Kissing Her Crush (7 page)

She was done with that crap. Over the past few years, she’d convinced herself to be fine with what she had now. No messy feelings or heartbreaks or games.

“Sorry,” she said, unlatching her teeth from her lip. “I didn’t mean to.”

Despite his messy hair and stubbly chin, he smelled amazing. He was wearing something classic like Old Spice. Somehow the scent drifted through her mental brick wall and made her mouth water. “Aren’t you supposed to be wearing a bag over your head?”

“Maybe I didn’t want to.”

“Luke,” she said firmly, “I might be small town, but I’m perfectly aware when a guy is trying to flirt with me—don’t.”

He exhaled like he’d known this was coming. “Just kidding around. I swear; we’ll never talk about what happened in the tunnel.”

“What tunnel?”

Natalie flinched and nearly gave herself whiplash as she jerked around to see Ivy in the doorway.

“What tunnel, Nat?” she repeated.

“The one at, um, Hersheypark.”

Ivy’s eyebrows smashed together. “That’s where you went after I booted you?” She put both hands on her hips. “What happened in the tunnel that you don’t want to talk about?”

Both Natalie’s heart and brain froze. “We um…I, uh, it—”

“Broke,” Luke finished. “One of the safety bars came off its hinges while we were, um…”

“
Riding
?” Ivy cut in.

Luke shot Natalie a not-so-subtle glance, and she felt her cheeks flame red. “R-riding, yeah.” She forced a laugh. “It was the damnedest thing. It just broke.”

“Right in my hand,” Luke added. “Like I was fueled by super-power strength.” The way he looked at her made Natalie’s blush deepen.
Crap, no blushing in front of Ivy.

“You should sue,” Ivy said as she pulled her lab coat off a hanger. “Get some of those Hershey billions.”

“Yeah, I should!” Natalie’s next laugh was a little too loud and horsey. “Anyway, what’d I miss yesterday?”

As Ivy gave them her report, Natalie tried very hard to concentrate and not look at Luke, not smell Old Spice in the air, taste honey on her tongue, or bite her lip.

“S
ounds like you were productive without us,” Luke said, capping his pen. He looked at Natalie, who’d barely glanced at him during Ivy’s summary. “Maybe we should get kicked out again.”

“
Stop it
,” she hissed, barely moving her lips. Enough time had passed that she wasn’t blushing anymore, but damn, that comment about breaking the safety bar while she’d been
riding
… Luke couldn’t think about it without wanting to smile.

Smiling was one thing. Doing something about it was another. And Luke was not about to do anything. Besides his current job, his future job, and bitterness from his ex, there was another glaring reason to keep his mind off Natalie: He’d never be the “other guy.”

“Anyway,” he said, pushing up his sleeves. “Sounds like we’ve got a lot of work today.”

“We?” Natalie said, opening her laptop. “You’re here to observe.”

He leaned against the counter between a row of microscopes. “That’s what I meant.” He tried not to
observe
Natalie’s curves beneath her lab coat, the upstairs curves as well as the curves downstairs.

He had to stop his dirty thoughts right there, and the ridiculous semi-flirting. Otherwise, he might be tempted to semi-kiss her. After that, there’d be no semi-anything.

Just then, the interns arrived with a box of donuts that everyone descended upon but him. Seeing Natalie with dots of empty-caloried powdered sugar on her nose and the corners of her mouth should have revolted him and should
not
have been attractive in the least.

The rest of that day and the next went smoothly. Though their subtle wisecracking never completely disappeared, Luke behaved. The following morning, Natalie started off by giving instructions on how they’d prepare the initial test. This phase didn’t sound like a first attempt. She’d gone through this before, if only theoretically. They were prepared.

It shouldn’t have surprised Luke that her team had been priming for this. To them, it wasn’t some preposterous theory. Perhaps the NIH dropping him on the scene was more of an inconvenience than he’d thought. That didn’t mean he didn’t belong there, of course. Every first product development stage needed checks and balances. He’d always been a stickler for that. Maybe that was the reason the NIH was interested in him.

