"Yes." The word slipped past her lips almost of its own volition.

Jake continued to stare into her eyes for a moment longer, savoring the moment and then he looked at her mouth. Josephine's heart pounded a trip-hammer response, making her feel as though something wild and uncontrollable was building within her; something that she had no hope of explaining and no hope of denying. Then, inexplicably, Jake's eyes returned to hers. They were clouded with an emotion that she dared not put a name to.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, holding her captive with the words, with his eyes. He brought a hand up to touch her cheek.

Josephine blinked slowly, struggling to focus her thoughts, but she couldn't find words to say. She could only feel, and the feelings were pushing her forward.

Jake moved his face minutely closer. "Jo?" he pleaded for her response.

Josephine was beginning to become frantic. Blindly she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him forward. Jake needed no further prodding. Their lips met in a heated exchange of frenetic energy. Josephine felt as if her entire body reacted, jolting her to her very foundations. She couldn't see, she couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. And she didn't want it to end.

When Jake finally drew back slightly, one of her arms was clasped tightly around his neck and the other was still bunched in his shirt front. Her eyes were slow to obey when she opened them to look at Jake. Appearing similarly shattered, he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers as they both struggled for breath.

"We should go," he said, eyes still closed.

"Yeah," Jo agreed.

Jake opened his eyes and looked at her before moving his lips closer to hers again. "You're making me crazy, Woman," he whispered before their lips touched again. The time the kiss was more a gentle exploration, but it was no less mind-altering for Jo. She was affected all the way to her toes. When Jake pulled away, he stepped back completely, moving to the opposite side of the small kitchen. He ran a trembling hand through his hair before looking at her.

Josephine balled her hands into fists, knowing that they trembled likewise. It seemed as though she and Jake stood there, their eyes locked for long moments. She felt as if the very electrical currents in their bodies were intune, and communicating on some primal level, linking them through an invisible thread. She felt drawn. His wants and needs mattered on a level beyond comprehension. And then Jake broke the silence.

"How would you explain that, Doc?" The smug smile hadn't returned, but the words had the effect of ice water on a feverish wound. Jo mentally recoiled in shock. This was all an experiment, and she was the specimen under the magnifying glass. His hypothesis had proven correct, leaving her vulnerable and exposed.

She must have flinched outwardly, because Jake's face fell as he realized his mistake. He moved quickly back toward her and reached out to touch her shoulder. Jo moved out of his reach, back toward the more spacious living room. "I'm sorry," Jake said, following her.

"What's to be sorry for?" she asked. "You made your point. But, I don't really feel up to going out today, after all. I don't really need a cellular phone. Logically, how many times can I possibly need one anyway?" She began to make her excuses. If there was one thing Jake's little experiment had proved it was that she couldn't trust her own reactions. Chemistry indeed. A volatile reaction that was beyond her control. It was best to simply avoid the situation for her own sanity. She would not be a pawn to a man to use her own biology against her. She was not one of those women.

Jake pressed the issue. "Jo, don't give up on what you want because of me. What I said was just plain stupid."

"No. That would be me. I was just plain stupid." Jo returned, backing away to ensure that distance remained between them.

"No," Jake said, no longer advancing toward her. "You were wonderful. You. . . you scared me. That idiot comment was my way of trying to do what I accused you of. I was trying to put some kind of a logical spin on something that touched me deeply. Forgive me, Jo. For being afraid. For displaying my cavemen tendencies."

Josephine stared at him, feeling a corner of her mouth lifting in response to his reference to the previous night's conversation. The emotional rollercoaster ride was making her dizzy.

"Please," Jake took a step closer. He reached a hand toward her.

Jo reached out in return and allowed him to engulf her hand in his.

"Thank you," Jake smiled at her. "If you'd still like to join the crazed masses of cell-phone owners, I would still love to help you wade through it all."

Jo nodded. "I'd like that. And speaking of caveman tendencies, I have just the place for us to go. Think you can find it?"

"Do elephants crave nose jobs?" Jake shot back.

"You're on," Jo dimpled at him. "Let's go."