|
Everything Your Heart Desires Chapter 40 Howie awoke early the next morning and gazed lovingly at the woman beside him. He reached his hand to stroke her soft red curls. Cheryl unconsciously snuggled closer to him in her sleep and he smiled at the gesture. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the roses sitting atop the table in the corner. �Love is definitely what I feel for her. Why did I wait so long to tell her?� After finishing dinner the night before, the couple packed up everything and hand-in-hand walked slowly back to their cabin. Neither one talked, instead enjoying the comfortable silence and the loving companionship. Upon their return, they dressed in sleep attire and curled into each other�s arms before falling asleep. Prior to the trip, Howie had made plans for this day but quickly decided to toss them aside. They didn�t matter. All he cared to do that day was spend it with Cheryl. The two of them could lay in bed, sit on the beach� go shark fishing. He was content as long as they were together. �Damn, leaving her again is going to be so hard.� He brushed his lips across hers, watching her eyes flutter open and listening to her sleepy feminine groan. �Howie?� He smiled. �Morning, Sparky,� he said, leaning in to kiss her nose. Her lips formed into a grin as the fog of sleep lifted from her mind. �Good morning, D.� Cheryl snuggled closer. �What do you say we stay here today � in bed?� �Do you want to invite the dirty comments from Kristy and Kevin�s imaginations?� �Hey, we�d know the truth. Let them talk. I just want to enjoy your company as long as I can.� �We can share each other�s company while we stroll the beach.� �Actually, I was kind of hoping for a good breakfast.� �Nope� no �spontaneous� walks to scavenge for strategically placed food this morning� Why don�t you go use the bathroom to dress and I�ll stay in here.� Howie pulled his arms away from her and gently pushed her toward the edge of the bed. �Come on, Sleeping Beauty.� �Wrong princess, HOWARD!� �Well, Ariel sleeps with the fishes so to speak� not a good analogy.� She laughed. �Okay, I give.� She kissed his nose as she turned toward the bathroom. Howie had already known about Cheryl�s innocence. After saying the �L� word, they�d returned to the cabana and had another long discussion about expectations and experience before retiring to their bed. He wasn�t about to rush her into an uncomfortable situation. Just because they�d made the jump to a higher emotional level in their relationship didn�t mean that the physical aspect had to follow at the same speed. The time would come when they would both be ready. Howie was ready to admit that, although he was more experienced and felt an attraction between them that equaled that of a magnetic field, he wasn�t comfortable making the jump so quickly either. After dressing, the two decided to walk the beach before it became too crowded. They stopped in the cove where they had shared their intimate dinner the night prior. Now they sat watching the seabirds diving for their breakfast. Howie pulled her close while she rested her head on his shoulder. Cheryl sighed. �Okay, that�s it. I�m kidnapping YOU, Dorough. We�re staying here. Those teenyboppers will have to live without Howie D.� He chuckled. �Oh? And how much would you want for ransom?� �Hmm� let�s see� you�re worth � two pennies?� Cheryl replied mock seriously. �Oh that hurts.� �Yeah? What can I do to make it up to you?� She straddled his legs. �Don�t tempt me, girl.� �What? You mean like this?� Cheryl leaned into his body for a kiss. He groaned. �Resisting temptation is going to be harder than I thought.�When Kristy awakened, she saw a pair of green eyes staring intently at her. �Wipe that grin off your face, Richardson.� �What? What did I do?� �Plenty. Do I have to recount it all for you?� �Why don�t you just show me the important parts?� he teased. �If I do that, we�ll be here all day.� �What�s wrong with that?� Kevin sounded shocked. �There is nothing wrong with that.� �Well, I�m starving� I need breakfast.� She paused for dramatic effect. �Besides we can�t have Kevin Backstreet too tired to give a concert because of Kevin Richardson�s weekend exploits. Think of those rumors.