Kissing Her Crush (12 page)

“Yes, you can.” Ivy pulled out her tablet and swiped a finger across the face. “See, we move this here and do this part tomorrow night. Get it?”

Natalie studied the screen for a while. “Ivy, this is brilliant. Nice going.”

Ivy grinned while putting her hair in a ponytail. “You can thank me later. First, you need some serious shuteye. I’ll clean up and make another few trays of samples to make up for your, um, sloppy little taste test.”

Luke didn’t like how the redhead was eyeing him so knowingly, but he wasn’t about to argue. “I suppose if all you’ll be doing is the same thing Natalie and I did all night…” He paused. “I mean, if you’re making more molds, I don’t have to be here.” He looked at Natalie. “You’re leaving now?”

“I guess I am.” She exhaled. “Go ahead, I’m right behind you—and don’t even think about waiting around. No more lurking in parking lots.”

This made Luke laugh, but Natalie didn’t so much as crack a smile.

Huh. Stopping the kiss really had pissed her off. Or was she upset about something else?

“Lurking in parking lots?” Ivy repeated.

Natalie shook her head while throwing another frosty glance his way. “I’ll text the others to reconvene at noon.”

“See you then,” Luke said. Neither of them said good-bye, so he walked to the door, then down the hall, more than ready to leave. If Natalie didn’t want him to even walk her to her car, he wouldn’t.
So much for small town charm,
he thought as he tore off his lab coat and tossed it in the back of the Jeep, forgetting it was med center property.
When things don’t go her way, she goes as cold as Celeste.

Before the thought had gotten far, he yanked it back. That was completely unfair. His ex and that feisty blonde were nothing alike—which had confounded him the first time he’d felt real attraction to her. Natalie had a reason to be pissed at him. Even if he didn’t know what that reason was yet, he accepted it.

He climbed in the Jeep and drove home, blasting angry rock all the way up the hill.

Chapter Ten

“S
pill it,” Ivy said.

“Sorry about the mess.” Natalie ran a hand through her hair; it was still slightly damp from her shower and had clumps of chocolate in it. She didn’t even want to think about how that happened. “I’ll help you clean up.”

“You’re going home to sleep, but not until you spill about Luke.”

There was nothing to say except that she was an idiot.

What was going through your mind to do that? You tell the guy ten thousand reasons why you can’t be with him for one night—or for the long run. Then your fortitude weakens for half a second and you’re smearing chocolate over your body and daring him to lick…

She shut her eyes hard and counted to ten.

And then Luke was the one to put on the brakes because you have no control
. She hated what this guy was doing to her.

“It’s like I said,” Natalie said. “It got late and we…he wanted to try…”

“Mm-hmm,” Ivy said, sliding on her gloves. “You can stick to that lame-ass story about sampling chocolate, but judging by the smudges all over both of you, no one with a pair of eyes will believe it.”

Natalie puffed out her cheeks, not knowing what to say.

“If you had sex in here, we’ll have to throw this batch away.”

“We didn’t have sex. Jeez, Ivy.”

“Oh, please. Look at you.”

“I’m fully clothed, we both were,” she said as she removed her lab coat and stuffed it in the laundry chute.

“You call that clothing?” Ivy pointed at her. “You’re wearing my stripper shirt.”

“This is yours? No wonder I didn’t recognize it.” She fingered the sheer collar. “Back up, why are your clothes in my trunk, and more importantly, why do you have a stripper shirt?”

“Oh, my.” Ivy’s hands flew to her giggling mouth. “You’re not even wearing a bra. Okay, now I understand what went down here—or
almost
went down.” She laughed again. “The poor guy. You seduced him.”

“No, I…” Natalie crossed her arms over her chest, indignantly. “I mean, okay, maybe it was my fault this time, but he totally started it with all his guitar playing and midnight picnic, and don’t get me started about the Kiss Tunnel—that was all him.”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Ivy held up both hands. “You better back up and tell me what’s going on, Nat. I’m your partner and need to know exactly what’s up so I can fix it.”

Natalie thought for a second, previewing what would happen if she told Ivy to mind her own business. Yeah, her best friend would grab her in a headlock. Plus, if something really did have to be fixed, Ivy deserved to know. So she took in a deep breath, sank onto a stool, and spilled.

Mostly she stared at the wall, now splattered with smears of chocolate, as she spoke. Guilt and stupidity made it impossible to meet Ivy’s eyes. When she finished, she blew out a breath.

“That’s all of it. See, I didn’t compromise anything.”

“The hell you didn’t,” Ivy argued.

“Luke and I were nowhere near the samples we need for the tests.”

Ivy shook her head. “You compromised your
heart
. When it comes to you, that’s worse than anything. Forget Jack the rat, you’re in no way prepared to handle something like this.”

Natalie gazed blankly at her.

