A GENTLE RAIN tap-tapped on the car windows.
Trey leaned back against the seat, wishing the raindrops could wash away the past hurts. He stifled a deep sigh. The truth was that he would rather be anywhere but here. The only consolation was that they’d be staying at a hotel instead of venturing to the château with its abundance of painful memories.
All of Cannes was blanketed in the darkness of night. With the lull of the car engine and the rhythmic tapping of the rain, Trey struggled to keep his eyes open. He’d never learned to sleep on airplanes. And with his seat being separate from Sage’s, he’d read a spy novel for most of the flight.
The lights of the city sparkled and glistened in the rain like fine jewels. It was only fitting because his hometown was a treasure on the French Riviera. If only it didn’t hold so many painful memories.
He wondered what his mother would think of his plan to bring down the magazine. Would she cheer him on? Or would she be disappointed that he couldn’t let go of the past?
Sage pressed a hand to his arm. “Are you okay?”
Trey pushed away the troubling thoughts. “Of course. Why do you ask?”
“Because we’ve arrived at the hotel and you haven’t gotten out of the car.”
He glanced out the window at Cannes’ finest hotel. When he was a child he imagined this place was a palace and a rich king lived within its walls. Other times, he would pretend his father lived there, taking care of important business, and that one day he’d return home. But in truth, his father never stayed at this hotel that he knew of and his father never came home.
Trey choked down the unwanted rush of emotions. “I think I’m just tired. I can’t sleep on planes.”
“I guess we have that in common because neither can I.”
“Then let’s get checked in and we both can get some rest.”
He alighted from the car and asked her to get their room keys while he saw to the luggage—all six pieces of it. One piece was his and the rest belonged to Sage. Thankfully some of the suitcases had wheels. How long did she plan to be in France?
Inside, Sage was at the registration counter. From across the lobby, he couldn’t hear what was being said, but Sage was talking with her hands and that was never a good sign. Maybe it was a communication problem.
He picked up his speed, hoping to smooth out the situation. He came to a stop next to Sage. “Is there a problem?”
She turned to him with a distinct frown on her face. “I suppose the fact that they gave away our rooms and they have nothing else available could be considered a problem.” The frustration in her voice was unmistakable as was the exhaustion written all over her face.
“Let me see what I can do.” Perhaps the exchange of French and English had created a miscommunication. He really hoped that was the case. “Did you make the reservation?”
“Yes. But they have no record of it.”
“Don’t give up just yet.”
Sage let out a yawn that spurred Trey into action. But after speaking with both the desk clerk and the manager, they still didn’t have any unoccupied rooms for the duration of the festival.
Trey knew with the festival taking place that there wouldn’t be any vacancies anywhere in Cannes. There were stories of A-list actors sleeping on the beach because when there’s no room available, there’s literally nothing available.
Trey had an alternative, but he didn’t like it. There was his family’s château. He still had a skeleton staff looking after it. He didn’t want to keep the place, but he couldn’t bring himself to sell it either. It made no sense, but that seemed to be a recurring theme in his life.
He withdrew his phone from his pocket and signaled to Sage that he would be right back. He’d made his housekeeper aware that he was flying in. She was anxious to discuss some issues concerning the château. He told her that he’d stop by when he had a free moment. He’d made it clear he didn’t plan to stay at the château so he had no idea what condition the house would be in. On top of that, he didn’t know how he’d explain any of this to Sage.
Just take it one problem at a time.
* * *
She’d made a mess of things.
Sage mentally kicked herself for not verifying the reservations. She’d meant to, but then she’d gotten distracted.
When Trey returned from making a call, she asked, “Did you come up with alternate lodging?”
“There’s nothing available. The city is filled to capacity with festivalgoers.”
“Oh.” She’d really been hoping his phone call had been productive. “I guess I could do an internet search and start calling them. Maybe I’ll get lucky and someone will have a last-minute cancellation.”
Trey sighed. “Or you could just come home with me.”
“Home? With you?” She sent him a strange look. “I know you’re tired, but we’re in France not California.”
“I know that.”
“Then how can I go home with you?”
“Okay, it’s not actually my home, but you do recall that I’m from France, right?” He smiled.
Was he inwardly laughing at her? “I didn’t forget. The accent gives you away.”
“Listen, this banter might be more fun if I wasn’t so tired.” Before she could dispute the claim, he continued. “My head is pounding, so how about you just agree to come with me?”
It was one thing to stay in the same hotel in separate rooms, but it was much more intimate to share a house. “Are you sure about this?”
