Chemistry of Desire Read online

  They were seated next to the windows that ran the length of the long, narrow dining room of Fishy’s Roadhouse. The walls and floors were of the same weathered wood. The tables were a mixture of old wood and fifties Formica, with worn vinyl chairs. Old license plates and Burma-Shave ads were on the walls, along with stuffed fish and other oddities. A big jukebox was near the bandstand, and “Use Somebody” by the Kings of Leon was playing. The staff wore bowling shirts and jeans, and the total effect was laid-back and cheerful. The food was exceptional, and they had polished off a pile of crab legs and lobster with corn bread, coleslaw and fries. They had also shared a huge slab of pecan pie with Fishy’s homemade ice cream.

  Todd was enjoying himself tremendously. Emily was totally unselfconscious while she ate, and she ate like a real person, not like the women he dated. They were the salad brigade, women who avoided carbs and red meat and desserts, all the things that made life worth living. Emily had a beautiful body, and she seemed to treat it very well without starving herself. In his experience, a woman who enjoyed the pleasure of eating enjoyed other pleasures as well. From what he could see, Emily was a very sensual lady in all ways. She had a heart-shaped face with rich brown skin that looked as if it would be soft and smooth to touch. Her thick eyebrows were natural, like her eyelashes. That was one of the things he really liked, the fact that she wasn’t plastered with makeup. And her smile was just as sexy as she was, with big dimples that bracketed her full, moist lips.

  “I’m glad you like this place. I come here all the time when I’m on Hilton Head,” she told him. “It’s really good in October when the stone crab claws are in season. You can only get them in Florida, but the owner has a relative there and he gets some a few times during the season. They’re wonderful, my favorite food.”

  “How often are you able to get to Hilton Head?” he asked.

  “Not as often as I’d like. When I’m not at the university, I’m still busy with community work, like my summer science camp. Or I’m going somewhere else to work. I was in Haiti after the earthquake. I was in New Orleans after Katrina. I never know where I’m going to be,” she said. “Recreation gets pushed to the back of the line when it comes to my schedule.”

  Todd was impressed but curious. “What do you do when you’re working in disaster areas? How does your background in biochemistry lend itself to, um…?”

  Emily smiled at the way Todd was struggling to word his question. “Don’t worry. I’m not experimenting on people or anything. Not too many people know that I’m a medical doctor as well as being a Ph.D. I volunteer for Doctors Without Borders. I usually spend my vacation traveling for the organization.”

  “Dang girl, you put me to shame,” Todd said with obvious sincerity. “Okay, I don’t understand how a woman like you is still single. Are you sure there isn’t some big jealous guy who’s gonna come looking for you and try to split my skull? You are probably the most accomplished person I’ve ever met,” he said with eyes full of admiration.

  Emily gave him a slight side eye. “That’s the kind of question a woman would ask, Todd. You sound like you don’t know much about your own species. When has career accomplishment ever been a criterion for male attraction?”

  Todd looked surprised at her blunt tone. “Well, now that all depends on the man. Some men like prime rib and some like burgers,” he began.

  Emily held up her hand as she rolled her eyes. “Really, Todd? You’re comparing me to meat? I think we need to go home so you can have some quiet time. You’re venturing into some real scary territory,” she said with a smile.

  Todd returned her grin with one of his own. “You’re right. Let’s get out of here before I put my other foot in my mouth.” He left a generous tip and they departed. Even though he’d been warned, he had to make an additional comment as they walked to the car. “I stand by what I said. You’re the whole package, Ms. Emily, which is why I can’t understand why you’re single.”

  She groaned and shook her head. “Why is marriage supposed to be this big prize? Why is it like the most important thing in the world for a woman? I could ask you the same thing, you know. You’re not married, so what’s up with that?”

  Todd had to smile as he put his arm around her shoulder. “That’s a good question, and I’m going to give you a good answer as soon as I think of one.”

