| Colby ran to the blanket laughing. She plopped down and watched as Brian slowly emerged from the surf and walked up and joined her. His pout told her he was not happy at her little deception. They may be the only ones for miles around, but she was still wary of being seen. “How did you do that?” He sputtered, water dripping off his nose as he took a towel, dried his face and knelt down next to her. “I’m just quick. There is still a bit of life left in me you know.” She giggled as she stretched out on the blanket, pleased that she had thwarted his amorous advances. “I know that,” he said as he covered her body with his and kissed her urgently. Colby could feel his erection through his swim trunks and the pressure of his kiss only fueled her own desires that she was trying desperately to ignore. In the shelter of the house it was one thing, but here on the beach they needed to be more prudent in their displays of affection. “Brian,” she pushed backed at his chest. “Brian, please! Someone could see us.” He pulled away. “Who? There is no one, I mean no one for miles around. Who could possibly spot us?” He leaned in and kissed the hollow of her throat as his hand gently brushed her breast. “Stop!” Colby said emphatically as she sat up and he rolled off her. “My God, Colby, calm down. No one is going to find us.” His tone was agitated but as she looked up her eyes reflected the fear of a frightened child. His tone softened. “We’re safe here and besides the whole thing fizzled any way.” He cradled her in his arms as his desire evaporated with the need to keep her safe. He was right. Garrett’s plan didn’t amount to much by the time William and Backstreet management went to work. They had been here four days but within 24 hours after their arrival the whole ‘scandal’ had been basically subdued. Somehow Brian’s management firm was able to obtain a restraining order against the tabloids and the papers never made the streets that morning with the exception of a few isolated markets. William traced the photos to a small photography studio outside Lexington. For a handsome price the man was only too happy to give William all the information he needed to confirm it was Garrett who had hired him. He even got all the negatives and the computer files were destroyed before he left the studio. Unfortunately though MTV did get wind of the story, but Kevin handled them and some of the major papers and magazines. He called Brian to let him know that all was settled and would soon be forgotten. But even knowing all this, Colby was still skittish whenever they left the security of the house. William had arranged for the company Lear Jet to whisk them away from Lexington early in the morning. The house was on a secluded section of beach. The only access was by ferry. William arranged for security at the dock to monitor all residents to and from the beach so it was virtually impossible for anyone to reach them without being cleared first. And the house had a state of the art security system. But even with all these precautions, Colby wouldn’t leave the house the first two days they were there. She insisted on keeping all the blinds and shutters closed tight. Brian indulged her the first day, but once he knew that the whole affair had been neutralized he let his guard down. The house was more than comfortable, it was spacious, the view was fantastic and they wanted for nothing. It was stocked with enough food for a month and had a wine cellar that would please any aficionado. It took quite a bit of convincing on his part to get Colby to agree to venture outdoors after the first couple of days. So he was surprised by her playfulness today, but her guard came back up as soon as he showed any sign of affection outside the privacy of the house. “You have to stop worrying so much. It’s over.” He lifted her chin and brushed her lips. “I can’t. It will never go away, Brian. All it takes is one paper and those pictures will be all over the Internet. Fans and non fans alike will be sending them around the world.” A shuddery breath left her lips as she sank deeper into his arms. “It could destroy you Brian. I can’t let that happen to you. I won’t.” She sat up and looked at him. As his hair dried it began to curl and the sun had only accentuated the freckles across his nose. Tiny droplets of water still clung to his body and Colby felt a tightness in her chest as she took in the sight of him. “What are you saying?” “Maybe this is just another sign. From the very beginning, there have been outside forces against us. And even though we have managed to overcome everything that has been thrown at us, it just doesn’t stop.” Brian didn’t like the look on her face. It was resignation. Colby went to stand up and Brian stopped her. “Colby, look at me. Don’t do this. What do I have to do to prove to you, I won’t be scared off. I love you!” She ran her hand along his cheek. “I know you do but maybe we need to weigh it all against your career. Is it worth losing what you have worked so hard to achieve just to be with me?” This time she stood up, taking her towel. Brian