“It’s a cozy place with the best chef in the west, but only the best of the best are in on the secret. Otherwise the location would become too crowded. There is nothing like warm food and intimate dancing to heat you up in the thick of winter. We’re going to have a nice romantic dinner and then listen to soft music while I hold you close,” he said as he led her from the car to the club.
After stepping inside, they were seated immediately, and Sage discovered that Spence hadn’t been kidding. The place was dark, small, and romantic, and their table was near the stage where a band was setting up.
“They won’t start playing for another hour. We have plenty of time to enjoy a nice meal, then sit back and enjoy a drink before dancing.”
“I bet you’ve been here a lot,” she said after they ordered and waited for their appetizers. He looked at her for a minute as if trying to decide what he should or shouldn’t say.
“Sage, people like to play a lot of games. It’s natural and it comes to us easily. I like the occasional game myself, and I won’t lie to you about it. I’ve dated a lot, but what we have right now is fresh and new. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought you to Seattle, where I lived for so long, but this is one of my favorite places on earth. While I have taken many a date to dinner and dancing before, it wasn’t here. Most the women I dated in the past—let’s just say that this wouldn’t have been their cup of tea. I tended to date more . . . shallow women. One of the reasons I like you so much is because you’re so real—because you’re the type of woman a man wants on his arm forever, not just for a night.”
Should she be offended by anything in his speech? Sage didn’t know. Was he saying the other women he’d dated were all show and no substance? Maybe. But was he also saying she was all wholesome and good for bearing kids, but not exactly a seductress? That should please her, but, heck, part of her really wanted to be femme fatale. Didn’t all women want the guys they were dating to think they were the most amazing creature ever? Didn’t they want men they cared about to be reduced to a drooling pile of mush in their presence?
Okay, maybe not. She never used to feel that way before.
“I agree about the games,” she finally told him. “I’ve seen a lot of men play them—and a lot of women, too. I don’t want to be dishonest. I was so focused on studies that in my downtime pretty much all I did was observe the world around me without actually living in it. I’m a little sad about that now. Yes, I’m proud of my education, but there’s more to life than just work and school.”
“I agree, but I don’t play as much as you might think. The game has changed anyway. This has gone from my being fascinated by you to my not being able to go one hour without you on my mind. If this were nothing but an act, you’d be able to see it. When I was younger, I wasn’t interested in women for much more than a night. I hate to admit that, but it’s true. Now . . . well, my feelings are different. Now I never want to let you out of my sight.”
“Should I be afraid? Maybe get a restraining order?” she asked, chuckling.
“Afraid? Yes,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.
Her stomach tightened with need. “I could skip the jazz,” she said. She was ready—more than ready—to go to his room.
“I’d love to take you right now, Sage. But I’m not going to. I’m giving you a full first date before I take you to the hotel and ravish you.”
“Fine. Then we had better talk about something else, because right now, even this thin material feels like a straitjacket.”
Just then, the waiter appeared with their appetizers. He didn’t act as if he’d overheard, but Sage’s cheeks heated anyway. They definitely need to put the sex talk on the back burner.
“I’m an open book. What do you want to know?” he asked, leaning back and opening his arms.
“Tell me about your family. You were all so much older than I was, so I don’t know much about your brothers. Yes, I had a crush on you, but let’s not dwell on that, please,” she said and paused, but when he said nothing, she continued. “My grandmother and your father have been friends forever, but all I know is that you were adopted.”
His eyes clouded, and she regretted asking him to open up about his family. Maybe it was a touchy subject.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” she said.
“No. It’s fine. I love talking about my family. My brothers and father are the most important people in the world to me. It might take a week or so to fill you in on everything, though.”
“It’s a good thing that I could listen to you talk all day and night for months on end,” she replied, then blushed again at how much she was revealing about herself. Luckily, he let that one pass.
“Some of this you probably already know, so I hope I don’t bore you. Michael is the youngest—the baby, as we like to call him when we’re teasing him. He’s also the most sensitive, but don’t push his buttons, because I’ve seen that boy explode. He’s always jetting off somewhere—he buys and sells commercial real estate. I’ve noticed lately that he’s been home a lot more, though. We all have since our dad got sick.”
“I didn’t know your dad was sick.”
“He didn’t want to upset anyone, so he didn’t say anything, but since we’ve been back, he’s doing a lot better.” Spence kept his suspicions to himself. He’d feel horrible if he’d been thinking his dad was faking and then something really did happen. “Onward then. Camden is next in line. He’s the family lawyer, and we make fun of him because he’s always searching for unusual cases. I don’t know what he’s working on right now, but he’s pretty excited about it.”