Page 25 of Between Our Hearts

The bartender pushed a glass of ice water in front of him, and Clark held up a hand to his wife, taking down gulps of cold water until his throat cleared and his eyes stopped watering.

“You didn’t startle me.” His words were still gravely from his burned throat. “I’ve just never—I mean where did you—” He stopped and took a deep breath to center himself. “You’re wearing a dress.”

The only time he’d seen Sadie in a dress had been at their wedding, and he’d gotten the distinct impression that the simple yet elegant vintage dress she’d picked out was to appease her mother more than something she’d been dreaming about since she was seven.

His wife looked down at herself and grimaced slightly. “It was Parker’s suggestion.”

Thank God for Parker.

With her gaze downcast, Clark stole the moment to let his eyes linger. The glimpse of her when she’d arrived had been enough to completely shock him, but now raw excitement ran through him that he was going to be able to stare at her for the rest of the night.

The deep blue, jewel-toned color of the sleeveless dress highlighted her pale skin and fiery hair. As nice as that was, it was how the dress tightly hugged her body from the shoulder until just over her knee that’d made him inhale liquor. Thick straps wove down into a rounded neckline that ended in a sharp V. It was nearly impossible for his eyes not to fixate there. He’d never seen his wife’s cleavage showcased in such a way. The impulse to ask her to turn around so he could see his favorite part of her singed his tongue.

Her head lifted, and he forced his to do the same. On the way back up, he noticed a small pendant necklace decorating her skin. Sadie rarely wore jewelry. The engagement ring he’d given her sat in a small box in their closet most of the time, though she never took off her rose gold wedding band.

“Is that new?”

Her eyes darted down as her hand laid over the necklace. “Yeah.”

“It looks nice.” He took the moment to sweep her frame again, allowing his hand to gravitate to her waist. The fabric was smooth and slippery under his fingertips. “Actually, all of this is nice.”

This nervous “Really?” slipped between her lips before she raised her head.

He scoffed. “You must know you look incredible.”

A flash of uncertainty skirted across her face and his chest warmed.

Clark slid his hand from her waist down her forearm and brought her knuckles to his mouth. “Sadie, you are always beautiful, but you’re distractingly breathtaking tonight.”

A flush pinked her cheeks, and he had to keep his lips from curling up. She’d mastered the ability of controlling her blush with one exception—when she was falling apart beneath him. A sagging exhale left his body as he realized that because of his rules, he wasn’t going to be able to seethatflush tonight.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Giving himself an internal shake, he signaled the bartender. “Let me close my tab, and we’ll get our table. You must be hungry.”

Once everything was settled, he gestured toward the hostess stand. “Ladies first.”

As his wife walked in front of him, he let his eyes drop right to where he wanted them.

?Chapter 13?

This grating sensation kept twitching between Sadie’s exposed collarbones. As her husband pulled the chair out for her, understanding dawned. A similar sensation had plagued her the first time she’d undertaken an unfamiliar surgery. She was anxious sitting across the table from the man she’d been sharing a life with for four years.

Soft jazz music lingered in the periphery and the lighting and the decor of the glamorous restaurant was nothing short of perfectly executed, but at that moment, she would have traded it all for a messy code in the OR. At least in the hospital, she’d be able to get her footing.Andshe wouldn’t be wearing this skin-tight contraption Parker had persuaded her to buy online the last time they’d been on call together. Since the dress was the only item she’d thrown in her duffle bag this morning, it was the only appropriate thing to wear to dinner tonight.

“I don’t think we are going to be able to make the movie after this. Are you okay with just taking our time with dinner?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” She unfolded her cloth napkin and draped it over her lap, somehow feeling better with its subtle weight over her thighs. “What were we going to see anyway?”

“The newWonder Womanmovie, but it just released, so we can catch it next date night.” His voice held a hopefulness that twisted Sadie’s stomach.

As she often did when nervousness bounced around in her body in front of Clark, she blurted out the first thing on her mind. “Wonder Woman is fine, but I’ve always been more of a Marvel girl.”

A surprised chuckle preceded, “Really?”

Her shoulders bunched toward her ears. “Yeah. I just never said anything.”

The soft look in her husband’s eyes trapped her breath mid-inhale. “I’m glad I know now.” Then a teasing smile twisted his lips. “I wonder what other secrets you’ve been hiding from me.”

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