“Quite frankly, no. But we can’t sleep in the lobby of this hotel.”
She hated to admit it but he was right. And she was so tired.
Trey didn’t wait for her response as he turned to the door. With the luggage in tow, he headed for an available car. She couldn’t help thinking that this was wrong. She knew by the look on his face that taking her with him was the last thing he wanted to do.
There was something growing between them. It was something she didn’t want to examine too closely. Though she had a lot of friends, she didn’t let anyone get too close. It hurt too much when they betrayed you.
She’d had a boyfriend after she’d finished college. Charlie had been a blond-haired, blue-eyed hunk of a man. At first, she’d resisted him, but every time he’d walked into the coffee shop where she worked in the evenings and on weekends, he flirted with her until he gained her trust. Looking back on that time still hurt.
Charlie had said all the right things—done all the right things, from flowers to fancy dinners. She’d thought at long last she was no longer alone in this world. She’d let down her guard and confided in him about her hopes, dreams and fears.
And then she’d gotten her first official editorial position working for a well-known publisher. It wasn’t her beloved White Publishing, but it was a highly sought after position.
She was all set to start in two weeks. And then everything went sideways. Suddenly the company withdrew their job offer with some flimsy excuse about a mix-up.
And then she caught Charlie in a lie followed by a strange text message on his phone. Once confronted by a furious Sage, he confessed to being hired by Elsa to spy on her. And that Elsa was behind the lies that cost her the job. Her stepmother had smeared her name in the publishing world.
There was only one reason her stepmother would still try to hurt her—the woman had a deep dark secret. That day, Sage got all the confirmation she needed that her suspicions about Elsa were true. She was certain Elsa had lied, cheated and thieved her way to the top of White Publishing. And now Sage would do whatever it cost to out her conniving stepmother—including sacrificing a personal life. That was the day Sage hired her first private investigator.
Once they were in the car headed away from the bright lights, Trey said, “Don’t worry. Everything will work out.”
She turned to say something, but in the glow of the passing lights she caught his dark, mesmerizing gaze. The words stuck in her throat. Every time he looked into her eyes, she felt as though she were going to drown in his dark brown eyes.
Her pulse quickened and she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Before now, they’d always been at work where there was a constant string of people in and out of her office. There was no time for indulging in a kiss.
But tonight, all bets were off. She assured herself that exhaustion was playing with her mind. As she continued to stare at him, she knew she wasn’t alone with these wayward thoughts.
Though she hadn’t dated many men, she did know when they were interested in her. And Trey was interested. Still, there was one more complication—they worked together. And crossing that line would come with a host of complications.
With a sigh, she leaned back against the leather seat. She just needed some sleep. Tomorrow things would be much clearer.
“We’re here.” Trey’s voice lacked any enthusiasm.
She looked out the window at the impressive château. No expense had been spared in its design or in the landscape that was illuminated with lights lining the drive.
“You said this place belongs to a friend?” She couldn’t help wondering what sort of friends Trey had. Obviously they had deep pockets.
“Um...yes.” He got out of the car before she could ask any further questions.
As she continued to stare at the château, she wondered about Trey. She craved to know more about him. Who were these friends? Did he have lots of friends? Did he travel overseas often? The questions were endless. Every day there was something new that she wanted to know about him, but she kept stuffing the questions down. It was better if they didn’t get to know each other that well—at least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
She’d gotten so lost in her thoughts that Trey had time to round the car and open her door for her. She stepped out, glancing around at her new surroundings when a new worry came to her.
“Are you sure your friends won’t be upset about you bringing me here without checking with them first?”
He shook his head. “Trust me.”
She wanted to trust him. And that surprised her. It’d been a long time since she’d felt that way toward a man.
Trey led the way to the front door. As she followed, a dreadful thought came to mind. Sage swallowed hard and tried to push off the troubling thought. But it wouldn’t leave her in peace.
The question that had hovered at the back of her throat refused to be smothered. “Is this your girlfriend’s home?”
There was a distinct pause. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
It shouldn’t have mattered to her, but there was a great sense of relief in his answer. “Your friend must trust you a lot. This place...it’s magnificent from the outside. I can’t imagine what the inside must be like.”
He didn’t say anything as he opened the door and stood aside for her to enter. She stared in awe. This place was more than magnificent. It was jaw-dropping, mouth-gaping striking. The foyer was spacious with a gleaming tile floor and stone walls that rose high above her head, forming a dome with a crystal chandelier suspended in the center.
