Hollywood Heir (Westerly Billionaire #4)(17)

“Magnus can handle my duties,” he answered.

Doubt bubbled within Delinda, then burst out. “I don’t know if I can wait for Eric to come to me.”

“You will do what’s right. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever known.” He kissed her again, briefly, then said, “I believe I understand some of Eric’s struggle. I’ve spent much of my life surrounded by people who bowed to me. I was more king than man to them. My role had become my identity. I see Eric as someone who is searching for his purpose. What is a man without one? When I realized Magnus was old enough to take over my royal duties, I began to wonder who I was. My journey felt over—then you demanded I meet you for tea. Demanded. You opened my eyes to how much more I could do. It was the proverbial kick in the pants I required. I don’t know how long I have left on this earth, but I know how I want to spend the remainder of my time—with you.”

“You, sir, are quite the charmer.” Delinda chuckled and gave his hand a pat.

He laced his fingers with hers. “Only with you.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

Delinda’s cheeks warmed. She felt younger and almost giddy. In an effort to keep herself grounded, she reminded herself that she was too old to fall in love. It was a battle she was slowly losing, though. “I can’t let this woman derail Eric.”

Tadeas sighed. “Delinda, has anyone ever told you that you are an incredibly stubborn woman?”

Chin held high, she turned to look out the window of the car. “Once or twice.”





Chapter Five

“Which way are we going?” Eric asked. He didn’t care, but they had been standing on the corner for several minutes.

She hugged her purse to her side. “If you have somewhere you need to be—”

“I don’t. I’m just curious about your strategy for finding your next client.” He didn’t honestly mind if they stood there all day. Everything about her was interesting, and he delighted in having no idea where the day led.

“My clients come to me.” She looked down one street, then the other, but didn’t take a step in either direction.

“How do they know what you do?” He half expected her to pull a sign out of her purse and wave it at passing cars.

“They don’t.”

“I see,” he said, even though he didn’t. She probably left her cards in jars or on bulletin boards at business establishments. Her eyes darted up and down the streets around them, as if she were anticipating the arrival of someone. Perhaps he’d misunderstood when she’d said she needed to find a new client and she worked with referrals. “Is one meeting you here?”

“Not exactly.” She chewed her bottom lip and gave Eric a once-over. “You’re messing with my radar.”

“Is it my piercing blue eyes or the broad shoulders that you find most distracting?” he joked, hoping to bring a smile back to her face.

“No, it’s your humility I can’t resist,” she snarked, but her eyes slid over him, and she blushed.

She does find me attractive. I knew it.

His chest puffed with pride. Over the years, major online magazines had bestowed titles on him based on his appearance. World’s Sexiest Man. Hottest Superhero. None of it had ever mattered to him. However, when Sage glanced at him from beneath those long lashes of hers, he felt like a schoolboy discovering his first crush liked him back. They looked into each other’s eyes long enough that Eric began to lean in.

“Let’s walk,” she said, and sidestepped away from him.

He followed, releasing his breath slowly as he lengthened his stride to keep pace with her. There’d be plenty of time later for what he’d just vividly imagined doing with her. This day was about getting to know her on a different level. “I should have said it at the time, but what you did for that little girl at the fountain was—intense.”

Sage slowed her pace. “Thank you. I hope it helped their family in some way.”

He nodded. “I’m sure it did.”

She pocketed her hands in the front of her jeans. “You didn’t seem happy with me at the time.”

“It wasn’t anything about you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

She hunched her shoulders forward. “Well, if you change your mind—I’m a good listener.”

He already knew that about her. They walked in comfortable silence for a couple of blocks. Unlike many people he knew, she didn’t take every pause in conversation as an opportunity to talk about herself. It piqued his curiosity even more. “You obviously didn’t grow up in London. What brought you here?”

“A friend.”

“Male?”

She shot him an odd look. “No.”

“What’s her name?”

“Bella.”

“She’s your . . . ?”

“Best friend.”

“Ah.” He wouldn’t have cared if their relationship had been more intimate, but it was nice to know he wouldn’t face that kind of competition. “Longtime friends? Let me guess, she lived across the street when you were little.” He liked the idea of Sage having that Norman Rockwell kind of childhood.