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“What did I tell you?” Billie murmured.

There was a wave of commentary on the set. Brenna’s eyes widened in shock, but Joel’s registered only impatience. “For God’s sake, Dirk, I told you nudity wouldn’t be required for this scene. It’s not going to be even close to sexually explicit. I’m shooting from the waist up.”

“I know that,” Dirk said with grandiose dignity. “However, I always believe in really getting into a part whenever possible.” He smirked at the snickers from the crew. “I think you’ll find that if I can relate, I turn in a far better performance.”

“Frankly, I don’t care if you wear bells on your toes and a codpiece,” Joel said, obviously annoyed. “Let’s just get this scene shot without any more delay.” He glanced at Brenna. “If Brenna has no objections?”

Brenna’s eyes were glinting angrily but her voice was cool. “I don’t see why I should object to something,” her gaze wandered over Danford’s body, “so trivial.”

This time the snickers became guffaws and Danford flushed angrily. He opened his lips to speak, but Joel turned away, carefully smothering a smile. “Good. Now that that’s settled, let’s get rolling. Into bed, Dirk.”

“Delighted,” Dirk drawled as he sat down on his side of the bed and lifted the covers. His smile was definitely feral as he slipped beneath the covers and slithered closer to Brenna. “This is what I’ve been waiting for ever since we started the picture.”

Billie suddenly leaned forward, her face tense with excitement. “Just a little more,” she urged softly. “Just a few inches more, Dirk baby.” As if in compliance, Dirk gave Brenna a smoldering look à la Richard Gere, and scooted still closer to her.

Suddenly his eyes widened in horror. He let out a bellow that shook the rafters of the room and brought Joel wheeling around to face him. Danford scrambled frantically out of the bed; his hands cupped his naked buttocks like a little boy who had just been spanked. “I’m on fire! I’m burning! Dammit, don’t just stand there; put it out!”

The crew just stared dumbfounded at him. He muttered a savage curse, jerked the covers from the bed, and threw them on the floor.

Misty smoke rose from the center of the bed, and Kendra thought there really was a fire. Then she spied a crystalline gleam within an oilcloth cradle, the whole covered by a sheet of plastic wrap.

“Dry ice,” she gasped. “Billie, you didn’t?” She turned but the chair next to hers was empty. Then she caught the glint of sunlight on copper curls as Billie slipped out the door. Billie, very obviously, had. And as Kendra’s gaze went back to the disaster the imp had left in her wake, she suddenly broke into whoops of laughter.

She wasn’t alone. The entire cast and crew were convulsed with mirth and Danford’s expression of indignation only added fuel to the gales of laughter rocking the room. Brenna was lying back on the pillows, her body shaking helplessly, and Joel was grinning from ear to ear.

“Where is she?” Danford raved, his eyes searching wildly about the room. “Where’s Billie Callahan? I’m going to cut her heart out.”

Joel made a massive effort and managed to banish the grin from his face before he strode forward. He retrieved Danford’s robe and handed it to him. “I think the lady’s done a flit,” he said lightly. “And there’s no use going after her unless you want to take on her very lethal bodyguard. I think your best course of action is to go back to your dressing room and cool off.” Then as the room once more rocked with laughter, Joel’s lips twitched uncontrollably. “Sorry, that was purely unintentional, I assure you.”

“I bet,” Danford said sourly. He was muttering obscenities as he shrugged into his velvet robe and stomped off the set.

“That’s it,” Joel called, “we’re wrapping for today. There’s no way I could get a performance out of Danford until he has time to repair the damage done to his self-esteem. Everybody be back on the set at sixA.M. tomorrow.” He turned to Brenna and helped her from the bed. “Sorry, Brenna, I know you wanted to fly out to London tomorrow.”

“It’s almost worth it,” Brenna said, smiling. “Lord, I wish the camera had been rolling. I’d give anything to have a black market tape of Dirk jumping out of that bed like a scalded cat.” She put on her negligee and patted Joel’s arm. “Don’t be too hard on Billie. It may mean an afternoon’s shooting lost, but I’d be willing to bet we’re going to see a very chastened Dirk Danford once he has time to think. Like I said, it may be worth it.” She made a face. “Now I think I’d better go make a call to Michael and break the news.”

She had no sooner turned away than Joel was striding toward Kendra, a slight smile lingering on his lips.

“Where on earth did Billie get that ice?” Kendra asked, still chuckling.

“Who knows?” Joel’s eyes were twinkling. “She probably charmed somebody in the commissary tent.” He pulled her to her feet. “But as Brenna said, it just might have been worth all the uproar. How fast can you change and be ready to go?” He propelled her toward the door.

“We’re going somewhere?”

He nodded. “I suddenly have no scenes to shoot and no rushes to view.” He glanced down at her and she inhaled sharply at the smoldering need she saw in his eyes. “That means I can do exactly what I want to do.” He touched the curve of her cheek with a gentle fingertip. “If the lady wants to do it, too. Does she, Kendra?”

Abruptly she found it hard to breathe. There was no doubt in her mind what he meant. The sexual tension between them had been too raw and intense in the past few days to mistake. She knew that she’d been as much in a fever as Joel to be in his arms again. “Oh yes, the lady definitely wants it, too,” she said softly.

“Thank heaven for that lovely clear honesty of yours! If you’d gone coy on me, I think I’d have been tempted to drag you to the nearest cave by your hair. And I want to do things right for you tonight, sweetheart. Dinner, conversation, romance, the works.” He swatted her lightly on the fanny. “I’ll tie up a few loose ends here and pick you up in an hour. Okay?”

“Okay.” She turned and walked into the sunlit street, her steps as buoyant as her suddenly soaring spirits.

Kendra gazed at her reflection in the mirror over the washstand. As much as she could tell from the slightly distorted image, the white cotton halter dress with its fitted waist and bodice and graceful full skirt was very flattering. Its pristine white was an attractive foil for the gold of her skin and the shiny chestnut of her hair. And most of all, the dress made her feel deliciously feminine after the jeans and slacks she’d worn ever since she had arrived in Sedikhan.

And she wanted to be very feminine tonight, she thought happily as she brushed her hair into a shining cloud around her shoulders and stepped into white sling-back high heels. She felt a little of the reckless exuberance she had known that night at Joel’s Rainbow Keep, but this time she knew for certain that it had nothing to do with drugs or alcohol. It was Joel Damon himself who was causing this breathless excitement. Strange that she felt no shyness or restraint about the idea of spending the night with Joel. After a lifetime of total disinterest in the physical act of lovemaking perhaps she was turning into a wanton. No, that couldn’t be, for it was only Joel who could provoke the heady desire and totally incomprehensible wealth of tenderness she was feeling now.

She sprayed her pulse points lightly with Joy, snatched up a lacy white shawl, and tripped through the amber-beaded curtains, where Yusef stood by the table.

“Will you tell Billie…” Her voice trailed off as the room seemed to shimmer and then narrow into a dark box. She gave a frightened cry and was scarcely aware of Yusef’s startled exclamation. Then his arms were around her and he was lifting and carrying her to the wooden chair by the table. He set her down with utmost gentleness and kneeled beside her, his hands holding her steady while the room whirled around her. She clutched desperately at his massive shoulders while she drew in great gasps of oxygen in an attempt to stave off that frightening darkness.