Diamonds and Dreams Read Online Free PDF Page B

being totally aware of her fabulous surroundings, and of the
wonderful man beside her, settled over Lindsay like a glorious sunset.
    “This is insanity!” she whispered.   “You and I could become enemies soon and…”
    He squeezed her hand.   “Weren’t you ever taught that we should love
our enemies?”
    She didn’t reply, but leaned back in her seat while she
pretended to have a renewed interest in the movie.   Never in her life had she felt so confused by
a kiss.   Later, as they stepped out into
the brilliant early evening sunlight that irritated her eyes and made her
squint, her heart still beat wildly.   Riding in Brant’s car, she noticed that their small talk faded into
silence as she suspected that he, like she, tried to sort out the new feelings
which ignited between them.
    “Did you ever hear what Elizabeth Barrett Browning once said
about, ‘Colors seen by candlelight not looking the same by day?’” she asked,
and he shook his head.   “I wonder if we
allowed the romantic atmosphere of the Palace to cloud our perspective and
influence us to imagine that there’s more to our relationship than what’s actually there.”
    “No, Lindsay.”
    Some mysterious, invisible force compelled her to start
looking at Brant as a man that she respected and admired instead of simply the
person with whom she was forced to work.   Brant’s only excuse for kissing her was that, like a potent drug, her
beauty combined with a serenity that he didn’t understand, affected him,
causing him to let his guard down.   What
surprised him and left him puzzled was that, although he’d kissed many lovely
women in the past, it had never been so electrifying
as when he tenderly claimed Lindsay’s soft lips.   The intimate gesture left him feeling like an
inexperienced schoolboy who shyly stole a kiss from his best girl, yet at the
same time, she summoned every ounce of his masculinity.
    “What are you thinking?” he inquired, suddenly wanting to
know everything about her.
    “Oh, nothing.”
    Angry at himself now for expecting her to share her thoughts with him, he wondered what got into him to experience
these delicate feelings much like the ones he vowed in the past that he’d
avoid.   Lindsay was right to discourage
him from knowing more about her.   It
would be unwise to become close to her, the woman who’d probably like nothing
better than to see him lose his job.   If
he told her everything about himself, wouldn’t he hand her ammunition that she
could use against him?
    When they arrived at Lindsay’s house, he parked the Jaguar,
but left the motor running.   “I’m sorry
about what happened between us,” he began.   “I never meant to kiss you.”
    His words unleashed sudden hurt inside her, gripping her
heart.   He sounded remorseful of what she
thought was a precious moment to cherish always.   Although she felt baffled by the strong
emotions which erupted between them, she wasn’t sorry she responded to his
kiss.   Evidently, he wished nothing of
this nature had occurred between them, and this knowledge left her stunned with
embarrassment.
    Reaching for the car door before he had a chance to get out
and open it for her, she forced herself to speak calmly and casually.   “Sometimes things like that just happen.   They mean nothing, right?   Thanks for a lovely time.   See you later tonight at the station.   Goodbye.”
    Watching him wave as he drove off, she blinked back
tears.   In the future, she’d remember to
make a special effort to confine their relationship to professional
matters.   Never again would she give him
another chance to humiliate her!  
    That night they’d been on the air about twenty minutes when
Lindsay announced the latest gossip in the music industry.   She was caught off guard when Brant suddenly
changed the direction of the conversation.
    “Whoa, Lindsay.   Slow down.   You talk 50% faster than I can listen.”
    That’s not true!   What kind of a