Lee laughed and swept her back into his arms despite her indignant protest. He kissed her on the nose.
"I'm awfully glad you and Joe broke it off, Bryn," he told her huskily. "But I'm sorry that you compared me with him. Why did you?"
Bryn remained stiff against him. "You're both accustomed to fame and easy adoration."
"He cheated?"
"My fault, according to him.I couldn't be with him, and his groupies could."
"I see," Lee told her, and she felt a tightening of anger in his hold. "You assumed I jump into bed at any invitation?"
"Not exactly," she murmured.
"Then what, exactly'!"
"Oh, I don't know!" Bryn exclaimed, trying to break the hold that kept her crushed against him, face-to-face. "I'm grounded in reality, and superstars live in a fantasy world."
"That's absurd. You're categorizing people. Just because Lansky broke it off with you--''
"Joe didn't break it off, I did," Bryn said wearily, rather than defensively. "He wanted me to drop everything and be at his beck and call. I couldn't do that. I didn't want to do that. And I think a regular man would have difficulty dealing with the package of commitments that come with me--much less a quote unquote 'idol.'"
She couldn't fathom his dark expression. "Quote unquote 'idols' are made of flesh and blood.The usual stuff. They bleed and hurt and fall in love. But if you and Lansky couldn't deal with your commitments, be glad you discovered it before you married him."
"I am," Bryn murmured uneasily. She still couldn't fathom the dark tension in his features.
As if he sensed her curiosity, he started idly trailing his fingers along her spine and abruptly changed the subject. "You have the sexiest build I've ever seen. I have to admit pure lust welled within me the moment I saw you."
There was something so honest in his statement that, despite its content, she started to smile. Lee returned the grin, but then he frowned as he saw her smile fade and her face go pale.
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"What's wrong?"
"I just...I just started thinking about Adam. Oh, God, Lee! I've been here...like this...with you...when poor Adam--"
"Bryn!"Lee exclaimed, cradling her. "Hush. Don't worry about Adam. We'll get him back tomorrow, I promise!"
"How can you besure! You told me we had to keep the pictures because it could be dangerous if we didn't discover what was in them! If these people could be dangerous later--"
' 'Bryn, why do you think that they took Adam and not Keith or Brian? Adam is a very little boy. He's not going to be able to point out where he's been, or cause any problems. You're a nice, sharp adult.
There's a big difference. Bryn, I know that Adam is all right. He's their bargaining chip."
"But he's so little, and he's alone," Bryn murmured.
"Tomorrow, Bryn.If you just go to sleep, it will be time to start getting him back when you wake up."
"God!I want to sleep so badly. I just haven't been able to."
Lee kissed her forehead. "Didn't wear you out enough, did I?"
Bryn blushed. "You wore me out completely."
"Did I? We'll see in a minute or two. But since you're so wide awake and already worried, I want you to think about the country club. Do you remember anything about the background?"
Bryn thought for only a second. "Yes. I remember the Sweet Dreams motel."
"The what?Oh, that place with the glaring neon lights?"
"That's it."
"Well, that will be well worth looking into. What else?"
"Nothing, really.Oh...except the golfers. A whole horde of them came over a hill when I was shooting one roll."
"We'll have to look into that, too. We'll just keep blowing up the shots until we come up with something."
"I just can't see how there could be anything!" Bryn exclaimed, her tone frustrated and tired. "Believe it or not, I looked the proofs over very carefully before I gave them to Barbara. There just wasn't anything to be seen. Maybe it is just some mad fan determined to have a bunch of private shots of Lee Condor and his group."
"Bryn, you know that's ludicrous."
"But I looked--"
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"At proofs.Little tiny pictures.Bryn, someone is obviously certain that there is something in those pictures. I would say that means that obviously there is. And we'll have to find out what."
She sighed softly and he smiled. "You need to get some sleep."
"I just can't seem to turn my mind off."
"Well, I believe that I can oblige in that direction..." His voice grew muffled and then trailed away as his lips fell to her shoulders. A tiny bite sent a shudder rippling through her; the rough velvet lick of his tongue turned the shudder into a liquid quiver. Bryn closed her eyes as he rolled her to her back.
He was right. The warm touch of his hands and the practiced strokes of his tongue could all too easily strip her mind of reason and thought....
She became aware of the distant melody before she fully awoke. And as she struggled from a deep web of sleep, she began to realize that she was hearing the soft strains of the downstairs piano.