Sweet Chemistry (9 page)

James looked like he was going to say something but kissed her instead. She could taste herself on his lips. Their bodies parted just in time for Meg and her escort to join them.

Kate’s cheeks were hot and her lips were swollen. “There you are. We’ve been waiting for you. Did you get my purse?”

Meg snorted and pushed both purses into her hands. “I’m sure you’ve been
talking
this whole time.” She winked and clicked her tongue. “This is Rob. He’s a pimp. That makes me his ho. Right Rob?”

“Whatever you say sugar.” He groped her ass and kissed her.

Meg pulled away from him. “Wow. Rob has a really talented tongue.”

Meg’s honesty had kicked in, which was her signature move when she was drunk. Well, that and puking. Rob didn’t need to experience either. “Come on, Meg, let’s get you home. Thanks for bringing her here, Rob.”

Rob frowned. “I thought she was coming home with me.”

“Not tonight, sorry Rob. Meg needs to sleep it off. She’ll call you tomorrow.” Kate took a step closer to Rob and stared at him until he released his grip on Meg’s body. “In you go.” She unlocked the back door and helped Meg crawl across the seat where she curled up in a ball. She slammed the door and turned to face Rob. She saw James out of the corner of her eye, who stood at attention as he watched their exchange. “Thanks again Rob. Night.”

His shoulders slumped and he muttered something under his breath before turning around and leaving.

James let out a long breath. “You handled him really well. I didn’t think he would go so easily.”

“Thanks.” Kate tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at Meg in the back seat. “I’ve got a lot of practice. She can be a handful. It’s a good thing I love her, because it looks like I’m going to have a long night ahead of me.” She grimaced when Meg started moaning and holding her stomach. She tapped on the window. “Don’t throw up in my car Meg! You hear me?” She turned back to James as she opened the driver door. “I have to go. Sorry…about everything.”

* * * *

Meg lived on the first floor, which was good because it meant Kate didn’t have to drag her up the stairs, or worse, try to get her on an elevator. Meg managed to hold it in the entire ride home, but the moment she was in her dorm, she grabbed a bowl off the counter and started puking.

Kate took care of her for the rest of the night, leaving once to get pajamas from her room. They both fell asleep some time near sunrise, and slept until late in the afternoon. It wasn’t until late Sunday night when Kate realized there was a message on her phone.

It was from James.

James stood in the parking lot and watched her drive away. As he drove home, his mind raced. What just happened? His control had been hanging on by a thread, and then she kissed him. She asked him to touch her. She
wanted
him. He had dreamed about that moment for weeks, and it finally happened, and he had no idea why. They needed to talk. She needed to understand he had no regrets.

Before he could fall asleep, his body demanded release. He stretched out in his bed and squeezed his eyes shut. Images of Kate danced across his eyelids: her dress glowing in the dimly lit room and her body glittering with gold. She was the most beautiful Cleopatra he’d ever seen. He was pressed against her, crushing her warm body under his. Her lips were softer than he remembered, and she was so hot and wet. His hand gripped his cock, moving across the slippery head the same way she touched him the first night they were together. Her name was on his lips as he came.

* * * *

James waited until noon on Sunday to call Kate. When she didn’t answer her phone, his heart sank. He didn’t regret their parking lot encounter, but maybe she did. He left a message anyway.

“Hey, it’s me. I just wanted to see how you were feeling today. I hope you got home safely, and I hope Meg is all right.” He let out a long breath. “Listen, I want you to know I thoroughly enjoyed myself last night, and I hope you did too. So…call me.”

He kept his phone in his pocket the rest of the day, checking it frequently through dinner at his brother’s. After Heather left to put Miles to bed, James leaned across the table toward his brother.

“I saw her again last night.”

“So? You see her almost every day. She’s your
student
.”

“Shut up. I know she’s my student.” James exhaled. “Can you just be happy for me for a minute? We talked—”

“You just talked, huh?” Jeff lifted an eyebrow.

“Well, maybe a little more.” James blushed.

“And you’re not going to tell me about it, are you?” Jeff crossed his arms over his chest.

