Smoldering Desire

by Desiree Day

  Shepherd looked up and caught Devin staring at her, she boldly held his gaze. Her lips curved up into a smile then she winked at him. He inhaled sharply at her boldness. He broke his gaze only when Farrah’s father stood up and began his speech, Devin respectfully listened to him.

  A longing mixed with emptiness stirred in Devin as he listened to the different speeches about marriage and love. He surveyed the group of people in the room, he had learned that a majority of them were either married, engaged or in long-term relationships. He, Shepherd, Mackenzie and three other men were all single.

  After dinner, Devin beelined to Farrah to apologize for being late; and he wisely remained quiet while she went in on him about the importance of punctuality and not to be late for her wedding tomorrow. As soon as she had her say, he backed off and looked for Shepherd. He found her talking to one of the single groomsman. Devin sidled up next to her then hugged her tightly.

  “How’s it going?” he asked when the man scurried away.

  Shepherd rolled her eyes at the departing man before shrugging out of Devin’s embrace. “So you made it.”

  “Too much dancing last night. You know after eleven o’clock this room turns into a club.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  “I’m surprised you weren’t here.”

  “I was tired last night and went to bed early, I might hang out tonight.”

  “Can I talk to you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Um someplace a little more private, maybe the deck.”

  “Sure. Let’s go.” They said their goodbyes and Farrah reminded them again about being on time tomorrow.

  They rode the elevator to the highest deck. While they were eating dinner, the sun had set leaving behind a velvety black sky with just a sprinkling of stars. “It’s so beautiful out here.” Shepherd stood at the railing staring at the sky.

  Devin nervously cleared his throat. “I just want to say I’m sorry for what I did to you.”

  “What did you do?” she asked playing stupid.

  “You know what I did.”

  Shepherd crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side. “I don’t remember, tell me.”

  Devin flattened his lips. “I cheated on you,” he mumbled.

  “Why?” she asked, after she had caught him cheating, she didn’t want to see or talk to him, even after his repeated attempts to do so. But after a decade of not knowing, she was ready to hear what he had to say.

  Devin leaned against the railing. “I was young and horny, she didn’t mean anything to me, she was just a body. You were going to be gone for a month and in men’s time, that’s a lifetime. And I thought I could get away with it,” he admitted.

  “You probably would’ve if I hadn’t come back early,” she said dryly.

  “Looking back on it, I was kinda glad that you showed up.”

  “What! You wanted me to catch you in the act?” Shepherd asked incredulously.

  Devin shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. It made me more sensitive about cheating. I never cheated on anyone after that. For years I kept seeing the expression on your face when you caught me. And I never ever wanted to do that to anyone else again. Are you still mad at me?”

  “That was years ago, I’ve moved on. It’ll be kinda sad if I was still mad at you, don’t you think?”

  “Okay, so you’re not mad, how do you really feel about me?”

  “They always say that the predictor for future behavior is past behavior, and you were shitty to me, so you figure it out.”

  “I told you that I never cheated on anyone else, you were the only one.”

  Shepherd snorted. “Oh, lucky me.”

  “Yeah, in a way you were. I want us to be friends.”

  “Oh, we’re cool.”

  “Can we hang out during the cruise?”

  Shepherd considered his question; this was the second time he had asked her that. “I guess.”

  Devin bit back a retort. “Do you want to hang out with me in St. Thomas?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Can I get a hug?” Shepherd frowned. “As friends…a friendly hug.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I guess.”

  Devin opened his arms and looked expectantly at her. Shepherd hesitated a moment, she breathed deeply then stepped forward. Devin’s arms wrapped around her and because she was so stiff Devin felt like he was hugging a log. Oh, baby, soon I’m going to have you melting in my arms.

  CHAPTER 5

  “Hot dresses, huh?” Shepherd said to Mackenzie. “I can definitely wear this after the wedding, maybe even one night on the cruise.”

