by Leslie Kelly
This evening’s glimpse of what his world had been like without her was all it took to convince him he wanted Kelsey to stay exactly the way she was. And to stay with him. Mitch grinned and laughed out loud. He felt like shouting to the moon, but settled for whistling instead.
He was about to make his excuses to Amanda when he saw her eyes widen and her mouth drop open in shock. She stood under a covered awning on a sidewalk outside the hotel and stared out at the street. Mitch followed her stare.
A city bus belching diesel made its way sluggishly up the street to the nearby covered stop. The bus was a typical grimy gray, and only one person waited to board it. Mitch didn’t realize what had so captured Amanda’s attention until he saw his own face gliding to a slow stop right in front of his eyes.
“Son of a…” he muttered softly, not believing what he saw.
A huge picture covered the side of the bus—a picture of Mitch and Kelsey…or, more accurately, of the pirate and his wench. A photo of Mitch bending toward Kelsey’s heaving chest had been blown up to about six feet by six feet and attached to the side of the bus. A caption read “Spend the night with Lady Love on WAJO.” Though shown only in profile, both of them were easily recognizable in the provocative shot.
“This is unbelievable,” Amanda said shrilly, her voice drawing the attention of everyone else standing nearby. Mitch saw them follow her gaze to the bus and heard the whispers of all those who’d just paid him tribute.
“They can’t simply put your face up on the side of a bus. You get a lawyer, Mitch,” Amanda continued, her voice getting louder by the second. “You need to sue those people. This is an outrage!”
Mitch watched her squawk, her feathers completely ruffled. He saw the disapproving frowns on other faces around him.
“Yes, it certainly is all wrong,” Mitch said, nodding thoughtfully as he stared at the bus.
Not looking at anyone, he grabbed a black marker from the valet stand. He walked the dozen steps to the side of the bus, reached up and quickly drew a small black mustache on his own face on the photograph. Stepping back to survey his work, he nodded at a job well done as the bus ground its gears and pulled away from the stop.
Mitch glanced over his shoulder, grinning at Amanda’s openmouthed stare. “I knew I would have looked better if I’d had time to grow a mustache!”
Mitch laughed out loud at the shocked expressions on the faces of the crowd he’d just spent the evening with. Amanda looked as though she’d swallowed a quart of sour milk. Her father frowned forbiddingly. Mitch felt better than he had in ages.
Whistling, he tossed the pen to the young valet as he walked down the street toward his car.
“HELLO, BALTIMORE, and welcome to another evening of Night Whispers.”
Kelsey glanced at her notes as she spoke into the microphone.
“Tonight I want to explore relationships. We’ve all had them, some more successfully than others,” she said with a slight laugh.
“Let’s not focus on the sweet romance that builds gradually, with emotions leading to physical expression. After all, this is Night Whispers you’re listening to. Think about those other types. You know what I mean—when it starts with raw, physical attraction, builds into desire and fantasy, and finally reaches sensuous, body-rocking lovemaking.”
She paused, closed her eyes to let her listeners imagine what she was talking about, then continued.
“No question, the beginning of that type of relationship can involve ultimate pleasure. The anticipation of finally being with someone who makes you hot enough to melt like ice cream on a sizzling summer day is worth the possibility of it going no further than one heated night of passion.”
Kelsey forced herself to get her mind off a stormy October night when she and Mitch had exploded together and changed everything.
“But what happens if there is a next day? A next month, year or decade? When the hot, steamy sex is done, and you’re left looking at this person who’s consumed your thoughts for a very long time. How do you segue into a real, meaningful relationship? Do you even want to?
“Call me. Let’s talk about it. This is Lady Love and you’re listening to Night Whispers on WAJO.”
Kelsey scooted back in her chair and sorted through some discs during a set of commercials. Glancing at the clock, she wondered how Mitch’s banquet was going, and wished she’d called in sick and shown up. She would have greatly enjoyed seeing the look on his face if he’d looked up from his speech and seen her standing dressed as his wench under a spotlight!
When Brian cued her, she leaned back toward the microphone. “Welcome back to Night Whispers. Tonight we’re talking about relationships. Let’s skip forward a little, past that initial sensual cloud lovers wrap themselves in. When passion leads to love, how do you make it work? Maybe the person you’re passionately involved with isn’t right for you, or thinks you’re not right for him. How do you move past the obstacles and work on creating something that might actually last?”
