THIS HAD TO be a dream.
There was no way the evening had been real. Now that the guests were gone and the lights had been dimmed, Sage knew she should go to sleep, but she was too wound up.
The pieces needed to create a path to her future had fallen into place. Thanks to Trey. Those guests hadn’t just been random people. They were all remarkable, from actors to athletes to prizewinning authors to world movers and shakers. They all had diverse and intriguing stories to tell. And she planned to give their voices a platform from which the world could hear them.
“Come dance with me,” Trey coaxed.
“But we can’t. There isn’t even any music.”
“We don’t need music.” Trey took her in his arms.
Their bodies swayed together as though they were made for each other. Sage’s cheeks grew sore from smiling so much. She didn’t know it was possible to be this happy.
“This the most perfect birthday. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Enjoyed it doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel right now.”
A waiter went to pass them with a tray full of dishes. Trey stopped him and asked for two glasses of bubbly. They resumed dancing while the waiter sought out the requested bubbly.
Sage slipped off her heels and moved across the floor in her bare feet. Trey twirled her around and dipped her. It was like a scene right out of a black and white movie where she was the leading lady. Best of all, Trey was the leading man.
The waiter came to a stop next to them with a tray of bubbly. Trey took two flutes and handed her one.
He gazed into her eyes. “Here’s to the most beautiful birthday girl.”
“And here’s to the perfect date.”
They clinked their glasses together and then sipped at the champagne that tickled Sage’s nose. He took the glass from her hand and set it aside. He took her back in his arms and stared deeply into her eyes. “I wish I could make you smile like this all of the time.”
“Who says you can’t?” She was flirting with him. It was dangerous but she couldn’t stop herself.
A smile lifted his very tempting lips. “And what would I have to do to make you smile all of the time?”
Maybe it was the bubbly or the exhaustion as it was now the wee hours of the morning, but she felt a bit daring. She lifted up on her tiptoes and leaned into him.
She whispered, “This would keep me smiling.”
She pressed her lips to his. He didn’t move. He stood perfectly still. She wasn’t even sure that he was breathing.
Oh, no. Had she read too much into the evening? What if he rejected her? She hadn’t thought this through. Panic consumed her and she froze.
And then his lips moved over hers. His touch was gentle yet stirring. Her heart thump-thumped. He gripped her waist, pulling her snug against his firm chest.
She wanted to see where this kiss would lead them, but there were still questions—nagging questions. How could she trust him when there was still so much left unsaid between them?
The conflicting emotions within her tempered her desires. They had to talk first. The good stuff was going to have to wait. The last time she’d totally trusted a man, he’d lied to her. She couldn’t have that happen again—not when she cared so much for Trey.
It took all her effort to brace her hands against his muscled chest and push. Her gaze immediately met the unspoken questions reflected in Trey’s eyes.
“We need to talk,” she said above the sound of her pounding heart. And then realizing that her hands were still on him, she lowered them to her sides.
“Maybe it can wait till later. I had something else in mind for now.” He sent her a playful smile.
“This is serious.” She couldn’t let herself get sidetracked. She didn’t want to have regrets later.
The smile disappeared from his face. “What do you want to talk about?”
“You.”
His brows rose. “Okay. What do you want to know?”
“I want to know if there are any more secrets.”
“No, there aren’t.” He stared deep into her eyes. “I never meant to hurt you. When I first thought up the idea of going undercover, I didn’t take into consideration all the people I would have to lie to. I deeply regret it.”
“But why didn’t you tell me later on? When things started to change between us?” She really needed to know—to understand.
“I meant to but it never seemed like the right time.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I... I was afraid you would hate me.”
“Were you going to let the lie just go on and on?”
He shook his head. “I’d planned to tell you, the same day that we ran into Elsa.”
“And she ruined your plans?”
He nodded as he reached out, taking her hands in his own. “If I could go back and do things different, I would. I swear.”
There was something different about Trey tonight. He was—she stared at him—he was filled with remorse. The weight of what he’d done showed in the lines now etching his handsome face. Lying to her—to everyone at the magazine—hadn’t come easy and it had cost him. That knowledge brought her comfort.
But she’d also witnessed a different side of him while in Cannes. He was a team player and he was willing to put himself out there to make her happy. And he’d changed his mind about his legacy.
She could understand how hurt he’d been after his parents split up. Losing a close family dynamic is traumatic and then for Trey to think his father hadn’t cared about him would have colored the way he’d looked at the world.
“Do you promise to be honest with me from now on?”
This was the deal breaker. She couldn’t have someone in her life that she couldn’t trust.
He stared straight into her eyes and, without blinking, he said, “I do. I swear it.”
“That is the best birthday gift.” She leaned in and kissed him.
This time he was the one to pull away. He turned and flipped off the lights. “Let’s go upstairs.”
He held his hand out to her and she placed her hand in his. Together, they ascended the staircase. Quietly they made their way down the hallway.
Outside her bedroom, he kissed her lightly on the lips. “Happy birthday.”
When he turned to walk away, she said, “Don’t go.”
Trey hesitated. “It’s late. And—”
“Don’t go.”
He reached out. His thumb gently stroked her cheek. “I want you to be sure about this—about me.”
“I am. You made a mistake and you’ve tried to make amends. I forgive you.”
“You do?”
She smiled and nodded. “It’s in the past. This is a new beginning for us.”
Sage opened the bedroom door and led him by the hand inside. Trey closed the door behind him. And then he was holding her in his arms.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked.
“I’m sure about you and me. It’s going to be a perfect night.”
Sage lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. This time there was no hesitation—no butterfly kisses. In the darkness, there was hunger and desire.
Her heart pounded so loud that she could no longer hear anything else. The only thing she knew was that she was no longer alone. Trey had filled in the cracks in her heart.
And tomorrow—
She cut off that thought as she fell back against the bed. With his lips teasing hers, there was no room for thoughts of tomorrow. There was only the here and now. And Trey. That was enough.