Deadly Desire (Carrington-Hill Investigations Book 2) by Kate Allenton

the universe?
    Regina leaned over and patted her hand. “You’ll get used to it.”
    “Not in this lifetime.” Sara would never get used to sharing her date with the entire female population, and some of these women were beautiful, stunning even. Sara shook her head. Dealing with it for a few weeks was plenty, and if this was any taste of things yet to come, she really needed to step up her game and find the killer. Sara let her gaze rove over the rest of the restaurant. She stopped on a woman wearing a hoodie and jeans standing just outside the shadows with her head down. The hoodie was effectively blocking her face; a few of her blonde strands poked from beneath the hood. Shy, maybe; suspicious, definitely. Sara placed her napkin on her plate and rose. “Excuse me.”
    She went to move around the table , never taking her eyes off the woman standing near the exit. Collin caught her arm and she hesitated before glancing down at him. His questioning gaze held hers. She looked back toward where the woman once stood to find that she’d vanished.
    Her eyes scanned the restauran t and she never spotted her again. She sat back down. Tension filled her shoulders as an unease settled in her gut. She leaned into Collin and whispered, “You’re a sitting duck. We need to move.”
    The waiter appeared , and Collin signed the bill and stood. He slipped his fingers through hers and kissed her cheek. More cameras flashed, taking pictures as Collin and Sara walked hand in hand and stepped onto the elevator, followed by Regina. With the door closed, Sara pulled her Glock out of her ankle holster. The tension in the elevator was thick. Everyone was silent as they watched the red numbers moving up until the elevator dinged the arrival to their floor. Sara poked her head out, making sure the hall was clear before she motioned for them to move. She slid her card key in the slot, pushed the door open, and pulled Collin inside.
    “Don’t you think the gun is a little much? ”
    “No.”
    “They just wanted my autographs and pictures. It happens everywhere I go.”
    “It sucks to be you.” Sara checked the bathroom. “One of them could’ve been your stalker.”
    He stood unmoving with his arms pegged against his chest. A move she’d only ever seen him do when he got defensive , which didn’t happen often. “I’m not going to be scared into hiding. I have obligations to fulfill.”
    His voice held a hint of annoyance. No , not annoyance, anger. Laying her gun on the night stand, she sat down on her bed. “Are they worth risking your life?” She glanced up. “Because that’s what you’re doing. I can’t protect you during all of these appearances and impromptu fan mobs. You’re going to have to compromise.”
    “You don’t understand.” He turned his back on her.
    She abruptly stood. This was a conversation they needed to have. She needed to understand what made him tick; she needed to understand what was going on in his head. “Then explain it to me,” she demanded in her hardened tone without a hint of sympathy, fake or real. “You can live without being the center of attention for two weeks; it’s not going to kill you, but the stalker might.”
    He spun around and closed the distance between them. Molten blue swirled in his eyes like an angry storm fighting to break free. He grabbed her arms. “Is that what you think? That I’m so shallow that all I care about is get ting my fucking picture taken? I already told you it was for charity.”
    Sara pointed to the door. “You can fool yourself , Collin, but you can’t fool me. Those women didn’t care about how much money you’re bringing to the charity; they weren’t pulling out their checkbooks to write charity donations for tonight. That mob scene was unnecessary.” Sara sighed with exasperation. “Explain to me why this is so important.” She demanded. She balled her fist and clenched her teeth. Why in the hell didn’t he understand that he was in