“Are you getting ready to perform surgery on the tree?” he asked, then fished out a doughnut and took a bite.
She turned and looked at him. “What?”
“You seem quite focused on ornament placement,” he said after he swallowed.
“I like the tree to be decorated according to fixed aesthetic principles,” she said defensively. She turned her back to him again and slid the ornament onto the perfect branch.
“What if the tree’s branches aren’t evenly spaced?”
“I always get a beautiful tree.”
“Oh, you must be a lot of fun to Christmas tree shop with.”
Sage turned and glared at him before walking back to her table and selecting another ornament. “I happen to think I’m an asset when shopping for a tree. I can gauge the area it will take up, and it won’t look too big or too small in its appointed place. I also know which ones will last for the season, and which ones are close to dying.”
Spence laughed out loud at her earnestness. He’d never met someone who had a formula for Christmas tree shopping. She was a real treat. He sat back and enjoyed the show when she bent down to pick up a fallen bulb. “Then it’s a good thing I haven’t bought my tree yet. I appreciate your offering to help.”
“I made no such offer.” Sage didn’t bother to look at him this time.
“Yes, you did. Didn’t you hear her offer, Grace?”
Grace gave a gigantic smile and put down her pastry. “It sounded like an offer to me.”
“Traitor,” Sage mumbled beneath her breath, and sent Grace a stern look.
“I’d love to hang around the both of you and watch the bickering continue, but I have to get dressed and head in to work,” Grace said, practically skipping by as she went down the hallway.
“I think you chased her away—and just when all the fun was beginning,” Spence said, picking up an ornament and approaching the tree.
Sage didn’t tell him he had to unhand the delicate glass elf in his hand; she just stood there watching, waiting. He suspected that this was some sort of test, and he felt the pressure to get it right. Damn. Since when did getting a girl to go out with him depend on his expertise at hanging ornaments?
Since now, apparently.
He placed the little elf in a bare spot and found himself holding his breath as he waited for the verdict. He turned around to pick up his coffee, then turned back to find that the ornament had moved a few inches.
Well, he’d come close. Victory!
He suddenly started laughing. “Let me help you finish up the tree, Sage.” And he knew exactly what she was about to say.
“That’s all right. I’m going to finish later.”
“Come on, I’m really good at it—I’m good at just about everything,” he said, waggling his brows at her.
“Obviously not,” she muttered as she pivoted back to her tree, studying it the way she would a patient.
“I was thrown for a loop last week and not up to my best performance level, but I’ve had plenty of time to think, and I have ways of making it up to you. Now, I’m going to apologize in advance for any violations against you.”
Before she could speak, Spence turned her toward him and drew her into his arms in one swift movement, savoring for a brief moment the feel of her feminine body pressed against his with the negligible barrier of her pajamas and his sweater.
When he saw the whisper of desire flit across her eyes, he knew she wanted him, knew it wouldn’t be long until he had his chance to make up to her for his shock at finding she was a virgin. What surprised him was the warming in his gut, the extra beat to his heart.
“Sage Banks, you have gotten under my skin and you aren’t letting me go,” he whispered before his lips brushed across hers in the barest of touches.
“I’m not doing anything,” she said, her voice husky, the sound rumbling through him.
“Ah, you do plenty. I love the concentration on your face when you’re focused, the way your lips so easily turn up to comfort a patient, how eager you are to learn new things, and how willing you are to help others. And I love the way you taste,” he said, brushing his lips across hers again, hunger ripping through him. No longer denying the kiss he really wanted, he brought their lips together, throwing away rational thought and restraint.
After sliding his fingers through the glorious tangle of her fire-red hair, he held her head tight, angling it so he could deepen the kiss and take full advantage of the gasp she was releasing into his mouth.
She tasted of sweet coffee and a hint of mint toothpaste, making him think of long summer days and cool spring-fed creeks, and the two of them bare in the sun. He could be content doing nothing but lazing all day and night with this woman in his arms.
She was his—for this moment, she was all his, and he could take her to the highest reaches of heaven. Her seductive groan let him know she had no thoughts of fighting him, so his hand moved down her back, landing on the soft curve of her sweet derrière as he pulled her tightly against him.
Just as he was beginning to reach the point of no return, she stiffened and pushed against him. He knew he could still seduce her, knew he could lift her into his arms and ravish her. But he also knew she’d hate him if he went too fast again.
“Stop.”
It was barely a whisper, panted from her moist lips as he eased back. It was all he needed to hear.
“I want you in my bed, Sage. I want you naked beneath me, crying out in pleasure. I want you so much I dream about you and wake up hungry and unsatisfied. I can feel how much you want me, too. Don’t keep fighting me. We can be great together.” He knew he should leave something to mystery, but, damn, he was aching.