She turned to say something to Trey, but he had stepped back outside to retrieve their luggage from the car. She went out to help.
Trey frowned when he saw her in the rain. “What are you doing out here? You’re going to get soaked.”
The rain had picked up since they’d arrived just moments ago. But that wasn’t enough to deter her. She wasn’t used to anyone waiting on her. Since her father died, she’d been the one waiting on people—till she took on the managing editor job at QTR. But it was all still so new to her.
It was raining too much to argue. Soon they both had the luggage inside the château. Thankfully she’d packed for all occasions and had a raincoat. She slipped it off and looked around for a place to put it. She couldn’t imagine ruining anything in the fancy house that looked more like a museum.
It reminded her of her childhood home in a way. It, too, had been impressive, but her parents had decorated it in a way that was beautiful but comfortable. This château was more a showplace than a home.
She turned to Trey. His face was pale and etched with deep lines that bracketed his eyes and mouth. It was like he’d aged ten years since they’d arrived. What had caused such a reaction?
“Here.” Trey held out his hand for her coat. “I’ll take it.”
He promptly slung it over a chair in the corner. Then he added his coat.
“You can’t do that.” She rushed over to the chair to retrieve her coat.
“Why not? I’ll hang them up tomorrow when they’re dry.”
“But the chair—”
“Is fine.” He sent her a puzzled look. “Why are you so worried about a chair?”
“Because this place—it’s like a museum. I don’t want to ruin anything and have your friends upset with you.” And then she decided to state the obvious. “I can see how worried you are. It’s written all over your face.”
“There’s nothing you can do to this place that will cause a problem. Just relax.” He moved to the bottom of the sweeping staircase. “Would you like something to eat? Or should we call it a night?”
The meal on the plane hadn’t been much and it had been a while ago, but right now exhaustion was winning. “How about we sleep and then eat?”
“Works for me.” He headed up the grand staircase. “There are a lot of bedrooms. You can have your pick as we’re the only ones staying here.”
“This is an awfully big place just for the two of us.”
Maybe staying here wouldn’t be so bad. There would be plenty of space and they wouldn’t end up on top of each other. And then realizing her wording could be construed in an intimate way, she inwardly groaned. Thankfully she hadn’t vocalized her thoughts.
“Is something wrong?” Trey gave her a strange look.
She shook her head. “I’m just tired.”
Walking up the flight of steps took considerable effort. She stifled a yawn. She really needed some sleep. She’d be able to think more clearly in the morning. Her head hung low. Right now, she just had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.
At the landing, she bumped right into Trey. Only an inch or two apart, she lifted her head. His brown eyes searched hers. Her heart slammed into her throat, blocking her next breath. If she were to lift up on tiptoes and he were to lower his head, their lips would meet. And at long last, she would know if his kisses were as hot as she imagined.
After all, this was the French Riviera. She couldn’t think of a more romantic spot on earth to give in to her fantasy. The pounding of her heart drowned out all of the reasons that this was a bad idea. Maybe Louise was right. Maybe she needed more in her life than work.
And then Trey turned away. He cleared his throat. “There are four rooms to the left and four rooms to your right. Pick whichever one suits you.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to be a bother.”
Trey didn’t say anything for a moment as though he were lost in his thoughts.
“Trey, what is it?”
He shook his head. “Nothing that can’t wait until the morning.”
“Are you sure?”
He sent her a smile and nodded.
She started down the wide hallway and stepped in the first bedroom. It was decorated in reds and whites. A large bed sat in the middle of the room with a white comforter and matching pillows. She moved to the bed and sat down. She immediately sunk into the mattress. Wow. Talk about a soft mattress. Not exactly her idea of comfort.
The next room held black and white decor with a red accent. The room was beautiful, but the bed was the exact opposite of the other room. When she sat on the edge, the mattress barely moved.
She caught the amusement in Trey’s eyes as she made her way through the rooms.
“Are you just going to follow me around and smile?” She frowned at him.
“I’m just wondering if any of the rooms are going to be up to your standard.”
“I’m not normally a picky person.”
He nodded, but his eyes said that he didn’t believe her.
“I’m not,” she insisted as she entered the last bedroom.
She came to a sudden halt. This room was different from the others. There was no striking decor. No fancy pillows or remarkable paintings on the walls. This room, for the lack of a better word, was plain. While one wall was brick like much of the house, the other walls were a smooth plaster in a warm cream color. And the artwork on the walls were photos of different French landscapes.
