Chemistry of Desire (4 page)

I
t 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 wonderful
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.

Todd got up and joined her, retrieving the wine bottle and their glasses before following her into the house. “Emily, why do you react like that every time I pay you a compliment?”

“Because it’s been my experience that compliments are just another form of B.S. I told you I have a built-in radar for crap, and you’re setting it off.”

They were back in the family room and she was fiddling with the gas fireplace. Todd shook his head at the sight of her deliberate effort to turn away from him. He put the glasses and bottle down
and went to where she was standing. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around and held her close to his body.

“I don’t know if that’s a reflection on you or on me, but I can assure you I’m not trying to shine you on or anything close to it. I’m trying to let you know how attracted I am to you. I’ve always found you to be captivating, but the timing was always off.”

“Horseshit,” she murmured. He was just a little too close to her for comfort, and she couldn’t come up with anything clever to say.

Todd ignored her unladylike comment and kept talking.

“When I first met you at Ayanna’s wedding I thought you were adorable, but I was involved with someone at the time,” he said as he began to play with her hair.

Emily closed her eyes and bit her lower lip to prevent a low purr of contentment from escaping. “I’ve been in Chicago several times since the wedding,” she said in a near-whisper.

Todd moved closer to her, kissing her temple and her cheek. “I know exactly how many times you’ve been to Chicago. I put every single visit on my calendar because I made a point of coming over so I could see you.”

“So why didn’t you say something to me about
this big attraction?” Her voice was partially muffled by his chest and husky from desire.

“Bad timing.” He kissed her cheeks again, lingering on her tempting dimples and the bridge of her nose before capturing her mouth. His tongue stroked her lower lip as her mouth opened to him. He had no intention of ending this kiss, and neither did she. His hands slid down her taut torso and cupped her high, firm butt, palming her so that their bodies met and locked together.

“Bad timing?” she murmured as he licked her neck. “How’s our time right now?”

“Just perfect,” Todd answered between kisses.

“So why are we still downstairs?”

Todd’s response was to pick her up and head for the stairs with her legs around his waist. In minutes they were in her bedroom, tearing at each other’s clothes.

T
odd was trying to be patient, but he couldn’t wait for her fingers to undo all of his buttons. He ripped off his shirt and tossed it to the floor while he undid his belt and unzipped his jeans. Emily knelt on the bed and watched him with passion-filled eyes while she took off her shirt. Her rounded breasts were already reacting to the sight of him, as her nipples were hardened and erect beneath the knit cups of her white bra. She was about to undo the front hook when Todd stopped her. He undid the closure with surprising ease and freed her high, perfect globes to his hands and mouth. He bent down and took a nipple into his mouth,
making a sound of pleasure as he tasted her. He was busy unfastening her jeans while he traced circles around the tip of her hot breast, sucking on it until she cried his name. He freed her from her jeans and ran his hands down her hips before lowering her to the mattress.

She looked hotter than anything he could have imagined. Her thick hair was tousled wildly, and the only thing she was wearing were bikini panties in white cotton. They looked adorable on her, besides being way sexier than any of the lacy thongs he’d seen in the past. And he’d seen plenty, but none that aroused him as much as he was right now. Her hips arched as he pulled the panties down, leaving her naked and yielding to his touch. He had to taste her; all of her, right then and there.

Todd guided her long legs over his shoulders and cupped her round, firm butt as he moved into a position that allowed him to take his first taste of the wet sweetness that awaited him. As soon as his tongue made contact with her, a sound of passion came from her throat as she moved her hips in a perfect rhythm with his mouth. He could feel the pulsing warmth of her womanhood getting hotter and wetter, and he knew the moment she came. It took him only seconds to change positions so that he could enter her. She was hot, tight and throbbing, and the way it felt to his manhood made him groan with pleasure. He tried to hold off his climax
until she was near hers, and in minutes they were both spent and satisfied.

When he could move again, he rolled over so that they were still joined but lying on their sides, facing each other. He kissed her, slowly and with great tenderness. “I think I rushed you,” he murmured.

Emily smiled at him, her eyes soft and sexy. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I should have taken my time and gotten to know each and every delectable part of you,” he confessed. “You deserve more.”

“Really?” Emily’s hand stroked his chest, her fingertips just barely grazing his smooth, sweaty skin. Without any more effort than that, she was sending small bolts of sensation through his body. “Exactly what is it that I deserve?” she asked.

By way of an answer, he leaned over and kissed her deeply, using his tongue and lips to communicate with her in a way that words could not. He was taking his time, slowly exploring her body as he promised, using his big hands to rub her breasts as he kissed his way down her neck and shoulder until his hot lips reached her nipples. They were hard and enlarged as proof of her desire. His tongue circled one over and over until his mouth covered it completely, and he created a deep suction that drew a sigh of pure pleasure from Emily.

This time, Todd would not hurry. He took an
excruciatingly long time to touch and taste every single part of Emily’s body. She was almost sobbing his name before her entered her again, but the sweet torture was worth it to both of them. It was as though he was depositing his soul into her as they climaxed together.

