Frustrated with myself, I make my way around the house, staying close to the walls—just in case Sage looks out the windows. I walk back to my cabin, cursing myself for being so clumsy today. That’s what I get for not sticking to the original plan. That woman is causing me to lose my mind. She’s a distraction I don’t need. I have to get rid of her sooner rather than later.
Maybe I could come up with a plan for dealing with her if I didn’t have to spend the walk reminding myself not to scratch my face.
Something tells me that dealing with Sage is not going to be as easy as I want it to be. She seems to have a habit of creating chaos around her, and that’s something I can’t let happen.
Chapter Four
Sage
I stare at one of the pictures of Travis I have pulled up on my computer. He is so handsome in a suit. Everything about him is so neat and perfect. Especially his face, which I would like to sit on one day.
Since my fortunate encounter with the man of my dreams two days ago, I have been obsessed with researching him online ... and maybe a little in real life. Okay, I went back to his house to check it out. And maybe to be close or possibly run into him. I don’t even know if he was home or not. I couldn’t see through the windows, and there was nothing useful in his trash either. Yes, I went through his trash. Bite me. It was mostly just protein-bar wrappers and dental floss. Disappointing. Like, not even a mysterious vial?
I’m so consumed with Travis that I haven’t thought much about last night. The picture falling in the hallway was odd, but after I found the window open in the second bedroom, I figured it was just the wind blowing it from the nail. Plus, if there was really someone in the house, why would they just leave without taking anything?
Shaking the thought away, I go back through the last article on my screen.
Travis Blacksburg, 23-year-old tech genius, sells his startup for $750 million.
That article was posted five years ago, which means Travis should be twenty-eight now. Just two years older than me.We are basically made for each other.
I click back to a new article with an up-to-date picture. In this one, he is dressed in a tux, looking like a fine hunk of meat.
CEO comes to Blacksburg Tech’s yearly fundraiser without a date, reads the caption of the image.Don’t worry, you’ll have a date for the next one.
I ogle Travis on the screen for a few more minutes when the peeping from the oven reminds me to take out the cookies I’m baking.
After closing my laptop, I rush toward the kitchen. I grab the mittens before opening the oven. A wave of hot air hits my face, the smell of sugary goodness invading my senses.
Grabbing the pan with the mittens, I pull the cookies out of the oven and set them on the counter to cool off. While I wait, I take a few cute selfies showing off my baking skills in the background and post them on my social media with the captionBaking for someone special!
Just like always, a bunch of my regulars comment right away. I reply to and like a few before putting my phone to the side and getting back to the cookies. I find a plastic container with a lid and carefully stack the still-warm sweets into it.
Excitement fills my veins when I think about bringing these to him. I catch myself smiling simply because I’m so eager to see him again.
I slip into my sneakers and put my hair in a high ponytail before grabbing the cookies under my arm. On my way out, I snatch my purse from the hook and sling it over my shoulder.
The walk goes by fast, and before I know it, Travis’s lavish cabin comes into view. My heartbeat quickens with every step toward his house. By the time I walk up to his door, my heart threatens to beat out of my chest.
I raise my hand to ring his doorbell, and butterflies take flight in my gut. I’m not a patient person, so when he doesn’t appear right away, I ring the bell one more time. A few more moments pass, and I growincreasingly anxious. The thought of him not being here enters my mind and sours my mood immediately.
I’m about to turn away when the door is suddenly ripped open. My eyes go wide, and I suck in a quick breath before holding it in. My mouth goes dry, and my tongue feels heavy as I look Travis up and down.
He is wearing a thin white T-shirt, a pair of black workout shorts, and sneakers. But his outfit is not what has my ovaries throbbing. It’s the fact that he is sweaty, and his clothes are clinging to his muscular body so deliciously I want to lick his abs like a lollipop.
“What are you doing here? You are interrupting my scheduled workout time,” he informs me in a stern voice.
I tear my eyes away from his intoxicating physique so I can take in his handsome face. His forehead is currently set in an angry frown, his lips are in a thin line, and his eyes are squinting against the sun, shining directly at him. Then I notice a weird-looking rash on the side of his face. I wonder how he got that.
He clears his throat, dragging me from my thoughts.
Plastering a megawatt smile on my face, I make my desert mouth work and say, “I came to apologize for barging in the other day, and I baked you some cookies to show you how much I mean it.” I hold out the container of chocolate chip cookies and wait for him to grab it. He stares at it for a moment before shaking his head at me.
“So you are interrupting me to apologize for interrupting me?” he asks, his frown deepening.
A giggle bursts from me, and I slap my hand over my lips to hide it. I cover up my laugh with a cough, but I don’t think Travis is fooled much. He crosses his arms over his broad chest and scowls at me, making him look sexy as hell. Like a disapproving professor who is about to put me over his knee.
Okay, get your mind out of the gutter.
