One Exquisite Touch (The Extravagant #2)- Lauren Blakely Page 0,46
of kink. On the level of exploration.
It’s what they like.
They have their kinks.
I have mine.
“You are a part of it, Sage.” But then he takes his time, inches even closer to me, lifts his hand, and runs it over a strand of my hair, making me shiver. “But you’re also the only one I’ve had something separate with since . . .”
He doesn’t have to finish the sentence. I’m the only one since the woman he lost.
The trouble is I have no clue what that means or what I want it to mean.
18
Daniel
I believe in listening to your gut, but I also place a hell of a lot of faith in doing your research.
I’d never spoken to Sage before the night of the party last week. But my instinct coupled with my research told me she’d be good for Cole.
That’s why I shared my plan with Scarlett in advance. That’s why my gorgeous and clever business partner urged me to go for it. To keep an eye open for Sage at the masquerade. Which is exactly what I did, and that strategy paid off.
Because Cole and Sage fit. They go together. I knew that because of her background, her life, and her place in Vegas. All of her story aligns with my friend’s story, with his unspoken wishes, with the wants he tries to deny.
I can still recall how Cole changed during those few months with Georgia. He was happier than he’d been since I met him, and I’ve known him for years. He’s always carried a burden because of his father, but when he was with the vibrant and lovely Georgia, that burden started to lift. A weight moved off his shoulders; a glimmer shone in his eyes. I saw what the kind of connection he had with Georgia could do for the man. It could free him of some of that pain he’s carried since childhood, pain wrought from the things his father said.
Love seemed to change him, until the night it all shattered, the night when I was behind the damn wheel.
Doesn’t matter that someone else hit the car. Out of nowhere.
I was the fucking driver.
I owe this to him. I owe him the chance to find someone who will make him happy. I want that for him again.
Want it desperately.
I love the guy.
He’s the best mate I’ve ever had.
And I’d like to see him happy.
He needs it, only he doesn’t realize it.
And so I can work toward that again tonight.
Something I’ll do by chatting with Sage. I get to do that throughout dinner, since I’m sitting next to her while Cole is on the other end of the table.
I have her all to myself, for all intents and purposes, as we work our way through the salad course, finishing the arugula. I set down my fork, take a drink of my white wine, then lean a little closer, glancing around the table full of Las Vegas’s glitterati. “So, you’ve got a room full of the most powerful hotel owners in Sin City. Do you think this dinner is actually a sinister plot to drug and kidnap all of us? And then robots or androids will take over owning the hotels?”
She laughs and gives me a you’re crazy look. “My, my. Someone has an active imagination.”
I flash her a grin. “But I’m right, am I not? This could be the moment.”
“Shall we make a run for it, then?” she asks, her forehead tipping toward the door as she makes a running gesture with her fingers.
“See? You’re also convinced we’re being targeted. How else to explain a dozen or so hoteliers in one room?”
“Either that or it’s a punchline to a joke,” she offers with a playful glint in her pretty blue eyes.
“In that case, I vote joke. But I’ve been known to opt for the light and easy answers,” I say.
“I had a sense you were like that.”
“You did?”
She meets my gaze, tilting her face. “Yes. You have this sunshine air about you. A happiness. A lightness,” she says.
If she only knew what it masks.
But at least the ruse is working.
“That’s me,” I say with a smile.
As the waiter swings by to clean up this course and bring us the next one, I shift my voice, turning more serious. “The other night was quite lovely,” I say.
She shudders. Dips her head. Her cheeks turn the most delicious shade of pink. “But it won’t happen again,” she says in a whisper.