Chemistry of Attraction

by Thianna D.

  Okay, so that really should sound crazy. How could someone tanning your hide bring you closer? And yet, Dina found herself squirming in her chair a bit. Would a spanking help her get rid of her guilt? No, that was a stupid thought. Of course it wouldn’t. She wasn’t even that type of person, whatever type that was.

  As she lay in bed that night, she could not forget her grandparents’ words. How could spanking bring two people closer together? Looking at the two of them, she had always thought they had the most amazing relationship. Surely it couldn’t be caused by discipline? No. That’s crazy.

  Sharply turning over and squishing up her pillow, she tried to think of something different. But as she slid into sleep, she did so to an image of her bent over the arm of a chair and someone slamming their hand down on her rump.

  * * * *

  “Yes, it does!” Lizzy Mayfield said with a delighted laugh as Brandon showed her his lab upstairs. “Quite the nice setup. And you won’t have tons of little kids getting their greasy fingers all over it. Marilyn got tired of me complaining about all the grease spots on my beautiful upright and bought a large bottle of hand sanitizer. It now sits right beside the piano. I think one out of every three kids actually remembers to use it.”

  Chuckling, he looked at his equipment. On one side of the loft, he had his exercise apparatus, but on the other side, his upright piano, guitar, as well as his recording gear sat in place. “Yeah, I don’t think I would like children getting their hands on this.” He led her back down the stairs and into his now comfortable living room. In the week since he arrived, this had most definitely become home.

  Her eyes twinkled as she pulled a sheaf of papers from a large bag that was slung over her shoulders as she sat on his sofa. “I was so excited to hear you’re doing your thesis on music therapy. One of my loves. I brought you some of the information I had that might give you a better basis as to what kind of research you want to do.”

  He pulled his coffee table up to the sofa and the two of them spent over three hours going over her paperwork. It was a wonderful afternoon, discussing with someone who understood the basics and importance of music therapy. By the time she left, he felt excited to do more research. And then he looked at the clock.

  “Fuck.” Quickly putting the paperwork into piles, he dropped them on the bottom stair and went into his bedroom to change. At home, he tended more toward grunge-wear. Old, torn jeans with paint stains combined with an even older, stained t-shirt. Now, he grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a button down before heading into his bathroom.

  Having spent his life somewhat aloof from others, it had been a bit of a shock to realize how friendly the citizens of Corbin’s Bend were. His first day as he limped home from the market, Kirk Darrent, one of the residents stopped by the sidewalk and asked him if he would like a ride home. The next day, as he was stepping outside his front door, his neighbor, one Jim O’Brien, came over to say hello. His deep Irish brogue combined with his jovial disposition made Brandon like him immensely and the two of them spent the evening on his front stoop drinking a couple beers. Every day he met more and more of Corbin’s Bend citizens and except for a run-in with an elderly lady who seemed to think his bald head and tattoos were of the devil, everything had run smoothly. Well, she hadn’t actually said those words, but Mrs. Holsom had made her opinion of how he looked quite clear.

  Every community had a busybody; he assumed she must be it here. Because no less than three hours after he met her, he began getting visits and cookies from some of the single females, which could not have been her intention when she told people they had a hoodlum in town, but it seemed to work that way anyway. One of the ladies, one Laney Paulson, mentioned Mrs. Holsom told her there was a new resident in town and she just had to come say hello. Brandon was beginning to think this was the perfect place for a bachelor. Though he hoped not to remain one forever, dating the lovely ladies of Corbin’s Bend first was an intriguing thought.

  Tonight, though, he felt a little off. He had been invited to a barbeque at Benjamin’s house, which he found out was a weekly occurrence during summer. Being around Benjamin and Jonathon would be easy, but he had no idea who else would be there. “Must be my being an eagle scout; I want to be prepared,” he murmured into the mirror as he shaved.

  After showering, he pulled on his jeans, shirt, and a pair of cowboy boots. Upon looking at himself in the mirror, he naturally grabbed his Stetson and headed out. Benjamin lived a half mile away from him so he slowly meandered in that direction, enjoying the heat of the sun before it went behind the mountain.

