Hollywood Heir (Westerly Billionaire #4)(75)

Sage met Eric’s eyes, and the drama of the evening fell away. All that mattered was the man before her and the look of love on his face. Sexual tension filled the air. Reluctant to be the initiator again, Sage said, “Wasn’t it funny to see Bella drive off with Delinda and Tadeas? They got along much better than I imagined.”

Eric stepped closer while unbuttoning his shirt. “The only one I care about right now is you.” He dropped his shirt to the floor.

“Well, if you’re going to be that way.” Sage unzipped her dress and stepped out of it.

He lifted her up in his arms and easily carried her to her bed, then laid her gently down on it. “What way? This way?” He ran his hands over her in worshipful caresses. His lips followed the tender trail, kissing her breasts through the lace of her bra before working their way lower. His hot breath warmed her sex through the thin material of her panties.

He straightened and stripped naked, then removed the last of her clothing. Even though his cock stood in testament to his hunger for her, he didn’t rush. When he kissed her, it was an invitation more than a claiming—and one that she eagerly leaned in to meet.

Slowly, gently, he brought her pleasure. It was an entirely different experience than their first time, although that had been good as well. This was a slow burn, a whispered proclamation of love. She cried when she came. Just when she thought she could not love him more, she saw a tear slip down his cheek.

They fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms.

The next morning, Sage woke to a smiling Eric raining kisses on her face. She pushed him onto his back and confidently straddled him. Tender. Rough. Slow. Frenzied. She wanted it all with him. “Do you know how much I love you, Eric Westerly?”

With a lusty grin, he ran his hands up her legs to cup her breasts. “Why don’t you show me?”

She spent the next hour doing just that. She loved him with her mouth, her hands, her sex, until they collapsed into each other’s arms, sweaty and sated.

“What about now?” she asked cheekily.

He raised one eyebrow playfully. “I think so. Maybe we should go over all that again, just to make sure. But after I recover.”

She chuckled.

He rolled closer and tucked her into his side. “I love you, Sage.”

“I love you, too.”

“I told everyone we’d have lunch with them tomorrow before they go home. Are you up to that?”

Sage went up on one elbow and framed a side of his face with her hand. “I love your family because they’re part of you. Plus, I’ve always wanted a big family.”

“Even a batshit-crazy one?”

She kissed his chin. “It’ll keep things interesting.” She ran her hand over his chest. “They’re not as bad as you think, Eric. They love each other. It’ll all work out.”

He kissed her warmly, then said, “I do believe it will.”



The next few weeks flew by for Eric. During the day, as Wayne and Lorna, he and Sage organized the changes to his building and the families living there. They also went ring shopping. A disappointing number of people were rude to them when they asked to see larger diamonds. Apparently neither Wayne nor Lorna looked as if they could afford them. However, when they finally met a woman who went out of her way to make them feel comfortable and worked with them to get just what they wanted, Eric and Sage asked Brett’s assistant to see what she needed. Since her home was in foreclosure, they paid it off for her.

Making people happy had never been so much fun.

Sage wrote up Lorna’s background to support a career as a plant psychologist—a.k.a. botanist extraordinaire. As Wayne, Eric strolled the streets of London with Lorna, looking for people in need. He would never tire of watching her introduce herself to someone and work her way into their life.

As Eric and Sage, they introduced John to Bella’s neighbor. If John cared that Eric’s scar had mysteriously disappeared or that he was a big screen actor, he didn’t give any indication. From the moment John met Bella’s dog-crazy neighbor, not much else mattered. The man was instantly smitten.

Helping others became its own addiction. Eric funded shelters for the homeless, purchased land for neighborhood garden projects, and worked with schools to fund needed programs. He and Sage made sure it all stayed anonymous, and Eric had never felt better about himself.

The day came when the acting CEO of Eric’s film company asked him to make another Water Bear Man movie. Eric was half-inclined to refuse to produce another, but after talking it out with Sage, he decided the good outweighed the bad. More money meant he and Sage could continue to have resources to bring joy and financial relief to countless clients. Water Bear Man was no longer a fraud—he had a noble purpose as well.

Eric was happier than he could ever remember being. It was for that reason that a mild panic filled him the day Sage left his house early and texted him to meet her because she wanted to talk to him about something important.

Was that code for things not going as well for her as they were for him? She told him to come as Eric and gave him an address in the theater district.

Was she taking him to a play? Why the secrecy? He told himself it was probably something good, but raced to her side anyway.

As instructed, Eric parked in a small lot behind the theater and knocked on the rear door. A man opened the door and beckoned him inside. He led him to the back of a stage and told him to wait there.