� �Oh, okay, you take all the fun out of it,� he pouted. �I don�t think anyone could do THAT!� Kristy said, throwing on a robe as she swung out of bed. Half an hour later, Kevin � in denim shorts, white wifebeater and a white oxford � and Kristy � in denim short-alls and a green t-shirt � were walking hand-in-hand down one of the island�s white sand beaches. Kevin gazed at the beautiful blond by his side. �This weekend has been better than I ever imagined.� His thumb caressed the back of her hand as he listened to her talk about how she was adjusting to her job and all the different personalities with whom she worked. He loved the way she told a story and lilt of her voice. In actuality, there was nothing about her he didn�t like aside from the fact that he had to be away from her all the time. �Hey, isn�t that Howie and Cheryl?� Kristy asked, interrupting her own tale of lunch with an overzealous drug representative. Kevin tore his gaze away from her profile to look in the direction she pointed. �There isn�t another Latino and redheaded couple on this island that could look that happy.� �It should be illegal to be that happy.� �In that case, Officer Butler, I should be arrested because I am just as guilty.� He leaned in for a long thorough kiss. �Okay, that is something that will make me lose my breakfast� and I haven�t even eaten yet,� Howie joked, holding his stomach with his free hand. Cheryl slapped his shoulder playfully. �Be nice.� �I am.� He cleared his throat loudly. When Kristy and Kevin finally finished their kiss, he offered, �Would you like to join us for breakfast?� Kevin�s gaze continued to hold Kristy�s. �Sure.� Howie and Cheryl made the pointed gesture of walking toward the cabanas, but the other couple remained steadfast in their position. �Um, guys? SEXY AND SPUNKY, BREAKFAST!� �Huh?� Kevin was finally awakened from his trance. �Oh yeah, we�re coming.� �What do you suppose is up with them?� Cheryl asked as she and Howie led the way back to �civilization�. He shrugged halfheartedly then grinned at the smiles on his friends� faces. �Although�� He wiggled his eyebrows; Cheryl smiled knowingly.The two couples were seated at the table on Howie and Cheryl�s veranda, before them was a breakfast of fresh fruit, muffins and bagels. Howie stabbed a triangle of cantaloupe, took a bite of it himself before offering the rest to Cheryl. She then placed a piece of her orange-cranberry muffin in his mouth. �Kind of counter-productive but I certainly enjoy the food more this way,� he commented. Cheryl nodded. They glanced toward Kristy and Kevin and their eyes widened. As much fun as they had been having feeding one another, it was obvious that the other couple had the practice down to a flirtatious science. Kristy, for one, was nearly sitting on Kevin�s lap their chairs were so close. A glance under the table would have revealed her leg resting over his and her naked foot massaging his calf. Above the table, their blue-green eyes were locked, never wavering. Howie and Cheryl watched as Kristy ran her tongue slowly over her bottom lip before biting suggestively into a ripe strawberry. Kevin cleared his throat then swallowed hard. He stood, pulling a somewhat surprised Kristy with him. �If you�ll excuse us,� he said, not removing his eyes from the woman beside him. Without much more of an explanation, the couple returned to their cabana. The last sound heard was a distinctly feminine giggle. Howie cleared his throat and swallowed � unconsciously mimicking Kevin�s reaction just minutes before. �Don�t you get any ideas, Dorough,� Cheryl warned. He shook his head. �I wasn�t thinking anything of the sort.� He caught the pointed gaze she threw him. �Okay, okay, so I did for a second. Dammit, I�m a guy. I�m supposed to be hormonal. �Actually,� he continued. �I could use one of three things.� �And they are�� �A cold shower or a jog on the beach.� �Wait a minute� you said three things.� Howie raised an eyebrow. �I did, didn�t I?� �HOWARD DOROUGH!� Cheryl punched his shoulder playfully. �What say you and me take a hike around the island instead?� She leaned in for lingering kiss. �Mhmm, sounds good.� �On second thought, I need a cold shower first.�Next: Chapter 41 |