scrambled to his feet grabbing his towel and the blanket. “You can’t do this, Colby. It’s not just up to you.” He took her roughly by the arm. “I have a say in what I want to happen. A relationship is a partnership. You should know that. You cannot make this decision alone.” His hand held her tight and Colby could see the anger begin to flare from his eyes. “Let me go, Brian.” She squirmed against him, but he held on. “Brian! You’re hurting me.” He released her and noticed the red mark around her arm. He didn’t mean to hurt her. Damn! Why couldn’t she understand, his love was strong enough to withstand anything. “I’m going back to the house.” She walked away leaving him standing there. As he watched her go he cursed to himself. He loved his work, but there were times he wished he was living a simpler life. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ They spent the rest of the day apart. Colby showered and settled on the porch with a book, but she never got beyond the first paragraph. She couldn’t find a solution to their predicament, save the obvious. He had to see that in all the time they knew each other they were constantly dealing with some crisis. But as much as Colby knew giving up Brian would solve everything, she wasn’t sure she could do it. There was no easy answer and the more she worked it over in her mind, the less answers she came up with. Brian sulked on the beach for hours. She couldn’t just write off everything they had together. His life had no meaning if she wasn’t part of it. She had to realize that the public was fickle. There would be a new story to grab their attention tomorrow and they would be old news, if they were ever really news at all. No one would care. Living in a fishbowl was something she should be used to. Grant you Lexington society wasn’t the same as worldwide recognition, but you dealt with it the same way. People were people no matter where they lived and once they found out it was a hoax, they would move on. He had to make her see their love was strong enough to withstand the most extreme of situations. Colby watched as Brian pounded the water with his arms, his strokes strong and determined as he swam through the current. She had done it again, pushed him away. She didn’t mean to, it was just that…Just what? Fear? Insecurity? His body was tense. She could see the muscles in his back as he continued to beat the water, letting his anger out. He disappeared below the surface and Colby gasped. A few seconds later Brian reappeared, standing as he made his way to the shore. The sight of his wet, firm body sent a tremor through her. She never wanted him as much as at that moment. As he approached the porch he looked directly at Colby. She couldn’t read his face and his eyes, piercing through her caused her to avert her gaze. He walked right past her into the house. Neither one speaking. It was early evening and Colby stood at the sink preparing the vegetables for dinner. Brian entered the kitchen and she went to speak, but he ignored her and went to the porch and readied the grill for their dinner. They moved back and forth silently. This was the first time they had to deal with each other’s presence after an argument. It was so uncomfortable that Colby found it hard to concentrate even on the simple task of cutting vegetables. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, as he moved around the room gathering utensils. He was dressed simply, khaki pants and tee shirt, but the nearness of him and his total disregard for her presence, set Colby’s heart racing. If one of them didn’t speak soon, she would scream. Brian refused to look her way when he came into the kitchen, but the subtle scent of her perfume filled his nostrils. He didn’t want it to be this way, but he was still angry. He had all he could do not to go to her and tell her they would find a way to handle all the publicity, good and bad. But more than that he wanted to hold her and tell her again and again that he loved her above everything. So he didn’t speak but went about his tasks coiled like a cat ready to spring. He didn’t know how long he could contain himself. If left to their own devices neither one might have made a move, but a near catastrophe broke the communication barrier. Up to this point, they both had moved around the room like two dancers, who were never to touch during the entire performance. Both of them sneaking glances at the other, but not venturing to make the first overture towards clearing the air. So when Brian came barging in the door and saw Colby perched on the countertop reaching for a casserole dish his heart came to his throat. Her feet were very close to the edge of the counter as she cautiously took the dish and cover down. As she began to close the door and moved her body back to give it clearance, she lost her footing. She let out a scream and Brian came running. He caught her in time to break her fall but her weight and his uneasy stance caused them both to land on the floor of the kitchen. They were both a bit dazed from the fall and Brian moved slowly from underneath