Her Hometown Hero(17)

"I would . . . um . . . well, if there's an extra seat . . ." The words practically choked her.

"Let's go into the hospital and warm up. I told Michael to bring extra snow clothes so you won't freeze during the ride."

Sage gazed at his blurry image. That was it? No gloating, no dancing in  circles of victory? He wasn't going to rub it in a bit that she'd ended  up doing what he wanted? Maybe he was just waiting to gloat later  because it was so cold out here right now. Sage climbed out of her car  and then quickly followed Spence back inside.

It seemed no time at all had passed when she heard Cam call out, "Taxi  service is here." He was standing in the doorway holding a large bag and  smiling.

"Glad to see you. I've spent enough time on these hospital cots. Don't want to do it if I don't have to," Spence said.

"I couldn't leave you here," Camden said. "The sound of your pleading voice was incentive to come and pick you up."

"Damn, it's colder than a witch's-"

Spence broke in. "That's enough, Michael."

"Here are your clothes, Sage," Camden said. "Get changed so we can head on out of here."

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Sage said, taking the bag and quickly scooting away.

When she came back out, she felt like the Abominable Snowman, and she  was already sweating. Maybe she wouldn't end up feeling so cold after  all.

"Let's head out," Michael told them, and they all braved the thickly falling snow.

Camden climbed onto one of the snowmobiles, and before Sage could join him, Michael was on behind him.

"Let's go," Spence said as he climbed onto the other.

"I . . . I was going to ride with-"

"We need to go," Spence said as he revved the motor on Camden's toy.

Sage wasn't happy about this, but what could she do? After climbing on  behind him, she was trying to sit at a distance when the machine jerked  forward and she almost fell off backward.

"Hold on tight, Sage. We won't be able to talk." Then they were shooting forward, through the snow.

Sage buried her face against Spence's shoulder as he maneuvered through  the snowstorm. Even with the warm clothes, her body was racked with  shivers, and she couldn't lift her head from Spence's shoulder; she was  afraid her face would fall off if she did.

Spence slowed and turned his head so she could hear him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Her teeth were chattering so hard she couldn't answer. Maybe she should  have just stayed at the hospital. This hadn't been such a good idea.

"No, you aren't okay. We're going to make a pit stop," he said, and she couldn't even process the words, she was so miserable.

Vaguely, she heard Spence speaking to his brothers, but it was nearly  impossible to hear, so she just held on and prayed the ride would soon  come to an end. When he spoke a few minutes later, she let out a sigh of  relief.

"We're at my place, Sage. We need to go inside," Spence said, and she  noticed they weren't moving through the snow anymore, but still she  found herself unable to move. Was she going into shock? Maybe. She tried  to assess her own condition.

Before long she found herself inside a place where blessed heat was  biting at her face. The bitter wind and snow had disappeared, but she  was still freezing.

"You need to warm up quickly," he told her, and she felt herself being  lifted. Instead of pulling away, she snuggled closer to him, though with  all the clothes between them, the body heat she was seeking couldn't be  found.

When he set her down and she felt him tugging on her boots, she didn't  resist. Finally, the snow clothes were removed and she felt the heat  from the house trying to soak into her frozen skin, but nothing seemed  likely to work.

"Where are your brothers?" she asked through chattering teeth.

"They went on to our dad's to check on him."

That was when she realized they were not only at his place, but they  were alone. Heat began seeping back inside her, but it was a whole  different kind of heat from what she wanted right now. Then again, maybe  not. Maybe this was the heat she needed.                       
       
           



       

Looking up, her eyes connected with Spence's, and she found herself  again without words. What was going to happen next? Sage needed to  figure out, and quickly, whether she was going to allow anything to  happen, because after their earlier romp in the snow, she knew that it  would take only the smallest encouragement to get her into Spence's bed.

"This isn't a good idea, Spence." Maybe if she was direct, they could act like reasonable adults.

"The two of us coming together seems like an excellent idea to me,  Sage." He began closing the gap between them. When he wrapped his arms  around her and pulled her close, Sage still didn't know what she was  going to do. When he bent down and kissed her, even her will to think  fled.





After washing her face, Sage glanced in the mirror and cringed at her  mussed hair and glowing cheeks. Spence knew how to kiss-that was for  dang sure. He had turned her to jelly in five seconds flat, and then had  continued to tease her body for the next fifteen minutes.

And somehow, when she'd finally managed to pull back-she was amazed that  her legs had been able to hold her up-he'd let her go. He clearly  wanted to make love to her, and she knew she wanted that same thing.

But Sage had never been a stupid woman-she usually lived up to her name.  And she'd never been one to make impulsive choices. She was the  responsible one, the one who had put school ahead of all else, who had  received the best grades. She was the girl who stayed in to study while  her peers went out to clubs.

She wasn't about to start making mistakes now. And besides the fact that  Spence was currently her boss-who was taking notes on her performances  and could determine whether she became a critical-care surgeon or not-he  was also the one who'd broken her heart.

To sleep with this man, to have a one-night stand or, even worse, a  short affair, wouldn't be wise. So here she was, hiding in his luxurious  bathroom while she tried to decide her next move.

Sage could insist he take her home, but since she'd arrived at his  place, the storm had picked up even more, and was leaving the wisest  decision? If they got lost and froze to death, that wasn't going to do  anyone any good. Not that she'd know anything about it later . . .

The real question was whether she'd be able to sleep in the same house  as this tempting man without ending up in the sack. She didn't know how  strong she was, but she'd soon find out.

Figuring she'd hidden long enough, Sage left the bathroom and made her  way back down his curved staircase, her hand trailing along the mahogany  railing as she moved soundlessly, cushioned by the thick cream  carpeting. Stepping onto the wood parquet floor covered by a stunning  Oriental rug, she was surprised to find Spence's home so stately yet  comfortable.

He didn't seem the type to have a Waterford chandelier hanging from the  sixteen-foot ceiling, or to have a gleaming white marble fireplace as  the centerpiece of the room. Stunning ten-foot-high windows offering a  gorgeous view of the thick falling snow made this her dream living room.

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.