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.
CHAPTER11
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.
