Hollywood Heir (Westerly Billionaire #4)(29)

But should I?

He was an exciting unknown. One minute he was moody, the next sweet, then surprisingly arrogant. Which would he be that day?

The memory of his lips on hers returned, bringing warmth to Sage’s cheeks. She wasn’t a virgin. She understood desire—but this was more. This was intense. He’d been on her mind last night when she’d gone to sleep and right there to greet her when she’d woken.

How could she feel so much for someone she hardly knew?

How will I ever know him if I don’t spend time with him?

“Are you married?” she demanded.

“No.”

“You keep saying your life is complicated. What does that mean?”

“I’m not ready to tell you, but I will one day.”

“You’re not on the run from the law?”

“No.”

“Is your real name Tim Toadhill?”

He chuckled. “Absolutely not.”

She wanted to trust him, but her instincts were off lately. Bella’s warnings echoed in the back of her mind. “Stonehenge, Bath, then home. That’s all I’m agreeing to.”

“That’s all I offered,” he answered with humor.

“You—I—whatever, you know what I’m saying.”

He laughed again. “Yes, I do. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

An hour. “Okay.”

After hanging up, Sage rushed to shower and dress. She changed her outfit several times. She wanted to look nice for wherever they went to dinner, but eventually she settled on jeans and a buttoned shirt. Stonehenge was outdoors, and she didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard.

A short time later, she met him on the street. As she slid inside his small, dilapidated car, she was glad she’d chosen as she had. She manually rolled down the window on her side. “It’s muggy today. No air?”

He looked at the panels as if he wasn’t sure, then shrugged. “Nope, sorry. Once we get on the road, it cools off.” He pulled out into the traffic.

The car supported her initial impression that he was on a limited budget. It was clean, but definitely a car of last resort. She pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail to stop it from blowing in her face and turned to study his profile. Outside of his scar he was a dead ringer for the movie star she’d compared him to the night before. She almost said it but held her tongue. She’d already nearly interrogated him, and that wasn’t the tone she wanted the day to have. “So, you haven’t been to Stonehenge, either?”

“By the time I moved to London, I wasn’t comfortable being in public anymore.”

Because of his scar? She didn’t want to push for more than he wanted to share. “But it’s getting easier?”

He glanced over at her. “Lately, yes.”

In an instinctive act of comfort, she touched his arm. “I’m glad.”

He took her hand in his. “Me too.” A small smile came and went on his face. “I haven’t always been someone I was proud of.”

Her heart fluttered from that simple connection. She’d tried and failed to explain this to Bella. Wayne could be dismissive and defensive, but it was how he protected himself. He didn’t want to be that person; she would have bet her life on that.

A man trapped within himself—reaching out to her.

What happened to him?

Normally bearing witness to such pain would have her instantly putting him in the client category, but Sage didn’t want him in that role, and that confused her more. She didn’t want to help him and walk away. She didn’t want either of them to move on. “I could say the same about myself. When you were a kid, didn’t you think you knew everything? Why is it that the older I get, the less I’m sure about anything?”

“That’s not true. You were sure that man would call you. Did he?”

Ouch. “Not yet.”

“He will.”

Her eyes flew to meet his before he turned his attention back to the road. “I thought you doubted he would.”

“I did. I don’t believe in fate or the supernatural, but I do believe in you.”

“You do?” Whoosh. Sage tightened her hand around his.

He glanced her way again and brought her hand up to his lips. “You make the world a better place, one random act of kindness at a time.”

Warmth spread through Sage, and her ability to speak dissolved. She’d let him in, and he understood. She was used to hiding what she did from the men she dated. She’d always believed that one day she’d meet one she could be herself with, and she finally had. “Thank you,” she finally croaked.

They drove along for a few minutes in the quiet that followed. He would shift, then take her hand back in his as if it belonged there. Sage studied his strong profile. Was this how forever looked?

“So, I read up about Stonehenge. The monoliths are roped off. To actually go between them, we would have had to sign up for a sunrise tour.”

“I don’t mind. It’ll still be interesting to see them.”

“You were raised with money. Do you ever miss the privilege of it? Skipping the line? Being treated special?”

It was an odd question that from some might have sounded envious or sarcastic, but instead he seemed genuinely curious. “Privilege comes at a cost I’m not willing to pay. I know having money sounds amazing, but the reality of it often isn’t. People treat you differently when they think they can get something from you. Or they use money to control you. I freed myself when I walked away from my inheritance.”