Smoldering Desire (2 page)

“There’s always a cheesy plastic trophy involved in these things.”

“It’s mine,” Mackenzie said confidently.

Shepherd snorted.  “Yeah right.  Now be quiet, they’re telling us the rules.”

Mackenzie rolled her eyes at her friend but listened intently to the cruise director.  As soon as he was done,
Brick House
by the Commodores began playing.

“Oh, this is me.  I got this,” Shepherd said and began dancing; everybody disappeared as she immediately lost herself in the music. 

Twenty minutes and five songs later Shepherd clutched the coveted plastic trophy.  “Told you,” she said to her friend, gloating.

“You got lucky.  I’m just warming up.  We have six nights left, so be prepared to lose.”

“Ha! I doubt it.”

“I see you still like to dance.”

Shepherd froze at hearing the familiar voice, it’d been ten years, but she would recognize it anywhere.  He still has that sexy country drawl, she thought before turning around to face her ex-boyfriend.  “Hey D,” she replied casually.

“Hey Devin.” Mackenzie leaned in for a hug.  The old friends embraced.

“Hey Mack, looking good.”

“Thanks.”  She turned to Shepherd, her back to Devin, she arched a questioning brow.  Shepherd knew her friend would stay if she needed her to; all she had to do was give a signal. 

“I’ll catch up with you later,” Shepherd said freeing her friend.

“Yeah, much later, there’s a cutie by the bar I want to talk to.  Bye.”  Mackenzie sauntered away.

“I see Mack hasn’t changed,” Devin said.

“And she’d better not; I love her just the way she is.”

Devin chuckled.  They silently regarded one another.  “You’re looking good girl,” he said softly.  And she did, when they were dating, she had gained the freshman fifteen and then some.  After she graduated from college she had joined a gym and lost twenty-five pounds and after a decade she had kept it off.  With her rigorous gym schedule she had a body that allowed her to wear practically anything and look stunning.

“You too,” she said while admiring his muscled biceps and even though his shirt hung loosely on him, she could tell that his stomach was ripped.  “Nice cut, it shows off your curly hair.”  During college he had practically shaved it off; he didn’t want to be thought of as the pretty boy.  But being bald only emphasized his phenomenal bone structure.

“Thanks.”  He nodded toward the small tables.  “Wanna sit down.”

“Sure.”  En route to the table, Shepherd motioned for a waitress.  “A strawberry daiquiri.”  She glanced at Devin.  “Want something?”

“White wine.”  Shepherd reached for her ship credit card but Devin was faster, and passed his to the waitress.  “I got it.”  They slipped into their chairs; Devin stretched his long legs out in front of him.  “So what have you been up to?”

“I’m a product manager at Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.  It’s cool, busy as hell, but I like it, the pay is good.”

“So you’re in Dallas…cool.  I’m in Atlanta.”  The waitress brought their drinks and Devin returned his card to his pocket. 

“What are you doing there?”  Shepherd asked then took a sip of her drink.

“Real estate.  I buy homes then rent them.  It’s cool, I have about twenty properties.”

“That’s cool D, you were always an entrepreneur.  During college you were always hustling.”

They laughed at the memory.  He took a sip of his wine, and studied her over the rim of his glass.  He set it down and stroked its stem.  “I’m sorry to repeat myself, but damn girl you are looking good.” 

Shepherd smiled at him before bringing her glass up to her lips, and took a long drink.  “Thanks D.  I’d better go now,” she said.  Shepherd stood up and suppressed a chuckle when she saw the shadow of disappointment that crossed his face.

“So I’ll be seeing you again right?”

“Of course, there’s the rehearsal dinner tomorrow then the wedding the day after that.”

“I mean after all that, we’re going to be on the ship for seven days.”

Shepherd shrugged nonchalantly.  “We’ll see.  Talk to you later.”  She waltzed away and she knew with every fiber in her body that Devin was watching her.  “Devin, have you changed or are you still the asshole that broke my heart?”

CHAPTER 4

Devin strolled into the small club, he had overslept which made him half an hour late for Farrah’s and Markus’s rehearsal dinner.  It looked like they didn’t wait for him; everybody was working on their dinner, surf and turf.  He gave an apologetic smile to Farrah who stopped chewing just long enough to glare at him. 

Devin made it to the middle of the floor then paused to look for an empty seat.  His eyebrows shot up with surprise when he saw that the only free chair was at Shepherd’s table.  He steeled himself then calmly made his way across the room and settled into the seat.  Shepherd grinned at him; she had seen the murderous look Farrah had shot him.  Moments later a waitress magically appeared and placed his surf and turf in front of him. 

As he ate, Devin studied his surroundings while trying not to look in Shepherd’s direction.  He knew from personal experience that the space was used as a conference room or a reception area during the day and as a club at night. 

But no matter how hard he fought it, Devin eventually glanced at Shepherd, and once he started, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.  Fortunately for him, all eyes were on Farrah and Markus.  He unconsciously licked his lips while his gaze roamed over his ex-girlfriend.  Devin took in her shoulder-length curly hair, her full lips slicked with gloss, and her sun-kissed bare shoulders.

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.”