As Natalie instructed the team, every time she mentioned sugar, she’d send him a steely glance. He wasn’t about to argue now that he’d reverted to his proctor position at a desk in the corner.

While silently typing notes, he did some observing of a more personal nature. When he left her alone to do her thing, the head of this research team was on the brilliant side, an expert in her field, and eloquent in her explanation. He’d always been drawn to highly intelligent women, ending with Celeste.

Ruminating about his ex was helpful when Natalie stooped to pick up a pencil she’d dropped. Did the woman have any clue how dangerous it was for her to bend in half right in front of him?

“Any thoughts?”

Where should I begin?
“About?”

Natalie crossed her arms. “I asked if you have anything to add. You’ve been so quiet.”

“Trying to be respectful,” he replied, grabbing for something to say instead of how he’d been mesmerized by the act of her picking a pencil off the floor.

“Just don’t want you reporting back that I didn’t give you a chance to retort.”

“I’ll retort when there’s need.”

She rolled her eyes, but behind them was a hint of that playful gleam.

While the others ran the first series of tests, Luke hung back with Mark the intern. After mixing five ingredients in the high-pressure blender, Natalie took a sample and spun it in a machine. Everyone waited in silence for the results to spit out.

She looked nervous, pulling at her ponytail, shifting weight from foot to foot, though thankfully not biting her lip.

When a green light flickered on, she and Ivy looked at each other but didn’t move. Luke stepped closer, noting the exact moment when the tension in Natalie’s shoulders relaxed.

“It’s a match,” she said. Ivy whooped like a cheerleader while the interns gave high fives. “Step one is complete,” she said, recording the data on a spreadsheet. “Ready for two and three?”

Another whoop, then they immediately split up to take care of their individual prep jobs for the next test.

Because of his need to argue, Luke hadn’t bothered noticing before that Natalie was also a born leader. Maybe she was only that way in her lab. Though he’d kind of loved it when she’d stolen his lead in the tunnel.

But he shouldn’t think about that. What he should be doing, what he was being
paid
to do was make sure every
I
was dotted and every
T
was crossed. So far, he had no complaints.

Well, he had plenty of complaints about the project in general. In his soul, he knew pouring chocolate down teenagers’ throats—even if it was some rare, tropical, seemingly-
healthful
variation—was no way to treat depression. If there was a plus side to her theory, it was a quick fix. On the negative side, it might promote childhood obesity and diabetes or give hope when there was none.

But his personal ethics weren’t why he was there, and he knew even if her trial passed all the mandatory criteria, even made it through a clinical trial, there was no way an actual product would see the light of day.

It was too absurd, which was a puzzlement when he considered how bright Natalie was. Why would she waste her time with something that would never make it onto a pharmacist’s shelf? Was she a glutton for punishment?

He had a few questions while they ran the next two tests. Again, while waiting for the results, Natalie and Ivy were dead quiet. But their celebratory cheers grew louder each time.

Luke enjoyed watching her laugh and cheer. He wasn’t selfish but happy she was getting the results she wanted. Results in the lab, though, and a real-life blessing from the FDA were two different things.

For a moment, his happiness for her warped into protection. All her hard work would be for nothing in the long run. He knew how this world worked. She’d lose in the end.

The bigger question was why that bothered him?

Chapter Six

“T
hat’s five out of thirty in the bag,” Natalie reported a few hours later. It was late, she was brain tired, and her fingers were raw. Her spirits, though, were sky high. She couldn’t have been more jazzed about their progress.

She was also starving and ready to be off her feet for a solid eight hours. She glanced at Luke who had been quiet most of the afternoon. Not that she minded. He was nothing but a proctor.

Still, his silence made her suspicious.

“Um, Nat?” Ivy was halfway out of her lab coat while reading her phone. “You better check your email.”