The show sped by quickly. Most callers understood exactly what she was talking about and gave tips to others, or else sought commiseration. They discussed marriage and breakups, passion and tenderness. Kelsey wondered why she didn’t feel any better, knowing so many other people were in the same boat she was: in love with someone who thought she was wrong for him and wanted her to change.
“Well, friends,” she said as she glanced at the clock, “we’re coming to the end of another Night Whispers. It’s been an interesting night. Do you feel better? I’ll be honest. I don’t. Sometimes, relationships just stink.”
On the other side of the booth, Brian began gesturing. Kelsey noticed there was another phone call. She frowned. She’d already passed the point when she accepted calls, but he looked insistent.
“Well, it seems we have one more late-night caller,” she murmured. Punching the connect button on her console, she said, “Good evening, caller, you’re on Night Whispers.”
“Lady Love? I’m in desperate need of help.”
A sudden rush of warmth flooded Kelsey’s entire body as she recognized Mitch’s voice. “How can I help you tonight?”
“I’m afraid I’ve gotten myself in a bit of mess with a woman I’m absolutely crazy about.”
She smiled, deciding to make him sweat. “Oh? Done something terribly stupid, have you?”
“Uh-huh. Terribly. I made her think I don’t want her exactly the way she is. She believes I want her to lose the very qualities that attracted me…until I thought I’d go out of my mind wanting her.”
His voice rolled over her entire body and Kelsey nearly curled up in her seat. “And you don’t?”
“Absolutely not,” he said vehemently. “She drives me crazy, she takes risks, she’s outrageous and flamboyant. But, oh, Lady Love, she brings out something in me I thought I’d lost a long time ago.”
“What’s that?”
A short silence ensued before he replied. “Passion. Passion for life, for pleasure, for everything around us. Sorry to tell you this, Lady Love, but this woman knows more about it than you ever will.”
Kelsey laughed softly into the microphone, saying, “Does she know how you feel?”
“Sure, she knows I’m in love with her.”
Kelsey sat upright in her chair, bumping her knees on a shelf under the console. He loved her? He was telling her he loved her? Now? On live radio?
“Are you sure she knows that? I mean, have you told her that?”
“I’ve told her in every way possible. I mean, she’s very intelligent—she doesn’t need things spelled out.”
“Yes…she…does,” Kelsey muttered tightly.
She heard Mitch’s soft chuckle, then he fell silent.
“Sometimes even a woman as sublimely intelligent as yours needs to hear these things said out loud once in a while,” she prodded.
“I love you?” he said with a scoffing laugh. “But that just doesn’t begin to express it. Besides, like I said, she knows.”
“How could she not? She knows me so well. She anticipates my moods, lifts my spirits with one smile, makes me laugh with a word. She can cause me physical pain if she cries. Every minute we spend together is more precious than the previous one. She has awakened me. She has helped me become a man with a future, instead of a man with promise. She’s shown me I can have everything I ever wanted, plus all the happiness I ever dreamed of.”
Tears gathered in the corners of Kelsey’s eyes as Mitch spoke.
“She is my first thought every morning, and my last wish every night. She is my past, and she is my future, and she’s everything in between.”
A long moment of silence hung heavily on the air, and Kelsey could not make her voice work. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Finally she breathed deeply and said, “I love you, too.”
KELSEY COULDN’T REMEMBER the words she used to wrap up her show. By five after two, she was in her car, driving through the dark streets of Baltimore.
When she arrived at the brownstone, she hurried to the front door and let herself in. The foyer was dark, and she felt a moment of misgiving. Then she sensed him. Her body reacted with the same instinctive longing she always felt when Mitch was near.
“Mitch?”
“I’m here, Kelsey.”
And suddenly he was with her, wrapping his arms around her body. Welcoming her home. He lifted her in his arms and carried her into his apartment, kissing her face again and again. Kelsey ran her hands along his shoulders and arms, to be certain he wasn’t a dream.
“I love you,” he said as he sat her gently on the sofa.
“Well, it took you long enough to say it!”
He laughed aloud and caught her mouth in a deep kiss as he pulled her jacket off and warmed her with his body.
