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They clinked their glasses together and then sipped at the champagne that tickled Sage’s nose. He took the glass from her hand and set it aside. He took her back in his arms and stared deeply into her eyes. “I wish I could make you smile like this all of the time.”
“Who says you can’t?” She was flirting with him. It was dangerous but she couldn’t stop herself.
A smile lifted his very tempting lips. “And what would I have to do to make you smile all of the time?”
Maybe it was the bubbly or the exhaustion as it was now the wee hours of the morning, but she felt a bit daring. She lifted up on her tiptoes and leaned into him.
She whispered, “This would keep me smiling.”
She pressed her lips to his. He didn’t move. He stood perfectly still. She wasn’t even sure that he was breathing.
Oh, no. Had she read too much into the evening? What if he rejected her? She hadn’t thought this through. Panic consumed her and she froze.
And then his lips moved over hers. His touch was gentle yet stirring. Her heart thump-thumped. He gripped her waist, pulling her snug against his firm chest.
She wanted to see where this kiss would lead them, but there were still questions—nagging questions. How could she trust him when there was still so much left unsaid between them?
The conflicting emotions within her tempered her desires. They had to talk first. The good stuff was going to have to wait. The last time she’d totally trusted a man, he’d lied to her. She couldn’t have that happen again—not when she cared so much for Trey.
It took all her effort to brace her hands against his muscled chest and push. Her gaze immediately met the unspoken questions reflected in Trey’s eyes.
“We need to talk,” she said above the sound of her pounding heart. And then realizing that her hands were still on him, she lowered them to her sides.
“Maybe it can wait till later. I had something else in mind for now.” He sent her a playful smile.
“This is serious.” She couldn’t let herself get sidetracked. She didn’t want to have regrets later.
The smile disappeared from his face. “What do you want to talk about?”
“You.”
His brows rose. “Okay. What do you want to know?”
“I want to know if there are any more secrets.”
“No, there aren’t.” He stared deep into her eyes. “I never meant to hurt you. When I first thought up the idea of going undercover, I didn’t take into consideration all the people I would have to lie to. I deeply regret it.”
“But why didn’t you tell me later on? When things started to change between us?” She really needed to know—to understand.
“I meant to but it never seemed like the right time.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I... I was afraid you would hate me.”
“Were you going to let the lie just go on and on?”
He shook his head. “I’d planned to tell you, the same day that we ran into Elsa.”
“And she ruined your plans?”
He nodded as he reached out, taking her hands in his own. “If I could go back and do things different, I would. I swear.”
There was something different about Trey tonight. He was—she stared at him—he was filled with remorse. The weight of what he’d done showed in the lines now etching his handsome face. Lying to her—to everyone at the magazine—hadn’t come easy and it had cost him. That knowledge brought her comfort.
But she’d also witnessed a different side of him while in Cannes. He was a team player and he was willing to put himself out there to make her happy. And he’d changed his mind about his legacy.
She could understand how hurt he’d been after his parents split up. Losing a close family dynamic is traumatic and then for Trey to think his father hadn’t cared about him would have colored the way he’d looked at the world.
“Do you promise to be honest with me from now on?”
This was the deal breaker. She couldn’t have someone in her life that she couldn’t trust.
