Hollywood Heir (Westerly Billionaire #4)(31)

She laughed, and he joined her. He reached for her hand, and their fingers intertwined as naturally as if they were a longtime couple. Sexual tension sizzled between them, but there was also an underlying friendship building.

“Hey,” he said, “tell me about this life you enjoy so much. Who are your friends? Do you have pets? What do you do for fun? I want to know everything.”

Her own smile was wide and steady. “Well, my best friend, Bella, is a lawyer. Very serious. We have practically nothing in common, but somehow it works. She gets me, and that’s what matters most.”

He nodded. “I have a friend like that: Reggie. I can’t imagine my life without him.”

Yes. “It makes all the difference, doesn’t it? No matter how bad a day I’ve had, I’m okay because I know there’ll be at least one person in my corner.”

“I’ve never found that in a partner.” He gave her a heated glance.

Her heart thudded in her chest. “I haven’t, either.”

“I want that,” he said simply.

“Me too.”

“Is it even possible?”

“I’d like to think so.”

He released her hand, returning it to the steering wheel. His other hand went to the side of his face that was hidden from her. “Sage, there’s something I should tell you.” He looked at her. “My scar—”

“Wayne!” Sage screamed and pointed at a car that had veered into their lane. “Look out.”

Eric swerved to avoid the vehicle just in time, missing it by inches. His hand came out to steady Sage as he maneuvered back into his lane after the danger had passed. He swore and kept on swearing. In the past he might have questioned the value of his own life, but he’d be damned if another person he cared about was hurt because he failed to protect them. “Are you okay?” he growled.

“I’m fine,” she said breathlessly, “but maybe we should hold off on talking about anything important until we get there.”

“Sorry, I—”

“Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault that guy doesn’t know how to drive.” She took several audible deep breaths. “Well, that woke me up.”

Eric hated that his need to clear his conscience had almost gotten Sage hurt. Because I’m turned on and turned inside out. He’d gotten stupid drunk on their kiss and nearly forgotten that all it would take was one touch for her to realize his scar was fake.

One touch could end it all before he had a chance to explain it to her.

Every time she looked at him, he saw the flaw in his plan to keep his two lives separate. What neither he nor Reggie had taken into account was that he wanted Sage to be part of his other life as well. There had to be a way to tell her that would make that possible. She’s right, though—this isn’t the time or place for that conversation. “We’re almost there.”

She laughed nervously. “Good.”

He didn’t like the worried look in her eyes, nor the knowledge that he’d put it there. “At this time of year, the fields around Stonehenge should be colorful. Beyond the surrounding grassland, there are pink pyramidal orchids, sainfoins, even a field of blue scabious.”

“How do you know that?”

“I googled it,” he said with a shrug and glanced at her quickly.

Her smile returned. “Thank you. Did you read how volunteers planted seeds by hand?”

“I didn’t get that in-depth.”

“Reintroduction of native plants was a labor of love for the local preservationists. The ground had been overfarmed. The soil was dry and blowing away. Once the chalk grass took, wildlife began to return to the area. You know you’re doing something right when the birds return. And the insects. The Adonis blue butterfly hadn’t been seen in decades but was sighted there once again in 2008. Although some credit that to the reintroduction of some of the wildflowers. No one knows for sure, though, because nature is all about balance. We often don’t see how, but everything works together in harmony if we let it. Livestock can graze there again because locals took the time to understand and address the real ecological issues. It’s a success story for both humanity and nature.” She paused. “You probably don’t find this as interesting as I do.”

Eric pulled into a spot in Stonehenge’s parking lot. “Sage?”

“Yes?”

Try as he might, he couldn’t not touch her. He ached for her—ached like some smitten teen. Being with her was bringing him back to life, and it felt damn good. He traced her open lips with one of his thumbs. “You are the least boring person I’ve ever met. I love your passion and to look at things through your eyes. Anyone else would have come here and focused on the mystical history of it. You see more.”

“I’m interested in that aspect as well, at least as far as what it says about the people who built it and those who come to see it. I wonder what they were seeking—what visitors still are.” Her breath was a tickle on his skin. “There are skeletons buried around and under the stones. I wonder if they found what they were looking for.”

If anyone had told him that he could be turned on by hearing a woman talk about ancient bones, he wouldn’t have believed it, but she was mesmerizing. Her voice was a soft caress of its own. “What are you hoping to find here?”