Spence was sitting comfortably on the leather sofa, flipping through the pages of a magazine, certainly looking like the king of his domain.
“I wouldn’t have taken you for the type of man to have such a . . . um . . . warm and romantic home,” Sage said, breaking the silence. He didn’t stir, confirming to her that he had known she had entered the room.
“I bought the place last month. I didn’t design it,” he said.
“Well, you still chose it. It’s pretty great. I love the antique fixtures in the bathroom.” She shifted on her feet, not knowing if she should sit or not.
“Thank you. My brother actually found them. Michael can be quite the . . . romantic,” he said, finally looking up and capturing her gaze.
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard,” she said, trying to relax.
“Why don’t you sit down and join me?” he asked, patting the cushion next to him. Okay, good, he wasn’t bringing up their hot make-out session. That was a positive.
“What are you reading?” she asked as she sat and tried to relax. It wasn’t easy to forget about the fact that the two of them were all alone on a night perfect for making love.
He was gazing right at her, and his eyes were hot enough to melt her, even though her body still felt frozen. Without his expression changing, he answered, “WebMD magazine.”
“It seems like forever since I’ve read for fun,” she said with a sigh as she curled her legs up underneath her, trying to get the shaking to stop. She worried she might never feel warm again.
“You have to take some moments for the pleasures in life, Sage, or you will burn out.”
“I can’t even remember what pleasure is all about,” she told him with a humorless laugh.
“That’s what I’m here for . . . to remind you.”
She froze at the clear look of desire he was directing her way. “Spence, I’m so exhausted and cold that I can’t analyze every little thing you say, so can you turn the heat levels down just a little?” She didn’t break eye contact as she made her request.
“You aren’t warming up, are you?” This time, it was concern in his eyes.
“No. I can’t stop shaking,” she admitted.
“All right, time for the hot tub,” he told her, and she shook her head. “Doctor’s orders,” he added as he stood up.
“I can’t. I don’t have a swimsuit,” she said, though the warmth of a hot tub sounded like pure heaven.
“Wear your undies. They cover as much as or more than a swimsuit,” he told her, and Sage tried to figure out which ones she was wearing. Were they modest enough? “I’ll turn around while you get in, and then the water will cover you.”
“Fine,” she said before she could chicken out. She really was cold.
Spence led her to the bathroom off the back deck, where his hot tub was located. The deck was covered, but a shiver still racked her body when she stepped up to the French doors with only a towel covering her modest underclothes.
She would have to step into the cold before she could enter the hot tub. “Come on. The deck is clear. Just walk quickly. I already have it open and ready,” Spence said as he stepped up beside her.
Taking a breath, she rushed through the doors, dropped the towel, and then quickly climbed down into the hot tub, the warm water stinging her frozen limbs as she submerged herself.
“Ah, this is exactly what we needed,” Spence said as he climbed in beside her, giving her a glimpse of his impressive chest before the water covered him to his neck.
Scooting to the far side of the hot tub, Sage eyed Spence warily, but he didn’t make a move toward her, so she leaned back after a minute, finally beginning to relax as warmth seeped into her skin and the cold finally evaporated.
The coolness on her face and the heat of the water were a perfect combination and she soon found herself feeling human once again. When she began to drift, she felt a wave in the water, and as her eyelids cracked open, she found herself looking into Spence’s eyes.
“Want to play a game?”
“I don’t think I could win any game against you, Spence,” she said. She couldn’t back away—he’d left her nowhere to go.
“Come on, Sage. Don’t chicken out on me.” He brought his hand up and rubbed the top of her shoulder, which was peeking out from the water.
“What game can we play in the hot tub, Spence?”
“Hmm, truth or dare, of course,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.
“Fine,” she said, shocking herself and him.
“Good. I get to go first,” he said as he leaned back, giving her a little breathing room. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.” She hesitated for only a moment before uttering the word.
“When did you have your first kiss?” he asked.
Sending him a glare, she hesitated only a minute before answering him. “I was fifteen the first time. It was with Basal, the foreign exchange student my sophomore year of high school. He could really kiss,” she said, thinking back with a fond smile.
“Oh really?” His eyebrows went up in shock.
“I’m not always the innocent little girl, you know.”
“Come on, Sage,” he said in disbelief. “Since meeting you again, I’ve had a few flashbacks, and I remember your reputation. And from what I’ve heard recently, that reputation stayed with you in college.”
Bluff called! “You were checking up on me?” she asked, irritated, forgetting all about their little game.