He was right. Of course he was right. And it was helping to talk it out, but she couldn’t think about it anymore, couldn’t keep focusing on this loss. She had to get her mind off it or she’d be weepy all night.
He stopped the truck, and the snow quickly enveloped them in a cocoon, invisible to the people passing by as it piled up on his windshield and the side windows fogged. It felt like they were the last two people in the world.
“I’m sorry I didn’t warn you—sorry I put you through that,” he said as he pulled her close to him and wrapped her in his arms.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” she said, though she felt only a smidgen of remorse.
He chuckled softly as he laid her head on his shoulder. Then he was rubbing her back, moving his hand in slow, easy motions that were draining the last of her tension.
“I care about you, Sage,” he whispered in her ear.
She was too vulnerable right now to hear this. She might actually believe him if she wasn’t careful.
“Ditto, Doctor,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.
“Good. Because I plan on being around for a very long time.” He pulled back so he could look into her eyes.
What was he trying to say to her? Were they now officially a couple? It wasn’t as if grown-ups tended to define this sort of thing, which could really make it confusing. If he kissed her in the backseat of his car, or in this case, the front seat of his truck, did that make them an item? It was all so confusing, but she was grateful to focus on their relationship—or nonrelationship—instead of her patient’s blond curls.
“Take me home with you, Spence.” She was a bit shocked that the words popped from her mouth, but as soon as they were out, she didn’t regret them. He’d invited her to spend the night, after all, and she was ready to do that. Ready to feel.
“Oh, Sage, you’re killing me,” he groaned. He lowered his mouth and kissed her, a gentle, sweet kiss that had her sighing into his mouth. “This isn’t the right time.” He drew away, breathing heavily.
Hurt flashed through her. “I thought . . . you wanted me.” Was she actually going to be rejected again by this man? Had she not learned her lesson? He’d been pushing her for so long now, and when she was ready to accept what he was offering, he suddenly wanted to take the offer back. She didn’t think she could endure anything else today. Tears were so close to the surface.
“I want you more than it’s possible to say, Sage. I could show you, but I don’t want to embarrass us both. I could tell you that I’m just following through on our date, or that it would be better for you not to be alone, but I’d know that it was my own selfishness, that I was taking advantage of you when you’ve just gone through a seriously traumatic experience. I’d be the worst kind of subhumanoid if I took you to bed tonight.”
She looked at him with surprise. Was he really a prince come to sweep her off her feet? What man was this noble? It couldn’t have been rehearsed. There was no doubt now that she was falling in love with him. And it didn’t bother her one whit.
“I want to make love to you, Spence. I want it more than anything,” she said as she boldly ran a finger up his chest and across his hard jaw. He shuddered, which gave her a measure of satisfaction.
“It can’t happen like this, Sage. It has to happen because we are consumed with desire. I want you to be making love to me, not trying to escape your pain.”
He wasn’t being cruel, but he was still ticking her off. She wanted to forget what had happened today, and she was sure that being in his arms would be just the right antidote. He’d told her earlier, before the poor little girl was wheeled in, that he wanted her. So why wasn’t he stripping her right here in his truck?
“Fine. Then take me home.” Just great. She was now embarrassed on top of everything else. She’d thrown herself at him and was rewarded with a nice, fat rejection.
“Nope. That’s not going to happen, either. I’m going to feed you a good, healthy meal, then I’m going to bring you back out to my truck and drive you home—your home. And once we’re there, we’ll park out front and steam up the windows. Then, when I can’t stand another second without ravishing you in the most disgraceful way possible, I will walk you to the door, kiss you one last time, and then run like crazy back to my truck before I do something foolish like follow you indoors and taste your body like I so desperately want to.” His voice had grown huskier the longer he spoke.
For her part, Sage felt her breathing rise a few notches. This man could turn her on with nothing but words.
“I don’t think I can eat anything,” she said, deciding for now to ignore the rest of his declaration.
“Then eat for me.” With that, he turned off the truck and pulled her with him out the driver’s door. After being in the heat of his truck for the past half hour, it was a real shock to step outside into the freezing snow.
“Fine,” she said. Not that she had much choice.
The sooner they got through the meal, the quicker they could begin their make-out session in his truck. That, more than anything else, made her more than ready to eat.
Later, the night did end the way he’d described it, but with just a little more moaning on his part than he’d led her to expect.
“Get in here and open this package right now!”
Sage turned from the front door to find Grace sitting on the couch with a long box in front of her on the coffee table, practically salivating over the thing.