“Did you really mean it?” she asked after they ended their kiss. “You want to make this work between us? Because I want that more than anything, but I’m not willing to let fear drive me away from Night Whispers.”
He nodded. “I know. I’m always going to worry about you, Kelsey. But I recognize that Night Whispers is a part of you.”
Leaning down to press a kiss in the hollow of her throat, he whispered, “A very naughty, delicious part.”
She savored the rough feel of his cheek on her skin. “I’ll be extra careful at work. I won’t take any chances.”
“We’ll deal with whatever happens.”
They kissed again, long, deep and wet. Kelsey shifted on the couch, wanting to have nothing between them, particularly her clothing. He slowly began unbuttoning her blouse and she loved how his eyes darkened while he looked at her.
“You’re sure you won’t mind not having a safe, respectable, responsible, pearls-wearing literary wife?” she whispered.
“Wife?” he asked, looking at her in wide-eyed innocence. “Was that a proposal?”
She pushed him off her until he slid to the floor in front of the couch. Luckily, he landed on his knees.
“No, big guy, it wasn’t. I am not going to make all the first moves in this relationship!”
“You’re not? There’s a change,” Mitch said with a grin.
She glared at him, but he took her by the hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. “I love you, Kelsey. And I don’t just want you to marry me, I am begging you to. After all, who else is going to give me a kick off the straight and narrow when I need it?”
Sliding to the floor in front of him, Kelsey pressed against his body, knees to shoulders, and looked up into his eyes with every ounce of the love she felt for him.
“Sounds like the perfect job for me,” she murmured.
He grinned.
“And Lady Love.”
Epilogue
“GOOD EVENING, BALTIMORE, and welcome to a special edition of Night Whispers.
“This is Brian filling in for Lady Love tonight. Our Night Whispers hostess is celebrating a very special event. This afternoon, Lady Love married the man of her dreams and yours truly was in attendance. Ready for the dish?
“First of all, the bride wore white. Now, skeptics among you, stop your tittering. She was utterly gorgeous, a picture of elegance in a floor-length Belgian-lace dress. For those among you who can only see sexiness in red or black lingerie, stretch your brains and visualize the power of purity. High collar, long sleeves, perfectly fitted to her figure, with pearl buttons running from her neck all the way down her back. Imagine the anticipation of a groom slowly slipping each button free and I’m sure you’ll understand the appeal.
“Speaking of the groom, if there was ever a man born to wear a formal black tux, it’s him. Ladies, he looked like a fantasy man, tall, lean and powerful. And the look of adoration on his face when he saw our lady walking down the aisle was something no one in that church will ever forget.
“The ceremony was traditional, and everything went smooth as clockwork, though the mother of the bride cried enough to leave black streaks down her cheeks. Always remember, please, waterproof mascara for these occasions.
“During the vows, steam came out of the bride’s ears when the minister said the word ‘obey.’ The groom and the best man, the bride’s brother, laughed loud enough to be heard in the back of the church. Lady Love didn’t realize they’d put the minister up to it until he winked at them. The groom got a sharp-knuckled little punch in the upper arm before he swept his bride into his arms for an oh-so-passionate kiss.
“The reception was held at a hotel near the Inner Harbor. In keeping with Valentine’s Day tradition, red velvet bows decorated every table and the hall was packed with well-wishers.
“There was not a dry eye in the place when Lady Love stepped out onto the dance floor with her father, and they were joined by the groom and the bride’s mother. The two couples shared the moment, eventually changing partners and then coming together for a group hug at the end. Another Kodak moment.
“Of course, the real fun started after the bride and groom departed for their honeymoon to the Caribbean. One of the ushers, an old college buddy of the groom, had too much to drink and got a little too friendly with the maid of honor. Her boyfriend, one of the other ushers, decked the guy, knocking him into the champagne fountain. The best man, who’d been fending off every unattached woman in attendance, broke up the fracas and was last seen disappearing into the elevator with a lovely redhead.
“We have to pause now, for a commercial break. I’ve got lots more juicy details on Lady Love’s wedding day, so be sure to come back for more Night Whispers.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4724-0
NIGHT WHISPERS
Copyright © 1999 by Leslie Kelly.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
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