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Everything Your Heart Desires Chapter 36 Kristy returned to her seat beaming and Cheryl couldn�t have been happier for her friend. Kevin�s energy level had risen noticeably as well and Cheryl sensed that both would need to release it soon. Thankfully for them, the concert was counting down to the finale. Cheryl glanced up to the stage as the introduction to �Spanish Eyes� echoed off the arena walls. Although never one of her favorite songs, it was Howie�s showcase song and she loved the acoustic guitar. Her hazel eyes locked onto her boyfriend as he sang the first verse. Howie had felt her eyes on him and turned to meet her gaze.When I look into your Spanish eyes I know the reason why I am alive And the world is so beautiful tonight Cheryl�s heart raced seeing him smile and wink at her as Brian started into the chorus. After the show, Cheryl found her sister and mother waiting near the elevators at the lodge level. �Kris, this is my mom and my OTHER sister, Chris.� She introduced them on the ride down to the backstage area. Kristy immediately hugged both of them. �Guess this could become confusing.� �Yeah, you guys make birthdays and Christmas hard.� �Just label my gifts Spunky and you�ll be fine.� �Who said either of you are getting gifts?� The elevator doors opened. �Ladies,� Marcus greeted. �Your presence is requested in the Green Room.� Cheryl made several more rounds of introductions as each of the Boys appeared. As she and Howie were talking to A.J. and her mother, she couldn�t help but notice Chris� flirtatious demeanor with Brian, who tried gracefully to ignore her attempts much to Nick�s amusement. She also noticed that Kristy and Kevin had disappeared shortly after their arrival. They spent nearly an hour there talking before Sharon interrupted a conversation between Howie, Cheryl, Nick and Chris. �So, Cher, are we ready to go? We have to catch the last �T�.� Cheryl shook her head trying to formulate an answer. �I�m not staying at Chris�.� �Oh? I thought you were.� Cheryl dreaded the next question. �You and Kristy have a room at the hotel?� The redhead dropped her eyes willing them not to give anything away. �Not exactly.� Howie understood her apprehension. He went to squeeze her hand in reassurance but stopped himself when he thought about how it might be perceived given the situation. Sharon�s eyes darted from Howie back to her eldest daughter as Cheryl tried to defend herself. �I-I am staying in the two-room suite with D.� Not a complete lie. It was a two-room suite. Three, if you counted the sizable bathroom. Then there was a den and a bedroom. �And before you say anything, it isn�t what you think.� Her mother seemed to buy the idea, although not fully by the look on her face. Cheryl could see her sister giving her the �Yeah right� roll of her eyes as Sharon pulled her into a good-bye hug. �I love you and I trust you,� she said simply then turned to Howie. �It was nice meeting you.� �You, too. I promise I�ll take care of your daughter.� Sharon�s eyes met Howie�s. �I trust that you will.�After Kevin had met Cheryl's family, he and Kristy had made their way around the room, visiting with some of the band and other guests backstage. No matter who they were talking to, the couple was always only half-focused on the conversation at hand - at best. Kevin held Kristy's hand tightly in his, caressing the back of it with his thumb. Kristy was now talking with Mindi, who was complimenting her on her lyrics to "Wherever You Are," but Kristy was having difficulty concentrating. Kevin's simple touch was driving her to distraction. Kevin himself had long ago given up trying to be social. He only wanted to be alone with Kristy and finish "apologizing." "Min, we'll talk later, okay?" Kevin said, not waiting for an answer as he gently pulled Kristy across the room to the back dressing rooms. Once inside, he pulled her to him for a sensual kiss. "Mmmm.... much better." Kristy smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Tonight was so incredible. Thank you." "No, thank you. For forgiving me. For loving me. For being in my life... for BEING my life." Kristy kissed him softly, although the kiss soon became more intense. Kristy sighed as they broke apart, and rested her head on his chest. She could hear his heart pounding as fast as her own. Kevin tipped her chin up so he could look her in the eye. "I am so in love with you." He lowered his head and claimed her lips in a leisurely kiss. Kevin frowned as he saw the tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. I'm just so happy." "I guess happy tears are okay then!" he teased. His eyes searched hers. "I'm happy too." He kissed her thoroughly. "And a little horny..." Kristy giggled. "Oh really?" Kevin smirked. "Well I AM with you," he said as he bent his head to kiss her again and pulled her hips to his.