  “You’d better think hard, because I have a well-honed B.S. detector built into my head,” she cautioned him.

  “Duly noted. I’ll never try to get over on you in any way,” he vowed.

  “Don’t even worry about it, Todd. I wouldn’t let you get over on me anyway.”

  Chapter 4

  The rest of the evening was a lot of fun, as well as being a revelation for Todd. When they reached the house, they were still bantering back and forth about a number of things, and Todd discovered that Emily had a wicked sense of humor. She also had great taste in TV, as far as he was concerned.

  “We don’t bother with cable since we’re not here daily, but we have lots of DVDs. Do you like True Blood? I’ve got the box set,” Emily told him. “The first two seasons.”

  “That show is the only reason I got a DVR,” Todd said reverently. “Well, not the only one, but one of them.”

  Emily handed him the DVD with a smile. “You’ve got good taste in TV. That bit of good taste just about makes up for the meat thing. I’m going to make popcorn.”

  Todd watched her cute behind and long shapely legs as she went to the kitchen, and he smiled. He was putting the disc into the player when his cell phone rang. The sight of the name on his caller ID made him frown, and he quickly pushed the Ignore button.

  “Screening calls? She’s not going to like that,” Emily teased him.

  Todd got up from the couch and took the large tray she was carrying from her hands. “Maybe you need to have a bell on. Okay, I get the sneaking up thing. I promise I’ll stomp from now on. Thanks for the popcorn. Now can we please just watch True Blood?”

  “Just ignore my question, that’s fine,” she said with a laugh. “I love this show,” she added, adroitly changing the subject.

  “So you’re really into supernatural stuff?”

  “Absolutely. I like paranormal, sci-fi, horror, espionage and action, anything like that.”

  “No chick flicks? I thought most women liked them. My sisters love them,” Todd said.

  Emily made a face. “I think my mom might have some here, but it’s not a genre I’m particularly interested in.” She picked up the remote and pushed play.

  “You’re an interesting woman, Emily Porter.”

  “Yeah, that’s what they tell me.”

  Emily couldn’t remember when she’d felt so good. Nor could she recall the sofa being so comfortable. It was a big, cushy wraparound sectional, but tonight its cushions felt sensational and they smelled good, too. Her eyelids felt curiously heavy as she leaned in closer to get a good sniff of the heavenly fragrance. It was fresh and masculine and it certainly wasn’t Febreze, but it smelled familiar. It smelled just like, like Todd. Her eyes opened wide and she realized that she’d been curled up next to him with her head on his shoulder, sniffing him like an eager puppy. Heat flooded her face as he looked down at her.

  “You’re back with me, huh? I thought you were out for the night,” he teased.

  Emily sat up and tried to disentangle herself from Todd’s long arms, but he didn’t seem too eager to let her go. She gave a final tug so that she was able to put some space between their bodies.

  “How long have I been asleep?” she asked grumpily. She felt her hair and sighed when she realized she had bed head. Running her fingers through it, she gave his T-shirt a look. “I didn’t drool on you, did I?”

  Todd laughed; a low, sexy sound. “No, you didn’t drool. You started getting quiet, and the next thing I know you had nodded out. You missed the second disc in its entirety,” he informed her.

  “You should have shaken me or punched me or something,” she said. />
  “First of all, that’s not how I would treat a lady, ever. Second, I was enjoying it. Your hair smells good and you’re nice and warm.”

  Emily felt heat surge up again at his words. It wasn’t just because she was embarrassed; it was because she was aroused. She’d dreamed about him on more than one occasion, and the experience of having him so close to her in real life was wreaking havoc with her senses. The fact that he was looking at her with such a sexy expression on his face wasn’t helping, either. If anything, it was making her temperature rise faster than she could handle, and she reacted the way she normally did when confronted with the unfamiliar: she snapped at Todd.

  “Yeah. I’m going to lock up and I’m going to bed. Good night,” she said irritably. She stood up on feet that were uncharacteristically unsteady and winced as Todd stood up to support her. His strong hands encircled her waist, and she had to bite her lip to keep from saying something she’d regret for life.

