Tamed Spirit

by Alison Tyler

  "Teri talked with you about him, huh?"

  "Not only about him. She said the two of you were quite chummy when she came into his room. Is he a brother?" he asked skeptically.

  "No. And he's not a kissing cousin, either. Just a friend. And speaking of friends—how about Teri?"

  "Just a friend." He grinned.

  "Then I guess we Ye both presently unattached," she said in that low, husky voice that drove him to distraction.

  He kissed her with deliberate slowness, savoring the sweet taste of her lips, the faint scent of wild-flower shampoo as her hair fell against her face. She returned the kiss, teasing his tongue with hers, so that he pulled her harder against him.

  Cat slid her hand inside his shirt, pressing her palm against his heart. He kissed her again, his hands sliding down her back, tugging her shirt out of the waistband of her jeans, so that he could feel the silky, smooth texture of her skin.

  Luke intentionally kept a languid pace, despite the torture to his senses and to his body. He had to make this moment last. Cat's appearance was only a brief reprieve, and he meant to savor these few extra, precious moments to the fullest. The pain of tomorrow seemed a small price to pay for the experience of being with her today. Even if he thought differently when he watched her walk out the door the next morning, he knew he would never regret what was happening.

  Cat was in no hurry, either. But her reasons were different. To her this was the beginning, not the end, of their relationship, and there was no need to frantically capture one last moment. She intended to capture many more in Greece.

  As Luke slowly, methodically began unbuttoning her shirt, she let herself fall back onto the couch, making it easier for him. Her pose so reminded him of that first afternoon when shed stretched out in the same provocative way that he had to laugh.

  "What's the joke?"

  "No joke," he said, bending over to kiss the tip of her nose. "Did you know that I wanted to ravage you that first afternoon in my apartment? I kept checking my robe to make sure I wasn't giving myself away."

  Cat laughed. "I wish Id been more attentive. I was too busy trying to contend with my own wild passion. Especially after you kissed me. You are a terrific kisser."

  "Only that?" He nibbled her neck so that she giggled.

  "Stop. I'm very ticklish."

  "Never," he mumbled into her ear, continuing his foray.

  "Never?" She edged away.

  Luke stopped then. He looked down at her. He never did want to stop, but he knew that was part of the fantasy. Another part of that fantasy was not letting reality intrude. Yet Cat's question was too real to ignore.

  Luke moved his hand away from the small of her back and sat up. Cat didn't move.

  For a few minutes neither of them spoke. Then Luke reached out for her hand, lacing her fingers with his.

  "Cat, I wish things were simple. Those are foolish words from a psychiatrist who knows life is anything but."

  "Maybe wed better talk about the complications," Cat said, sitting up beside Luke.

  "I don't want to talk about complications or even think about them," he said, giving her a sheepish grin. "I want to pretend there aren't any, so that I can make love to you without admitting it's going to end. I want to forget for the moment that in a little while you are going to walk out of my life and it will be over."

  "Does it have to be over?" She felt an icy shiver go through her as she waited for his answer. She wasn't even certain what answer she wanted. All she knew was that she was not ready to say goodbye to Luke and walk out of his life forever.

  He stared down at their hands, still intertwined. "Don't think I haven't had fantasies about that. The problem is, I can never get very far with them. First, there's the logistics of the whole thing. You aren't about to hang around San Francisco, and I'm not going to traipse around the globe waiting while you finish crashing up some car or other. You would feel totally foreign in my world, Cat. You would think it positively dull. And I feel like an alien in yours. More than that. It terrifies me. I couldn't cope with it."

  "I could never give it up, Luke. Any more than I'd ever ask you to give up your life."

  "There it is—the same stalemate I come up with in my fantasies. Don't you see, Cat, neither of us wants to give up what we have, and that's only right." He pulled her to him. "I also don't want to give you up, but I don't honestly see any way around it."

  Cat decided this was definitely not the time to tell Luke she was going to be in Greece. He was ambivalent enough, determined to keep the relationship under tight control. It wasn't that what Luke said didn't make sense. She'd said the same things to herself right up to the moment she rang his bell. But when they were together like this, she felt capable of surmounting any obstacles.