Hearing Ivy’s tone, Natalie’s pumped-up, accomplished feeling froze. Something was wrong. With a nervous knot in her stomach, she fished her cell from the bottom of her purse and tapped the envelope icon. After reading the first line, she stepped into the hall to read the rest.

When she came back into the lab minutes later, her agitation must have shown, because Luke marched straight up to her. In any other situation, the concerned expression on his face would’ve made her swoony¸ but there wasn’t even a thought of that now.

“You’re
freaking
kidding me,” she muttered through a clenched jaw.

“Right?” Ivy said, just as outraged.

“What is it?” Luke asked, still in his worried face. Honestly, they’d kissed one time—well, one and a half times, even if he didn’t remember the half. No reason for the guy to go all boyfriend-protective.

“We’re losing the lab,” she said after pushing out a long exhale.

“Today?” Luke asked.

“End of next week.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

Natalie shot him a glare. “Good for who? You? You’re that keen to leave Hershey and jet back to Philly?” She held up a hand, preempting whatever reply he was planning. “We’re supposed to have this lab for three full weeks because that’s how long it takes to run the entire segment. Don’t you understand? We’re screwed.”

“Royally,” Ivy agreed.

“Can’t you speed things up?” Luke suggested.

“So typical that a guy wants to rush to the next step.”

“That’s not…” Luke actually broke into a smile. How dare he look cute? “That’s not at all what I meant.” He gave her a long, knowing look that she easily inferred. But it was her fault for throwing out the innuendo in the first place.

“No, we can’t speed anything along,” she said. “The chemical combinations have time specifications on how and when they can be intermixed. Thought you read the proposal.”

Luke rubbed his jaw with a knuckle. “I did.”

“So then you know.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “Why are you losing the lab a week early?”

Ivy displayed the face of her phone before Natalie could explain. “Temporary staffing cutbacks is what they
say
. But I call bullshit. They probably double booked the lab, and we’re getting booted because they think our trial isn’t as important.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Luke said.

“Fair?” Natalie laughed bitterly. If she didn’t laugh, she was afraid she might cry.

What Ivy didn’t know, what none of them knew was that the second she’d read the email, she’d called her boss at Hershey, the head of research and development. Scott had been an important sounding board while she’d been vying for grants. So naturally, she’d called him to complain.

Their conversation had been short. But informative.

“I warned you this was too big,” Scott had said.

“I know you did,” she’d replied.

“And now Ivy…”

“I know.”

All midlevel R&D chemists were expected to participate in an original research study in order to extend their contracts. Natalie knew that, and she’d already completed her first during her third year at Hershey. Those who didn’t would be suspended from contract negotiations and lose credentials. And if the economy was just right…maybe even their jobs.

Last year, Ivy had been part of two research teams that had folded. Her contract end date was in four months. If Natalie wasn’t able to complete this project—that had suddenly been cut short a week—neither would Ivy.

Because Natalie insisted on going for the time-consuming, complicated, and unpredictable route of a clinical trial, her best friend’s job was a stake.

Even without looking at Ivy across the room, Natalie knew her partner was fully aware of the consequences if this thing went under. More tears threatened her eyes. Instead of letting defeat win, she lashed out.

“Fair?” she repeated, directed at Luke. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been trying to get the grant to pay for this trial?
Any
idea?” Annoyance boiled under her skin at Luke’s blank expression. Of course someone like him would have no idea what it was like to struggle for years and years over something he couldn’t control. He had all the money he wanted and lived a charmed life.

“No,” he replied. “I assumed you’d recently applied because the assignment was short notice on my end.”

She couldn’t help huffing a dark laugh. “That’s because it was the only time frame they gave us. We’ve been busting our asses for this. Yes, it’s amazing that we got the grant, but they gave us seventy-two hours between the phone call and the day we got the lab. We had no other choice than to start immediately or we’d lose the funding. Luckily, we’re prepared.”

“Damn straight,” Ivy said.

