Page 33
Story: Capture the Rainbow
“But Casey—”
“Casey is your brother and if you find him worthy of love, then I will, too,” he said. “You’ll have to help me out now and then with this love business. I’m a novice at the game.” His voice deepened. “But if you’ll stay with me. I’ll learn to love the whole darn world if that’s what you want.”
She felt as if her heart and soul were melting into a river of gold that wanted to flow around him, surrounding him with warmth and love and everything he wanted in this life and the next.
“Now, who’s being selfish?” she asked tenderly, her eyes glowing with a light that was almost incandescent. “You just told me how important giving is to you and you’re practically drowning me with your generosity. Don’t you think you should give me the opportunity to give as well?”
He was still. “I told you I’d take whatever I could get,” he said slowly. “What do you want to give me, Kendra?”
Her index finger reached up to trace gently the hollow of his cheekbone. “Suppose we start out with my body and my spirit,” she said, smiling at him so lovingly it took his breath away. “Then we’ll work up to passion, devotion, laughter, and top it off with so much love that I may smother you. Do you think you can handle that, Joel? Will you let me give you all of that for the rest of my life?”
“Oh yes, I can handle that.” His eyes were bright as he bent his head slowly until their lips were only a breath apart. “You’re sure, Kendra? You don’t have to pretend to feel something for me if you really don’t. It’s enough to know that you’ll stay with me. I’d rather you were honest with me in the beginning. I don’t think I could take it if I believed you and then found out it wasn’t true.”
“I’m sure.” The tears were falling and she couldn’t seem to halt them. How many years would it take her to convince him that he was loved and that that love wasn’t an illusion which would vanish as the others had in his life? Well, it didn’t really matter. They had all the rest of their lives and it would come in time. Her lips parted and took his in a kiss that wove all the shades of loving and tenderness about him. “Just give me a chance, and I’ll show you it’s true.”
His arms closed around her with a desperation that took her breath away. “I’ll give you all the chance you need,” he said huskily. “But don’t ever try to walk away from me, love. I’ll never let you go. I couldn’t live without you now.”
She laughed shakily, “Who’s walking?” The atmosphere was too emotion-charged to be borne, and so she teased him. “I couldn’t if I wanted to with this bodylock you’ve got me in. I’m enjoying it excessively, but do you suppose I could take an occasional breath?”
“Oh God, am I hurting you?” He released her so swiftly that she almost fell. “I forgot about your back.” A frown darkened his face. “You shouldn’t even be on your feet, for heaven’s sake. Why the devil couldn’t you stay in bed and rest like you’re supposed to do? The doctor said you should have bedrest for at least a week and take it easy for the duration of your pregnancy.” He sat down in the wooden upright chair and pulled her down in his lap. “Rest, dammit.”
“Yes, sir,” she said meekly, leaning back in his arms with a sigh of delicious contentment. “Whatever you say. I always try to be cooperative with my directors, whenever possible.”
She felt him stiffen against her. “Yes, I’ve noticed how cooperative you are.” There was a tinge of bitterness in his tone. “You tumble out of airplanes and jump across canyons at the lift of an eyebrow.” Then as her eyes flew swiftly to his face, he drew a deep breath and spoke wearily. “Sorry. I wasn’t going to say anything like that again. That’s another thing I made up my mind about while you were sleeping. If you’ll wait until after the baby’s born and you’ve fully regained your health, I won’t fight you if you want to go back to stunting.”
“You mean that?”
“I mean it. It’s going to tear me to pieces every time you do one, but I’ll learn to live with it.”
“That’s very generous of you.” It was more generous than she could have been under the same circumstances, Kendra realized. She wouldn’t have been able to bear standing by while Joel took risks that might maim or kill him. It would be a living nightmare that made her shiver just to think about it.
“I don’t feel generous. I feel damn savage.” His lips twisted. “But if it’s important to you, I don’t have any choice. I can’t risk making you so unhappy that you’d want to leave me.”
“And there’s nothing important enough that I’d risk hurting you,” she said softly. “Stunting is a job to me. It’s all I’ve ever known, but it’s not a profession I can’t live without.” Her eyes were thoughtful. “I don’t think I’d ever be content without some kind of work to do, so don’t expect me to sit home in domestic bliss.”
She could feel the tautness seep out of his muscles, and his smile was a flash of sunlight so brilliant it would have melted a glacier. “Oh God, sweetheart, you can become a lady wrestler or a brain surgeon, just as long as you’re not driving off bridges.”
She grinned impishly. “I don’t think either one of those professions would appeal to me, but I’ll take them under consideration. They’d both require a great deal of physical stamina and my training would certainly stand me in good stead.” She nestled her head on his shoulder. “No, I was thinking more on the lines of camera work or set dressing so I could tag along and keep an eye on you.” Her lips brushed the throbbing pulse of his throat. “I want to be a part of every aspect of your life, Joel. I’m not about to be shut up like some fairy-tale princess atIllusion de l’Arc en Cielwhen I can be with you in the real world. I told you I was a very pragmatic lady.”
