. I think cantaloupe is a much underrated fruit.”

  Surprisingly, Todd agreed with her. “Yeah, watermelon gets all the shine, but cantaloupe is really bomb. It’s got the best taste and the smoothest texture, but people don’t seem to realize that. When it’s ripe and ready, it’s the best fruit out there in my opinion.”

  He was just talking about fruit, but for some reason Emily started feeling hot, bothered and moist in some truly inappropriate places. She ate the rest of the fruit in a hurry and got up gracelessly to start clearing the table, but Todd stopped her.

  “Slow down, baby. It’s not like we’re going anywhere,” he said as he looked out the window at the rain continuing to pour. A loud clap of thunder underscored his words. “We can take our time with this. The dishes aren’t going anywhere.”

  Emily gave an exaggerated sigh and put her hand to her heart. “I have a confession to make, Todd. I’m a total neat freak. I can’t stand to have anything out of place. I know it borders on OCD, but I’ve been this way since I was a kid,” she said apologetically.

  “There’s nothing wrong with being organized. I could use some of that myself,” Todd admitted. “Okay, let’s get this knocked out so we can relax.”

  In a very short time the kitchen was sparkling clean. “So what do we do now? What do you like to do when you’re not working?” Todd asked.

  Emily leaned against the counter and thought about the question. “When I’m here I like to walk on the beach and swim and read on the porch. I ride my bike or watch DVDs, nothing too thrilling.”

  “Sounds good to me. Since we can’t walk or swim or go outside, we can watch movies,” Todd suggested.

  Emily gave him a wry smile. “This isn’t what you had in mind when you decided to take a vacation, is it? You’re going to be bored out of your mind.”

  He looked surprised and said, “Are you crazy? This is way better than anything I could have planned. I pick the movie this time.”

  It was Emily’s turn to look surprised as he took her hand and led her to the big family room. She sat on the sofa while he perused the DVDs and selected one. It gave her an opportunity to take a good long look at him. He really was fine, even in a pair of old jeans and an equally ancient T-shirt. Probably the best looking man she’d ever known as well as being one of the nicest and damnably sexy to boot. He should come with a warning label, she thought. Warning: contents of this hot body should be considered dangerous.

  She was laughing softly when he placed the DVD into the player and came to join her on the couch. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing,” she said. “What are we watching?”

  “The Godfather,” he said in his best Marlon Brando imitation, which wasn’t too good. This time she laughed out loud.

  “It’s a good thing you’re a doctor, because you wouldn’t make it as an actor,” she said as she wiped her eyes.

  Todd moved so that his thigh was pressed against hers. He put his arm around her neck and brought her face closer to his. “That was cruel. Quiet down, woman, and watch the movie.”

  “Yes, Godfather,” she said and collapsed in giggles as he growled into her hair.

  They did more talking than watching the movie. Emily got up at one point to get a big bowl of pistachios and a bottle of white grape juice.

  “It was as close as I could get to a bottle of wine,” she said. “Something about this movie always makes me want to drink wine, but it’s way too early for alcohol.”

  Todd agreed with a smile. “Good point. We wouldn’t want to get tipsy and do something crazy,” he said.

  Emily took a healthy swallow from her glass. “What constitutes as crazy? Robbing a convenience store, stealing a car or making mad, passionate love all afternoon?” she asked. Her face flushed as she realized what she’d just said.

  Todd didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with her question. On the contrary, he answered it easily. “Committing a felony or two would be crazy, but making love would be completely sane. Especially if I was making love to you,” he said in the sexy voice that was beginning to drive her crazy.

  She was too flustered to respond and picked a few nuts out of the bowl. Todd leaned into her side to get her attention. “I said, making love to you…”

  “I heard you,” Emily said irritably. “Pay attention to the movie or put in another one.”

  “Ms. Emily, I believe I’ve embarrassed you, which wasn’t my intention. Suppose I told you I was trying to be seductive?”

  “I’d say you were crazy. I’m not even sure men can be seductive. Isn’t that what women do?” she mumbled.

  “I don’t think it’s gender specific. If a man wants to make love to a pretty, intriguing woman whom he finds irresistible, he has to make her as interested in him as he is in her. Men have been seducing women forever, Emmie.”

  “And what does that have to do with me? I’m not the kind of woman who gets seduced,” she said with a frown.

  “Don’t be too sure of that. From my perspective, you’re the perfect candidate. You’re brilliant, funny and beautiful, and you’re sexy as hell,” he told her.

  “You’re pretty funny yourself. I would have gone for brilliant and funny, but sexy and beautiful? That’s laying it on a little thick, don’t you think?” She put the pistachio shells into a smaller bowl and wiped her hands on her jeans to get rid of the salt from the nuts. “Let’s change the subject, shall we? It looks like it’s stopped raining, so why don’t we go for a quick ride? I was going to get a chicken for dinner.”

  Without waiting for his answer, she got up and collected the bowls and glasses from the coffee table. She was leaving the room when she heard Todd call after her. “You can run but you can’t hide. We’re going to finish this conversation sooner or later.”

  Later, she thought. So much later it’s going to be never.

  Several hours later, the awkwardness had faded away and Emily and Todd were sitting side by side on the cushioned glider on the screened-in porch. They relaxed as they digested Emily’s wo
nderful meal and sipped wine. Todd was still raving about the roast chicken.

  “I’m definitely adding cooking to your growing list of attributes. That chicken was perfect.”

  “It was just plain roast chicken with green beans and mashed cauliflower. I’m glad you liked it, but it was no big deal,” she said modestly.

  “Stop being so humble,” Todd scolded. “I once read that the mark of a great cook is how they cook the basics, like a chicken. Yours was moist and tender and perfectly seasoned. And I’ve never had pureed cauliflower before, but it was gooder than grits, baby. The flavor is really different, way better than mashed potatoes. You got some mad skillz in the kitchen, Emmie.”

  “Thanks. Do you want some more wine?”

  “Absolutely. This is really good, by the way. What is it again?”

  “Moscato. I fell in love with it last summer, and I don’t usually like sweet wine. But this is totally delicious for some reason. It’s cheap and it goes well with most everything, even though it’s really a dessert wine,” she murmured.

  The rain had come back, making the evening air cool and refreshing. Emily had lit some nag champa incense and the heavy scent, mixed with the smell of the rain, was as intoxicating as the wine. Todd was so close to her that she was getting aroused from the warmth of his body. She loved the smell of his skin. It was like an aphrodisiac to her, so much so that it gave her goose bumps. She shivered and Todd put his arm around her.

  “Are you getting cold? Maybe we should go inside,” he said. “I wouldn’t want you to catch a cold.”

  She gave a small snort of laughter. “Nobody wants that,” she assured him. “It’s not a pretty sight, I promise you. I look like fresh hell when I’m under the weather.”

  Todd buried his nose in her soft, fragrant hair. “Impossible. As fine as you are, you could never look bad.”

  Emily rolled her eyes and quickly rose from the glider. She stubbed out the incense and blew out the candles she’d lit earlier. The pleasant mood was most definitely broken.