“You’ve had a crush on this guy for what, a million years? Do you call that healthy? Okay, so he’s tall and built and he’s got that chiseled old-school classically gorgeous thing going on. But the second you learned he was sent by the NIH, Nat, the very second, you should have—”

“I know,” she cut in, covering her face with her hands. “I tried. You saw how we were the first day. I wanted nothing to do with him.”

“And then you went straight to the Kiss Tunnel and sucked face.”

Natalie shut her eyes and groaned. “That was a mistake.”

“According to my calculations, you’ve made three of those mistakes. Are there going to be more?”

“No!” She dropped her hands and looked straight at Ivy.

“Are you sure?”

“No! I mean yes, no more mistakes, I swear. Right before you came in, we had…strong words. He said things and I said things. I was mad and lashed out…though I…I don’t know why.” She exhaled, feeling disappointed then pissed at herself for it. “Nothing can happen between us now. It’s over. My heart is no longer compromised.”

They weren’t just pacifying words. Natalie knew they were true. She and Luke couldn’t continue their kissing fling or whatever it was, because they had to work together. But even if they didn’t, even if they decided to somehow go for it after the trial was over, it would never work.

She was a Hershey girl, through and through. She loved chocolate; she bled chocolate. Chocolate was going to help her brother. And Luke wanted none of it. Hell, this was the first time he’d visited his parents for longer than a weekend. He’d tried explaining that away, but how did she know he wouldn’t disappear again? He never wanted to live here, and she would never leave. The whole thing was pointless, hopeless, making her stomach sink all over again.

“Get some rest, hun,” Ivy said. “And hey, it’s gonna be okay. Just stay focused on the prize. Our research is strong, we’re going to prove that, and we’re going to make a difference with Brandon and other kids like him.” She touched her shoulder. “You’ll see.”

“Thanks.” She nodded, feeling choked up, but so grateful Ivy was on her side. “I needed to hear that.”

“Please go home. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She tossed Natalie a sweatshirt. “Might want to put that on before you start roaming the halls in my shirt. It’s cute and everything, but even I’ve seen too much of your ta-tas today.”

“If I wasn’t so brain dead, I’d make you tell me why you bought this shirt in the first place.”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Probably not, good night.” She yawned about twenty times as she walked out to her car. No sign of the Jeep. That should have made her happy, but it didn’t.

T
hanks to blackout curtains, the bedroom was dark as night. Luke rolled over and grabbed his cell to check the time. It was almost ten. He hadn’t slept well. Despite being half a mansion away from Dexter, he could hear his music blaring down the hall. How the guy got work done while being serenaded by 90s grunge rock, he’d never know.

But it wasn’t Dex’s music that kept him tossing and turning. It was Natalie. How had he let her inside his head? If he hadn’t stopped by Hershey Lounge to catch up with Hank, he’d never have run into her, never felt the spark that kept her front and center in his brain. Her silky hair, that stubborn, sassy mouth, how she bit her lip when she thought he wasn’t looking, the way she clung onto her cockamamie chocolate theory like grim death.

Getting mixed up with her put everything in jeopardy. If even the tiniest word got out about his behavior here, it could put the kibosh on any chance of being snagged by the NIH.

It was what he’d been working for all these years, and it was more important than a woman who’d straight up told him she didn’t want to be with him anyway.

He gathered up his feeling for Natalie and put them in a box. Sealed tight.

With tired strength that only came from frustration, he punched his pillow and rolled over. But it was no use. Five minutes later, he blindly grabbed one of the robes from the back of the bathroom door and wandered into the kitchen. His mother had left a note for him on the table—not a text or voicemail, but a handwritten note, like he was fifteen again.

Everything about being in Hershey brought back memories, probably because he hadn’t stayed under this room for longer than a week since high school graduation.

Hersheypark, working at the med center, even Bullfrog Park caused memories to resurface. Though new memories included one other person.

Dear Luke, We didn’t want to wake you, so your father and I booked 18 holes at the club first thing this morning. Please play nice at work today, don’t forget to eat, and I won’t ask where all my fried chicken went. Love you, Mom

Luke pressed a hand against his chest. His mom was pretty damn great. Unconditional love at its purest. He’d felt that kind of love for Celeste at the beginning, before it all fell apart.

He reread the note and smiled, recalling what Natalie had said. How just being here, sleeping here, eating here made his mother happy. Would he ever feel that kind of love? Could he love someone with everything in him, forgive no matter what, forever?

He wanted to. He wanted intimacy and friendship, someone he could laugh with, someone who turned him on and challenged him into wanting more out of life. A woman who kicked his ass and made him a better man. A woman to grow old with, their family surrounding them.

Exactly what his parents had.

When he imagined a future like that, he didn’t picture Philly. The jarring fact was, he pictured Hershey.

“’Sup, bro?”

Luke glanced up when Dexter came in, saving him from his whacked-out thoughts.