  “They are hawt!” Mackenzie said while admiring the black halter top thigh length dress. “Farrah did a good job picking out the bridesmaids’ dresses. I bet Devin’s eyes are gonna pop when he sees you.”

  Rita had applied their make-up right before they had gotten dressed and they both looked like they were ready for a magazine photo shoot. Shepherd’s stomach dipped and she knew that it wasn’t from the boat’s motion. “He wants us to be friends,” she said softly.

  Mackenzie motioned to her bed, and they sat down. Shepherd would have preferred to go out on the balcony to enjoy the view, but she didn’t dare for fear of messing up her hair. But their stateroom was comfortable, with two twin size beds, a huge mirror and dresser; it more than served its purpose.

  “Is that what you want?”

  “Friendship would be nice,” she admitted. Last night she tossed and turned thinking about her and Devin’s past and whether he had really changed. Seeing him again had reopened old wounds and insecurities that she had thought were long gone.

  “What happens if he wants you to do some skinny dipping?”

  “Hey, I’m so up for that. It’s been a year since I’ve been with a man and—”

  “A year, damn girl. A year?” Mackenzie wrinkled her nose.

  “Well sex isn’t recreational for me,” Shepherd quipped.

  “Humph, it sounds like if Devin wanted to give you some exercise, you’d be asking when and where.”

  Shepherd laughed. “So true. I won’t turn him down. Did you notice how fine he looks and his muscles, damn I would love to see him nekkid.”

  “Girl, you’re just as bad as me, you just ration yours out.”

  “That’s true. Ready for a wedding?”

  Shepherd’s gaze flitted to Devin while Farrah and Markus said their vows. He looks so handsome, she thought to herself. Farrah had the groomsmen dress in cream colored linen suits with cotton candy colored button downs.

  Shepherd’s thoughts drifted to her and Devin’s walk down the aisle. She had hesitated when it was their turn to make their way down the abbreviated aisle. Devin had held out his arm and she lightly grasped his elbow and they strolled down the aisle together. She had closed her eyes for a brief moment…a very brief moment and imagined that it was hers and Devin’s wedding. Is he thinking the same thing? Shepherd had wondered when they parted; he had seemed reluctant to let her go.

  After the wedding they took the necessary pictures and on more than one occasion Shepherd found herself pressed against Devin.

  “Our girl looks so happy doesn’t she?” Shepherd asked Jada. Farrah and Markus were on the dance floor; and Farrah was looking lovingly up at her new husband while dancing to a Whitney Houston song.

  “And beautiful,” Jada added. “She waited a long time for this. I think she had her wedding planned a month after she met Markus. She knew that he was the one for her.”

  “She is beautiful. Rita did a phenomenal job with her make-up and that dress shows off her figure perfectly.” Farrah glowed in her off-white halter, mermaid dress. Shepherd focused her attention on her friend. “You’re looking good, too.”

  Jada actually giggled and Shepherd smiled at her. “This is the best vacation we’ve had in years. I love my children, but Paul and I needed some adult time. This is the first time in ages where we can sleep as long as we want,
walk around naked and make all the noise we want without worrying that our kids might hear us,” Jada admitted blissfully. “If it wasn’t for the wedding we wouldn’t even have gotten out of bed.”

  “So…are you?” Shepherd asked with bated breath.

  “I am,” she whispered happily.

  “So you’re happy about this?”

  Jada nodded excitedly. “Yeah, I know I wasn’t at first, but now that I know that we’re having another baby, I’m ecstatic. It’s going to be tough but we have our parents to help us out with babysitting.”

  Shepherd leaned over and hugged her friend. “Congratulations, girl. I’m happy for you. Where’s your hubby?”

  “Getting drinks.” Jada held up her hand when she saw that Shepherd was about to protest. “Non-alcoholic for me.”

  “I know that, just a knee-jerk reaction I guess,” she sheepishly admitted.

  “Not a prob everybody does it. So where’s your man?”

  Shepherd blushed and glanced down; she nervously ran a hand over the dress’s smooth fabric. “I don’t have a man,” she mumbled but Jada still heard her, despite the loud music and conversations going on around them. Shepherd looked in the crowd for him, she found him dancing with Mackenzie.