“So you did.” His hand tangled in her hair as he pulled her head back. He kissed her with a passionate sweetness that had them both breathless and glowing when their lips parted. “Have I ever told you that I love pragmatic ladies almost as much as rainbow ladies?” He gave her a light kiss on the end of the nose. “And now I think I’d better display how pragmatic I can be myself and hustle you back to bed.” His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I’ll call Jake and ask him to send theSea Breezeto Athens right away. It’s docked in Miami right now, so it should arrive there by next week. That will give me time to finish tying up loose ends here and let you get in that week in bed the doctor ordered.”
“I’m not staying in bed for a week,” Kendra said crossly. “I’ll be perfectly all right by tomorrow. I’d go crazy lounging around like some kind of fragile flower.”
“And I’d go crazy worrying about you if you didn’t.” His lips tightened. “You’ll stay in that bed if I have to tie you down hand and foot.” Suddenly his eyes began to twinkle. “Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a good idea after all. That brings a very lascivious picture to mind and I doubt if you’d get much rest if you unleashed all my kinky fantasies.”
“Then I’d be better off trailing after you, wouldn’t I?” Kendra asked promptly. “Don’t worry, I won’t get in your way.” She let her eyes widen wistfully and her lower lip tremble slightly. “Unless you don’t want me.”
“Knock it off, Kendra,” Joel growled. “You know that’s not the issue. Look, I really need to get this picture wrapped up, but if it’s a case of sitting on you to get you to stay in bed, I’ll do it. You’ll just make my work that much harder.”
“That’s a low blow,” she said gloomily. “Okay, I guess I’ll just have to resign myself to being a lady of leisure for the next week. I’ll findsomethingto occupy myself.” Her brow knotted thoughtfully. “Maybe I can talk Billie into teaching me how to play the guitar.” Suddenly her eyes flew to his face. “Where are Billie and Yusef anyway?”
“At the present, they’re probably camping out in the wilds of nowhere,” Joel answered. “She only stayed long enough to make sure you were fine, and then she and Yusef took off in the jeep into the desert.” He scowled. “I tried to talk her out of it, but it was like talking to the wind.” He shifted and reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a rather creased envelope. “She left a note for you.”
The note was typically Billie.
“Casey is your brother and if you find him worthy of love, then I will, too,” he said. “You’ll have to help me out now and then with this love business. I’m a novice at the game.” His voice deepened. “But if you’ll stay with me. I’ll learn to love the whole darn world if that’s what you want.”
She felt as if her heart and soul were melting into a river of gold that wanted to flow around him, surrounding him with warmth and love and everything he wanted in this life and the next.
“Now, who’s being selfish?” she asked tenderly, her eyes glowing with a light that was almost incandescent. “You just told me how important giving is to you and you’re practically drowning me with your generosity. Don’t you think you should give me the opportunity to give as well?”
He was still. “I told you I’d take whatever I could get,” he said slowly. “What do you want to give me, Kendra?”
Her index finger reached up to trace gently the hollow of his cheekbone. “Suppose we start out with my body and my spirit,” she said, smiling at him so lovingly it took his breath away. “Then we’ll work up to passion, devotion, laughter, and top it off with so much love that I may smother you. Do you think you can handle that, Joel? Will you let me give you all of that for the rest of my life?”
“Oh yes, I can handle that.” His eyes were bright as he bent his head slowly until their lips were only a breath apart. “You’re sure, Kendra? You don’t have to pretend to feel something for me if you really don’t. It’s enough to know that you’ll stay with me. I’d rather you were honest with me in the beginning. I don’t think I could take it if I believed you and then found out it wasn’t true.”
“I’m sure.” The tears were falling and she couldn’t seem to halt them. How many years would it take her to convince him that he was loved and that that love wasn’t an illusion which would vanish as the others had in his life? Well, it didn’t really matter. They had all the rest of their lives and it would come in time. Her lips parted and took his in a kiss that wove all the shades of loving and tenderness about him. “Just give me a chance, and I’ll show you it’s true.”
His arms closed around her with a desperation that took her breath away. “I’ll give you all the chance you need,” he said huskily. “But don’t ever try to walk away from me, love. I’ll never let you go. I couldn’t live without you now.”
She laughed shakily, “Who’s walking?” The atmosphere was too emotion-charged to be borne, and so she teased him. “I couldn’t if I wanted to with this bodylock you’ve got me in. I’m enjoying it excessively, but do you suppose I could take an occasional breath?”
