A Will and a Way

point of signing for the part of the granddaughter.”
    “Oscar material. Now, are you going to tell me why Morison called you?”
    “Wainwright’s an admirer of my work. She wants me to design all her jewelry for the movie. All!” After an attempt to sound businesslike, Pandora laughed and did a quick spin. “Morison said the only way he could talk her out of retirement was to promise her the best. She wants me.”
    Michael grabbed her close and spun her around. Bruno raced around the room barking and shaking tables. “We’ll celebrate,” he decided. “Champagne with our fried chicken.”
    Pandora held on tight. “I feel like an idiot.”
    “Why?”
    “I’ve always thought I was, well, beyond star adoration. I’m a professional.” Bubbling with excitement, she clung to Michael. “While I was talking to Morison I told myself it was a great career opportunity, a wonderful chance to express myself in a large way. Then I hung up and all I could think was Jessica Wainwright! A Morison production! I felt as silly as any bubble-headed fan.”
    “Proves you’re not half the snob you think you are.” Michael cut off her retort with a kiss. “I’m proud of you,” he murmured.
    That threw her off. All of her pleasure in the assignment was dwarfed by that one sentence. No one but Jolley had ever been proud of her. Her parents loved her, patted her head and told her to do what she wanted. Pride was a valued addition to affection. “Really?”
    Surprised, Michael drew her back and kissed her again. “Of course I am.”
    “But you’ve never thought much of my work.”
    “No, that’s not true. I’ve never understood why people feel the need to deck themselves out in bangles, or why you seemed content to design on such a small scale. But as far as your work goes I’m not blind, Pandora. Some of it’s beautiful, some of it’s extraordinary and some of it’s incomprehensible. But it’s all imaginative and expertly crafted.”
    “Well.” She let out a long breath. “This is a red-letter day. I always thought you felt I was playing with beads because I didn’t want to face a real job. You even said so once.”
    He grinned. “Only because it made you furious. You’re spectacular to look at when you’re furious.”
    She thought about it a moment, then let out a sigh. “I suppose this is the best time to tell you.”
    He tensed, but forced his voice to come calmly. “To tell me what?”
    “I watch the Emmy Awards every time you’re nominated.”
    Tension flowed out in a laugh. There’d been guilt in every syllable. “What?”
    “Every time,” Pandora repeated, amazed that her cheeks were warm. “It made me feel good to watch you win. And…” She paused to clear her throat. “I’ve watched a few episodes of Logan’s Run .”
    Michael wondered if she realized she sounded as though she was confessing a major social flaw. “Why?”
    “Uncle Jolley was always going on about it; I’d even hear it discussed at parties. So I thought I’d see for myself. Naturally, it was just a matter of intellectual curiosity.”
    “Naturally. And?”
    She moved her shoulders. “Of its kind—”
    He stopped that line of response by twisting her ear. “Some people only tell the truth under duress.”
    “All right.” Half laughing, she reached to free herself. “It’s good!” she shouted when he held on. “I liked it.”
    “Why?”
    “Michael, that hurts!”
    “We have ways of making you talk.”
    “I liked it because the characters are genuine, the plots are intelligent. And—” she had to swallow hard on this one “—it has style.”
    When he let go of her ear to kiss her soundly, she gave him a halfhearted shove. “If you repeat that to anyone, I’ll deny it.”
    “It’ll be our little secret.” He kissed her again, not so playfully.
    Pandora was almost becoming used to the sensation of having her muscles loosen and feeling as if her bones were dissolving. She moved closer, delighting in the feeling of having her bodymold against his. When his heart thudded, she felt the pulse inside herself. When his tiny moan escaped, she tasted it on her tongue. When the need leaped forward, she saw it in his eyes.
    She pressed her mouth to his again and let her own hunger rule. There would be consequences. Hadn’t she already accepted it? There would be pain. She was already braced for it. She couldn’t stop what would happen in the weeks ahead, but she could direct what would happen tonight