“That kind of daily insanity is part of the reason that I was eager to come here,” I continued. “I could definitely use some relaxation. And of course, I’m happy to be here for Michael.”
“I hear that,” she agreed, glancing out to the ocean with a somber expression on her face. “The view from my hotel room alone is enough to make coming here worth it.”
“You say that as if you’re not having a great time.”
She sighed heavily. “Well…”
She trailed off, but my interest was piqued.
“Go ahead, you can tell me,” I said, nudging her shoulder with my own.
She grimaced. “I hate to be one of those people that burdens strangers with my problems, but since you asked, and you’re technically no longer a stranger...my mother is driving me nuts.”
“What is she doing?” I asked, surprised that it was something that seemed so trivial.
Her lips set into a thin line of annoyance. “She’s trying to set me up with her best friend’s son.”
Okay,nottrivial. I didn’t like the sound of this.
“His name is Cole,” she continued, setting her feet on the flat rock in front of her, then wrapping her arms around her knees. “And I already know that I don’t want to be with him, but you have no idea how tenacious my mother can be. I swear, she’s already picking out China patterns for us.”
“But you’re not interested?” I guessed.
She’d already told me as much, and even Faith had mentioned that Sage was single, but I needed to make sure. I was already getting swept away in my desire for this woman, but I couldn’t pursue it if she was already romantically involved with someone else. I would never be the man that a woman cheated with. I’d already been on the other side of that situation and I hated it.
“Not at all,” she said, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “I’m kind of hiding out from him right now, to be honest. He’s not exactly takingnofor an answer.”
That concerned me, and roused my protective nature. “Is he making you uncomfortable?”
I thought about the group of people she was talking to last night. There’d been tension in her shoulders and a small frown on her face. The man among them, the one that looked at her like he was a cat stalking a mouse...that must have been the man she was talking about.Cole.
“He’sannoyingme,” she assured me, rolling her eyes. “He’ll move on to his next conquest soon enough. I just need to avoid his advances as much as possible while we’re here.”
Well, I was sure I could help her with that. I didn’t like the idea of her having to deal with some asshole that wasn’t worthy of her, especially if she was standing alone against her mother, too.
“You know what you need?” I asked, smiling broadly as an idea formed. “A boyfriend.”
Sage narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you working for my mom?”
I chuckled. “No, I’m giving you a solution to your problem. I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend for the rest of the week.”
“What?” Her eyes widened, and her mouth popped open, forming a surprised O.
“Think about it. It’ll get your mom off your back and let the guy pursuing you know that he doesn’t stand a chance.”
A slow smile formed on her face and she bit her lip. God, she was beautiful.
“That’s quite a plan…” she hesitated, “but what’s in it for you?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
“Hey, have a little faith,” I said with a grin. “I just want to help you out. Besides, it seems like it might be fun.”
That wasn’t a total lie. I was guaranteed to have a good time playing the part of doting boyfriend to Sage, but I could also use it as a chance to get to know her better. What better way to do that than if we acted like a couple?
“I promise itwillbe fun,” she said excitedly, leaning forward and throwing her arms around my shoulders in a hug. It didn’t last long, but I felt my cock stir in my pants from the contact. “Thank you so much for this. You’re a lifesaver.”