  “But he can be for the cruise, then you can decide what you want after that.”

  “Look at you, being all nasty,” Shepherd joked. “But seriously, I need to think about what I want. It’s kind of hard to make a decision so soon after not seeing him for ten years. I really want to get to know him again.”

  They watched as the dance floor filled up. Farrah’s and Markus’s wedding reception was officially over; the ship had opened the doors allowing passengers in to party.

  Jada stood up. “I’m going to look for my hubby; we’ll finish our drinks in our bedroom.” With a wink to her friend, she sauntered off in the direction of the bar.

  Loneliness washed over Shepherd, she looked into the crowd, but since it had thickened, she no longer saw Devin or Mackenzie. She sighed then leaned back in her chair. “I guess I’ll get a drink too.” She got up and walked over to the bar, where she ordered something to drink.

  “I got that,” a voice said over her shoulder. Shepherd turned around and found herself facing a chest; she craned her neck up and found a pair of blue eyes smiling down at her.

  “Oh thanks,” Shepherd said gratefully then introduced herself.

  “I’m Marco. Traveling alone?” he asked.

  Shepherd grinned at him, admiring his sun-kissed skin, shiny black hair and dazzling white teeth. “I am, I was part of the wedding.” She jutted her chin toward Farrah and Markus.

  “She’s a pretty bride, but not as stunning as you.” His eyes leisurely roamed over her body, then stopped at her breasts. She suddenly had the urge to cross her arms over them, instead she turned toward the bar, taking them out of his view.

  Marcos noticed and chuckled to himself. “Want to dance?”

  “No, I’ll just enjoy my drink right now. Thanks for asking,” she demurred; she knew that he wanted more than dancing. She placed her elbows on the bar and began drinking, dismissing Marco.

  “Shepherd,” a voice said in her ear causing a shiver of desire to slide through her and pool at her mound.

  “Devin,” she said, trying to keep her voice from showing how he had affected her.

  “Want to dance?”

  “I’m talking,” she said stubbornly. She turned to Marco who had half-turned away and was focusing on his next target, sensing a second chance, he eagerly faced Shepherd.

  Devin grabbed her hand. “Let’s dance.”

  Marco, who was watching the scene through narrowed eyes, wrapped his arms protectively around her shoulders. “She said she doesn’t want to dance.”

  Devin stared him down. “Pull back dude.”

  Shepherd shrugged Marco’s arm off her. “It’s okay. I’ll dance with him.” She knew that she wasn’t interested in Marco, nor did she want them to fight over her.

  Marco shrugged and dropped his hand. “Cool.”

  Shepherd let him lead her onto the dance floor.

  Shepherd looked up at Devin. “You’re so wrong trying to be so territorial,” she admonished, but she secretly liked it.

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “You could’ve waited until I was free.”

  “That would’ve taken all night; I saw the way the other men were looking at you.”

  “You need to be patient.”

  “Another time, but not tonight.” He held her possessively against him and Shepherd closed her eyes and moved to the music. After thirty minutes of dancing they were both thirsty. “Let me get you something to drink, I’ll be right back.”

  “Sure. I’ll look for an empty table.”

  “Kinda overdressed for dancing,” someone shouted in Devin’s ear and he jumped. He turned toward the voice and found an attractive white lady with blonde hair grinning at him, her eyes were glassy and her words were slurring a little. Under normal circumstances he would’ve talked to her…but not tonight, not with Shepherd waiting for him.

  “I was in a wedding,” he answered, then turned away ignoring her. He looked for the bartender. He had given him his drink order but he had disappeared.

  “Yours?”

  Devin sighed. “No, a good friend’s,” he answered, and her lips curved up into a large predatory smile. She inched closer to him.

  “You’re cute, wanna dance?”

  “No thanks.” He glanced impatiently down the bar for the bartender.

  “Wanna go to bed?” She snuggled against him, rubbing her breasts against his arms.

