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He halted his thoughts. He had to maintain a cool, nonchalant attitude. He couldn’t risk making a move and scaring her off.
For the life of him, he couldn’t read her. She said and did all the right things, but it still felt like there was a distance between them—a wall he wasn’t able to scale. It made sense. Sage had been hurt repeatedly in the past. She had learned to armor herself. And he’d foolishly let her down. If only he could undo the past.
Trey forced a smile to his lips as he sidestepped the dancing couples and approached Sage. He carried an umbrella drink that all the guests were raving about. “Here you go. This drink comes highly recommended.”
She accepted the orange drink topped with a pineapple chunk and a maraschino cherry. “Where’s yours?”
He shook his head and held out his club soda. “I’m driving tonight.”
“We didn’t drive here. We hired a car, remember?”
He smiled. “I must have been distracted by this gorgeous brunette sitting next to me.”
Sage arched a fine brow. “Are you flirting with me?”
“Do you want me to be?”
“That’s not fair. You answered a question with a question.” She sipped at her fruity drink. “Mmm... They are right. This is amazing.”
“And you are changing the subject.”
He turned away from all the people and stared out over the water as the Mediterranean sun hovered over the horizon splashing the sky with brilliant shades of orange and pink. Summer had come early to Cannes. And it felt good to be out here on this impressive yacht. Perhaps he’d purchase his own.
“It’s a beautiful sunset, isn’t it?” Sage asked.
He glanced her way. “Very beautiful indeed.”
Her gaze caught his. “You weren’t talking about the sunset, were you?”
“No, I wasn’t.” Suddenly feeling a bit warm, he downed the rest of the club soda.
Her big blue almost violet eyes stared up at him. He longed to pull her in his arms and kiss away all of her doubts. No other woman in his life—and there had been a number of them—had this profound of an effect on him.
The sea breeze swept past them, sending the long wavy strands of Sage’s hair fluttering. A few pieces clung to her cheek. It was instinct for him to reach out and swipe the strands off to the side. But as his finger made contact with her smooth skin, it was like a switch had been turned on inside of him. His bottled-up attraction was released and his only thought was how soon they could be alone.
Trey struggled to fight off his pent-up longings. He was a sworn bachelor. He shouldn’t care if things didn’t work out with Sage. In any other scenario, he would have cut things off by now and moved on. But he couldn’t walk away from her.
And if he stood here much longer, he might give in to his desire to pull her into his arms and taste her sweet kisses again and again. It was as though gravity was drawing their bodies closer together.
As though Sage could sense the direction of his thoughts, she took a step back. “The movie screening should be starting soon. It’s almost dark.”
Disappointment assailed him. “It is.” Glancing down, he noticed his empty glass. “And I could use another cold drink. How about you?”
“I’m good. Thanks.” She placed the straw between her glossy lips and sucked.
Watching her do such a simple act got to him. It conjured up other more heated thoughts. He needed to walk away and clear his head. He needed more than a cold drink—he needed a cold shower or a dip in the Mediterranean. Although, he didn’t think their superstar host would appreciate him diving off the edge of the yacht in the middle of a party. But then again, it would make this party the highlight of the festival.
Trey was in no hurry to get his drink. It was just as well as there was quite a crowd at the bar. This time he requested ice water. Maybe it would cool him down.
With his icy drink in hand, he moved off to the side. When he glanced back to where he’d left Sage, the spot was empty. His gaze scanned the area and then he spotted her dancing with some man that he’d never seen before.
The man was holding her awfully close and the look on her face wasn’t a happy one. Trey set aside his unfinished drink and moved toward the dance floor. He paused at the side, not sure how Sage would feel about him storming in and dragging her away from this man. But that’s exactly what he wanted to do.
When her gaze caught his, she mouthed, Help me.
That was all the encouragement he needed. He wove his way past the other couples and stepped up to Sage. “Excuse me. Can I cut in?”
Before the man could say anything, Sage said, “Yes. I do owe you a dance.”