A large oriental rug stretched out over the hardwood floor and extended under the king-size bed. The bed faced a set of French doors that were slightly ajar, letting in the fresh sea air. And overhead were exposed beams running the length of the ceiling. She never would have put this room in the same group as the others as its atmosphere was so different—so relaxed.
But the telling sign was in the mattress. She walked over to the bed and sat down. It wasn’t too soft or too hard. It was perfect.
She smiled. “This is it.”
Trey’s brow arched. “Are you sure? This room isn’t as nice as the other ones.”
“That’s one of the things I like about it. And the bed is perfect.” Then realizing that he might have been planning to stay here, she said, “Unless you were planning to sleep here.”
“No.” He said it rather quickly. “I’ll just grab your things.”
“I can get them.”
He shook his head. “Tonight you’re my guest.”
She was so tired that she didn’t have the energy to argue with him. If he was that anxious to carry all her suitcases upstairs, more power to him.
In the meantime, she’d just lean back on the bed and rest for a moment. It had been such a long, long day or was it two days now? She wasn’t sure with the long layovers and the time change.
Maybe she’d just close her eyes for a moment...
* * *
Of all the bedrooms, why did she have to pick that one?
Trey frowned as he struggled to get all five of her suitcases up the stairs. The woman really needed to learn how to pack lighter. He didn’t think he owned enough clothes to fill five suitcases. Okay, so maybe they were planning to be here for two weeks, but there was such a thing as a laundry machine.
At the top of the steps, he paused. It was a good thing he exercised daily. He rolled the cases back along the hallway to the very familiar bedroom. The door was still ajar.
“Sage, it’s just me.” He would have knocked but his hands were full trying to keep a hold on all the luggage.
There was no response. Maybe she’d decided to explore the rest of the house. Or perhaps she was standing out on the balcony. It was one of his favorite spots to clear his head.
But two steps into the room, he stopped.
There was Sage stretched across his bed. Her long dark hair was splayed across the comforter. He knew he shouldn’t stare, but he couldn’t help himself. She was so beautiful. And the look on her face as she was sleeping was one of utter peace. It was a look he’d never noticed during her wakeful hours. If you knew her, you could see something was always weighing on her mind. And he’d hazard a guess that it went much deeper than the trouble with the magazine.
Though he hated to admit it, he was impressed with the new format that she’d rolled out for the magazine. Instead of it being a trashy rag, it now had integrity and, at times, it was a platform to promote social change for the positive.
But he wasn’t ready to back down on his campaign to close the magazine’s doors. None of it changed the fact that to hurt his father in the same manner that he’d hurt him, the magazine had to go. It had been Trey’s objective for so many years. He never thought he’d be in a position to make it happen—but now as the new CEO of QTR International, he was in the perfect position to make his father understand in some small way the pain his absence had inflicted on him.
Trey’s thoughts returned to the gorgeous woman lying on his bed sound asleep. She was the innocent party—the bystander who would get hurt—and he had no idea how to protect her. The only thing he did know was that the longer he kept up this pretense of being her assistant instead of the heir to the QTR empire—the worse it was going to be when the truth finally won out—and it would. The truth always came to light—sometimes at the most inopportune times.
The burden of his secret weighed heavy on his shoulders. He moved quietly in the room, placing the luggage in the corner. And then he turned back to Sage. It’d been a long time since he’d had a woman in his bed. And this time he wouldn’t even have the pleasure of joining her.
Although, there was no way she could sleep in that position with her feet dangling off the edge of the bed with her high heels still on. Should he wake her? He glanced at her face. She looked so contented.
He moved quietly across the floor. He knelt down next to her. His hand wrapped around her calf, enjoying the smoothness of her skin. And then realizing he was letting himself get distracted, he slipped off one shoe. She never missed a slow, steady breath. He then repeated the same process with the other leg.
Somehow he had to get her legs on the bed without waking her. Apparently she was more wiped out than he’d imagined. As he settled her comfortably on the bed, all she did was roll away from him. Her summer dress rode high up on her creamy thigh and suddenly his mouth went dry.
Turn away. Forget it. She’s off-limits.
His mind said all the right things, but the rest of him was tempted to wake her—to see if she was as attracted to him as he was to her. The devil and angel played advocates in his mind. After all, she didn’t know who he really was. But it wouldn’t be right to start things under a false premise, no matter how casual it might be.
He draped the soft fabric of the bedspread over her. And then he noticed that a few strands of hair had strayed across her face. He should just leave her be, but his fingers tingled with temptation. He reached out and ever so gently swept the hair back. And then he turned and headed for the door.