“Sorry, no. I will say this though. I want her more than ever, and I hope everything is going to be all right. I tried calling her today, but she didn’t answer.” James spun his phone in his hand, checking for the hundredth time to see if he missed a call. He hadn’t.

“Seriously bro, you’re pathetic.”

“Maybe. But I’m happy. Doesn’t that count for something? She makes me happy. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow how she feels about what happened.”

“What happened?” Jeff’s eyebrows jumped up and down.

“Nice try.” James laughed.

“Did she like your costume?”

“Yeah, and I talked like a pirate all night and made her laugh too. Sorry I missed your friend’s party.”

“No big, it was pretty low key, and there weren’t any pretty young girls there, so you would’ve been bored.”

“She’s not
that
young. Stop harassing me about it.”

“Fine, just this once.” Jeff laughed. “I’m glad you’re happy. You deserve it. Just be careful.”

James took a deep breath. “I know it’s still early for me to make any assumptions, but would it be all right if I invited her to come to dinner with me for Thanksgiving?”

Jeff’s mouth hung open. “I could give you so much shit right now.”

“I know. I know. I’m not even sure I’ll invite her.” James held his hands up. “Well?”

“We’ll have plenty of room. Mom and Dad aren’t coming this year since they’ll be on a cruise.”

James relaxed. Not having to deal with his dad was always a bonus, especially when he was going to bring a girlfriend to a family function for the first time in years.

“I’ll ask Heather.” Jeff got up from the table and made his way upstairs to Miles’ bedroom. He came back a few minutes later. “Yes. Heather would be thrilled to meet her.”

“And you?” James raised his eyebrows.

“I must admit I’m curious to meet the girl that has you so whipped.”

“Shut up.” James sulked. Why did his brother always have to be right?

* * * *

Biochemistry was about to start and James was going to get to see Kate. She still sat in the second row, but she didn’t avoid his eye contact like she used to. She smiled at him, and it made his pulse quicken.

After class, he asked her if she would follow him to his office, but she said she couldn’t. If she had plans, that was one thing. But what if she was making up an excuse to avoid him?

“I’ve got a meeting. I can’t miss it. I’ll stop by tomorrow.” Kate gave him a quick smile and then darted out of the room. He tried to believe her, but quieting the voice in his head was harder than he thought.

His stomach churned, and waiting twenty-four hours nearly killed him.

James paced his office Tuesday morning. He looked down the hall every time someone opened the door. He was disappointed time after time until finally, Kate arrived. She stood outside Carrie’s office, but didn’t go in. They made eye contact and she held up her finger.

He covered every inch of floor in his office as he waited for her, and only when she appeared in his doorway did he stop. She was smiling. His heart was racing.

“Ahoy,” he said in his best pirate accent.

“Hi.” Kate closed the door behind her. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. Meg was really needy.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yes. Thanks for asking.”

“Are
we
okay?” James held his breath as he waited for her to answer.

Kate laughed. “I just feel like a jackass. Hey, let’s be adults, oh wait I can’t, let’s make out.”

“You don’t hear me complaining, do you?”

“No.” Kate smiled. “I’m not complaining either.”

“Good.” She didn’t answer his question. He had to be certain. “Are we okay?”

“Yes,” she whispered and looked at the floor. Kate shifted and put her hand on the doorknob. “Um, I should probably go help Carrie. I’m here to work. I’ll see you later?”

“Sure.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to learn to cook something else?” Kate asked and James nodded. “What did you have in mind?”

“Dinner?”

“Six?”

“Yes.” His heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest.

“I’ll get you an ingredient list.” She ducked out of his office and a half hour later, a piece of paper slipped under the door.

James picked it up and scanned the list. He could hardly wait until six.

Once he got home from the store, he focused his nervous energy to get his apartment clean. For once, he was actually on top of his grading, so the couch and coffee table weren’t covered with papers. He made his bed and tidied the bathroom. His leg bounced while he watched the clock. Kate was early, just like last time.

She held a large container in her hands and had a bag over her shoulder with a cookie sheet jutting out. James tilted his head to the side and stared at her.