A rock sat in the pit of Natalie’s stomach. Lashing out wasn’t helping. Pointing fingers wasn’t either. She shut her eyes and put a hand over her mouth, trying not to lose it. “I can’t believe this. I seriously can’t.” Just as she was about to release a long, defeated moan, she pictured Bran Muff.

Her little brother needed this. Especially now that Muff knew what she was doing, she couldn’t give up.

“I see on the schedule we should be done for the day,” Luke said. When Natalie opened her eyes, he was flipping through the proposal on his tablet. “But is there something we can do tonight? Get the next step rolling? Anything?”

Natalie blinked at him. For someone who was dead set against her theory, Luke was more gung ho than she was. “Um, let me think a second,” she said, running the schedule of the next few days through her head. She could not cut even one corner, couldn’t give the NIH any reason to shut her down. But maybe…

“Step five?” Ivy asked, reading her mind.

Natalie nodded, her heart picked up speed. “That’s exactly what I’m thinking. We can skip ahead to five and start preparing the sample prototypes to absorb the injection.”

“The what?” Luke asked.

“She means, make the chocolate,” Ivy replied, sending Natalie a quick, though grateful, smile.

With a renewed plan and a fire in her soul, Natalie rushed to her laptop and pulled up a spreadsheet. “That could save us one day at least. The samples must be less than forty-eight hours old, but if we work fast with steps three and four, that’ll give some cushion.”

“Okay,” Luke said. “So chocolate making is moved ahead to tomorrow—”

“Tonight—
now
,” she corrected. When she looked up, four sets of eyes were on her.

“That’ll take hours,” Ivy said. Then she spoke low. “I know what you’re trying to do, Nat. But this project is way too important. Don’t jeopardize it because you’re rushing it through for me.”

“This will work.”

Ivy pressed her lips together. “Are you sure?”

“Totally. I can do this part in my sleep. Oh, sorry, everyone. I didn’t mean we all have to stay here overnight. Nothing’s being made in bulk; the sample numbers are tiny. It’s a one-man job.” She put her hands in the pockets of her lab coat, feeling for any hidden chocolate. She’d have to draw energy from somewhere to pull an all-nighter.

“The rest of you can go, but be here first thing in the morning to start early.”

Ivy looked a little guilty. “Nat, you know I’d stay, too— I’ll sleep in the lab for the next two weeks, we’re a team, but…Sharona just flew in from Sydney. She brought her fiancé, that shark guy.”

“Ivy, I swear, it’s fine,” she said, sincerely. “You know as well as I do that two people here for this is a waste.”

Ivy chewed a thumbnail. “Yeah, I know.”

“Go. It’s not a problem.”

Ivy nodded then went to get her purse. “First thing in the morning.”

“Bright and early!” Natalie replied with a chipper chirp. “Have fun with Sharona and her shark man, then get a good night’s sleep.”

The interns said good-bye and Ivy followed them out. Good, now she could get to it. Just as she opened a new document, she noticed Luke leaning against the doorframe, still wearing his lab coat. How could that boxy piece of unisex clothing fit him so well?

“You can go, too,” she said, needing him and his distracting body to be gone.

But Luke shook his head, slowly. “I don’t think so.”

N
atalie’s eyebrows arched into a sharp V as she looked from him to her computer. “Didn’t you hear what I told everyone? I can do this myself. One-man job. Go home, Luke.”

For working nearly twelve hours already, she still seemed energized. How did she do that? Luke hadn’t noticed her consuming massive amounts of caffeine or shoveling endless Hershey bars into her mouth.

“I heard you,” he said, admiring her spunk. “But I’m not about to leave you alone.”

She rolled her eyes. “I appreciate the macho protection act, but the med center has round the clock security. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

“It’s no act. I am macho,” he pointed out, for fun. “But that’s not what this is about, and you know it.” As he walked toward her, the closer he got, the bigger her eyes grew. If he didn’t know better, she looked like she expected to be kissed.

Or actually,
feared
that she’d be kissed.

Kissing that sassy mouth had drifted in and out of his mind all day, but that wasn’t what this was about, either.