  "You don't have to give me up this moment." She kissed him lightly. "I never did believe in worrying about tomorrow. Besides"—she bent low, her half-unbuttoned blouse revealing irresistible treasures—"if you send me away, I might do something rash, like jump out of a window."

  "Please," he whispered, his hand slipping under her blouse, "don't do that."

  "It's nice to know someone cares enough to want to save a total stranger." She grinned.

  "You're not a stranger. I feel like I know you— very well." He stood up and stretched out his hand to her. "Here, give me your hand. I'll help you."

  She placed her hand in his. "You really think I have something to offer, Doc?" she teased, playing that first scene on the ledge all the way through.

  Luke laughed. "Definitely. I can say that from experience."

  "Well," she said, and sighed, "they're forecasting a damp, cold night. As you once said, it's a lousy time for jumping. Anyway, I think your idea makes a lot more sense."

  The fantasy was again intact as Luke took Cat in his arms. He kissed her deeply, then held her away from him for a moment to feast his eyes on her. An electric current coursed through him as he slipped her shirt off. She wasn't wearing anything underneath it. She gave him a wicked little smile. He reached for the waistband of her jeans, unzipping them to see that she had not bothered with any underthings.

  "You told me I was wanton," she murmured in a breathy voice.

  He kissed her breasts, his hands cupping them tenderly. "My beautiful wanton tiger." A rush of excitement sped through his veins as she undid the catch on his trousers, slipping her hand inside.

  Her eyes were dark, the look she gave him part mischief, part passion. She was intoxicating, her touch driving him wild. Without releasing him, her other hand deftly unbuttoned his shirt, her lips and tongue branding him with her special heat.

  "If you keep this up, we're never going to make it to the bedroom," he whispered, and then moaned as she slid to her knees, her tongue trailing a burning path downward. She tugged off the rest of his clothes, then gripped his knees, causing him to tumble down on top of her.

  "We can move to the bedroom later," she said, stretching out on the soft shag carpet.

  Luke took her jeans off as Cat arched her back to help him. It was a deliciously seductive pose, and Luke took full advantage of it. Again he was struck by her utter sensuousness, her natural abandon. He loved the way she gasped with pleasure, openly expressing her joy at his caresses, giving herself so freely to his explorations, creating some of her own.

  He had known other women, experienced other pleasures, but there was no one in the world like Cat. He felt consumed with the fire she sparked in him, loving the way she fueled the flames with her touches, her whispered words of longing, her moans of excitement as they caressed each other.

  She sat up, folding her legs beneath her, perching back on her heels. Her eyes closed, the dark lashes fluttering against her cheeks as Luke reached out, tracing a line from the valley between her breasts to the heart of her passion. She arched her back as his tongue followed the same path, searching out the source of her fire. She parted her lips, her whole body trembling, submitting to his quest. Her hand moved over his firm back
. Cat could feel the ripple of his muscles as she stroked him.

  He pressed his lips along her inner thighs, then eased her back down on the carpet. Her legs entwined around him as he moved on top of her. She clung to him as the power of her need escalated, the rhythmic undulation of their bodies exquisitely in tune. She cried out his name as she reached the peak of pleasure, a single teardrop rolling down her cheek. He captured it with his lips, tasting the salty tang, then shared it with her as he kissed her lips.

  She loved the feeling of intimacy as he cradled her to him after they made love, his lips pressed to her hair, his hands idly stroking her back and breasts.

  "This is the best feeling in the world," she said, then laughed. "No, the second best."

  Luke kissed her brow. He started to say, the best is yet to come. Funny how he kept thinking into the future, when he'd already made it clear there wasn't any real future to be had.

  CHAPTER TEN

  From the time the cast and crew had arrive in Rome to their touchdown at the Ellinikon Airport in Greece, tensions had run high. Stepping out of the air-conditioned terminal, the heat of the mid-morning sun engulfed the small group. Cat hoisted her backpack over her shoulders, wiping the perspiration from her forehead. She could hear disgruntled comments from the others as they gathered up their luggage and paraphernalia. The weather was not going to help cool people's tempers.

