you’ve already left several packages at my place and at work. People are going to talk.” Damn. Even the packaging was beautiful.
“Let them talk. I have nothing to hide.”
“The other staff will hate me if they think you’re playing favorites, you know.”
“Everyone in this hospital knows already. As a matter of fact, if you want to earn a few extra dollars, you can sign up on the big office betting pool. People are laying down wagers on the date they think we’ll get married.”
Sage’s mouth almost hit the floor. Marriage? Ridiculous. No way. She was so not ready for that. She hadn’t even gone out on a real date with this man. Yes, there’d been a lot of flirting, and then, of course, their night in his hot tub . . . Add the fact that they kept running into each other—it was a small town, after all—and she was with him more than anyone else she knew. But still, they weren’t a couple, and certainly weren’t anywhere near having him proposing marriage.
“You have to stop saying things like that,” she whispered as they reached the locker room.
“I like shocking you. I love the way your mouth opens into a perfect circle, love the way your skin flushes. I love watching you, love waiting on you. I don’t think there is anything about this unusual relationship we have that I don’t love.” He leaned in even closer as he spoke.
Sage’s heart fluttered again. The word love was sure coming from his mouth a lot. They weren’t in love. She knew that. But, oh man, was she falling for this guy—falling hard.
Lifting the lid on the box, she sighed as she looked inside at the jewel-encrusted comb.
“Every princess needs a special comb,” he said into her ear, making her heart beat faster.
Unfortunately, she had no doubt the gems on the handle were real. “I can’t take this, Spence. It’s far too expensive,” she told him, though she wasn’t putting much effort into handing the gift back to him.
He closed her fingers around the comb. “You will take it, use it, love it, and . . . think of me.”
And he was right—she would.
“How do you know what to get? How did you know how much I love princesses?”
“A lot of determination and research on the perfect gifts. I’ll have you know that I had a Disney movie marathon and watched Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, Frozen, and a few others. I wanted to make sure you were fully enchanted.”
She looked at him and knew he was speaking the truth. How could he be wrong for her when he was doing all the right things? Why had she decided dating him was a bad idea? The reason was beyond her right now, because at least in this moment, he seemed more perfect than humanly possible.
She was in a fog as she gazed up into his eyes.
“Why? Why me?” she asked him, letting the walls tumble down and opening herself up.
“I like you,” he said as he got even closer, his body brushing against hers in the most sinful of ways, his lips grazing her ear before he continued speaking. “I want you. You’re all I think about. Right now, I plan to take you for a nice meal, and then I’ll take you back to my place, where I’m going to make love to you all night long, sleep with you in my arms, wake up to a nice brunch, and then go Christmas tree shopping.”
He ended his little speech by connecting their lips, kissing her gently, and wiping away the last of her defenses. One night wouldn’t do any harm. One night—that was all he was asking for.
“I can’t seem to think around you . . . breathe around you.”
“Good. Don’t think; don’t breathe. I’ll provide the oxygen for both of us,” he said, his hand wrapped around her, pulling her tightly against him. “All you need to do is say yes.”
But he didn’t give her time to say yes. He just devoured her mouth and claimed her body with his hands. Just when she was ready to give him her full surrender, her pager went off, making her jump as the blood continued rushing straight to her core.
“I need to check this,” she whispered, barely able to get a word out.
“You’re off the clock.”
“We’re never off the clock, Spence, and I can’t believe you of all people would say such a thing.” It was quite amusing,