“My job is to observe everything that goes on in this lab.”

Natalie’s shoulders lost some of their tension “And?”

“And…if you’re here, I’m here.”

“That’s not necessary. I won’t be doing anything with the serum. I’ll be mixing and molding chocolate bars.”

“Wouldn’t be ethical if I report back that research was being done in the middle of the night without my presence.”

This made Natalie huff, but there wasn’t genuine annoyance behind it. “You honestly have to oversee everything?”

“Observe,” he tweaked. Sometimes it seemed like she really didn’t want him there, but other times…

Never mind those other times.

“So.” He clapped his hands, taking her silence as concession. “What’s first?”

Weary suspicion shown in Natalie’s eyes initially, but then it seemed as if she didn’t want to waste energy on it, and she turned to her computer. “We mix the chocolate, put it in the molds, then it’s all about time.”

“You said we.” He leaned on the counter and tried not to smile. “Thought you said this was a one-woman job.”

“Oh, um, right.” She rubbed her nose. “Well, since you’re here…”

He did smile now, pleased as hell when she smiled back. Felt like an eternity since he’d seen that smile.

“Okay, so yeah, we set the molds then wait three hours because we don’t refrigerate. After we make sure the molds are set, we’ll practice on a few, make sure the consistency of both products are what we want.”

He liked how often she said we. It might have been his job that required him to stay, but an instinct that had nothing to do with work wouldn’t let him leave.

“Sounds like a plan.”

It really was a one-person job, but Luke appreciated how Natalie allowed him to help. They used a small mixer, bigger than the kind sold at any kitchen store, but not as massive as the industrial sized ones he’d seen around. Those were used for mass production. A tiny headache stabbed at his temple, knowing those machines would never be used for Natalie’s product.

But that wasn’t his problem.

Only a few times did he catch himself watching her in a way that wasn’t even close to being appropriate for co-worker conditions, let alone since she had a boyfriend.

“About the other day in the tunnel,” he broached, oh so smoothly, while adding five cups of sugar to the bowl, “I hope that didn’t make life difficult for you.”

She lifted her chin, her safety glasses balancing on the tip of her nose. “Didn’t we agree to never bring it up?”

“I know. But that whole YouTube thing—”

“The video wasn’t posted, Luke. You don’t have to worry about your precious reputation.”

He had worried about that—a lot. But he wasn’t now. “I’m worried about yours.”

She crossed her arms. “Ah, you’re saying a woman has to be concerned about protecting her reputation when a man doesn’t, for the exact same thing?”

He covered his laugh with a fist. “That came out wrong. And no, that’s not my opinion at all.” He paused, searching for an indirect way to bring up the subject. When he couldn’t think of one, he considered just dropping the whole thing. But the rock in his gut wouldn’t let him.

“I goaded you into it. I’m not saying you didn’t goad me back, but I started it.” He took a beat, thinking carefully about how to articulate the next part. “After I left you at the park gate, I waited.”

“I know you did.”

“I know you know. And I saw.”

“Saw what?”

He groaned. Why was nothing easy with this woman? Except wanting to kiss her.

“Believe me,” he said, “I wouldn’t have started anything or asked you out that first night at Hershey Lounge if I’d known. I have experience with the short end of that stick, the bad end, and things like that can begin so easily—an innocent email, a friendly dinner, at least that’s what my ex said, and I guess I believe her.”

He stopped speaking after he realized he was rambling. He’d never been a rambler until Natalie.

“I’m still not sure what you mean.”

He turned and faced her straight on. “I’m deeply sorry I kissed you.”

Her expression went slack. “Deeply…?”

“Not that it wasn’t good—it was. It was a great kiss, the way you…” He forced himself to stop talking and take a breath. “I read the whole situation wrong from the beginning.”

“Am I that unkissable?”

“No! You were amazing.” He slapped a hand over his heart. “I just…I’m usually better at reading people. I didn’t realize you had a boyfriend until I saw you get in his car.” He let his hand drop. Saying the words made him feel sick.