“He keeps you on your toes.”
“I’ll say. Not that I need it right now. I’ve got plenty else to keep me on my toes.”
Jared straightened. “That’s why I’m here. I want you to have dinner with me.”
Her heart beat faster. She wasn’t sure whether it was because he suddenly stood taller or because he had invited her to dinner. Either way she was impressed. And excited. And frightened.
“Uh…” She sent a glance toward the pink slips on her desk, then the papers beyond. “I don’t know, Jared. I didn’t get in until noon. I’ve got a bundle of work to do.”
“You have to eat sometime.”
“I was planning to grab something on the run later.”
“That’s not real healthy.”
She shrugged. “It’s better than nothing.”
“I’m offering you an alternative that’s better than both. One hour. A decent meal. A little relaxation.”
A little relaxation was precisely what he had already brought her. His presence in her office took the edge off her anxiety. The thought of having dinner with him was tempting.
But she had so much to do. “I have phone calls to answer.”
“Go ahead. I’ll be back whenever you say to pick you up.”
“I wanted to stop in and see how Megan’s doing.”
“I’ll take you to the hospital before or after.”
“I wanted to do some aerobics. I haven’t made it to the club since Tuesday. I feel it.”
Jared thought about aerobics, thought about Savannah exercising to music wearing shorts or a leotard or whatever aerobics fanatics wore. Shifting his stance, he linked his fingers before him, letting his coat shield the front of his trousers.
“Sounds like fun,” he said in a throaty way.
“It’s therapeutic. It works against tension.” She knew something else that would work against tension, and she knew that Jared knew it. The gray flecks in his eyes had gone darker than normal, pulling her in.
“I’ll drop you at the club after you’ve seen Megan.”
“But I didn’t want to do either of those things until I’d done some of this work.”
“Do the work tomorrow.”
“I can’t. I’m spending the day with Susan.” Her eyes widened and she whispered, “Oh, hell.” Reaching for the phone, she turned it and punched out Susan’s number, then worriedly counted the rings. She was about to hang up after the sixth when Susan answered.
“Hello?” Her voice sounded vaguely belligerent.
“How do you feel?”
There was a pause, then a less belligerent, “Better than I did when you called before.”
“You got some sleep?”
“A little.” Susan’s pause this time was wary, as was her voice when she spoke. “Have you seen Megan?”
“Just for a minute. I’ll drop by again later.”
“Did she talk with you?”
“No.”
“Was she sleeping?”
“I’m not sure.”
Susan sighed. “Same thing with me. I think she knew I was there but didn’t want to talk. It’s like she’s ashamed of what happened, like she thinks we’ll think less of her.” She gave a harsh laugh. “It’s really pretty funny, when you think of it. Here she is, kidnapped and raped, none of which is her own doing, and she’s ashamed. Here I am, supposedly of sound mind and body, and I get disgustingly sick in front of your friend.”
“What friend?”
“Sam.”
“When was this?”
“This morning. Come on, Savvy, didn’t he report back to you?”
“I haven’t seen him all day.”
Susan was surprised at that. Sam had said that Savannah hadn’t known he was there, but she hadn’t believed him. Now, she was doubly embarrassed. “Then forget what I said.”
“Were you sick?”
“Forget it. I’m fine now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. As a matter of fact, I’m getting ready to go out. There’s a dinner party at the Brannigans’. Skatch Sherman’s going to be there. It’ll be a great diversion.”
Skatch Sherman was the life of every party. Savannah found him to be totally offensive. “Some diversion.”
“Don’t knock it. It beats what you’ll be doing. One of these days, you’re going to work yourself to death.”
“Maybe,” Savannah conceded. “We’re still on for tomorrow, aren’t we?” They’d planned to spend the day in Boston.
“Sure.”
“What time should I come by?”
“Noon.”
“Make that ten.”
“I can’t. How about eleven-thirty.”
“Too late. Ten-thirty.”
