“You look beautiful.” His words jarred her back to the present. His eyes were intense as he stared at her appreciatively.
“I—thank you,” she stumbled over her words, sounding like an inexperienced teenager. “You didn’t have to buy me clothes. You could have dropped me at home to change. I’ll pay you back. I mean—not right away, but I left the tag on the dress so you can return it. And I’ll reimburse you for the shoes as soon as I can.”
“Angel, stop,” Mark said quietly, placing a hand on her leg where the dress had ridden up. “Seeing you looking so exquisite this morning is more payback than I need. The outfit is yours. I don’t want to be reimbursed.”
“Bu-but Mark, do you know how much this whole thing cost you?” Crystal protested.
“Don’t worry, honey. He can afford it,” called a voice from the front of the car. “He wanted you in something that would bring out the color of your eyes and shoes that would accentuate your long legs. I think I followed directions pretty good, right, boss?”
Crystal gasped while Mark chuckled. “I couldn’t have done better myself.” The hand on her leg stroked her tender skin reassuringly as he added, “Angel, you probably don’t remember him, but Denny is my assistant, my driver, and now your personal shopper. He’s also my cousin.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Angel—er, I mean Crystal.” The man in the front seat shot her a sideways grin before returning his full attention to the road. “Thanks to you, I got a new suit, so I’m grateful. It was definitely an upgrade.”
“Oh no,” she groaned. “I didn’t throw up on you too, did I?”
“Nah.” Denny waved one hand. “But I had to hold you while Mark got in the car—which was kinda messy, and then you puked all in the back floorboard. Don’t feel too bad about that one, because I had someone else clean it. I have a weak stomach.”
Crystal dropped her head forward in embarrassment. “I’m really sorry I put you both through so much. You should have ignored my protests and dropped me at the nearest hospital. Thank you so much for taking care of me.”
Mark raised his hand from her leg and pulled her into his arms. Somehow, it felt as if he’d done that a hundred times before with her. He was still basically a stranger, but she’d never been so comfortable with anyone so fast, even her ex-husband. “You were no problem, Angel. Hell, you were pretty funny a few times—between the whole projectile-vomiting thing you had going on.”
Crystal heard Denny snicker from the front, causing her to smile ruefully. She leaned her head against his chest and enjoyed the feeling of a man holding her. No one would ever believe that she was in Mark DeSanto’s arms while being driven to work. Stuff like this just didn’t happen to her. The embarrassing-herself part wasn’t that big of a surprise—even though she’d never tossed her cookies on a man before. She was certainly socially awkward enough to make a fool of herself on a regular basis—and she did. “Well, you’re both my heroes,” she told them—and she meant every word of it. “I bet you do this sort of thing all the time.”
Denny sounded like he was choking, causing her to eye the back of his head in concern until she figured out that he was actually laughing. “The women in and out of this car have problems, for sure—but in a whole different way.”
“Denny—that’s enough!” Mark snapped. Crystal could still hear Denny chuckling, but he didn’t say anything else. She couldn’t help but wonder what he had been talking about. She felt a crazy flicker of jealousy at the thought of how many women must have sat exactly where she was right now. It was quite possibly the reality check that she desperately needed before she cuddled further into his hard body and professed her undying love—and lust. When she started to move away, Mark’s arms tightened around her. “Ignore him, Angel, and kiss me.”
She turned her head to stare at him. “What?” Her shrill voice echoed around the car. She dropped it to a whisper as she said, “Are you crazy? We don’t even know each other—plus we’re not alone.”
Looking amused, he asked, “So, exactly how well would I need to know you in order to taste that pouty mouth?” He tapped her lips, which, dammit, parted as if of their own volition.
Without thinking, Crystal pinched her arm. “Ouch!”
Mark grinned. “Are we going to have the dream-Mark chat again? That was one of the most entertaining moments of the weekend, Angel. Well, along with your confessions of stalking me.”
“Oh, my God,” she moaned. “This can’t be happening.”
“Ah, come on, baby, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m flattered as hell. Am I the only object of your obsession or are there others?” Giving her knee a quick squeeze, he added, “I’m not good at sharing, so you’ll need to devote your complete attention to me from now on.”
Keeping her head down, Crystal mumbled, “People say all kinds of things when they’re sick, so you can’t hold it against me.” Before he could reply, the car slowed and they were pulling into the circular driveway in front of the Danvers headquarters. He didn’t do anything to stop her this time as she scurried from his lap and onto the seat next to him. Denny put the car in park and got out to open the door. She took his proffered hand and stood uncertainly, waiting for Mark to join them.
To her surprise, Denny threw an arm over her shoulders. “Nice meeting you, Crystal. I feel like we’re friends now, seeing as I’ve held your hair back while you were sick.” When she gave him a confused look, he added, “Oh, not in the car. It was in Mark’s flower bed while he unlocked the door at his house.”