  “Wait, I’ll go with you. I think I locked the doors, but you can show me how to do it right. This is a beautiful place, but it’s so far off the main road. You should get a dog for protection,” he said as he walked with her to the front door.

  Emily checked the heavy locks to make sure they were both secure. “This is a very low crime area and I can take care of myself,” she said grumpily.

  Todd didn’t seem put off by her tone in the least. “Everybody thinks that until something happens. They think they can handle anything and they get caught off guard, just like you did today,” he reminded her.

  She stopped walking so abruptly that he bumped into her. She unlocked a tall walnut cabinet in the hallway just outside the kitchen. It was her father’s gun safe, and the contents were intimidating, to say the least. There were two rifles and two shotguns, and cloth-lined drawers held his handguns. Emily deftly removed a handgun and closed the door to the safe.

  “My dad was a hunter and he taught me how to shoot when I was quite young. I still go to the range every other month just to make sure my skills are what they should be. I normally keep one in the nightstand, but I forgot to take one out when I got here. That’s good news for you, because you would have had this little thing pointed at you instead of having a conversation with a couple of nice, reasonable officers,” she informed him with an evil smile.

  Todd reached over and took the gun from her so quickly she didn’t have time to react. “I don’t like guns. You need a big dog.”

  Emily didn’t know whether to be outraged at his calm demeanor or turned on by his utter masculinity. She took a stab at outrage and crossed her arms to commence the verbal beat-down that was her usual weapon with macho-acting men.

  “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m trained and licensed to carry that weapon, and it belongs to me. How dare you…” Her voice trailed off as he politely put the gun on top of the gun safe.

  His hands came down on her shoulders, and he tilted her face up to his. “I’m sure you’re just as capable with a handgun as you are with everything else, but I still don’t like the idea of you coming here by yourself and relying on an arsenal for safety. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Emily.”

  She was afraid her knees were going to buckle. He was looking at her with utter sincerity and concern, two things she wasn’t used to seeing in a man’s eyes. Clearly she was out of her element here, but her traitorous body was actually enjoying the way he was making her feel. Her eyelids started to close and she prepared herself to feel his mouth against hers.

  “Let’s finish locking up so you can get to bed. You look a little sleepy,” Todd said.

  Emily turned quickly and made sure the kitchen door was locked, as well as the windows she’d opened earlier. She showed Todd how to use the house’s alarm system, and once everything was secured, they went upstairs. Her heartbeat had returned to normal and she was calm enough to speak in a casual manner.

  “Good night, Todd. I hope you’re comfortable. If you hear anything in the morning, it’ll just be me. I leave the house at about seven to run.”

  His face brightened. “Can I join you? I usually use a treadmill for convenience, but I love to run outside.”

  “If you want to, but I get up at six-thirty,” she cautioned him.

  “Not a problem. Sleep well.”

  Her hand was on her doorknob as she looked up at him. “You, too. Sleep well, I mean.”

  Without warning he leaned down and took her mouth with his for a lingering kiss that rocked her to her very soul.

  “Now I will,” he said.

  Todd might have slept soundly, but Emily was having a very difficult time in her room. Ever since Todd had kissed her she’d been dizzy. His lips were hot and smooth and strong, and she’d never felt anything like them in her life. She wasn’t a virgin and she’d had some pleasurable sexual experiences in the past, but they paled in comparison to the thrill of Todd’s kiss. It was unexpected, sweet and hot as fire, and she could still feel it as she tossed and turned in bed.

  She had stripped off her clothes as soon as she got into her room, changing into an old plaid cotton robe that she’d had since college. It was big and baggy and utterly hideous, but she needed to be completely covered because she needed a shower right now, preferably a cold one that would shock her back into her right mind. After bundling her hair up into a knot, she waited until she was sure Todd was in his room for the night and she slipped out into the hallway and scooted to the bathroom. Turning the water on full blast, she lathered her body from head to toe, trying to put out the fire Todd had lit.

