Page 25

Story: Capture the Rainbow

Her face grew flushed and languorous as his words inflamed her desire. Some were as beautiful and poetic as a Kahlil Gibran verse, others as graphic and bawdy as a medieval soldier’s song to his lady love. It made no difference, for it was all so arousing Kendra thought she would go insane if he didn’t touch her soon.

Just when she thought she could stand no more, the words suddenly ceased. Joel drew a deep, shuddering breath and smiled at her with loving sweetness. “I hope you’ve been paying attention, my love, because I think it’s time we translated words into action.” And he slowly lowered his lips to the softness of her belly.

In the hours that followed they did everything that he’d promised, and more. They were both so aroused that every touch, every kiss, every movement was both pain and bliss. When the warm velvet length of him reached into her welcoming depths, she thought she’d go berserk. She could feel herself tightening around him as if to hold him in that most intimate of all embraces. He gave a low guttural cry and then plunged into the heart of her with stunning force.

Their search for their pot of gold took them through valleys of intimacy shadowed wine-dark with passion, to mountains that rose with endless delight. They sailed seas whose tides and currents lifted and cradled them before spinning them in a whirlpool of fiery need. It was a journey like no other she had ever taken, and when they did reach the treasure Joel had spoken of, it was no more golden than the odyssey itself.

Joel’s arms were clutching her desperately, his chest laboring harshly with the force of his breathing. “Don’t move,” he said. “I don’t want to let you go yet.” His hands went to cup her buttocks and cradle her even closer to him. “I want it to go on. Why the hell can’t it go on forever?”

Kendra laughed breathlessly, her arms pulling him against her. “I think if it did, we’d both risk cardiac arrest.” She gasped as he suddenly flexed. “Come to think of it, it might be worth it.”

Then he was rolling over to face her, their bodies still linked in a magical intimacy. “You’re damn right it would.” He nuzzled her throat, his hands moving to enclose her breasts. “You know, maybe you did put on an ounce or so this week. These pretty things feel heavier than I remembered.”

“The bane of my life,” she said, making a face. “I always gain weight there first.”

“The delight of mine,” he said, lowering his head to salute each pink tip lightly. “A totally enchanting bane.” He cuddled her closer. “Rest, rainbow lady, we’ve got a long night ahead.”

She nestled nearer. “Not too long,” she said drowsily. “You have to be on the set at six.”

“Then we’ll just have to make every minute count, won’t we?”

Yes, every moment must be as precious as they could make it, she thought with regret. Reality would intrude only too soon.

“Come on, love. It’s time to get moving.”

Kendra grumbled sleepily and tried to snuggle closer to Joel’s warmth. But that warmth was no longer there, and when she realized that, her lids flicked open with a vague sense of alarm. Then she relaxed as she saw Joel across the room putting on his shoes.

He was fully dressed except for his sport jacket, though his white shirt was only partially buttoned. She sat up slowly, pulling the sheet up over her breasts and brushing the hair away from her face. “We have to leave now?”

He nodded as he stood up. “It’s almost four and I want to get you back to the location by five.” He crossed the room to sit down on the bed beside her. His green eyes were glowing softly as they gazed at her face. “You look like a soft silky baby just awakened from her nap.”

She smothered a yawn. “A baby who would like to go back to sleep. I can’t seem to keep my eyes open.”

“That’s not surprising. I didn’t let you get much rest.” He dropped a light kiss on the curve of her shoulder. “Lord, you’re sweet to love. I can’t get enough of you. I’ll be glad when this picture is over and we can get away for a little while.” His lips pulled gently at her earlobe. “I have a friend who lends me his yacht, theSea Breeze,occasionally. Have you ever been to the Greek Isles, Kendra? The Greeks have a special fondness for rainbow ladies, you know. They even have a goddess of the rainbow.”

“It sounds wonderful,” she said dreamily. “The closest I’ve ever been to the Greek Isles was once when I changed planes in Athens.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.” He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and stood up briskly. “I should be able to wrap upVenturein another four days. There’s only the love scene and then the rest of the stunts. We’ll do the horse chase Wednesday and then I’ll put you on a plane for Athens that night. I’ll tie up all the loose ends and meet you there Sunday.”

“Wait a minute.” He was moving too fast for her. She was being swept away from wishful daydreams to cold reality with a vengeance. “I said I’d like to go, not that I could.” Then something else occurred to her. “And I couldn’t leave on Wednesday anyway. I still have a chance at the jeep jump.” Her eyes narrowed on his face. “Or was that the intention of whisking me off to Greece, Joel?”

“I won’t deny I thought it might be an excellent way of killing two birds with one stone,” Joel admitted coolly. “You know it’s not really worth hanging around on the odd chance that Skip will give you the jump, especially when it’s not necessary.”

“But it is necessary,” Kendra said quietly. “And I’d love to go sailing around the Greek Isles with you, Joel, but it’s just not possible right now. I only have a one-week break before I start my next job.” She tried to smile. “How about a long weekend in Athens instead?”

“Are you sure you could fit it into your schedule?” Joel asked caustically. “Perhaps you can work me in between a skydive and driving a car off a bridge into a raging river. Or was that the last picture?”

“The one before,” she said dully. It had all been so beautiful, and now Joel’s words were sharp barbs tearing at that beauty. “I’m sorry I don’t have the kind of freedom your usual playmates enjoy, Joel, but I have certain commitments.”

“The hell you do.” Joel’s voice was so harsh she flinched. Then he drew a deep, weary breath. “Oh God, I wasn’t going to lose my temper. I swore I was going to be very calm and reasonable about it all. But I seem to have a problem when I think about you driving off a bridge. Strange, isn’t it?”

“This isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Kendra swung her legs to the floor, wrapping the sheet around her sarong-fashion. “If you’ll give me a few minutes, I’ll dress and be ready to leave as soon as I can.”

“Not until we get this straightened out,” he said grimly. “Why don’t you admit that you’re just being stubborn? There’s no earthly reason for you to take another job, where you could break your neck, when I can give you anything you want.”

“We’ve been through all that before,” Kendra said. “I don’t trade in that particular marketplace, Joel.”

“I’m not trying to set you up as my mistress, dammit.” He ran his hands distractedly through his hair. “Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve been saying tonight?” He spoke with an odd awkwardness. “Icareabout you. I wasn’t going to bring this up right away. I was going to give you time to get used to the idea.” He hesitated. “I thought we might get married before we left Greece.”