“He knows red is my favorite color,” Sarah answered shakily. “God, he’s driving me insane. I suppose you two didn’t even notice the piano.”
Emily and Randi shook their heads silently.
“Well, he decided that he might want to learn to play someday, so he bought one of the most expensive grand pianos on the market. It’s in the far corner of his living room. And of course I can play it anytime I want.” Sarah expelled a frustrated breath. “He has no intention of learning to play. He bought it so I could play. His excuse was totally contrived just so I didn’t miss being able to play.”
“Oh . . . that’s so sweet,” Randi gushed.
“It’s very pricey,” Sarah retorted, but she thought it was pretty damn sweet, too. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the point. “And it doesn’t make any sense. What is he going to do with the piano when I go back home? I think he’s trying to make up for the fact that I had an atypical childhood. And now this . . .” Sarah motioned to the monster pile of clothing and accessories. “He has to stop. I can’t ever pay him back for all of this.” Sarah was feeling almost distraught. She appreciated Dante and his kindness. But she was an independent woman who wasn’t used to getting gifts of any kind. She really felt like she needed to pay him back, regardless of how much money he had. Just looking at the new wardrobe almost made her nauseous. How much had he spent, and how many decades was it going to take her to repay him?
“He doesn’t expect you to pay him back,” Emily answered, her voice now low and comforting. “The Sinclair brothers were raised with wealth. I know Dante hasn’t really spent much money because he was so involved in his job, but he has it just like the rest of the Sinclairs. I think giving gifts is in their DNA. Grady is the same way.” Emily waded through a pile of clothing to kneel at Sarah’s feet. “Don’t chastise him, Sarah. Dante is trying to right something he perceives as wrong. All of the Sinclair men are that way, even Jared. It’s one of the wonderful traits every one of them has. They’re protective and giving with people they care about.”
“It’s . . . overwhelming,” Sarah answered honestly. “Nobody has ever done anything like this for me.”
“I understand,” Emily said knowingly. “Grady gave me a brand-new truck and he didn’t even know me. He also didn’t ask. I was furious when he replaced my old clunker without asking me first.”
“What did you do?” Sarah asked curiously.
“I caved eventually because the gift was coming from a place of love, because he was worried about the condition of my vehicle, and Grady can be . . . persuasive,” Emily confided.
“Bossy, you mean?” Sarah corrected.
Emily nodded her head. “Sometimes he is. But I know it’s coming from the heart, because he wants me to be safe and happy. I let him know when he steps over the line.”
“And you don’t think Dante is stepping over the line? He’s not my husband, or even my boyfriend.”
He just made me have a few spectacular orgasms.
“It’s pretty obvious that he has a thing for you. The Sinclair men can be astoundingly possessive when they’ve finally met the right woman.”
“He doesn’t want that with me, Emily. He’s not even going to be here for much longer,” Sarah denied.
“We’ll see,” Emily said knowingly, rising to get back to her task of putting away clothes. “I recognize the look and the behavior.”
“So you think I should take all of this in stride? I don’t know if I can. I feel like I’m taking advantage. Dante has done so much for me already.” Sarah got up and started putting away more shoes. “Just the fact that he’s let me stay in his home, putting himself at risk, means a lot to me.”
“Here,” Randi chimed in as she tossed Sarah a shimmery garment. “Wear this for him and he’ll think it was worth every penny.”
Sarah caught the red teddy as it flew over her head. The top was fitted with spaghetti straps to hold it up. It was marbled red and black on the top and very fitted, designed to plump up her cleavage. The bottom was solid red silk and lace, and so short it would stop at her upper thigh. She stroked the soft material of the barely there nightgown absently. “We don’t . . . do that.” Well, they pretty much didn’t. After he’d cuffed her to his bed and made her scream with ecstasy, he hadn’t touched her except to cradle her by his side every night or kiss her. He’d obviously taken her seriously when she’d refused to let him injure himself.
“Then you should start doing it,” Randi teased her. “Dante is seriously hot, and completely devoted to protecting you.”
“He’s injured,” Sarah argued.
“Then you have something to look forward to when he heals,” Emily retorted, winking at Sarah. “Admit it. You like him, and you have the hots for him.”
Oh, Sarah had no problem admitting that. It was the truth. “I do.”
“Then go after what you want. Your childhood seriously sucked. You were nearly killed by a madman just because you were doing your job, and you never do anything just for fun or because you want it. If you want him, take him. I don’t think he’s going to resist,” Emily chortled. “You don’t need to analyze it or rationalize the attraction. It’s never going to make any sense. Take my word on that.”
There was no doubt that Sarah wanted Dante, and that her desire for him was illogical. “He’s a good man. But we come from totally different worlds.”