“My contribution to dinner. I made bread dough, but I didn’t have a chance to shape loaves or bake them. Do you mind?” Kate glanced toward his kitchen. She was in working mode, and all James could do was move out of her way.

“Go ahead, I can move things if you want.” The ingredients he bought were lined up on the counter again.

“I’ll just work at the table.” She smiled at him, put her things down, and washed her hands. She pulled an apron out of her bag and tied it around her neck covering her soft pink T-shirt and jeans.

The table in the dining area only had two chairs, and he moved one of them out of the way and sat in the other.

Kate’s fingers worked in a blur of speed as she folded, shaped, and pinched the dough into loaves. She sliced the tops of the bread and covered the cookie sheet with a towel. She chattered about the process as she went, and then she turned her attention to the ingredients for dinner.

“While we wait for the bread to rise, we make dinner.” She set the lab timer and put it next to the loaves.

“What are we making?”

Kate stifled a laugh. “I thought it was pretty obvious. We’re making spaghetti.”

“The tomatoes make sense, but what about the veggies?”

Kate picked up the carrots, celery, and onion. “These are your aromatics. We are going to chop them. We start with the onion, since a traditional
soffritto
is composed of the same amount of onion as the other two ingredients combined.”

“
Soffritto
?”

“It’s an Italian term used to describe the base for most sauces, soups and stews.” Kate pulled a large knife out of the block on the counter. “When you’re holding a chef knife, you want to pinch the blade. It gives you more control.” She demonstrated by cutting the onion down to size in less than a minute. “We’ll need two carrots and two stalks of celery.”

She put the vegetables in his hand and pointed to the sink, directing him to clean, peel, and pare. “You don’t want to get cut, so when you’re working with anything that’s round, cut it in half first, and then it won’t roll around.” She sliced the carrots lengthwise and then cut slits in the celery. “Here, you try.”

She moved to the side and James took position in front of the cutting board. He held the knife by the handle.

“Pinch the blade.” She gripped his wrist and slid his fingers into position. She moved her hand on top of his. “Relax, you can do this.”

James chuckled. It wasn’t the knife that was making him so nervous.

He followed her orders and held the stack of celery strips and chopped with surprising success.

Kate beamed at him. “Good job. Now the carrots.”

When he was done, James looked at the piles of prepared veggies on the cutting board.

“See? Two parts onion, one part carrot and one part celery. Now we cook. Do you have a sauté pan?”

“Um. I don’t know.” He pointed to the cupboard that held his pots and pans. Hopefully they weren’t all covered with dust.

Kate squatted down and pulled out a large stockpot and a frying pan. “This will work, and the big pot will be perfect for the noodles. Preheat the pan over medium low.”

She grabbed the bottle of olive oil and splashed the pan. “It’s shimmering already, so add your veg.”

James did as he was told and stirred them. Kate added garlic at one point, and complimented his attention to the veggies, which were turning a nice golden color.

“Where’s the wine opener?” After she found it, Kate opened the bottle of wine and splashed the pan, turning the veggies a deep maroon. She put the cork back in the bottle. “The rest is for dinner.” She smiled at him. “Do you have a balcony where I can chill this? I think it’s the perfect temperature outside for red wine.”

James pointed through the living room to the sliding door, which led to a private enclosed balcony.

“Damn,” Kate called from outside. “I left my light on again.” She was looking at the building facing his.

All this time, she lived across the street and he never knew. No wonder she had been able to get home so easily the first night they were together. He followed her finger, which was pointing to an illuminated window. He counted: three stories up, fourth window from the right.

“Get back in the kitchen. A chef never leaves his pan,” she chided.

James jumped and ran back to the stove, picking up the spatula and stirring the veggies again.

By the time they added the tomatoes and seasonings, the kitchen was filled with the most amazing aroma. Kate tasted the sauce. Her face puckered. “Too acidic. Now we need to neutralize. Get the baking soda.”

“How much?” He pulled the bright yellow box from the counter.

“We go by taste. It won’t take much. Start with a pinch.”