expected, Sage’s big reveal was perfect. Unfortunately, her perfection has two downsides.
One, it makes it hard for me to concentrate. Even when she’s across the room and I know that I should turn around so that her tempting form isn’t in my sight line, I can’t seem to do that. It doesn’t help that the man I’m supposed to be in conversation with owns two hundred midpriced hotels in the Western US, and currently he just wants to humble-brag about his expansion plans. My job is to stand here and feed his ego by telling him how interesting it all is.
But guess what? It’s not interesting. The burgeoning market for extended-stay hotels with free Wi-Fi and hot breakfast buffets will probably never qualify as interesting. And it surely doesn’t stand a chance when I only want to stare at my gorgeous date across the room.
Sage is hard to ignore all on her own, but when you put her in the dress she’s wearing tonight, it’s impossible. While the front is relatively modest with long sleeves and a high neckline, the dress is also entirely backless. That along with the dress’s short hemline means that it’s a daring choice for an event like this, where floor-length is the norm. But with the simple way she’s styled her hair and done her makeup, the entire look comes off as elegantly edgy. Somehow, in a room full of people trying too hard, she manages to look entirely at ease.
That’s where the second downside to Sage’s perfection comes in. Since I’m not the only person in the room tonight, that means plenty of people are having trouble keeping their eyes off her. At the moment, she’s the centerpiece in a conversation with four guys from my grandfather’s F1 team, including their driver—a kid who’s known for using his looks and racing world fame to ensure he doesn’t sleep alone, ever. The other guys with him are team members, and even if they don’t have the prestige of being a driver, they fit into the F1 world seamlessly. I don’t know if it’s the sheer amount of money involved or the European glamour associated with racing culture overseas, but from the front office to the garages, every team is loaded with fit, good-looking, charming people.
The four assholes who are currently grinning at my date and hanging on her every word are all of the above. Even worse, they have accents. I’m not normally the possessive type, but my jaw is starting to ache from clenching my teeth while I watch the chief engineer—a Frenchman with dark, wavy hair and an annoyingly chiseled jaw—lean in close enough to whisper something in Sage’s ear. Apparently I’m discovering a new weakness for jealousy.
As the German aero specialist who looks like he could double for Hugh Jackman openly leers at her, I abandon any effort at still listening to the hotel baron. I’m pretty sure he was talking about the best places to board quarter horses, but I generally feel the same way about horses that I do about boats. I don’t care how expensive they are or how much a guy like me is supposed to like them, I’m not getting on one.
Marissa walks by at the perfect moment, storming through the room as if she’s looking for the most efficient escape route. I clothesline her as she walks by me, sticking my arm out to block her path. She grunts a little as she plows into my arm. Gently I get her turned around, and she scowls at me yet doesn’t make a run for it.
“Marissa, have you met Stuart Casson? Stuart, I’d like to introduce my sister.”
Over Marissa’s shoulder, I spot Declan. His expression is frustrated, and his eyes are trained on Marissa until I catch his attention by adjusting my position. He changes course after I shake my head at him. I don’t know what it’s going to take to get these two to play nice with each other, and I don’t care—not tonight, because this is not the place for them to work through their issues.
Stuart shakes hands with Marissa and immediately starts to talk her ear off, leaving me a perfect opportunity to beg off with an excuse about chatting up another guest. Stuart isn’t the least bit put out, but Marissa is likely planning the best way to hide my body, given the way she’s glaring daggers at me as I walk away. Once I’m out of Stuart’s sight line, I mouth