  To begin with, everyone was annoyed at Peter Whitney. The thirty-two-year-old director might be a film genius, but he was erratic, demanding, and frequently infuriating. He had also gone through four scriptwriters and two assistant directors in less than a month. Cat was definitely not going to give him her vote for Mr. Congeniality, and she doubted anyone else would, either. Especially Dodger.

  Peter and her father had not agreed on one single execution of a stunt, and considering this was a film containing a large number of gags, the war was just starting. Cat had a feeling, however, that Dodger's tense mood was not only due to his aggravating encounters with Peter Whitney, who so far had backed down on his demands, letting Dodger ultimately have his way. There was a more subtle strain between Dodger and Joanie Weston, who had signed up at the last minute to work on the film. Cat was pretty sure Dodger and Joanie had gone their separate ways personally, but she sensed that neither of them was too happy about the decision. A couple of times, when Cat had broached the subject with him, Dodger had nearly bitten off her head. Joanie had been equally testy whenever Cat mentioned Dodger.

  And then there was Liz Fuller and Tony Vargos. The first week of shooting in Rome, the two of them had been inseparable. Then followed two weeks of Cat lending Liz her shoulder for frequent cries as her friend's fantasy started to come undone.

  Tony resented what he saw as his second-class status on the film. He found it equally hard to accept Liz's star billing. From that conflict flowed many others. Tony still had a wandering eye for a pretty girl in a bikini; Liz seemed too chummy with Ned Weeks, her co-star. Both Liz and Tony fought with Whitney, but even there they couldn't get together, each feeling the other's arguments were not the important issues.

  What it boiled down to was that they had reached a point where the only thing they shared was the mutual need to keep the fight going. It was beginning to wear on everybody. And Cat's shoulder was getting waterlogged.

  Liz caught up with Cat as they boarded the bus that would take them to the Hotel Hermes in the old section of Athens. They would be staying in the city for a couple of days to rest up before they ferried over to Alonnisos where they were setting up a home base.

  Alonnisos was in the Sporades islands, as was Skiathos, the island, which by Cat's calculations, Luke should be on. The only problem was, having witnessed the brief ups and the skyrocketing downs of two other romances these past few weeks, Cat was no longer sure she should even see him. Her initial confidence about working out some kind of a relationship with Luke was fast waning.

  "Don't panic." Liz smiled as she fell in step with Cat. "I'm all cried out. Besides, I am so ecstatic about having two days off from battling dear, sweet Peter that nothing could upset my apple cart."

  "Great," Cat said cheerfully. Her smile faded as they passed Tony Vargos, who was having an intimate little tête-à-tête with the airline stewardess from their Rome flight. She shot a quick glance at Liz to see her reaction.

  Liz gave Tony a cool stare and walked faster. Cat hurried to catch up.

  "Remember, nothing is going to upset your apple cart," Cat whispered.

  "You're right," Liz said with a determined shake of her head. "While you're reminding me of things, would you also remind me never again to act out on a dumb fantasy? I wish I hadn't gotten him that audition."

  Cat didn't respond. She was thinking about her own fantasy. It was beginning to seem far more implausible than Liz's. At least Tony and Liz had shared a profession. Then again, that seemed to be the main source of contention between them. Cat was thoroughly confused. Maybe a couple of days relaxing in Athens would help her decide what to do about Luke.

  Liz picked up on Cat's mood. "Hey, just because my fantasy didn't work out doesn't mean yours is dumb. "

  "Dumber," Cat muttered. "Luke's probably forgotten all about me. Chalked me up as a nice little interlude—great research for his book."

  Liz gave Cat's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Cat had told her about Luke's treatise on sexual fulfillment. "If it was that good between the two of you that he wants to use it in his book, you'd better believe he has not forgotten—anything."

  Cat grinned. "It was good. And I'm not just referring to physical gratification. I wish I knew what to do, Liz."