  Devin leaned away. “Oh, hell naw!”

  “I’m Candi, what’s your name?”

  “Devin,” he answered automatically.

  “Devin, you’re cute and I’m horny, let’s go back to my cabin and get to know each other better.”

  “I don’t think so.” He looked up to see the bartender coming toward him with his drinks. “Thank you,” he said gratefully, then picked up his drinks.

  “Then just kiss me before you go.”

  “Hell no!” he said firmly.

  “Hell yes!” Before Devin could stop her, Candi pressed her mouth to his. Devin struggled against her. If he didn’t care about spilling the drinks on her, he would’ve pushed her away.

  “Where is he?” Shepherd sliced her way through the crowd and ambled toward the bar. She was halfway there when the crowd seemed to magically part, showing Devin kissing another lady. An image of her pushing open his door to find him screwing another girl flashed in her head and she almost fell to her knees. Instead, she caught her breath, squared her shoulders and marched over to Devin. “Oh, I see that you really changed.” She glared at him before she turned on her heels and stormed through the crowd.

  Devin pushed Candi away, the drinks sloshed on her clothes. “Get away from me.”

  “Hey!” Candi yelled.

  Devin placed his drinks on the bar and raced after Shepherd.

  “Oh well, I can’t get every man. At least I have something to drink.” She picked up one of Devin’s abandoned drinks and began sipping it. She peered into the crowd. “So who will I be going to bed with tonight?” Candi spied Marco; she pushed away from the bar and sauntered over to him.

  Devin caught up with Shepherd at the elevator. The doors opened and luckily he caught her before she stepped in.

  “Where’s your friend?” Shepherd snapped.

  “She’s not my friend. I don’t know that lady.”

  “But yet you were kissing her?”

  “Yes—I mean no. She was kissing me. I was standing at the bar, waiting for our drinks and she just kissed me, I didn’t encourage her, I didn’t lead her on, she just kissed me, right out of the blue, honest.”

  “You expect me to believe that?”

  “I do. She was drunk; she was looking for a vacation fuck. I was it; I bet if you go back to the club, she’ll be slobbering all
over some other dude. Besides how stupid would I be to kiss a stranger with you and all our friends nearby, that’s just begging for an ass kicking. I said I changed and you got to believe me. Do you believe me?”

  Shepherd thought about what he just said, it made sense to her. “I guess,” she said grudgingly.

  Devin didn’t press for a better response, if he was honest with himself, he’d be skeptical too if he was in her shoes. “Cool. Let’s go on the deck.” He found that he liked talking under the open sky while the ship seemed to crawl across the water. He found it all relaxing and romantic.

  Once they were on deck he wasted no time in getting close to her. He pushed her against the railing and laced his hand in her hair, pulling her toward him. He lowered his mouth to hers. “I want you, Shepherd.”

  She pulled away and peeked up at him. “Devin?”

  “Don’t tease me.”

  “I’m not teasing you. What happened to being friends?”

  “Friends kiss.”

  “They sure do. Just like this.” She pecked him on the cheek. “That was a nice friendly kiss.”

  “You’re kidding right?”

  “Nope.”

  “I want to taste your lips,” Devin breathed against her mouth.

  “Sure.” Shepherd puckered her lips and swiped them against his.

  Devin groaned. “Stop playing with me girl.”

  He cradled the back of her head then he raked his fingers through her hair, bobby pins fell to the deck, her hair tumbled down to her shoulders. He pulled her to him, stared in her eyes, his gaze questioning. Shepherd’s lips turned up in acquiescence.

  Devin lowered his mouth to hers and he groaned softly when her lips softened under his. He tenderly kissed the corners of her mouth and he felt her smile, and he paused long enough from his kisses to return it. He gently sucked on her bottom lip. Wanting to taste him, Shepherd opened her mouth, inviting him in. A moan slipped out when Devin slid his tongue in her mouth. She shivered with desire as his tongue grazed hers. Devin pulled on her tongue and eagerly sucked it.