“No, I’m not.”
“Your pants are around your knees.”
“So are yours.”
“Mine are lower, and I’m not the one trying to walk.”
“I can make it.”
“On the stairs?”
“Sure.”
He tripped on the very first one, swore, and finally managed to set her upright on the third step. Hopping from one foot to the other, he got rid of his sneakers, jeans and briefs, then tore off his pea jacket and whipped his shirt over his head without bothering with the buttons.
Stunned by the sight of him naked, Susan couldn’t say a word when he started in on her own sneakers and pants. He tossed her fur aside as haphazardly as he had his coat, and she didn’t make a sound. She nearly protested when he tugged her sweatshirt over her head, but only because for that short period of time he was out of her sight. With her sweatshirt gone, he unhooked her bra and peeled it back. Then, lowering his head, he began to hungrily devour her breasts.
They made love for the second time on the stairs. While it wasn’t as fast as the first time had been, it was nowhere near the slow savoring Susan had wanted. That came the third time, on the king-sized bed that was the sole piece of furniture in Sam’s bedroom. And by the time they were done, Susan was in such a state of divine exhaustion that she couldn’t have raised a glass to her lips if she tried.
CHAPTER14
“That was Randy Travis, I’m Jared Snow, and you’re in cool country, 95.3 FM, WCIC Providence. Right now it’s twelve-forty, that’s twenty minutes before one on another Monday night in March. If you’re lookin’ for the best of the best country sounds, you’ve come to the right place. Before the clock chimes the hour, I’ll be kickin’ up a new one from Sawyer Brown, an oldie from Linda Ronstadt, and a duet from Crystal Gayle and Gary Morris that’ll get you in the mood for love. So refill that coffee cup, curl up, and listen in to 95.3 FM, WCIC Providence, and me.”His voice went lower and more sandy.“Put down your pencil, darlin’, and take a break. That’s the word from Jared Snow in the heart of the night.…
The music rose to swallow his sexy purr, but its memory lingered for a long time within Savannah, and while it did, she put down her pencil, folded up her legs, and wrapped her arms around her knees. Listening to Jared on the radio was a sweet torture, yet she wouldn’t have turned him off for the world. For months he had made her nights a little less dark. Now he made her days brighter, too.
Though she hadn’t seen him since she’d left him in her bed on Saturday morning, they had talked on the phone many times. He knew she was on a trial, and he seemed to understand the demands that brought. So he called her for two minutes here, two minutes there.
She couldn’t have told him how much those calls meant to her if she’d tried. She wasn’t sure if she understood it herself. To have become so quickly dependent on him was a little frightening.
Even more frightening was the frustration she felt at having to settle for phone calls. She wanted to be with him again, lie with him again. Of course, he worked while she slept, and he slept while she worked. It was not the most convenient arrangement.
With a deep sigh, she unfolded her legs, took up her pencil, and edited several thoughts she had jotted down earlier. The trial had gotten off to a good start that morning, with the jury impaneled by noon and the opening arguments heard that afternoon.
She was lucky that she had worked on Sunday and come prepared.
She wasn’t wild about opening arguments. They were tough for a prosecutor. She could give her all, only to have the defense stand up and dramatically refute it. Whereas in the course of a trial there were various tactics she could use to call time-out if she felt the momentum was against her, she was helpless during opening arguments. She had to sit quietly through to the end, when she could finally launch into her case.
Closing arguments were easier, since the prosecution went last. Unless the judge chose to give a particularly long-winded set of instructions to the jury, the prosecutor’s words were the freshest in their minds when they began to deliberate. That didn’t mean she always won her case, but it did give her a psychological edge.
Any edge she could get would be a help on this case. There were three defendants with, all told, twenty-six counts against them. A large part of her job was going to be making sure that the jury didn’t get confused, and in that respect, she had her work cut out for her.
Sucking in a deep breath, she put herself to the task. Over the next hour, she reviewed the testimony of each of Tuesday’s witnesses, as she had prepared them in the days and weeks before. When she was satisfied that she’d be able to lead them through direct examination without pause, she tossed down her pencil, turned sideways on the desk chair, draped an arm over its back, and thought of Jared. Instantly, the tension that had held her body in its grip while she worked eased, giving way to a soothing warmth.
She didn’t know when she would see him again, but she knew she would. Not that she was looking far down the road. A week, a month, two months—as long as their relationship lasted, she would enjoy it. She wouldn’t get caught by great expectations that fell flat.
“It’s ten before two,”he told her in a low, lazy drawl,“and I’m glad you’re still with me. We’re not missin’ a thing being inside, since there’s no moon in sight. CIC weather calls for cloudy skies lingering through the overnight into morning, then burning off by noon, with temperatures climbing to the upper fifties. Not bad for March. But then, nothing’s ever bad here at 95.3 FM, WCIC Providence, where we’re serving up a little country in the city all day, every day. Right now, I’m kickin’ around with the Oak Ridge Boys. Jared Snow in the heart of the night, stay with me.…”
Savannah’s eyes were closed, her expression soft, her chin tilted up just a tiny bit, as if she were awaiting a kiss. When Jared’s voice gave way to four-part harmony, her eyes opened with a start.
Standing abruptly, she packed her briefcase for the morning, hurried into the bedroom, undressed, and climbed into bed. There she lay curled on her side with a pillow hugged close and tried not to think about the ache deep inside her. It was only when Jared came on the air again and assured her that he would be there until six that she managed to relax and fall asleep.
***
“Don’t touch that dial. You’re tuned to cool country, 95.3 FM, WCIC Providence. I’m Jared Snow, and it’s one-oh-four on a starlit Tuesday night. If you caught the PC game, you’re probably celebrating along with the Friars. If you didn’t catch the game, you’d better know we made the finals, ’cause it’s gonna to be all over the papers come morning.”Susan imagined him smiling as he said,“Good goin’, guys.”The smile lingered, but the voice got back to serious seduction.“Here at CIC Providence, I’m kickin’ off five in a row with Anne Murray, who’s singin’ us all a love song. At 95.3 FM, this is Jared Snow in the heart of the night. Listen and love.…”
Susan sat stock still in the echo of his voice. Too soon Anne Murray took over, but Anne Murray wasn’t half as exciting as Jared Snow. The man had come to take on a new identity since Sunday. His voice was as divine as ever, and he still stood for power and prestige, but when she pictured him now, he had the face and body of Sam Craig.
Absently, she jiggled the glass she held. In the past months, the clink of ice cubes had come to be a reassuring sound, and since she had only had two drinks all night and wasn’t even high, the reassurance registered.
