Page 112 of Crow
He eyed them both suspiciously but walked out of the room, taking the Italian cookies with him.
Both women busted into laughter, and Angie picked up the stack of plates her brother had just brought in and went back to washing.
An hour later, all the dishes were washed and dried along with the pots and pans. Aunt Rosa packed up most of the leftovers for her despite Angie’s protests.
“You have to eat good food.”
Knowing when defeat was imminent, Angie kissed her aunt’s cheek and expressed her thanks.
It took another thirty minutes for everyone to say goodbye to one another before Angie drove away, waving for the umpteenth time at her aunt and uncle. As she turned the corner, her cell phone rang, and she glanced down at the display. Crow’s name flashed on the screen, and a pulse of excitement throbbed beneath her skin.
“Hey, I was just ready to call you,” she said.
“You were starting to worry me.”
“I just pulled around the corner from my aunt’s house. I didn’t want to call you from their driveway. Dom and Nick would be knocking on my window asking all sorts of questions.”
“Okay, I admit it—they’re worse than me. I can be overprotective, but your brothers got me beat by a long shot.” He laughed.
“Not so funny when you’re on the receiving end of it.”
“They want to make sure you have a good guy in your life. They’re just a bit excessive.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“I can’t wait to see you, babe.”
A feeling of warmth tinged with nervous excitement rushed through her body.
“I’ll be home in about ten minutes.”
“I’m following you, remember?”
“I forgot.”
“Nice try. Text me where you are. Keep your doors locked, and if anyone comes around, drive off. Got it?”
“Okay, see you soon.”
It seemed like only minutes had passed since Angie had texted him the location when she heard the rumble of a motorcycle. Crow pulled up behind the SUV, and through the side-view mirror, she watched him walk up to her car; then, she rolled down the window and smiled.
“Hey,” he said, lowering himself to the open window.
“That was fast. You must’ve gone through every red—”
He crushed his lips to hers, cutting off her words. His kiss was passionate and demanding, claiming every inch of Angie’s mouth with his tongue and leaving her senses reeling, and she inched her fingers up his neck and buried them in his hair.
The headlights of an oncoming car lit up the road, and Angie pulled away as panic spread through her. As soon as the car passed by, she breathed a sigh of relief.I’m acting like a teenager sneaking off with the bad boy.
“I guess being so close to my aunt and uncle’s house is making me jittery.”
“No worries. I’ll follow you to your place.” His sexy smile made her melt inside as he pushed away and headed toward the motorcycle.
Angie tried to ignore the tug of something deep inside her as she studied how Crow’s jeans fit perfectly over his tight butt and muscular thighs with every step.
Crow turned and glanced over his shoulder, and she slightly jerked as he motioned her to pull away from the curb so he could follow behind.
She turned on the ignition and then slowly passed him, checking the rearview mirror to make sure he was behind her. The intensity of their kiss still burned her lips. The man knew what he was doing; there was no denying it. She’d never experienced anything like it before and certainly not with Devon. For the first time in over a year, Angie felt alive, and it was wonderful.
Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to lose herself just this once—for a little while. At that moment, it seemed like there were no obstacles, and everything was possible. Until Crow, Angie had felt like she’d been living in a black, white, and gray world, and then suddenly her life had burst into dazzling colors.
She decided that at least for one night to get lost in the moment and forget about everything: her past, life’s sadness, humanity’s cruelty toward one another, and being a dutiful daughter, sister, and niece.
For once, Angie wanted to soar.
