"Not yet, darling. I'm ready for round two."
Somehow she managed to pull away and then walked to the bathroom, where she stared at herself in the mirror for several moments before turning on the water and cupping it in her hands, splashing the coolness against her face.
After becoming more herself, she climbed into the shower and hoped the pulsing spray would clear the cobwebs from her brain. When that didn't help, she stood in front of the mirror again, taking her time combing her hair. She still didn't know exactly what she was going to say to him when she came out, but she felt a little more prepared now that she'd had a few minutes alone.
Walking out into the kitchen, she thanked him when he handed her a hot cup of coffee. And then she sat at the table, still unsure what to say. Why did everything have to seem so uncomfortable when, just twenty-four hours earlier, it had been perfect?
"I love the smell of your shampoo," he said, leaning down and kissing her before sitting down.
"I love that you love it," she replied with her first smile since he'd shown up at her door.
"That's much better. I love your smile, Sage, love how it brightens your face." Spence leaned back and assessed her mood. "I've scared you, haven't I? I'm moving too fast."
"A little," she said, though it wasn't that he was moving too fast; it was that she had no idea where they stood after the day before. "Did you have a pleasant night? I thought you were going to stop by." She wanted to kick herself for letting that out.
"I'm sorry, Sage. I should have called, but Becky's father wanted some medical advice, and we ended up staying until he had to catch a plane out."
"So, were you and Becky a thing?" She refused to look at him while asking.
Spence laughed, making her look up. "Not ever," he assured her. Then his smile vanished and he stood up. "Were you worried?" He knelt down in front of her and clasped her chin.
"No," she lied, but the blush in her cheeks gave her away.
"I'm sorry, Sage. I wasn't even thinking. I haven't seen Becky or her family in a while. I assure you that I don't want her, and I never have."
The sincerity in his voice proved he was telling the truth. "I'm sorry, Spence. I think I overreacted," she said, feeling stupid now. Of course, the idea of moving in together was still on the table and she really didn't know what to say about that.
"How about we revisit my suggestion of living together later. Are you hungry?" Though he was trying to make his tone light, she could hear the tension in his voice.
"You don't get told no very often, do you, Spence?"
When his shoulders relaxed and he looked at her as if deciding how to answer, then laughed, she was shocked. This wasn't the way she was expecting this conversation to go. One minute he was upset, the next laughing. She couldn't figure him out.
"No. I can't recall the last time I was told no by someone other than you. It's not a pleasant feeling."
"I didn't say no, exactly. I just-" She stopped, not knowing what she wanted to say.
"Well, to prove that I can be a bigger man, I have something for you." With that, he walked from the apartment, then reentered a few minutes later carrying a package.
"You can't keep buying me gifts, Spence. This is getting out of hand."
"I like getting you gifts, because in a couple of days we'll be sharing our first Christmas together, and I want you to know that not a single day goes by without me thinking about you. Who needs twelve days of Christmas when there can be twenty-five?"
"Still . . ." she said. With all her so-called intelligence, why didn't she have another excuse up her sleeve?
Giving up and giving in, she undid the ribbon and took off the lid, then had to fight silly tears. This man was making her crazy. Inside the box was a delicate bracelet. She lifted it and looked at the sparkling jewels. She'd never received jewelry before, and though she shouldn't accept what looked like an expensive present, she couldn't seem to keep herself from holding it tight.
"Thank you, Spence. It's beautiful," she said, and he took it from her and clasped it on her wrist. It was a perfect fit.
"That's only part one of the gift. Tomorrow, we're flying to Vegas for a show," he said as he lifted her up, then sat and pulled her down into his lap.
"I can't go to Las Vegas, Spence."
"Why not?"
"It's almost Christmas, and I have to work . . ."
"You don't work tomorrow night, and we won't stay. We'll just see the show and come right back. If you have any last-minute gifts to buy, it's the perfect place."
"You are ruining me for all other men, Spence Whitman. Who jets off to Vegas just for a date?"
His eyes narrowed, but she couldn't miss their dangerous gleam. "There will be no other men, Sage." He pulled her close and kissed her soundly, showing her exactly whom she belonged with.
When she was able to come up for air, she pulled back and looked into his eyes. "I can't think when you touch me. I can't make a single decision. I don't like that-I don't like feeling so out of control. I always know what I'm doing. I always have a plan. Why do I feel this way with you?"
She wasn't really asking him the question, just expressing her thoughts aloud. She needed to find the answers, and she needed to find them fast. The last thing she wanted was to lose herself, to be consumed by this fire between them.
"You do realize that both of our families are already planning the wedding, so maybe we should just give in and elope while we're in Vegas."
Sage stiffened in his arms. "What?" Her brain tried to compute what he was saying.
"Let me get you some food. We've burned off a lot of calories," he said, removing her from his lap, jumping up, and moving to the fridge.
She followed him. "You can't make a statement like that, Spence, and not clarify it. I'm not going to be sidetracked this time."
"It was just a comment, Sage."
"Have you talked to my grandmother about me?" She wasn't that upset; she just wanted him to be truthful. Why would he go to her grandma and talk marriage before talking to her?
"No, not exactly," he said, and she knew he was lying. Like her, he wasn't very good at it.
"I wasn't upset, Spence, but I'm fixing to get there. You need to explain," she told him as he broke several eggs into a bowl and began stirring them so hard that they slopped over the side.
"It was just something my dad and your grandma said about . . . us. They . . . well . . . they sort of threw us together. I didn't think it was anything to get upset about," he said, finally putting the whisk down and giving up on his attempt to distract her through cooking.
Sage stared at him, trying to process what he'd just said. "How did they throw us together? I don't understand this."
"You'd really have to talk to them, Sage."
"I want to hear it from you." But she didn't need for him to tell her. The pieces were falling together. The reason she'd had to accept the offer for residency in Sterling, the reason Spence, only a few months later, accepted an offer that would put him in charge of her training. The party. The meetings her grandmother had been having with Martin Whitman.
They'd all thought she was so pathetic that she wouldn't be able to find her own husband, so they'd rigged the game, placed her and Spence in each other's path and lit a fuse, hoping there would be one hell of an explosion. Well, they just might get to see a show that would put the Fourth of July to shame.
"How long have you known about this?"
He looked lost as he searched for the right thing to say. "A couple of weeks," he admitted, and the rockets' red glare had nothing on her.
"Did you find it amusing? Was it all a game? Let's get the poor little virgin a boyfriend. She can't possibly attract one on her own. She was in love with Spence when she was a child, so throw a little gasoline, light a match, and watch her go up in smoke. Did you have some bets going on? Was any of this real?"
They'd all deceived her, all treated her like their personal puppet on strings. She'd been great in that role, doing exactly what was expected of her.
"I didn't have a plan!" he exploded, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm in love with you-stupidly, ridiculously, till-death-do-us-part in love!"
Her entire body froze as their heated gazes locked. She didn't know what to say, didn't know what to think.
Spence now spoke more calmly. "That didn't come out the way it should have." He began to take a step toward her, but she held out her palm to ward him off. This was too much; too many emotions were being thrown at her in such a short time. She was on overload and she had to get away.