“You didn’t tell me your favorite food, or your favorite color,” Dante said hoarsely. “Talk to me.”
Dante’s request to share something about herself with him hit her straight in the heart. No man had ever been curious about her as a person. Even the man who had taken her virginity had been using her, probably to help him get through a class that had been giving him problems. Either that or she’d been a lousy lay. She never really figured out why he’d dumped her after their first sexual encounter, but she hadn’t really cared. The only thing they’d had in common was med school, and she’d been way ahead of him in class even though he’d been older. And she’d decided, after that uncomfortable experience, that she wasn’t really missing anything. Now she was pretty certain she was wrong. She’d just been missing the right man to teach her.
“I don’t know how to ride a bike, or dance. I never had a doll when I was a girl; I had a piano. I never had friends when I was young because it took time away from studying, and it wasn’t essential in developing my potential. I’ve always felt odd because I was young in an adult world, but I don’t ever remember actually being a child. And the only game I was ever allowed to play was chess because it was an intellectual game, but I was only allowed to play it with someone who could beat me because my mother wanted me to be challenged.” Dante’s desire to learn about her had opened up a flood of information that she’d never shared with anyone. “I never had real friends until I came to live in Amesport, and I’ve been lonely my whole life because I was different. I’ve never felt normal.” Sarah took a shaky breath before adding, “My favorite color is red, although I never wear it because my mother felt it wasn’t an appropriate color for an intellectual woman. Too flashy. You already know I love lobster rolls, and I love classical music, but I also like to listen to country. Honestly, I can find some musical merit in just about any type of music.” She hesitated before adding, “I’m pretty certain that you’re right: there’s a lot more to sex than the mating of the human species.”
Dante pulled his truck into her driveway and turned off the engine before turning to her, his expression astonished. “Who doesn’t know how to ride a bike?”
Sarah shrugged uncomfortably. “Me.”
“Christ! Don’t you ever do anything just for the hell of it?”
“Not usually. But I’ve done a lot more things here than I did in Chicago. I walk just because I can. It makes no sense and it wastes time, but I do it because I like it, and I love all the little shops on Main Street. I get together with some of the friends I’ve made here, and I volunteer at the youth center. I love the classics, but lately I’ve been devouring every romance novel I can find.” Sarah unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out of the truck. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe now he thought she was a freak. Hastily, she dug for her house keys and pulled them from her purse, then grabbed Coco as she hopped into the seat that Sarah had just vacated. Once the dog was on the ground, she let Coco off the leash, allowing her to explore her own territory.
She hurried to the door, not realizing Dante was behind her until he took the keys from her hand and trapped her between his massive body and the wall beside the door. Looking up at his face, Sarah could see his volatile expression.
“What kind of mother never gets her kid a doll, teaches her to ride a bike, or lets her play any games as a kid? Shit! I thought I was screwed up because I had an abusive, alcoholic father, but even we had games. And because we were filthy rich, we had the best of everything, including bikes. If we didn’t, it would have hurt the old man’s image as one of the elite.” His nostrils flared and his breathing grew ragged. “I think you’d be the most fuckable woman on the planet wearing anything or nothing, but red is sexy. Do you have a red dress?”
Sarah nodded hesitantly. She had one, but she’d never worn it, an impulse buy when she’d been shopping with Randi and Emily.
“Wear it when we go out for dinner,” Dante instructed. “I’ll teach you to ride a bike. I’ve seen some incredible bike trails here. Hell, I’ll even let you kick my ass at chess. I play, but I have no doubt you’re better.”