“Oh God, am I hurting you?” He released her so swiftly that she almost fell. “I forgot about your back.” A frown darkened his face. “You shouldn’t even be on your feet, for heaven’s sake. Why the devil couldn’t you stay in bed and rest like you’re supposed to do? The doctor said you should have bedrest for at least a week and take it easy for the duration of your pregnancy.” He sat down in the wooden upright chair and pulled her down in his lap. “Rest, dammit.”
“Yes, sir,” she said meekly, leaning back in his arms with a sigh of delicious contentment. “Whatever you say. I always try to be cooperative with my directors, whenever possible.”
She felt him stiffen against her. “Yes, I’ve noticed how cooperative you are.” There was a tinge of bitterness in his tone. “You tumble out of airplanes and jump across canyons at the lift of an eyebrow.” Then as her eyes flew swiftly to his face, he drew a deep breath and spoke wearily. “Sorry. I wasn’t going to say anything like that again. That’s another thing I made up my mind about while you were sleeping. If you’ll wait until after the baby’s born and you’ve fully regained your health, I won’t fight you if you want to go back to stunting.”
“You mean that?”
“I mean it. It’s going to tear me to pieces every time you do one, but I’ll learn to live with it.”
“That’s very generous of you.” It was more generous than she could have been under the same circumstances, Kendra realized. She wouldn’t have been able to bear standing by while Joel took risks that might maim or kill him. It would be a living nightmare that made her shiver just to think about it.
“I don’t feel generous. I feel damn savage.” His lips twisted. “But if it’s important to you, I don’t have any choice. I can’t risk making you so unhappy that you’d want to leave me.”
“And there’s nothing important enough that I’d risk hurting you,” she said softly. “Stunting is a job to me. It’s all I’ve ever known, but it’s not a profession I can’t live without.” Her eyes were thoughtful. “I don’t think I’d ever be content without some kind of work to do, so don’t expect me to sit home in domestic bliss.”
She could feel the tautness seep out of his muscles, and his smile was a flash of sunlight so brilliant it would have melted a glacier. “Oh God, sweetheart, you can become a lady wrestler or a brain surgeon, just as long as you’re not driving off bridges.”
She grinned impishly. “I don’t think either one of those professions would appeal to me, but I’ll take them under consideration. They’d both require a great deal of physical stamina and my training would certainly stand me in good stead.” She nestled her head on his shoulder. “No, I was thinking more on the lines of camera work or set dressing so I could tag along and keep an eye on you.” Her lips brushed the throbbing pulse of his throat. “I want to be a part of every aspect of your life, Joel. I’m not about to be shut up like some fairy-tale princess atIllusion de l’Arc en Cielwhen I can be with you in the real world. I told you I was a very pragmatic lady.”
“So you did.” His hand tangled in her hair as he pulled her head back. He kissed her with a passionate sweetness that had them both breathless and glowing when their lips parted. “Have I ever told you that I love pragmatic ladies almost as much as rainbow ladies?” He gave her a light kiss on the end of the nose. “And now I think I’d better display how pragmatic I can be myself and hustle you back to bed.” His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I’ll call Jake and ask him to send theSea Breezeto Athens right away. It’s docked in Miami right now, so it should arrive there by next week. That will give me time to finish tying up loose ends here and let you get in that week in bed the doctor ordered.”
“I’m not staying in bed for a week,” Kendra said crossly. “I’ll be perfectly all right by tomorrow. I’d go crazy lounging around like some kind of fragile flower.”
“And I’d go crazy worrying about you if you didn’t.” His lips tightened. “You’ll stay in that bed if I have to tie you down hand and foot.” Suddenly his eyes began to twinkle. “Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a good idea after all. That brings a very lascivious picture to mind and I doubt if you’d get much rest if you unleashed all my kinky fantasies.”
“Then I’d be better off trailing after you, wouldn’t I?” Kendra asked promptly. “Don’t worry, I won’t get in your way.” She let her eyes widen wistfully and her lower lip tremble slightly. “Unless you don’t want me.”
“Knock it off, Kendra,” Joel growled. “You know that’s not the issue. Look, I really need to get this picture wrapped up, but if it’s a case of sitting on you to get you to stay in bed, I’ll do it. You’ll just make my work that much harder.”
“That’s a low blow,” she said gloomily. “Okay, I guess I’ll just have to resign myself to being a lady of leisure for the next week. I’ll findsomethingto occupy myself.” Her brow knotted thoughtfully. “Maybe I can talk Billie into teaching me how to play the guitar.” Suddenly her eyes flew to his face. “Where are Billie and Yusef anyway?”
“At the present, they’re probably camping out in the wilds of nowhere,” Joel answered. “She only stayed long enough to make sure you were fine, and then she and Yusef took off in the jeep into the desert.” He scowled. “I tried to talk her out of it, but it was like talking to the wind.” He shifted and reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a rather creased envelope. “She left a note for you.”
The note was typically Billie.