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Everything Your Heart Desires Chapter 37 Cheryl and Howie sat in the backseat of Kevin�s 4Runner, snuggled together as they pulled out of the girls� � and Howie�s � complex. Kristy occupied the front passenger seat, her hand in Kevin�s as he expertly steered his SUV with one hand. �Honey,� Kristy said in a sugar-coated voice, �Since we�re on our way now, how �bout you guys tell us where we�re going.� The guys had arranged it with Polly for her to pack bags for the girls ahead of time, and had only told Kristy and Cheryl when to be ready for their �kidnapping�. Kevin brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. �I don�t think so.� Howie chuckled, and Kristy caught Cheryl�s eye in the mirror. Cheryl leaned into Howie and nuzzled his neck. �Sweetie, if you tell me, I�d be very thankful,� she purred. Howie thought over her offer for a split second, �How thankful?� Cheryl turned his face to hers and whispered, �Mmmm, VERY thankful,� before leaning in for a long, thorough kiss. Howie looked down at his girlfriend as the kiss ended, a smile playing on his lips, �Very nice, but sorry. No can do.� He and Kevin chuckled. Cheryl groaned, making Kristy giggle more. �So much for the power of female persuasion.� �Personally,� Kevin started, sending Kristy a provocative sideways glance, �I�m looking forward to you showing me how thankful you are once we get actually there.� Kristy smiled knowingly and simply arched her eyebrows in response. �Hey now you two, remember there are others present,� Cheryl chuckled, causing her friend to blush slightly. Kristy leaned forward and turned up the AC. �Feeling a little warm there Kris?� Cheryl teased, and laughed harder as she received a squelching look from her roommate. �So,� Kristy said, changing the subject, �Co-pilot gets to be DJ, right? Where�re the tunes?� she asked as she opened Kevin�s CD case. �Actually, I burned a couple of CD�s for the trip,� Kevin said, handing her a small box with a gold ribbon around it. Kristy grinned as she opened the small gift. Kevin had clearly put some effort into this, because the �cover art� for the CD�s was a compilation of pictures of them taken over the past couple of months. �Ohhh,� Kristy sighed as she lifted each one and looked it over. �Something tells me Kevin is going to get �thanked� for this later,� Howie said laughingly. Cheryl chuckled, partially from the comment and partially from Kristy and Kevin�s reactions. Kristy�s mouth and eyes widened slightly, not because she was shocked by what Howie�d said � her and Cheryl�s minds weren�t all that pure � but because HOWIE had said it. Kevin grinned, and could have looked quite smug, if he hadn�t also looked so genuinely happy. Kristy opened one of the CDs and placed it in the player. As the first few notes of music filled the vehicle, Kevin quickly reached for the eject button. �Uhh, not that one.� Kristy looked at him curiously. �That�s meant for later,� he said softly. Kristy�s pulse quickened over the meaning behind his words. Now it was her turn to look smug, but she didn�t let it last for long. She replaced the CD with one of the others, and leaned over and kissed Kevin on the cheek. �Until later.�Cheryl stepped through the French doors out onto the private patio of their rustic cabana while Howie tended to �some details�. The guys had taken them to an island off the Florida coast via ferry and had rented cabins there for the weekend. It wouldn�t have been every woman�s idea of a romantic getaway, but Cheryl and Kristy thought it was perfect. What the cabins lacked by way of electricity and twentieth century conveniences, they more than made up for in charm and privacy. Cheryl was looking forward to a weekend without TV�s, phones, pagers, computers or traffic. She walked forward on the deck, a warm breeze gently rustling her long linen skirt and matching blouse. The blue of the material made her incredible blue-green eyes seem even brighter, and they sparkled as she looked out over the ocean and sky. �Howie, come see this sunset!� she called out, and jumped slightly as she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her waist. �One step ahead of you,� he chuckled in her ear. Cheryl relaxed against his muscular frame, and took in the sounds, smells and sights around her. She absolutely couldn�t remember ever being this happy. Even though they�d been together for almost two months, just being close to Howie could still make her heart race. Howie breathed deeply the heavenly scent of Cheryl�s perfume mixed with the tropical flowers surrounding the patio and the clean ocean air. This was his idea of paradise. Great scenery, wonderful atmosphere, and the woman he loved in his arms.Kristy and Kevin wandered through their cabana hand-in-hand, patiently listening as their bell-boy explained the different features the rustic resort had to offer. Kevin was tempted to excuse the young man so they could finally be alone, but decided to demonstrate a little self-restraint. His resolve began to crumble as the teen showed them the master bedroom and bath. Kristy caught Kevin�s eye as the boy talked on about the history of the island and glanced towards the king-sized bed that dominated the room. Kevin let his thumb sensually stroke the inside of her palm, and smirked as he watched Kristy�s eyes drift shut and her chest rise as she took a deep breath. They followed the young man into the large bathroom, neither one paying the slightest bit of attention as he described how the cabins were built. They stared into each other�s eyes, both acutely aware of the other�s closeness. Kevin slowly shifted his eyes towards the old-fashioned claw-foot bathtub, knowing Kristy had followed his gaze. He frowned slightly as Kristy released his hand and stepped across the room. She sat propped on the ledge of the tub, her short cotton skirt falling gently to her mid-thigh, exposing shapely tan legs. Kevin watched her intently as she ran her hand along the edge of the cool porcelain towards the faucet. The teenager paused, catching Kristy�s actions if not their tone. He stepped forward to show her how to turn on the water. Kristy let the water run over her fingertips, her gaze holding Kevin�s. �And even though the cabins don�t have electricity, they do have solar water-heaters. To adjust the temperature, you turn this part,� the boy explained. Kristy shook her head, her incredible blue-green eyes never leaving Kevin�s. �No, the temperature is just fine.� The young man�s forehead creased, as he stared at the beautiful woman sitting before him, �But the water�s cold.� A smile played on Kristy�s lips as Kevin grinned back at her, �I know, but I�m feeling very warm.�Next: Chapter 38 |