  Laughter came from Benjamin’s backyard and as the gate was open, he assumed they wanted everyone to come through there instead of the front door. Walking along the side of the house, he took in the landscaping that surrounded him. His little house just had grass behind it, but either Benjamin or Jonathon had taken the time to really make their backyard into an oasis with trees, shrubs, a walkway, and stone benches placed strategically for conversation.

  “Brandon!” Benjamin’s voice rose above the steady stream of voices and he looked up and chuckled. There had to be twenty people sitting on folding chairs a few feet away from a large gas grill. In the center of the group stood Benjamin who was holding a small child in his arms. “Get over here and meet my goddaughter.”

  “Watch it, Brent,” someone said with a laugh. “Next thing you know, Ben’s going to try and take Kayla from you.”

  “I’m not worried,” Brent Carmichael responded with a grin, a small woman with raven hair sitting on his lap with his arms around her. “I know where he lives.”

  Beaming at Brandon when he got close, Benjamin pointed to the sleeping little girl on his shoulder. “This is Kayla, Brent and Char’s daughter.”

  “Shit, Benjamin, with that look on your face, you and Jonathon should adopt,” Brandon said, watching the two of them.

  His friend grimaced. “Don’t say that to Jonathon. Adoption’s a bit of a bugaboo for him.” Before he explained, Jonathon walked up.

  “Good to see you, Brandon. If you’re hungry we have lots of food.” He pointed over to a picnic table that was piled high with every accoutrement one might see at a picnic; chips, dip, cookies, cake, and a few things he could not figure out from this distance.

  “Thanks. I’ll grab something in a moment.”

  “Let me introduce you to some more people,” Benjamin said as Jonathon removed Kayla from his arms and walked away, bouncing the little girl lightly in his arms. Following his friend, Brandon met Father Henry Beauchamp, rector of St. Michaels; John and Sarah Dunn, a recently married couple; and Zachary and Erin Cunningham. The names flew by, but he had always been good with name/face recognition and after a half hour, had met fifteen new people, most of whom he wanted to get to know further. When Benjamin introduced him to Brock Harcourt, a firefighter from the Boulder Fire Department stationed in Corbin’s Bend, and his wife Jen, Brandon had the feeling he and Brock would get along just fine. In fact, he looked forward to sharing a few beers with Brock and his neighbor Jim.

  While sitting next to Brent and eating, he shook his head in amusement when Benjamin yelled out, “Jason! I thought you and the misses would never get here!”

  The woman on Brent’s lap, Char Kendle, turned and grinned. “Yes, he is always that loud.”

  Laughing, Brandon leaned back. “It’s a unique experience seeing him in this atmosphere. Lt. Colonel Benjamin Steppings as a neighbor, friend, and beaming godparent. It’s good to see.”

  Brent chuckled. “Benjamin and Jonathon love little Kayla which is a good thing. She has two more protecto- ow!” He rubbed his chest where Char had smacked him.

  She rolled her eyes at Brandon. “Brent’s looking forward to about thirteen, maybe fourteen, years from now when he, Benjamin, and Jonathon can scare the socks off any boy who dares to try and date her. They’re like the three musketeers.”

  “Date her?” Brent snorted. “That isn’t what I’m worried about. It’s the other t
hings the guys will want to do to my baby girl that makes me want to go grab a gun and get it ready.”

  “Every father’s prerogative, right?” Brandon asked.

  “Damn straight,” Brent agreed.

  “Hey, Brent!” The call had both Brent and Char excusing themselves and going over to the man who had called to them. It gave Brandon a moment to find the newcomers that Benjamin had called to. An elderly man with a twinkle in his eye and his arm around a woman who must be his wife were talking animatedly but Brandon barely noticed. His eyes were on the woman who stood nearby.

  It was the gorgeous blonde from the pool. Her hair was dry and styled now but he definitely recognized her and as now was the perfect time to be introduced, he stood up and walked across the yard, pleased when his friend looked up mid-conversation and smiled. “Jason, Rose, let me introduce you to Brandon Delt. He just moved in a week ago. He’s a retired Marine too. Brandon, this is Jason Rolson, one of the founding members of our community, and his wife Rose. Also, next to them is their granddaughter, Dina Minor.”