“Eleven. That’s the absolute earliest.”
“I’ll be by for you at ten forty-five,” Savannah said and added a stern, “Be ready,” before hanging up the phone.
“Is everything okay?”
She spun around. “Uh, yes. I guess. She likes to sleep later than I do. That’s all.” It wasn’t really all. What worried Savannah was that Susan would have too much to drink at the party and wake up hungover. Or sick. Apparently, she’d been sick in front of Sammy that morning. She found it interesting that he’d been there.
Then again, Savannah shouldn’t have been surprised. Sam Craig was no coward. Susan interested him. He would keep after her.
Sam wasn’t the only persistent male around. “One last chance,” Jared said. “Dinner?”
She wanted to. Lord, she did. But somewhere in the back of her mind she feared that if she gave in to temptation, she would be lost. Or let down. Or humiliated. Jared wanted a woman who could drop what she was doing and have dinner with him. She had never been that kind of woman.
She wished she were.
Flipping his topcoat to his shoulder, he headed for the door. “Maybe another time,” he said quietly.
The instant he disappeared from sight, the office felt empty. Then Savannah realized that she was the one who felt empty. It was such a familiar feeling, such a dreadful feeling. Suddenly she didn’t want it at all.
Without further thought, she ran into the hall. “Jared?” He was nearly at the bend. “Jared!” She started after him.
Calmly he stopped, turned, waited for her to catch up.
After she’d covered half the distance, her step slowed. But she continued on until she stood before him. Then she said softly, “I’m not used to putting work off. It’s always been very important to me.”
He studied her features, searching for the meaning behind her explanation. “If it’s that important, you should do it.”
“I’d rather be with you.”
Perhaps because she couldn’t have chosen words he wanted to hear more, he didn’t quite believe she had said them at first. Then he broke into a slow smile.
Savannah felt the dangerous lure of that smile. But she had made her decision. “One hour,” she whispered.
“That’s fine.”
“Would you take me to the hospital afterward?”
“I said I would. How about aerobics?”
“I’ll have to do it with Jane Fonda later tonight, at home.”
Jared could think of a form of exercise that she could do with him later that night, but he knew enough not to voice it. He had just won a concession. He wasn’t about to endanger the victory by pushing too fast. Better to let the time they spent together do that on its own.
And it would. Because when they were together, whether it was in her office, in his studio, in the car or the Vandermeers’ back hall or even on the phone, there was a powerful attraction between them. That attraction had nowhere to go but to bed. He doubted it would need much of a push. Even now, Savannah was looking a little wide-eyed, a little wild-eyed.
It was all he could do not to swoop down and capture her mouth.
But he would wait. If it killed him, he would wait. “Do you need some time?” he asked.
“
For what?”
“Those phone calls.”
“Phone calls?” She frowned, then forced herself to focus in. “Phone calls. Lord, yes.” She headed back toward her office, stopping at Janie’s desk to turn and look at Jared. “How long can I have?”
“How long do you need?”
“Thirty minutes?”
“Done. I’ll go find a phone and do some work of my own.”
“You can use one of ours. Most everyone’s left.” She went to the office next to hers, peered inside, then pointed. “It’s all yours.”
Dipping his head in thanks, Jared went inside.
CHAPTER 11
They had agreed on an hour, but things didn’t work out quite the way they planned. No sooner had they walked into the restaurant, an artsy place on Wickenden Street, when an acquaintance of Jared’s spotted him. Without an invitation, the fellow pulled up a chair and spent fifteen minutes discussing the management of the marina at which both men had slips.
No sooner had he left when his seat was taken over by a lawyer with whom Savannah had given a seminar on victims’ rights the year before. He had been lobbying heavily for the cause and wanted to share his latest news. Short of being rude, Savannah couldn’t send him away. She and Jared were nearly done with their main course by the time he finally left.
Jared set down his fork. “How’s your food?”
