As If You Were Mine (Seriously Sweet St Louis #2) - Cindy Kirk Page 0,3
blond and beautiful. With compelling gray eyes, firm features and a confident set of his shoulders, her publicist garnered admiring glances wherever they went. His hair was always cut in the latest style and his clothing choices complemented his conservative nature. Thanks to regular workouts in a local gym, James’s body was well toned but not overly muscular.
The man before her was anything but perfect. He looked like a refugee from a Harley-Davidson rally, with his burgundy T-shirt, hair past his shoulders and a snake tattoo encircling his right bicep. Standing at least six foot two, he may have been the same height as James, but he dwarfed the man in build. Crow’s chest was broad and his jeans molded against a pair of muscular thighs. If he wasn’t a bodybuilder, he should have been.
Sara lifted her gaze and found him staring. Amusement flickered in his eyes and she knew he’d seen where her gaze had been focused.
She shifted her attention to his arm. “I don’t see the appeal of tattoos.”
He raised one dark brow.
Sara lifted her chin. She’d seen his type before…lived with his type before. “What can I say? I don’t like them.”
And I don’t like you.
“Don’t get one, then.” He offered a careless shrug.
“Meg, why don’t you show Mr.…?” Sara waved her hand as if his name was too inconsequential to remember.
“Crow,” he volunteered, that infuriating self-satisfied smile still lingering on his lips.
“Mr. Crow around the place.” Sara slanted a sideways glance at James. Through all this he’d remained silent. But he didn’t need to say a word. The look of disapproval on his face said it all. “James and I are going out to dinner. We can talk about this bodyguard thing when—”
“For starters,” Crow interrupted. “From now on, where you go, I go.”
“I don’t think—”
“It’ll take me only a few minutes to settle in. My suitcase is in the hall. If you’ll show me to your bedroom…”
“My bedroom?” Sara sat up straight in the chair. “Why in the world would you need to see my bedroom?”
Crow heaved an exasperated sigh. “Because that’s where I’ll be sleeping.”
Chapter Two
“With me?” Sara’s blue eyes flashed.
“No, right outside your door.” Crow paused and regarded her thoughtfully. “Disappointed?”
Her eyebrow raised in amused contempt. “Hardly.”
Crow smiled to himself. Perhaps he’d been too quick to dismiss the singer as just another pretty face. It seemed she had spunk. This assignment might be more fun than he’d first thought.
“If I’m not with you, how can I protect you?” he said in a reasonable tone.
“Give me a break.” She scoffed. “Next thing I know, you’ll be reminding me of that scene from Psycho and I’ll find you in my shower. All in the name of ‘protecting me,’ of course.”
An image of woman and steam flashed through his mind. Crow grinned. “Every job has its drawbacks.”
“I didn’t think a man like you would consider that a drawback.”
“Sara.” James’s voice was low and smooth but filled with command. “I think this discussion has gone far enough.”
A hint of irritation tightened Sara’s lips. She hated it when James treated her like a child. He was her publicist, not her keeper. “Lighten up, James. We were only kidding.”
Meg stifled a chuckle.
“I’m not kidding.” Crow shifted his gaze to Sara. “I’ve given Meg my word I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. And if that means being with you 24/7, that’s what it will be.”
What was it with these men? Sara squared her shoulders. “I can take care of myself.”
“Not against a stalker.” He shook his head. Though he admired her courage, if she didn’t start taking this seriously, she could end up being hurt. Or worse. “Not alone.”
“I won’t be alone.” She flashed Mr. GQ at her side a smile. “James can stay with me. He can protect me.”
Crow stared at the man, with his perfectly creased slacks and freshly starched shirt. He’d seen the type before. Worked out faithfully in the gym three times a week, but didn’t know what it meant to fight for your life. In his estimation, Sara would be better off with Fifi, his grandmother’s arthritic poodle, for protection.
Crow started to smile, then stopped. This was no joke.
“Just because he’s your lover doesn’t mean he can protect you.” Experience made him speak harsher than he’d intended. “Can he handle a gun? Does he know how to fight?” Crow shifted his gaze from Sara to James.
“For your information, Sara and I are not lovers.” James shot Sara a chastising look. “We’re good