“No,” Betzy said with the shake of her head. “I don’t think he’d mind at all. Thank you.”
Anxious to get back to her date for the evening, Betzy made her way to the foyer. It took her a moment to spot him, but at last she saw the gorgeous bachelor by a set of potted aspen trees, one arm folded across his chest, the other rubbing a hand along the back of his neck.
She walked around a cluster of female guests, shifted her way through a larger group of loosely scattered men, and finally came up behind him at last. Betzy moved to rest a hand on his shoulder, but thought better of it.
“How’s he doing?” she asked from behind.
Sawyer let out a heavy breath. “I’m not sure. They just arrived.” The nearby trees were decorated with lights and crystal. She caught the reflection of it in his hypnotic, hazel eyes. “I guess Ted drove because she was too upset.”
“Ted?” Betzy asked.
He shot her a half-smile. “Her new boyfriend, apparently.”
She couldn’t hold back the brow lift. “Oh? That’s awesome. My mom’s been getting pretty serious with Matthew too. I really like the guy, but it’s weird, seeing your mom date.”
Sawyer nodded. “Yeah. Anyway, we should probably get back in there. We’ve got a piece of art to introduce.”
But Betzy shook her head. “Actually, I told them we had a canine emergency.”
Sawyer’s eyes widened. “You did?”
She nodded. “I’ll go with you if that’s okay.”
“I’d like that.” He took a step closer and rested a hand at her lower back. It felt good there. Solid and warm. And when she pulled in her next breath, Betzy was reminded, for the hundredth time that evening, of how very good he smelled.
She savored the heavenly scent once they made it to his car, a gorgeous Lamborghini Veneno. He was forced to drive the coupé slowly until they reached the interstate, but there, Sawyer sank the pedal, switched gears, and picked up speed.
Exhilaration shot through her in a tingly rush as the nightlights sped by in a blur. “Ilovethis thing,” she said.
He glanced over and grinned. “You do?”
“Oh, yeah. I almost bought one myself.”
“What did you get instead?” he asked.
She could barely hold back the grin as she replied. “A Bugatti Chiron, black.”
“With the metallic blue accents?”
She nodded.
He blew out a whistle. “That’s my girl.”
She liked hearing him say that.
A bit of tension seemed to drain from his shoulders. Perhaps conversation was a good distraction. He probably needed it.
The truth was, worries over missing the live appearance were starting to eke into her mind, but Betzy pushed them aside to focus on him.
It wasn’t exactly the hardest task. Sawyer Kingsley might deal largely with real estate on the east coast, but he owned the larger portion of her LA heart.
“Didn’t you used to have a Porsche?”
“Still got it,” he said. “I switch off between them. Back in the city I have a Lykan Hypersport.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding. I thought you used a driver back home.”
Sawyer’s eyes narrowed for a blink as he stared at the road ahead, thoughtful. “Thisis home to me,” he said. And as if the words alone hadn’t jumpstarted her heart enough, he darted a look at her—fleeting, but pointed. He wanted her to know that his heartwasn’tin NYC. And heaven help her, she liked hearing that more than he’d ever know.