  Trying to be discreet, Brandon reached out and shook Jason’s hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.” The sir slid off his tongue as it would to any man his age. Respect wasn’t something he had to think about; between his parents and the Marines, it was built into his character.

  “You too,” Jason said with an easy-going smile. “How do you like Corbin’s Bend so far?”

  “It’s wonderful. Everyone’s so friendly.”

  A soft laugh from the blonde caught his attention and he turned his gray eyes on her. Her eyes were almost lavender in this light, captivating him. She smiled. “A bit overly friendly. I’m not used to complete strangers coming up and talking to me.”

  Grinning, he nodded. “Yeah, on my first day, Kirk Darrent offered me a ride home without even knowing who I was. So you live in the community as well?” Grandparents and a younger generation? That was an intriguing thought.

  “No. I’m just here for the summer.”

  “She just graduated with her master’s degree in chemistry,” Rose said with pride in her voice.

  “Really? That’s great.” Brandon felt dumbstruck. He hadn’t thought Dina could get any better looking but smart women had always been a major turn on for him. A sapiosexual as long as he could remember, he wondered what else he could unravel about the woman in front of him.

  Dina shrugged. “Not sure what to do with it, though.”

  “Anything you’d want, I suppose. I would think tons of companies would be after someone with your credentials.”

  “Unfortunately that’s true, just not the people I want to work with.” Her voice ended on a sigh and she looked toward her right where her grandparents and Benjamin had walked a few feet away. From his knowledge of women, Dina was losing interest. Was it his tattoos? His bald head? His sheer size?

  Disappointed that she was not as interested in him as he was in her, he decided to just make a small joke and then leave her be. After all, his uncle was a chemist and had made many a bad joke none of them understood for years. “What’s the most important rule in chemistry?” She cocked her head and looked as though she was about to answer. “To not lick the spoon.” Her gaze stayed on his for several seconds before she gave him a long slow smile.

  “Eww.” Throwing her head back she laughed, the sound like bells chiming. “That’s utterly sick. How about this one? The optimist sees the glass half full. The pessimist sees the glass half empty. The chemist sees the glass completely full, half in the liquid state and half in the vapor state.”

  Relieved to have her attention back, Brandon pulled up another one of his uncle’s bad jokes. “Why does hamburger yield lower energy than steak? Because it’s in the ground state.”

  She laughed again, this time producing a loud snort which made him laugh. “Old chemists never die, they just stop reacting,” she said through her laughter.

  Damn, he never would have thought Uncle Timothy’s stupid jokes would come in handy. “A proton and a neutron are walking down the street. The proton says, ‘Wait, I dropped an electron help me look for it.’ The neutron says ‘Are you sure?’ The proton replies ‘I’m positive.’”

  With eyes shining with tears from how hard she had been laughing, Dina beamed at him. “Are you a chemist too?”

  “No. Got my master’s degree in music. Going for my doctorate in music theory now.”

  “Ooh, a doctorate. I’ve heard that can be intense.”

  “Would you like something to drink or eat?” he asked, realizing she probably hadn’t had anything and at the moment he wanted to do anything to prolong their conversation. “And yes. I got my bachelor’s and master’s degree while in the Marines. Now that I’m out, a doctorate seemed the thing to do.”

  “I’m starved,” she said hesitantly.

  “Well, they have tons of food.” Brandon guided her over to the picnic table. “An army couldn’t eat this much.”

  “From what I’ve heard, military men can eat ten times their weight easily,” she said as if only half paying attention as she began to fill a plate.

  “Shh, that’s supposed to be a secret.”

  She glanced up startled and then grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. Didn’t mean that to sound bad. Sometimes I speak first and think second.”

