Elle Jamison

Chemistry

Gwen held the book with two hands while her heart raced. She couldn’t decide if she was more excited by the fact that she was about to do her research on this great work, or by the author on the back cover, Dr. Brock Brinkman. Gwen examined his photo one more time, staring into his piercing blue eyes. She had had a crush on him since she’d seen him speak her freshman year. He was just as attractive in person as he was in this picture. He was pretty young to be such a major force in the world of Science. He was only about thirty-five years old, she guessed. And to Gwen, he gave a whole new meaning to the term Chemistry.

From a young age Gwen had been interested in science, particularly Chemistry. She was a bit of science geek herself, and knew the old stereotype that scientists were either geeky young guys, or weird old guys with crazy, bad hair was all too accurate. However, the author of the book was neither. No, he was rather good-looking, perhaps even dreamy. Heck, Gwen thought, this guy is hot!

She kept her eyes locked on his face on the back cover of the book, imagining that she could see them peeking at her while they kissed. Gwen thought about what it would be like to meet this beautiful man, to flirt with him, to embrace him. It had been a long time since she dated anyone. Gwen longed for romance, and all too frequently Gwen’s mind would drift off into fantasy. Her fantasies usually involved strong, bold, successful men, and more often than not, it was Dr. Brock Brinkman.

"Anyone sitting here?" asked the man standing over Gwen, watching her sit at the table with her mouth hanging open, the book now dangling from her hands.

She became physically startled, almost shaking where she sat, making her knees knock together. The man’s voice broke her trance, her frequent trip to daydream land. When Gwen finally looked up at the mystery man, her jaw dropped instantly.

"You… you're…uh…" stammered Gwen, looking up at the tall, good-looking stranger.

"My name is Brock. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, extending his hand.

Gwen reached out her hand, and he took it in his. Brock gently kissed her knuckles, sending tiny tingles down her arm, up her spine, and ending up somewhere around her perky breasts. He sat down beside her, trying to be as quiet as possible. After all, they were in the university's library, and no one wanted to make a scene and disturb the other students.

"I see you're reading my book. I hope it's not too boring," Brock said smoothly, smiling at her.

"I can't believe it's you. Why are you here?" Gwen asked nervously. She was amazed at how friendly and down-to-earth he was. He had none of the arrogance that frequently accompanied the title “Doctor and Best-Selling Author” at the university.

Brock chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling. "Should I leave? I was visiting the campus and wanted to check out the library. The librarian was kind enough to mention that my new book had just arrived and that you were reading it."

"Yes!" Gwen replied excitedly. "Yes, indeed! I'm so lucky to have it, too. I love it."

"Great. Thank you very much for the praise. That means so much coming from such a beautiful young lady. So you've got brains and beauty, too."