�I�d say you handled that well,� Howie said after Cheryl�s family had left. He wrapped his arms around her from behind as they waited for the rest of the group to finish their business at the venue. �And which angle were you watching from?� she retorted sarcastically. �No seriously. Does it really matter what your mother thinks? We know the truth � although it isn�t as innocent as you made it out to be. The most important thing is that you�re still here with me, right?� She sighed as she leaned against him. �Thank God.� �Anyone seen Kevin and Kris? They�re holding up our progress here.� A.J. was becoming restless. He had just returned from another walk around the arena. �I wanna get back to the hotel for some sleep.� Howie chuckled. �Yeah, Bone, I think everyone believes that. It seems though that before the concert you�d mentioned something about cage dancing and Karma.� �Hmm, so I did. An even better reason to find Horny-squared and bust out of this joint.� The group heard Brian and Nick start laughing and gave each other quizzical looks. When they followed the sound, they found Frick and Frack standing outside the band�s once-occupied dressing room with a somewhat flustered and breathless Kevin and Kristy. �Busted!� Nick shouted gleefully. A.J. smirked. �Did I tell you? Making up IS the best part of a relationship.�There were fewer fans awaiting the Boys return to the hotel that night. After making certain to sign autographs and talking to each of them, the party of seven headed upstairs to their rooms. On the return trip in the van, they had all vocalized their plans for the remainder of the night. Nick and Brian opted to join A.J. at Karma. �I HAVE to dance on the same floor my Jordan did,� Brian said with a squeal. �And I�m going to pay homage to my Joey Joe,� Nick mocked in a high-pitched voice. The two couples rolled their eyes. �I want to pay homage to my Kristy,� Kevin whispered to the blond beside him. �That is, if it�s okay with you?� She could only nod. �Excuse us.� The others watched as Kevin pulled a blushing Kristy into their suite. Howie and Cheryl bid goodnight to Nick, A.J. and Brian and retired to their own suite. She retreated to the bathroom to change while he did the same in the bedroom. He flipped on the television and ordered the in-room movie, Shakespeare in Love. Cheryl had made no secret of her love for the Bard. Howie remembered all the times he had to sit through the discussions between his girlfriend and fellow Shakespearean fan A.J. The sound of her re-entering the sitting room startled his mind from his thoughts. �Hey, Cher, I...� He stopped talking as he turned and saw her. She walked � or rather, sashayed � toward him with purpose. �My God, she is so beautiful,� he though his brown eyes drinking in the sight of her in a very familiar wine-colored silk pajama top. She sat beside him on the couch and he fingered the collar of the shirt. �You know, I have something in my wardrobe that looks exactly like that?� �Oh, really. I didn�t know,� she teased. He smiled and leaned in for a quick, soft kiss. Cheryl had other ideas as she pressed her body closer to his and the kiss deepened. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she heard him moan softly. Knowing the situation was becoming heated and not sure he would be able to resist if things escalated farther, Howie gently pushed her away. �Your reward for being so cooperative today,� she said breathlessly. He lay back on the couch taking her with him. She stretched out covering half of his body with her own. �You know, I missed you, too. It was so hard to be around you without having the chance to kiss you and hold you whenever I wanted.� She looked up into those irresistible chocolate eyes. �Thank you for everything.� Her index finger traced his lips with a feather-light touch. He took her wrist and kissed the tip of each finger on her right hand. �You�re welcome, sweetie. This weekend has been incredible. I only wish it were longer than two days.� Cheryl cuddled closer as the couple turned their minds to the movie, enjoying the warmth of the companionship.As soon as the door closed behind them, Kevin and Kristy reached for each other. The kiss was slow and sensual as Kevin raised his hands to Kristy's shoulders and removed her jacket. His hands drifted down her arms, easing away the garment. He broke the kiss and turned to hang the coat up, smiling at the look of confusion on Kristy's face as he completed such a mundane chore. His smile froze as he felt Kristy's hands on his back and her lips on his neck. He turned in her arms and drew her lips to his... but Kristy had other ideas. She lowered her head to kiss his neck, her lips traveling to the base of his throat. Her hands now skillfully unbuttoned his shirt and her mouth continued to