“I wanted to ask someone,” Cullen admitted, “but she’s beautiful and famous and far too good for me. I could pull it off dressed up in formal attire with a candlelight dinner and a ring, but bathrobes do something to take away a man’s courage.”
Lisa stood there looking so helpless, Corinne wanted to gather her into her arms. Evidently, Cullen felt the same way. He pulled Lisa down onto his lap, his arms circling her body. “Lisa Wentworth, would you consider marrying me? Before you answer me, I want you to be aware I have enemies. We will spend time on the road, traveling with the band, and when we’re not, we will be hidden away in places like this. I can promise you I’ll work my best to get out of danger so we can live somewhere comfortably, but in the meantime, we will have to travel around in safety with the band.”
Lisa swept back her hair. “I want to be with you, Cullen. I’ll have to find a way to get out of my contract, but I’ll do it. I’ll find a way.”
“Barack and Syndil will help you with that,” Dayan said. “Let them go with you to take care of it. Barack is a superb businessman, and since Cullen cannot go with you, one of us should protect you and your interests.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Corinne said.
Lisa found herself nodding, blinking rapidly. Sometimes she felt as if she were falling forward into Dayan’s eyes when he stared directly at her. It was the craziest thing. And she always seemed to agree to things she wouldn’t ordinarily agree with. She looked at Cullen a little helplessly. “What do you think?”
“I think if I can’t go, Barack should go with you. He knows a lot about contracts, and if anyone can find a loophole, he’ll be able to. If you go, Lisa, you have to stay right with Barack and Syndil and do everything they tell you.”
Why does Barack have to go with Lisa? We should go, Dayan. She’s uncomfortable with this.
Corinne objected.
She cannot rely solely on you, honey. Barack and Syndil will protect her from any members of the society who should be lurking around, and of course, either of them can easily persuade those holding her contract to let her out of it. Let her depend on Cullen and the others.
“Syndil thinks I’ll have to hole up here for a few more days, but Lisa and I will join you before the first concert date,” Cullen promised. “I’d like to get married as soon as possible.” He looked up at Corinne. “Will you be terribly upset if we get married quickly? It would be dangerous to plan a large wedding with Lisa having such a famous name. It would draw the society members out for certain. I think we should do it in secret and then we can have a celebration with the band members. What do you think, Lisa?”
“I always thought I’d want a huge wedding with the long train and roses everywhere, but I really just want you. It would be nice if Dayan and Corinne could be there as witnesses.”
“You name the time and place, Cullen,” Dayan promised at once. “We’ll be there.” He was glad he’d said that when he felt Corinne’s happiness blossoming inside him. She loved Lisa and wanted to see her married.
He slipped his arm around Lisa’s shoulders, pulled her close to him. “Is Barack taking good care of you?” There was a slow draw to his soft voice.
Cullen laughed. “He’s getting used to Syndil adoring me. She has from the moment she laid eyes on me. He just can’t seem to admit it yet.”
To Corinne’s surprise, Lisa laughed with him. “Cullen is so mean to Barack. He’s always winking at Syndil and blowing her kisses. He says outrageous things to her. Barack gets this look on his face — it’s priceless, Corinne.”
“I haven’t met Syndil and Barack yet,” Corinne admitted. “But Desari and her husband, Julian, are very nice.”
Lisa nodded. “They’ve visited every evening. I can’t believe I’ve met the entire band. Even the bodyguard Darius and his wife, Tempest. She’s really nice, but Darius is intimidating.”
Corinne was shocked that she caught the echo of Lisa’s thoughts.
Like Dayan.
Lisa found both Dayan and Darius intimidating. She thought Barack was funny, and Syndil was a sweetheart. Corinne stretched out her hand to Lisa. “I want to tell you all about baby Jennifer. Come on, let’s go talk while Dayan makes certain Cullen really is as well as he keeps saying he is.”
“How much did she weigh?” Lisa asked.
“She’s very small, only four pounds, but she is gaining weight. She should be out of the incubator soon. She has lots of hair, and little dimples by the corners of her mouth.”
“Like you do,” Lisa said.
Corinne laughed and hugged her. “I’m so happy, Lisa. Truly, truly happy.”
Chapter 19
Corinne woke tangled in sheets, her heart pounding erratically and a cry of alarm in her throat. There were tears on her face, and both hands reached protectively for the small mound that was gone from her stomach.
What is it?
Dayan dragged her close to him, his arms closing around her, a safe shelter in the storm of her nightmares.
Tell me, honey.
He was scanning their surroundings, merging more deeply so he could see into Corinne’s haunted dreams.
“I couldn’t breathe, Dayan — for a moment I couldn’t breathe!” Her heart was settling into the calmer, more steady rhythm of his. She lay in his arms, grateful for the strength of his body. She listened to the reassuring sound of her heart and the softer, almost imperceptible sound of her daughter’s breathing. “For a moment, none of it was real — not you or the baby or my new heart. You were gone and I was left alone.”
Dayan pressed his mouth to her temple. “You were resting in the way of humans, Corinne. You wanted to lie down on the bed here in our new home.”
Corinne found herself smiling in spite of the echoes of her terrible dream. “Do people consider tour buses home?”
Dayan turned so he could look down on her face, his fingertips tracing the delicate bone structure. “We live mainly on the road, so these buses become home very quickly. I noticed you were very nervous around the cats.”
His thumb was stroking tiny caresses at the corner of her bottom lip, sending little shivers running down her back to the base of her spine. He always made her so aware of the differences in their bodies. How hard his muscles were, his bones thick and strong; her body seemed soft and very feminine in contrast although her muscles were quite firm. She reveled in her new strength. Still, he made her always remember he was a man and she was a woman.
My woman.
He reminded her he was always a shadow in her mind.
“Cats? Is that what you call those things? They aren’t cats, Dayan, they’re wild animals. Real wild animals. Leopards eat babies. Little Jennifer would be a tasty treat for them,” she pointed out.
“Tasty treat? I like that.” His hand spanned her throat as he bent to take possession of her mouth. A slow swirl of fire. When he lifted his head, his glittering eyes black with hunger, his hand drifted lower to find her abundant breasts. “Everyone needs tasty treats now and them.” He bent his dark head so that his long hair slid over her skin like strands of silk, teasing every nerve ending into raw need. His breath was warm, and her body tightened in anticipation.
Corinne found herself smiling, relaxing inside where she was still hearing the echoes of her nightmare. Jennifer was out of the incubator and sleeping peacefully in the small built-in crib Dayan had designed for their new motor home. The tour was beginning in another week and they needed to get moving. Jennifer was so tiny, both Dayan and Corinne were almost afraid to hold her, so it was reassuring to have the other band members nearby to help out. Gary Jansen had elected to travel with them until Jennifer no longer needed his protection or Cullen and Lisa returned to travel with them.
“What time is it?” Corinne asked, suddenly worried.