Emily couldn’t recall being so content with a man before. Todd’s brand of lovemaking had taken her to a whole new level of satisfaction. She stretched like a cat and sighed, which caused Todd to ask if she was okay.

“Gee, let’s see,” she said with a drowsy laugh. “I’m in a bathtub full of bubbles, surrounded by scented candles, serenaded by soft music and being seduced by a tall, dark and handsome man who seems to have memorized the Kama Sutra, and you want to know if I’m okay. Are you fishing for a compliment?”

Todd was lying back in the huge tub with Emily resting between his legs, her back snugly against his chest. He stroked her round, firm breasts and gave them a gentle squeeze as he answered. “Naw, I’m just making sure that you’re happy,” he drawled. “And I haven’t memorized the Kama Sutra. I read the first chapter when I was like, twelve. It was kinda boring, but the pictures were pretty hot.”

Emily laughed as she ran her hands up and
down his hard, muscular thighs. “That was cute. You made it up, but it was pretty funny.”

Todd’s long fingers deepened the massage on one of her breasts, with his thumb circling her hard nipple, while his other hand explored the hot, sweet place between her legs. “I never lie, baby. I got the book from my brother’s hiding place under his mattress. And I have an excellent memory for detail, like sexually explicit drawings.”

Her back arched as she moved her hips to the motion of his hand. Heat surged up her body and radiated through every bit of her. It was a slow burn that suddenly flared up as he took her back to the place of pleasure and surrender. She breathed his name, and he couldn’t resist teasing her gently.

“Do you still think I made it up?”

“No!” she gasped. “I believe you, I believe you, I believe you,” she moaned until she couldn’t utter another sound.

After some more passion, they finally managed to get out of the tub. They were both starving, and Emily was fairly certain that if she did some of the things she wanted to do to Todd, she’d drown in the scented water. They finally made their way to the kitchen, although they weren’t fully dressed. Emily had on the silk kimono her mother had given her a couple of years before. Todd was shirtless in a pair of cotton drawstring sleep pants that hung low on
his hips. He looked so good that Emily considered forcing him onto the bed to have her way with him some more, but his stomach growled loudly and she decided to have mercy on him.

She opened the refrigerator to see what looked appetizing. Todd was looking too, but he was mostly looking at Emily and playing with her hair.

“How about I make you a sandwich?” she asked. “I can make really good ones.”

“Ten different kinds, if I recall,” he replied. “Yeah, that’s good. I happen to love a good sandwich.”

She was taking out what she thought she’d need; deli-sliced roast beef, a red ripe tomato, an avocado, some arugula and green goddess salad dressing. She almost dropped everything when Todd told her how much he liked her hair.

“It’s so soft and pretty. I love it,” he told her.

Emily’s cheeks got hot, and she felt totally flustered. She’d almost forgotten that her hair was loose and damp from their bath and subsequent shower.
Pretty my ass,
she thought.
I probably look like a damned Muppet.

Despite her misgivings, Todd actually seemed sincere in his compliments. He was still stroking what she was sure was a tangled nappy mess, but he was apparently fascinated with her tresses. “You don’t put any chemicals in it, do you? It’s all natural,” he marveled.

“No, I’ve never had a relaxer. I don’t press it and I’ve never had it cut. I just braid it and go. I don’t have time to mess with it,” she said grumpily. She wasn’t used to much attention, especially from a gorgeous man like Todd, and it was making her uncomfortable. Getting out the cutting board, she slapped a loaf of pumpernickel bread on its wooden surface and reached for a bread knife to slice it. Todd stopped talking about her dratted hair long enough to wash his hands at the sink. Unfortunately for her, he started talking again while he was drying his hands.

“You don’t need to do anything to it. It’s perfect just the way it is. Most women would mess it up with stanky chemicals, but you have the good sense to leave it like God gave it to you. You’re one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in my life, and you’re a totally natural beauty. Just gorgeous,” he added.

By now Emily would normally have said something mean and smart-asslike to him to deflect her embarrassment, but for once she held her tongue. Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire and she couldn’t quite look him in the eye, but she was finally enjoying his flattery. It was like getting a cold drink of water after a long hot run; it was something she desired and deserved, and she was going to savor every drop. She finally looked at him with a shy smile on her face.

“Thank you, Todd. That was very sweet of you to say.”

Todd came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “That was nice of you, babe, but never thank me for telling the truth. You can feed me,” he added pointedly. “Especially if you plan on taking advantage of me again.” He let go of her just enough to move her hair out of the way so he could kiss her neck, which he did with great skill and desire.

“You’d better stop that if you plan to eat, because I can assure you I have plans for you,” she said in a sultry voice.

He turned her around so they were facing each other, and he pressed the lower part of his body into hers. “On second thought, I can wait a little while longer for food, but I still need to eat. Have you ever made love in a kitchen?”