“Fine,” she said hesitantly. His expression was dark. “How about yours?”
“I’ve barely tasted it. That has to be the most inconsiderate thing a person can do. Would you walk over to someone and impose your presence when he’s having dinner with someone else?”
“No. I’m sorry, Jared. I kept trying to think of a way to get rid of him.”
“Didn’t it occur to him that we might want to be alone?”
“He left his wife by herself all that time. I’m sorry.”
Jared grunted. “Don’t apologize. It wasn’t your fault. And my friend was no better.” Glancing at his watch, he raised two finger for the waitress. “Let’s get out of here. We can get coffee at the hospital.”
Once at the hospital, though, Savannah was besieged by a slew of Will’s friends. They weren’t really there to visit, since Megan wasn’t seeing people. They simply wanted to show that they had made the effort. Savannah suspected that several had come out of curiosity alone. But whatever their reasons, Will’s friends were also her father’s friends, so she had to be cordial.
Jared tried to understand. He knew that regardless of whom Savannah was talking with at any given moment, she was aware of him. He could see it in the frequent glances she sent his way, and he could feel it in the incline of her body toward his.
Still, he felt cheated. He had been given a gift when she had agreed to have dinner, then someone had sat on it and crushed it to bits. All he had left were fragments of what might have been.
As a kid, he had experienced that more than once. His older brother, Mac, had been a bully, and Jared had been his favorite target. For his seventh birthday, Jared had received a remote-control car, but by the end of the day it only went in reverse. The watch he’d gotten for his tenth Christmas sported a crack in its crystal from New Years on. The shiny racing bike he’d bought when he was fourteen soon after had key scratches down each narrow fender.
But Mac was the firstborn, the favored son. If the senior Walker Snows had been asked, they’d have confirmed that the sun rose and fell with Walker, Jr. Early on, Jared had learned to make his own life and, above all else, avoid his brother.
He’d come a long way since those days, yet, apparently, some things never changed. He felt the same burning frustration now that he had felt then. He was regressing, he knew, and he was ashamed of it, but there was nothing he could do to stop the feeling. He couldn’t remember craving anyone or anything the way he craved time with Savannah.
All too soon, he was walking her to the door. Silent through most of the drive, she turned to him then.
“Thanks, Jared. I appreciate all you’ve done.”
He gave a single nod.
“Don’t be angry,” she whispered.
“I’m not angry,” he said. “Just frustrated. Is your life always this infested with people?”
She had to smile at his choice of words. “Providence is small. It’s hard not to go places and see people you know.”
“There are some people who thrive on seeing and being seen.”
“Not me. I’d have been just as happy if we’d seen no one tonight. This has been one of the longest short workdays I’ve ever put in.”
“You’ll be able to sleep in tomorrow.”
“Knowing me,” she said wryly, “I’ll be up at seven.” She took her keys from her briefcase. “It’s always the days when you can sleep in that you can’t.”
He took the keys from her hand. “Want to run that one by me again?”
Smiling, she shook her head. “Not worth the repetition. Are you on the air tonight?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll listen.”
His features softened. “I’d like that.” He pushed open the door.
She entered the townhouse and disengaged the alarm, then turned back to him. One hand was tight on the strap of her briefcase, the other tight around the key he’d pressed into her palm. “Thanks,” she whispered.
For a long, lingering minute they faced each other in silence. Then, with a visible effort, Jared tore his eyes from hers and returned to his car.
Feeling an incredible sense of loss, Savannah stood in the doorway until the car was gone from sight. She had been hoping that he would kiss her. It looked as though he’d wanted to. She could have sworn she had seen desire in his eyes. She’d certainly felt it herself.
In theory, there was nothing wrong with that. She was a normal, healthy woman and Jared was a man like few others. In some respects, though, it was odd.
For one thing, of the men who had passed through her life in the past few years, none had stirred her this way.
For another, she barely knew Jared.
