Love in the Air by Nan Ryan Read Free Book Online

when you’re ready to leave.”
    “As a matter of fact,” Kay said thoughtfully, “I need to start hunting for an apartment, so if it’s all right with you, I think I’ll leave for the day and spend the rest of the afternoon looking at a few places.”
    “Do that, Kay. Want me to call Betty and have her come to town and help you?”
    “You’re sweet, but no. I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble finding something I like…Sammy, does Sullivan still live over at the Park Lane Towers by Washington Park?”
    “Sure does. Why don’t you ask him if they have anything available?”
    “Hmm,” she said, “I will. See you in five minutes for those car keys.” Kay hung up the phone. “So he still lives atop the Park Lane Towers,” she said aloud. She retrieved her handbag and left her office, thinking she’d hunt for a place to live as far from the Park Lane Towers as possible.
    Kay stepped into the hall just as Sullivan’s secretary, Janelle Davis, opened the door of Sullivan’s office. Janelle stood in the portal, speaking to him, holding the heavy door half open. Kay walked nearer and overheard what the tall, attractive woman was saying.
    “Must you continue doing that, Sullivan? We really need to handle some correspondence.” Janelle Davis’s voice was softly scolding.
    Kay couldn’t help herself. As she drew closer to Sullivan’s door, her betraying gaze went past Janelle and into the room. She got only a fleeting glimpse before she tore her eyes away, turned and rushed through the reception area toward Sam Shults’s office.
    But even after she’d picked up the keys to her brand-new red Porsche, and left, she was still seeing Sullivan, shirtless, a sheen of perspiration covering his bare torso, chinning himself.
    Outside, Kay hurried down the sidewalk to the pay parking beside the Petroleum Club building where the shiny new Porsche awaited. She reached the low-slung car, unlocked the door and paused. Slowly she threw back her head. Eyes squinting in the glaring September sun, Kay lifted a hand to shade them. She looked straight up for an instant, searching out the tall windows at the very top of the building.
    Carefully counting across, she located Sullivan’s. She saw nothing, no one, and yet she had the eerie feeling that he’d swung gracefully down from that steel chinning rod and was at his window watching her. That he’d caught her foolishly looking up.
    Kay jerked the car door open and lunged into the low leather seat of the new automobile. Fingers shaking, she jammed the keys into the ignition, started the powerful engine and roared out of the parking lot as though the devil himself were after her.

Three
    At four-thirty the next morning, the clock radio beside Kay’s bed came on. Kay blinked, looked around and snuggled deeper into the blue sheets. The room was pitch-black; it was much too early for anyone to get up. Eyes closing again, Kay heard Dale Kitrell, the all-night man at Q102, saying in a deep, pleasant voice, “So if there’s anyone out there, I’m playing this one for you. It’s ‘Hold Me’ by Fleetwood Mac. Wish somebody would hold me,” Dale growled and turned up the music.
    Kay, remembering the slim, red-haired man, opened her eyes, smiled sleepily and rose. Lazily divesting herself of her pajamas, she pulled a plastic shower cap over her hair and stepped into the shower. Sighing, she stood under the pelting spray, letting its warmth bring her fully awake.
    With awareness came apprehension. It was to be her first morning back on the air with Sullivan. Kay turned around in the steamy shower, letting the water pepper her back while she idly slid a soapy washcloth over her body.
    How would they behave? Would the old magic that they’d once shared still be there? Would they still be able to look into each other’s eyes and know exactly what the other one was going to say? Kay trembled. What they’d had then was so free and easy, yet so powerful and effective.