Page 27 of More Than Chemical
“Huh?” He looked up.
Contrary to Penny’s thoughts, there had to be a perfectly logical reason. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“Oh,” he said, smiling. “I’m interested in refrigeration, so I’m thinking of getting a degree in mechanical engineering.”
“An obsession with ice rinks maybe?”
“Possibly. Or just HVAC in general. What about you?”
“Chemical engineering. I’d like to work with food scientists in the food industry.”
“Cool.”
“It always seems like ideas about food are changing,” I said. “What’s good for you, what’s bad for you. I’d like to be part of that.”
“It’s not because you want to study their aphrodisiac properties?”
My ears perked up. “Aphrodisiac?”
“I’m kidding.” He gave me a wide, mischievous grin. “I think what you want to do is really interesting.”
“No, I want to know. What properties?”
“You know, phenylethylamine, serotonin, B vitamins.”
“And those chemicals do what?”
“I think they relax blood vessels, improve blood flow, and increase the production of testosterone.”
“Like Viagra?”
He started to line up his shot. “Kind of, but naturally.”
He took the shot. Eight ball in the center pocket. He beat me.
I put my cue back into the rack and brushed my front side up against his back to get around him.
He turned and raised an eyebrow.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
When I came out, there he was, standing in the hallway, waiting for me. He wanted to kiss me. I could tell.
“‘Do or do not,’” I said with my best serious tone. “‘There is no try.’”
His eyes sparkled. “Is that a Star Wars quote?”
“Yoda, to be exact.” I couldn’t help but smile back.
“I love Yoda.”
“Me too.”
“So.” He paused. “You’re saying commit or don’t commit, right?”
“Yeah, but if I were you”—I tipped my head slightly—“I’d definitely commit.”
He pulled me into an alcove where a door led to the kitchen. He pressed me against the wall, pinning me with his body. His mouth consumed me, sending me soaring into the sky. His tongue probed and smoothed, but it was his lips that were as soft and gentle as I’d remembered. His fingers slipped under my sweater and trailed across my abdomen, sending waves of heat through me.
