Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
R hys murmured the tantalizing words near her ear as he led her toward the tree display.
By the end of the thirty minutes spent taking photos with the professional photographer Quinley had arranged for the evening session, Rhys stared down at Sara’s heart-shaped face and tried to pinpoint what it was about her that drew him so thoroughly.
She took his breath away in that dress, and he honestly wasn’t sure why. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman—though she was indeed beautiful—and she didn’t have a model’s thin lines or height.
Sara was shorter, curvier, softer , her dark hair tumbling around her neck and shoulders in finger-grabbing waves, her lips tinted with a lush nude gloss that continuously snagged his attention and left him fighting the urge to kiss her.
She wasn’t his typical type, yet he couldn’t take his eyes off her, something Quinley also seemed to notice if her amused, knowing gaze was anything to go by.
Like it or not, he couldn’t help but compare the two women in question and realize they did share some similarities. Both were strong-willed and direct, characteristics he only now realized he preferred in a woman. So many ladies played the role of demure, anything-you-want airheads around him, and he hated it. He didn’t want a doormat only interested in shopping, but he certainly didn’t want someone pretending to be something they weren’t. Some one they weren’t.
These two? They were real and honest, though if he were honest, Sara’s obvious and heartfelt, do-anything-for-family compassion drew him like a bee to a flower, and he wanted to know more. Know everything the background check hadn’t provided. He’d put a rush on the inquiry, another thing that proved his interest was higher than normal.
Once the photos were finished, he escorted Quinley and Sara to the elevator for the ride up to Haven. They made small talk about the photographer’s upcoming show at a gallery, and when the elevator doors opened, Quinley stepped through first and walked into the waiting arms of her fiancé.
The two shared a quick yet blazing kiss, and Rhys caught Sara looking at him from beneath her lashes. He smiled down at her and placed a gentle hand at her back. “Shall we? My table’s this way.”
“Quinley isn’t… I mean, I thought she was…joining us?”
The way Sara’s face scrunched in confusion left him fighting the urge to kiss her once again. “No, she’s joining her soon-to-be husband, now that the business stuff is completed. Is that a problem?”
Her chin jutted up at the question.
“No, it’s just— Mr. Lachlan, what’s going on?”
He chuckled at her formality, taking it as a sign he needed to slow his thoughts about her. Future billionaires didn’t have a lot of time to date and therefore tended to skip a few steps and get straight to the gist of things. And while he’d read up on everything the background check had provided about her, Sara still saw him as someone she’d only just met. “Mr. Lachlan is my grandfather or my father. Call me Rhys.”
“Okay. Rhys. What’s going on?”
“Can you really not tell that I’m interested in you?”
He heard her shaky inhalation and reveled in the flush climbing from her neck to her cheeks.
“But why ?”
“Why?” Could she not see what he saw? Her history had revealed her to be conscientious, hardworking, kind, compassionate. She’d dedicated herself to whatever job she’d worked—a perfect example being the tree lot she tended for her parents, all the while suffering and worrying due to her mother’s accident.
“Yes, why? You’re you, and I’m…not.” She lowered her voice, her gaze sliding to the hostess stand where Quinley still stood. “I’m also not her . Or any of the other society women you’ve dated.”
Rhys lifted his hand and gently brushed a stray strand of her inky dark hair from her cheek, lingering over the silky feel of her skin. “Maybe that’s why I’m so intrigued. Have you considered that?”
Her blink told him he’d surprised her yet again. “This way, Sara. I’ll introduce you to Elias later.”
They left Quinley and Elias at the entry, and Rhys spotted the nervous hostess rushing toward them when she saw him leading Sara past the occupied tables toward the private area in the back.
The restaurant was crowded, and he was aware of the many eyes on them as he escorted Sara toward the windows. Her dark beauty drew admiring gazes along the way, and he knew before their dinner was over that word would spread.
“I’m sorry for the delay, Mr. Lachlan. Can I get you anything?” the hostess asked as she followed them to the table located behind a curving wall feature that allowed them privacy from the restaurant while giving them the perfect view of the coastline and Carolina Cove.
“You were busy, Lola. No need to fuss. And since I’m here practically every evening, I know the way to my table.”
“Of course, sir. Enjoy your dinner.”
Rhys watched as Sara slid into the luxuriously padded booth and settled before sliding in beside her rather than opposite. He noticed her fussing with the napkin and gently grasped her hand in his to still it. “Are you really so surprised by my interest?”
She blinked and nervously scanned the view before finally looking at him. “You’re really okay with Quinley and her fiancé? Or is this,” she glanced at their hands, “some kind of game?”
He supposed the question held merit, but coming from her in the tone she used... “Quinley and I are over, though we’ve remained friends. I make a point of not missing out on good business opportunities due to personal biases, so when I heard how unique Elias’s idea was, I wanted to be a part of it.”
“Even though he’s now engaged to your ex?”
“Even though,” he said with a smile, fully aware that to a lot of people—his family included—the arrangement seemed strange. “Some people are better off as friends, and Quinley and I fall into that category. As to you… I give you my word. I’m not playing games.”
She shook her head slightly as she inhaled.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
“Then how about we talk and have a meal and get to know each other better? Then at the end of the night, decide if we want to do it again. Is that a reasonable request?”
She still looked uncertain, but he breathed easier when she finally nodded. “Good. So tell me about Sara.”