Dex laughed. “Nice threads.”

Luke hadn’t bothered checking what robe he’d put on, but it was obviously one of Roxy’s. Short and pink and way too many ruffles.

“Would you rather I take it off?” Luke said, searching the cabinets for a mug.

“I’d rather you put on clothes like a human,” Dexter said, pointing at the cabinet next to the fridge. “Why aren’t you at work?”

Before replying, Luke poured a tall cup of coffee. He had no idea how long ago it had been brewed, but it was hot and highly caffeinated. Though ethically against relying on chemical stimulants, he needed it today. He’d been breaking all kinds of rules lately.

“I worked late,” he said, “I told you that when we stopped by last night.” He sipped at the steaming liquid then winced. “What is this?”

“Coffee,” Dexter said, pouring is own cup.

“No, it’s not. It tastes like…”

“A Hershey bar?” His brother grinned. “Mom infuses everything with it.”

Luke took another investigatory sip. It was chocolate, all right. As the drink ran down his throat, a memory from last night—or this morning—shot to the front of his mind. Natalie with smears of chocolate on her mouth, her face, neck. He couldn’t swallow another drop.

“You get used to it.” Dexter chuckled and took a long gulp. “So, were you with
her
all night?”

Stalling for time, Luke took a drink. The taste triggered another memory—one he blocked out, boxed up with the rest of them. “Yes, it was just us.”

“You were holding out on me, brother. She’s smokin’ hot.”

“Don’t say that.”

Dex lifted his eyebrows. “What’s with you?”

“Nothing.” He sank onto a stool and cradled the mug between his hands, wishing the caffeine would hurry the hell up. “It was a long night, that’s all.”

“You two seemed cozy. Did something happen?” It was a mistake for Luke to not answer right away, because Dex set down his cup and leaned forward. “Oh, man. Something happened, right? Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me.”

Luke ran a hand over his face. “I need to shave.”

“I’m right, aren’t I? Dude, you’re totally sleeping with the enemy.”

Luke glared at him. “She’s not the enemy, and we’re not sleeping together. It was only a kiss.” He shuddered, remembering how he’d thrown that line at Natalie about their time in the tunnel. Only a kiss. He was such an ass.

“You kissed her?” Dex said. “Once?”

“No.” He shut his eyes, trying to keep a tight lid on that box. “More.”

Dexter sat on the stool beside him. “How much more?”

“We’re not thirteen and this isn’t a locker room.”

“Fine, fine. Just remember, I had to watch Dr. Phil with Mom for two months after I had knee surgery. I’m practically a psychiatrist.”

You’re practically about to get your ass kicked
, Luke thought. But then he exhaled in defeat. Maybe talking would help. But what the hell did he know? And what the hell would Dex know? Despite his better judgment, however, and with limited detail, he told Dex about last night.

“You were together in the lab, just the two of you, and you’re telling me you didn’t get a little…” He closed a fist. “Bird-in-Hand?”

“You’re an idiot. We weren’t kissing the whole time.”

“You were literally waiting for chocolate to solidify in a pan. What the hell else did you do?”

“I don’t know. We hung out. She’s cool.”

“Cool? What does that… Ahh.” He pointed at Luke. “You’re into her. You’re into the Intercourse dairy farmer’s daughter.”

“Apple farmer,” Luke corrected.

“She’s hot, man,” Dex added. “I don’t blame you.”

Luke jerked around to face him. “I mean it, stop talking about her like that.”

“Sorry. Touchy subject.” Dex sat back. “I take it that particular part of your relationship is over? I know the signs; you’re defensive and you sound wrecked.”

“I’m not wrecked, I’m just…” He scratched his morning beard. “Conflicted. I shouldn’t…want what she wants—it’s doesn’t fall in line with the future
I
want. My life is totally my own again, no way I’ll let that go. I won’t make the mistake of letting anyone control me.”

“Who’s trying to control you?”

Luke shook his head. “I don’t know.” He already regretted bringing up the subject. He should’ve taken his coffee-chocolate concoction back to his room. Or given Dexter that ass kicking. Maybe that would’ve cheered him up.

Dexter leaned his elbow on the counter. “We knew this was coming.”

“Knew what was coming? And who’s we?”

“Me and Rox. Mom, too.”

Luke put down his mug and sat ramrod straight—fully awake now. “I swear, if I have to sit through another intervention…”

“This is about Celeste. It’s all on her.”

When Luke furrowed his brow and blinked, it made his head ache. “What is?”

“The way you are with women, or were. You’re different about this one. You like her.”

“Her name is Natalie.”

“You like hanging out with her, you think she’s cool, and you’ve macked like champs.”

Luke didn’t need the reminder. “Do you have a point?”

“When you had to think about it going past what’s easy—a relationship and not just sex, you bailed. And that’s Celeste. She messed you up.”