  * * * *

  Talking with Brandon came a lot easier than she expected. It wasn’t that she had a hard time talking with guys, but more that she usually just found them too stupid to converse with. The man in front of her, though, was slightly captivating. He wasn’t a scientist and yet told jokes she had only heard among other chemists and he laughed easily. Added to that, he didn’t seem to take anything she said as being rude. Which was a plus because sometimes she tended to be a bit blunt.

  Somehow they had taken chairs in a corner of the yard away from everyone else and nobody, including her grandparents, seemed likely to interrupt them for a while.

  “So, if you could do anything, and I mean fantasy-wise, what would you do?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Fantasy-wise?”

  “Yeah. You say you aren’t interested in making bombs or other anti-human items. So if you could have your one dream, what would it be?”

  The answer came quickly; it wasn’t one that she had to consider. “To win a Nobel Prize.”

  His gaze met hers as seriously as it was possible to do before he spoke. “Then do it. Dina, you can do anything you want. Don’t let anything get in your way.”

  She blinked in surprise. That was the kind of thing Jason had always told her, a one hundred and eighty degree change from what she had heard from her parents all her life. “Really?

  “Why not? You—” He was cut off as a tall, gorgeous woman walked up, her eyes only on him.

  “Brandon, I presume?” she asked in a husky voice. Dina could feel herself begin to deflate. She and Brandon had been having a great time, but sure enough, a beautiful woman walked up and he would leave with her. It happened every time. Guys liked an intelligent woman, but they would follow a sexy body any day of the week.

  “Yes, I’m Brandon.” He stood up and held out his hand. “And you are?”

  “Carla Methon,” she responded with what was practically a purr as she used their handshake to pull herself closer. “I was so pleased to find out a virile single head of house had moved into the community. There are so few of you out there.” Unbelievable. Carla was like one of Dina’s roommates from undergrad. Janea could get any guy to pant after her.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Carla. This is Dina Minor. She’s here for the summer.” His introduction of her was rather surprising as she had expected him to forget she existed, but she stood up anyway, shocked even more when he removed his hand from Carla’s and placed it on her elbow lightly.

  Carla for the first time looked less than sure of herself. She offered a wry smile. “Already taken? Just my luck. It’s nice to meet you, Dina.” Her hand reached out and grasped Dina’s firmly. “Don’
t mind me. I’m known for putting my foot where it isn’t wanted. Enjoy your summer.” With a strange look at Brandon, she turned and sauntered back to the main group.

  “Shall we sit?” he asked, pointing back to their chairs, but Dina didn’t answer. She looked from him to Carla and back again.

  “Why didn’t you go with her?” she blurted out, her brain and her mouth not communicating well.

  His eyes narrowed. “First of all, it would have been rude. Second, I was rather enjoying talking to you. Is there a reason I should have gone with her?”

  “Uh… no?” For the first time Dina actually looked up at the man at her side. Just as always, she hadn’t really seen him and would not have been able to describe him to anyone if asked. But now, she saw him. Strong shoulders and pecs, his shirt showed them off nicely. But it was what lay above his neck that interested her. He was bald, bald as a billiard ball, and in a strange way it fit him. Something was tattoo’d on top of his head, black lines that she saw only the barest amount of. Another tattoo peeked out from the neck of his shirt. The face that gazed down at her was solid with strong cheekbones and a square jaw. And he had the lightest gray eyes she had ever seen. Now if someone asked her what he looked like, she could tell them. He was someone she didn’t think she could take her eyes off of.

  He offered her a cautious smile. “Dina, are you all right?”

  Blushing in embarrassment as she realized she had been caught staring, she nodded. “Sorry. Was just thinking. I-I’m just used to when a good-looking woman walks up to me and a guy talking for him to leave with her.”

  “Seriously?” he asked, his deep voice going up slightly in shock. “Obviously you have spoken to a lot of very stupid men. Why would anyone pass on the chance to talk to you for a piece of ass?” Her eyes widened in shock as her heart beat sped up. That had to be the nicest thing a guy had ever said to her. “I apologize if I offended you,” he said suddenly. “And I didn’t mean to insult Carla either. But I’m enjoying talking to you and physically you’re the best-looking woman in this yard. I cannot imagine any reason I would want to walk away right now.”