taste the skin exposed by her handiwork. Kevin moaned and guided her head back up and kissed her deeply. He drew her tongue into his mouth and sucked on it gently, causing Kristy to go limp in his arms and softly whimper. God, he loved that sound she made. With his arms wrapped tightly around her, he moved them into the bedroom, never breaking the kiss. When Kristy finally had her feet on the ground again, she pulled back and Kevin saw the passion, love and desire in her eyes. He knew the same emotions were in his own eyes. He caressed the side of her face and kissed her softly. "I want to make love to you." Although the same thought was going through Kristy's head, hearing Kevin say the words out loud took her breath away. She took a shaky breath and tried to calm her racing heart. She leaned forward and kissed Kevin purposefully, wanting to tell him how she felt, when she knew words would likely fail her. That kiss finally ended and Kevin stared into her amazing hazel eyes, knowing he was doing the right thing. "Which makes this the hardest thing I've ever had to say." Kristy's eyes reflected her confusion and anticipation. "I think we should wait." Kristy frowned slightly. "What have we BEEN doing?" Kevin chuckled. "I know. I just want it to be as special and perfect as you and our love are. I don't want it to be just another hotel in just another city on our tour... and if that means we have to wait a little longer, then I think we should wait." Kristy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Part of her agreed about wanting to wait and make it very special, but the other part of her knew that it would be - no matter when it happened - because she'd be with Kevin. "But Kev, I'm not sure I can wait till the tour is over." When had she become so obsessed with sex? She'd have to say it was the day she met Kevin... and started to fall in love with him. Kevin smiled both at the frustration in her voice and his own similar thoughts. "Oh Angel, there's no way I could last until the tour's over. I was thinking more along the lines of a couple of weeks. We have a weekend off here in a bit and most of us were planning on coming home for it. I know Howie and I had talked about doing something with you girls." Kristy nodded at the proposed time frame. "I've waited this long, I guess I can handle a couple more weeks. At least I'll get plenty of running in." Kevin smiled and kissed his girlfriend on the tip of her nose. "Yeah, working out is one of my 'outlets' too... and plenty of cold showers." He grinned down at the beautiful woman in his arms. "My hot water bill has certainly been lower since we started dating!" Kristy smiled mischievously. "So what do you propose we do now that we're both 'hot and bothered'? Somehow I think a joint cold shower would sorta defeat the purpose." Kevin swallowed at the mental image that prompted. "How about we just get some sleep? That's probably our safest bet."Kevin and Howie bid the girls good-bye at the airport, hanging on to them until the gate attendants insisted the girls board. The guys wanted to make sure the girls didn't leave empty handed and had given them their going away presents on the ride over. Cheryl now carried on a dozen roses - 8 red - and small stuffed puppy dog - that she'd already nicknamed "D2" because he had the same puppy dog eyes as Howie. She kissed Howie one last time, thanking him again for a wonderful weekend. Kristy held a large teddy bear who'd been wearing a gold rope bracelet around one of his paws. The bracelet now decorated the wrist of its new owner, who was thanking Kevin. She also carried a new CD with a couple of Richardson/Butler collaborations for her listening pleasure. "Bye Spunky. Tell your mom and Chris again how much I enjoyed meeting them." "I will Sweetie. I'm going to miss you." "Me too. But I'll see you in a couple of weeks, okay?" Howie drew Cheryl to him for another leisurely kiss. "Angel, don't work too hard when you get back. You need to take good care of yourself, got it?" "Yes sir!" Kristy teased as she kissed Kevin lightly. "I'm serious. Get plenty of sleep, take some long baths - thinking of me while you do, and stay relaxed... I need you to stay healthy - mentally and physically." He knew Kristy had the tendency to bury herself in work so she wouldn't have the time to get lonely. "I need you - period," she teased again as she kissed him thoroughly. Kevin was almost glad she was leaving. She was too much of a temptation for him to resist for much longer. "Next time." "Twelve days." The countdown had begun. The girls boarded the plane, waving good-bye as they disappeared from view. As soon as they had gotten on the plane, Howie pulled his cellphone out. "Polly? Hey, it's me... Kev and I need you to help us with a little something we're planning for the girls..."Next: Chapter 37 |