  "I'm not a great one to be giving advice, but I'd say you were really hooked on the guy. The only way you're going to find out if there's anything real about your fantasy is to see him again."

  Peter Whitney was waiting for Liz at the bus. Liz groaned. "If he has one more rewrite for me to memorize, I am going to take that man and drop him off Mount Olympus."

  Liz greeted Peter with a forced smile. He laughed. "No rewrites, I promise."

  Cat patted Peter on the back. "Good thing. Liz, here, was about to teach you a new stunt I was telling her about—it involves a long fall off a short cliff."

  "Speaking of stunts"—Peter put his hands on Cat's shoulders—"would you please talk some sense into Dodger? That deep-sea dive is not going to be effective if you're wearing that tank suit."

  "Dodger isn't out to protect his daughter's virtue," Cat said with a broad smile. Peter had wanted her to take that dive in the nude but had begrudgingly agreed to a skimpy bikini. Cat had been willing, but Dodger had been adamant about her using a full one-piece suit with some hidden padding. "The impact on the body from that height can be pretty rough. The suit will at least protect some vital parts," she said pointedly.

  "You've done those dives in bikinis in other films," Peter argued, "and you still look pretty damned good to me."

  "Dodger wasn't my boss on those films, Peter."

  Peter shrugged, knowing he wasn't going to win on this one. They would have to do some fancy cutting so that the dreadful black tank suit did not stand out.

  "Cheer up, Peter," Liz said as Tony nudged past them and boarded the bus. "How about letting me buy you some dinner tonight and we can drown our woes in a large bottle of ouzo?"

  "My mouth is already watering," he said with a playful leer. Or was it playful? Neither Cat nor Liz was altogether sure. Peter's green eyes had a distinct glimmer as he helped Liz up the steps of the bus.

  Cat smiled to herself as Liz and Peter slipped into a double seat in the back of the bus. Some folks healed rapidly when their fantasies fell through. She envied people like that.

  Cat took a seat next to Joanie, who was still reading the same novel she had started weeks ago in Rome. Cat wondered if she was still on the same page.

  "Good book?" Cat asked as she settled her backpack under the seat.

  Joanie, not looking up, muttered, "Yes."

/>   A few minutes later, after Cat noticed Joanie had not turned a page, she asked, "Do you have plans for dinner tonight? I thought maybe we could hit the town together. Unless you're hitting it with someone else?"

  Joanie looked away from her book then and stared out the window as the bus bumped down the narrow street. She brushed a damp strand of brown hair from her face. The air conditioning on the bus barely made a dent in the intense morning heat.

  "I don't have any plans for dinner tonight," Joanie said softly, a note of sadness in her tone. She turned to Cat. "Sure, let's paint the town red. I'm getting pretty tired of the color blue." She made an effort to smile, but Cat could tell it wasn't easy.

  As they continued in silence for the rest of the ride, Joanie again buried her face in her book, hardly ever turning the pages. Cat spotted Dodger glancing over at them several times, then abruptly turning back around. She was pretty sure he wasn't checking on her.

  Love, Cat thought derisively, who needs it? She dozed off until the bus pulled up to the hotel.

  The Hermes was quite full, and although Cat would have preferred a single room, she readily agreed to double with Joanie.

  "Sorry about that," Joanie said as they rode up together in the elevator.

  "It will be more fun this way," Cat said lightly.

  For an answer, she received a doubtful glance from Joanie.

  The room was one of the more modern motel-type varieties. Had they not been in Greece, they could have been in any of those pull-off-the-road motels that dotted the major highways across the States. But it was clean and large enough for two people not to feel crowded in. And if it wasn't for the building across the street, they would have had a fabulous view of the Acropolis.

  Cat decided to shower and then go to the roof garden of the hotel to see if there was a better view from there. She invited Joanie along but received a lethargic shake of the head.

  "I know," Cat teased good-naturedly, "you just cant put that book of yours down. Well, I won't bug you, but you'd better not back down on our plans for tonight."