And for a third, she was afraid of getting in over her head, still she wanted him. Worse, the wanting seemed to grow each time she saw him. Even now it was simmering low in her belly, a knot of expectant nerve ends and unfulfilled need that wasn’t going away. All she had to do was to conjure him up in her mind, hear his voice, remember the touch of his hand, and she was off.
Tired as she was, she suspected she was going to have a devil of a time falling asleep.
* * *
His voice was low and gritty. “Hi, there. I’m Jared Snow, and you’re tuned to 95.3 FM, WCIC Providence. It’s twelve-oh-four in cool country, that’s four minutes after twelve on a TGIF kind of night. I’ve got good news if you’re takin’ off for the weekend. Skies will be clear through Sunday, with daytime temperatures climbing into the midfifties.” His voice grew deeper. “They say that warm days and cool nights make for perfect maple syrup, and they must be right, ’cause the sap’s sure flowing.” After a suggestive second’s pause, he said, “Here at the hot spot for a little country in the city, 95.3 FM, WCIC Providence, we’re flowin’ into a fearsome foursome from the Judds, Willie Nelson, and Sawyer Brown, kickin’ off with Billy Mata and ‘Macon Georgia Love.’” His purr was low and deep. “Jared Snow here in the heart of the night. Stay close.”
* * *
Savannah’s sleep was fitful, growing deeper only as morning approached. She was groggy when she opened an eye and looked at her clock, then sank back to her pillow resentfully. Seven o’clock. She’d guessed it.
Then the doorbell rang, and she realized she hadn’t woken on her own. Opening her eye wider, she tried to think of who would be at her door at seven o’clock on Saturday morning, particularly this Saturday morning. She had wanted to sleep until ten and have time only to shower and dress before picking up Susan. She had wanted as little time as possible to think.
The bell rang again. Climbing from bed, she drew on her robe and hurried
downstairs. Whoever was there was going to have some explaining to do.
Drawing back a corner of the shade that covered the sidelight, she felt tiny flares of excitement. Jared was standing on her doorstep looking as she had never seen him look. He was wearing shorts and a damp sweatshirt. His hair lay in wet spikes on his forehead. His cheeks were ruddy. His legs were long and leanly muscular.
He had been running.
Dropping the shade, she quickly opened the door. Her voice, which hadn’t had time to wake up, was deeper than usual. “What are you doing here at this hour?”
Grinning, he brought a bunch of bright yellow tulips from behind his back. “Happy birthday.”
Savannah’s jaw dropped. Then she closed her mouth, clamping her lips together as she looked from the flowers to Jared’s face and back. She didn’t have to think long to realize how he’d known; he’d seen her driver’s license. But the fact that after working all night, he was personally running flowers to her was more touching than she could believe. It had been years since she had woken up to a birthday wish.
He nudged the flowers closer. She closed both hands around the cellophane stem and brought them to her heart. “My mom made a big thing about birthdays. All that stopped when she died. I could never figure out whether my dad did it on purpose so he wouldn’t have to remember her, whether he didn’t feel he could match what she did so he didn’t try, or whether he just didn’t care. Susan and I always try to do something together, but I think it’s more my need than hers.” She looked down at the flowers again. When her eyes returned to Jared’s, they were moist. “Thank you,” she whispered. On impulse, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him hard.
Threading his fingers through her hair, Jared turned her face up. Her expression said that the excitement wasn’t his alone. He didn’t need to hear more. Lowering his head, he captured her mouth in a kiss that was as uncompromising as the desire they shared.
Savannah had never been touched by a more powerful fire. As though she were kindling, dried and seasoned by months of lying in wait, she burst into flame. When Jared stroked her mouth, she caressed his back. When he sucked on her lip, she scraped his lightly with her teeth. When he explored the inside of her mouth with his tongue, hers sidled against it. He was fierce in his hunger, but gentle. If she’d made the slightest sound of protest, he would have stopped.
Heart of the Night: A Novel Page 20
