Page 13 of Relentless Surrender

* * *

Talk about your walk of shames! Sage sitting in his car wearing his t-shirt and her high heels from the night before. She looked ridiculous! As soon as he rolled up to her building, she could not get out of the car fast enough.

“Thanks. I’ll call you,” she tossed over her shoulder.

Sage was surprised when he also got out of the car. “You don’t have to walk me to the door.”

“Yes, I do,” he said in a tone that broke no argument.

Not wanting to attract any more attention than she probably already was in her outfit, Sage refused to argue. Digging into her purse for her keys, she scurried up the walkway. Again, she tried to shake him at her apartment door.

He propped it open with his hand, refusing to allow her to close it. “What are you doing today?”

“I have work,” she lied.

“On Sunday?”

Sage blushed.

“I owe you a meal and a dress.”

Sage blushed even deeper at the reminder of the fate of her dress from last night.

“I promise I won’t bite,” he coaxed. “In fact, if memory serves, I’m not the biter.”

“Alright!” Sage agreed before he could also remind her of how she bit his shoulder as she came. “Get in here,” she laughed.

* * *

After taking pleasure in making him cool his heels for a full hour while she showered and changed, they headed out.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked.

“Have you ever been to Paolo’s in Georgetown? They have the best frozen peach Bellini’s.”

“You know just last week; I was saying to my crew in Afghanistan. I can’t wait to get back to the States and grab me a great peach Bellini,” he joked.

“Shut the hell up and drive.”

* * *

After ordering their drinks and entrees, Conner a beer, her a peach Bellini, they settled into an awkward silence. The question Sage most wanted to ask was the one thing she would die before asking.

Conner read her beautiful, expressive brown eyes like a book. They were sitting out on the veranda so the sunlight played nicely over her features. They brought out the faded pink highlights in her hair and the gold flecks in her eyes. Knowing he was sitting across from a “nice girl” who probably didn’t make a habit of having one-night stands with strangers he knew exactly what she wanted to know.

Leaning back in his chair, he said, “My full name is Benjamin Conner. I’m a Captain in the Marine Corps.”

“You’re first name isn’t Conner,” choked Sage. She didn’t know what was worse. That she didn’t know the last name of the man before she slept with him. That he guessed she desperately wanted to know his name so she didn’t feel trashy for doing so or that the name she thought she knew was wrong!

“It might as well be. No one calls me Benjamin.”

“How about Benji?” she teased.

“Do it and you will earn a spanking,” he teased right back, a sizzle in his eye. “In fact, please call me Benji.” He offered after the image of turning that cute little bottom over his knee crossed his mind. Sage bit her lip as the same wanton image crossed her mind as well.

Change of subject!

“What do you do in the Marines?”

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