Free Tough To Love by Marie Rochelle Page B

regulations coming out next year. However, this year his mind was on other things─ Sage .
    She was the only thing he was constantly thinking about nowadays. He was stupid. He knew that she was intentionally avoiding him. The last time he saw her was at the grocery store but he had been with Vanity. Since he didn’t want them getting into another fight like the one at his house, he turned and walked the other way.
    Yesterday, he was having dinner with a client and saw her coming out of a restaurant across the street, holding hands Julian. The sight of them together bothered him so badly. He almost left his meeting; however, he got his jealousy under control just in time.
    How could she be around town with Julian like he didn’t even exist to her anymore? Resting his head back against the leather seat of his chair, Rally drummed his fingers on the conference room table. He had been fighting a losing battle for a while when it came to Sage. Her sweetness called to the deepest part of him, making him want to cherish her forever, but could he go back on his word?
    Years ago, he made a promise to his grandmother that he would marry the woman she saw in her dream. His grandmother said this woman would love him like no other had, despite problems they may face, and keep the Teveare heritage going.
    Closing his eyes, he blew out a deep breath and tried to make himself believe he could spend the rest of his life with Vanity, but he didn’t see it happening. His need for Sage grew daily and he was fighting a losing battle. It was time for him to give it up, break things off with Vanity, and admit defeat. Hopefully, Sage would be in a giving mood and not make him beg for too long.
    “Are you working so hard now that you have to take a nap at work?” A soft familiar voice joked from the doorway.
    Rally’s eyes opened and peered to the left. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face at the sight of her standing in the doorway. She looked gorgeous in her dark purple dress. It displayed her hourglass body perfectly.
    There wasn’t any time like the present to see where things stood with Sage.
    “You’re always so concerned about me,” he said. “I like that. So, what brings you by here? Shouldn’t you be at work?” He hadn’t given up on finding a way to make Sage come back here and work for him.
    “I’m at lunch and I wanted to stop by and see if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight. Julian and I are having a small get-together at his place. You can ask Shawn, but I doubt he’ll come. He spends all of his free time with Lara.”
    “Why are you having a party with Julian? What do the two of you have to celebrate?” He stood up and slowly made his way over to Sage. He wanted to be up close and personal when he got this news.
    Sage seemed all confident until he got within touching distance, and then she took a step back from him. He tried ignoring the pain that shot straight to his heart.
    Had he hurt her so badly that she no longer wanted him close to her?
    “Julian and I are going to try and give it a shot.”
    “Give what a shot?” Surely, she wasn’t about to tell him something stupid.
    “Dating. We’re both single and decided why not.”
    How can you date him when you want me ? Rally thought bitterly, but he didn’t say it. Instead, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks, pulling the fabric tight across his thighs.
    “Whose idea was this?” he asked.
    Sage frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “Did you come up with this fictitious relationship or was it Julian?” He couldn’t let Sage ruin her life with Julian. Julian had too much baggage from his past to be placing on her.
    “I like him a lot. Julian is an amazing man,” Sage told him. “Why wouldn’t I want to give dating him a shot? What do I have to lose? My God, I can’t do anything right in your eyes, can I, Rally? You tell me to get out of your life and I do it, but it isn’t fast enough. I start trying to build a relationship