He couldn’t help but notice the admiring glances sent her way. And the surprise on the faces of those same people when they noticed who was at her side.
Several teens recognized her and asked for an autograph. She smiled and pulled out a pen, introducing him, almost as an afterthought, as “her friend Crow.” But the name that had seemed to fit him for so many years sounded wrong on her lips.
They finally reached the car and he opened the door for her, reluctant to see the day end.
“I had a really nice time,” Sara said, sliding onto the seat.
“Me, too,” he said. Crow took his seat behind the wheel, but instead of tossing the sack into the back seat, he kept it with him.
He looked up to find Sara’s gaze riveted on the sack. Though he was anxious to see her reaction, he couldn’t help but worry. What if she didn’t like it? Impulsively he shoved the bag at her. “Here. You might as well open it now.”
She took it from him, but made no move to look inside. “This is so sweet of you.”
“Just open it,” he said gruffly.
She hesitated, and all of a sudden the gift seemed all wrong. Sara was a popular recording star. What would she want with an elephant sweatshirt?
He reached for the ignition.
“Let’s not go yet.” Her hand covered his. Her skin was warm and smooth and baby soft.
Leaving the key dangling in the ignition, Crow sat back, his insides wound as tight as a roll of barbed wire.
Sara opened the sack slowly and carefully pulled out the tissue-wrapped garment.
“I had them leave the tags on in case you want to return it.”
She pushed aside the tissue and let out a little gasp. “A Raja sweatshirt.” In one swift movement, Sara turned in her seat and flung her arms around his neck. “I love it. Thank you so much.”
Relief flooded Crow and he let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He returned the hug, liking the feel of her hair against his face and her warm body pressed against his. He shifted slightly, reaching up with one hand to stroke her hair. It gave her ample time to pull back, but she didn’t move from his arms. Instead, her gaze met his and she smiled.
It was all the encouragement he needed. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her like he’d wanted to since he’d first seen her this morning.
Her lips were warm and soft and she tasted like cotton candy. He nuzzled her neck. “You taste so good.”
“Do I?” Sara’s voice was oddly breathless. “What do I taste like?”
“Candy.” He nibbled on her ear, his voice low and husky. “Sweet candy.”
“Is it the kind of candy you like?”
She arched her neck and he planted kisses along her jaw.
“Mmm-hmm,” he said, more than willing to show her just how sweet she was.
He kissed her again, longer this time, letting his mouth linger.
Sara’s hand rose and gently caressed his cheek.
His heart raced like a Harley with its throttle wide open. He wanted nothing more than to jerk her to him and let the world explode in a blistering wave of heat and passion.
But he couldn’t. Sara wasn’t like other women. She was special. And that made her dangerous.
He pulled back and tried to hide his shaky breath behind a halfhearted laugh. “Wow. You really know how to turn a guy on.”
A shadow of disappointment crossed her face, but he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t let her see how much she meant to him. That would be awkward for both of them.
After all, he was just her employee. As soon as he found the stalker, he’d be out of the picture. The last thing he wanted to do was to leave Sara with any regrets.
Because that wouldn’t be fair to do to anyone, much less to someone you…loved.
Sara stared out the window on the drive home, her emotions as tangled as her windblown hair.
Would she ever understand him? Crow’s words and actions didn’t mesh. He liked kissing her—that much was obvious. But why then, just when she’d thought he was going to kiss her again, did he pull back? And what was that remark about her knowing how to turn a guy on?
A horrible thought struck her. Could he be thinking she was too experienced, as in easy?
Like mother, like daughter.
There was no truth in it. She had no intention of being intimate with anyone except her husband. The most she’d ever done was to exchange a few kisses with James and now with Crow.
But she had to admit it was a lot harder to stop at just kisses with Crow than it had been with any other guy. Crow’s kisses made her tingle all the way down to her toes. Did he worry that she wouldn’t be able to call it quits?
Sara slanted a sideways glance at his stony features. It had been a beautiful day and it would be a shame to ruin it because of a misunderstanding.
“Crow, er, Sal.” She shifted in her seat and cleared her throat.
He glanced at her for a brief second before turning his attention back to the road.
“Could you look at me?” she said. “I have something to say.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed—” his gaze flitted to her before returning on the road “—I’m driving.”
Sara paused. If she waited until they got home, their conversation might be overheard. “Pull in there.”
“What?”
“Pull in there.” She pointed to a small roadside park off to the right.
Just when she thought he was going to ignore her and go right past, he turned in the parking lot.
He swung into a space at the very edge of the lot, shut off the car and turned to face her. “Okay, what’s this about?”
His dark eyes bore into hers and she could feel her confidence slipping.
Sara took a deep breath. “Kissing.”
“What are you saying? That you made me stop the car so we could kiss again?” The look in his eyes told her that though he might not fully understand the point, he’d be willing to go along with the idea.
“No. I don’t want to kiss you again.” Sara paused, then frowned. That hadn’t come out the way she’d intended. “I mean, I do want to kiss you again, just not now.”
He reached for the ignition. “Now that we’ve got that settled…”
“Let me finish.” Her hand closed over his. “Please.”
Crow glanced at the clock on the dash. “Will this take long?”
“I’ll make it quick.” Sara took a deep breath. “If you were worried when we were kissing that I wouldn’t stop you from going further, you were wrong.”
The beginnings of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth.
Sara could feel the heat rising up her neck, but she ignored it. She knew what she had to say and she might as well get it over with. “I have no intention of going any further with you.”
His smile vanished.
“Regardless of what you may think, Sara, I’m not out to score with just anyone.”
They were back on the road before she had a chance to respond.
“Is that what I am?” she said in a soft voice. “Just anyone?”
He kept his eyes focused straight ahead and pretended he hadn’t heard.
Chapter Twelve