Colby letting her rest in his arms. “Colby, are you all right?” He ran his hands along her cheek and she opened her eyes. “Oh thank God. What did you think you were doing woman?” His fingers brushed her lips and Colby let out a sigh at his touch. “I needed a dish and I thought I could…” Suddenly she burst into tears. “Oh Brian, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said those things. Please forgive me. I love you, but all this frightens me. I don’t want anything to happen to you and my first reaction is to just set you free from me and all the heartache I have brought you.” Tears cascaded down her cheeks and Brian just wiped them away. “Shh, relax, take a breath,” he soothed her as he rocked her gently in his arms. “That is not an option, Colby. It’s going to take a whole lot more than some doctored photos, or Garrett’s evil ways and for that matter your former, somewhat reformed father-in-law to get me to walk away from you.” He looked deeply into her eyes and lowered his mouth to hers. Her lips parted and they kissed long and deep. “Love isn’t easy, Colby, you should know that. You’ve experienced the deep pain that can wrench your heart when you love someone. I will not run scared when we are faced with tough situations. I love you. I will always be by your side, no matter what comes our way.” His lips touched hers softly. “Do you think you can sit up?” “Yes.” Brian eased her to a sitting position but he still kept his arm around her. “Brian, we need to talk.” She turned to look at him squarely. “I know we do, but the fire is ready so let’s get dinner cooked and we can talk then.” He got to his feet and carefully helped her to stand. “Are you sure you are all right?” He touched her face. “Uh huh.” She nodded. Brian held her in his arms wanting nothing more than to take her into the bedroom and make slow, sweet love to her. But he decided to be sensible and wait till later. He kissed her softly instead. They each returned to their tasks but now it wasn’t two strangers in the room, but lovers, still tentative, but very conscious of the other’s presence. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ They ate out on the porch; the evening air was cool and the sound of the surf provided a backdrop to their conversation. At first they were both quiet, then they tried to make small talk both still not ready to discuss their argument of earlier and yet it stood between them like a mountain neither one wanted to scale. Silence fell over them and Colby swirled the wine in her glass. She knew it was up to her to explain fully her actions from this afternoon, but somehow the words weren’t there. She could feel Brian’s eyes on her and self-consciously she wiped her mouth with her napkin and took a breath. “You are staring,” she said as her eyes looked up into his luminescent blue ones. “I can’t help it. I love looking at you in the soft glow of the candlelight. You never looked more beautiful than you do right now.” Colby could feel her cheeks burn at his words. Brian took her hand letting his thumb caress her palm. “So tell me, why are you so worried?” “I’m not really sure. All I do know is that I don’t want your career to come to an untimely demise because of your association with me. Twice the media has focused in on our relationship and both times they have only seen fit to concentrate on either my being older than you or my lack of clothes, which thankfully was not true. This is not the kind of media attention you need, Brian. Plus the fact that your fan base is comprised of largely young women, girls really, you need to project a positive image and it seems our being together is not promoting one.” She took a gulp of wine and looked up to see him just shake his head at her with a smile on his face that would melt anyone’s heart. “It’ not funny Brian. This is serious.” “I know you think it is. But you fail to understand that we have dealt with much worse than this in our years together. We as a group and myself personally will not crumble as a result of Garrett’s attempt at ruining us. And he was after us, just you and me. He wants some kind of revenge. Why, I’m not sure, but it didn’t work.” He stood and came to her and pulled her into his arms. “No one really cares if I kiss you here on the beach, or at the mall or in the middle of main street back home. I will not let the press or the fans dictate my private life. Plus I would never compromise you in public, you know that.” Colby nodded. “So don’t cringe and pull away when I want to hold you or kiss you. We are safe here, baby. William has seen to it. So I think we should take advantage of the privacy.” He leaned down and kissed her. “You know there is one way to solve this thing don’t you?” “Yes,” she sighed. Colby knew he would bring it up again. “I,” she hesitated, not able to bring herself to say anything. What he was asking wasn’t that easy, but she couldn’t find the words to tell him why. “I can’t,” was all she said and turned taking the plates into the house. Brian knew that would be her answer and he didn’t push her. One day she would say yes. |