  Why did he kiss me, she wondered. And why didn’t he do it again? He didn’t have to stop; they could have kept on kissing until morning as far as she was concerned. Better yet, they could have just kissed their way into her bed. She was honest enough to admit that she’d desired him since the day they’d met, way back when Ayanna got married. They were introduced at the wedding rehearsal, and she could still recall every detail of their meeting. Everything was engraved in her memory, from what he had on, how he smelled, what his skin felt like as they shook hands to his beautiful smile. She’d had an instant attraction to him, but she was far too self-conscious and shy to make her interest known.

  Her feelings about Todd would have remained a secret forever if he hadn’t turned up on her doorstep. But he had, and in a few hours he’d gone from being an abstract desire to something else. What that something was, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t possible to put a name on it. He’d seen her naked, she’d called the police on him; they’d had a nice dinner and watched a DVD until she fell asleep in his arms. She’d waved a gun in his face, and he kissed her good-night. As a first day together it was interesting, to say the least. What would tomorrow bring?

  She licked her lips and experienced the same vestigial thrill she’d been feeling since Todd had kissed her. Whatever came next, she vowed she’d be ready for it. Opportunities like this came only once in a lifetime and she wasn’t going to waste it.

  Chapter 5

  The next morning Todd hoped he didn’t look as tired as he felt. The bed was comfortable and he had no trouble going to sleep, but the highly erotic dreams he had about Emily kept waking him up in the various stages of desire and plain old horniness. It was his fault, he freely admitted. He shouldn’t have kissed her, because finding out how good she could do it drove him crazy when he was supposed to be getting a good night’s slumber. Considering the fact that he’d committed to getting up at an ungodly hour to run with her, he should have gotten a lot more sleep. After splashing a lot of cold water on his face in an attempt to look more alert than he was feeling, he pulled on a baggy pair of shorts and a ratty tank top that had seen better days and went down the back stairs to the kitchen. After taking one look at Emily, he was alert all over.

  “Good morning,” she said. “You want some grape juice and toast? I can’t run on an empty stomach.”

  “Sure, but I’ll get it. You look cute, by the way.”

  She turned
red, which made her look even cuter. Her long thick hair was pulled up in a braided ponytail so that her graceful neck was exposed, and she had on red runner’s shorts that showed off her strong, shapely legs. A snug-fitting white racer-back bra top completed her ensemble, and she looked delicious.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled. “It looks like it’s gonna rain, so we should probably hit it. I’m going to go warm up,” she added as she headed for the door.

  Todd went to the window to watch her. It was overcast, as she said, but he still ate two pieces of multigrain toast and downed a glass of juice. Like Emily, he had to have something in his stomach before exercising. Besides that, he was enjoying the view. Emily was incredibly limber as she stretched her long legs. All the twists and turns she was doing were accelerating his heart rate better than a warm-up. She presented entirely too much temptation for this hour of the morning. Something crossed his mind, and he went out to take it up with Emily.

  “Do you always run by yourself?” he asked abruptly.

  Emily looked at him strangely. “When I’m here, yes, I do. When I’m at home I run on campus, and there’re usually other people out there on the track. Why?”

  “You look a little too good to be out here by yourself. That’s another reason to get a dog. Protection,” he said gruffly.

  “Are you kidding? You need to get a hobby or something, Todd. That way you won’t be wasting time worrying about nonsense. I can take care of myself. Get warmed up or I’ll leave you,” she warned.

  He gave her a look which said the conversation wasn’t over, but he started his warm-up. As he started stretching his torso, Emily gasped.

  “Todd, what happened to you? Where did you get those scars from?”

  He gave her a faint semblance of a smile and pulled the tank top off so she could see the scars that went from his shoulder to his breastbone. There were three of them, and the recent removal of the sutures was quite evident.