Page 5 of She’s Got that Spark
Crow leans back, casually draping his arm across the bench behind me. We’re not quite touching, but so close my heart is racing. “Yeah. There’s a lot of amazing things about a small town like this.” His expression clouds. “It does mean that everyone knows everyone’s business, of course. That can be…good, bad or…sideways.”
Uh oh.He’s definitely had some of the “sideways”, as he puts it.
The band starts playing, and I’m relieved they aren’t so loud we can’t talk anymore. It’s pretty average indie rock, but it’s bouncy and fun. Crow and I chat about music and enjoy our wonderful dinner as if we’re the only two people on the patio. I’m mesmerized by the way he looks at me so intently. By the way he moves so gracefully. By the way he finds every single possible excuse to touch me slightly.
It’s like he’s testing the waters, making sure that before he goes any further, he has the green light that I’m into him.
Wow, am I. I’ve never felt this way around anyone before. Electrified. Fired up. And if Crow tweaks my energy like this when we’re in public, I can’t wait to be alone with him to see what happens then.
He’s sneaky – paying the bill in the two minutes I’m in the restroom. “Did you want to stay for another drink,” he asks, “or should I walk you home?”
“Hmm. I work early.” It’s hard to breathe as his hand drops to my shoulder, caressing gently, then moving lower to my back. “But it’s a nice night for a walk. Maybe we could take the scenic route back to mine and you could show me more of the downtown?”
He grins while making a soft snort. “A grand tour of our blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bustling metropolis?”
I laugh. “I’ve seen it. But not with your running commentary.”
“Fair enough. Let’s go.”
On our way out of the bistro, Crow puts an arm around me in front of everyone. A few heads snap in our direction, and it’s hard to read their expressions. Curious? Sure. Maybe…disapproving? Hmm. Perhaps it’s that they’re unsure about one of their townspeople dating an outsider like me.
We meander slowly through and around the four-block radius that is downtown Cedarville. Crow alternates betweenkeeping his arm around me and holding my hand while telling me funny stories about each business. There’s no doubt that he loves this town. There’s also no doubt that he’s seriously into me.
We pass a poster for this week’s “Family Fun Friday” event, and I ask, “Do you go to all of the town festivities? The summer social, that kind of thing?”
His head shakes, as his fingers gently squeeze mine. “Nah. That stuff is mostly for old-timers and people with little kids.”
“I guess your customers are mostly people in their twenties and thirties?”
“Yeah. I mean, some of them are having kids now, sure.”
We turn toward my house, then Crow ducks into the small park at the corner, finding a bench. Sitting close beside him, the entire sides of our legs touching, I realize there’s a very good chance he’s going to kiss me and that if he does so my heart might actually explode from my chest.
“It must be interesting,” I whisper, “to put your art on a person’s body forever.”
His eyes blaze. “Wow. You get it.”
“Do I?”
“Yeah.” His hand slowly lifts, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone as he cups my face. “Some art is ephemeral. One-time only. Dance, theater, live music. Chalk drawings. There for a second, then it’s gone.”
His smile is pure seduction as he stares into my eyes. “Then there’s traditional oil paintings, sculptures, things that are built to last.” As his thumb drags across my lip, I wonder if he can hear how off-kilter my heartbeat is. “And tattoos. A piece that becomes part of someone. They might hide it or show it off. They might crowd it with other pieces or cover it entirely. They’re going to live in my art, which we’ve designed together to represent…whatever they want it to mean.”
Reaching out, my fingertips trail across the bit of ink showing at the neckline of his t-shirt. Suddenly I feel ridiculously small next to his huge frame, which makes me want to snuggle even closer to him.
“Emma,” he breathes, leaning in. “You’re absolutely gorgeous. There’s a spark in your eyes that’s been driving me crazy from the first second I saw you.”
“A spark? Aren’t firefighters supposed to douse those with water?”
He grins, pulling my legs so that they’re up over his as our arms wind around each other. “You have my word that I’ll never put out your spark, beautiful girl.”
The sensation of his lips brushing briefly against mine makes me shiver. “Cold?” he whispers.
“No.”
“Am I out of line?”
He’s very thoughtful to double check. It puts me completely at ease – except for the fact my pulse is hammering in my ears, and I can barely breathe. “No. Not at all.”