Chapter 27

Still dozing, she sighed, comforted by the beat of his heart against her ear. She snuggled against the warm, smooth skin, quite ready to go right back to sleep, when she felt the profoundly itchy texture of wool drawn up over her chilled shoulders.

"My God, what is that?" she wondered aloud.

"Sorry," his chest rumbled with an easy chuckle, "It's all I could find."

Her eyes flickered open, staring into a corded neck, speckled with the beginnings of a beard. Carefully, her hand moved to run over his chest to reaffirm that this wasn't all a dream. She couldn't help but smile, when she felt his heart skip. She looked up at him with a growing blush. She was really here, completely naked on top of Philip. She chewed her bottom lip. Now what? What was the protocol here? "H-Hello."

He smiled at her sudden shyness and kissed her forehead. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"Um, yes. I think so…" In truth, she was somewhat confused at what she felt at this very moment. What did one say to her first lover after the fact? Wasn't there some common apprehension concerning the morning after? It wasn't even morning yet.

"I mean," he looked with some concern into her eyes, "Did I hurt you?"

Her eyebrows drew together, pondering this question. Then, she noticed some soreness, where he'd entered her. But the pain was dull now and no match for the growing feelings of contentment, since she'd first woken up in his arms. How could she describe what just happened? She certainly hadn't planned for their first time together to be a literal roll in the hay. But he'd looked so perfect and irresistible, doting over his adoring horse. He'd looked so right. For under that veneer of the cocky, self-assured Kiriakis heir apparent was a kind and generous heart.

She looked back at those deep blue eyes, now wide with worry because of her delay in answer. Following her own heart, she reached for his cheek and led him into a soothing kiss. "I'm alright," she assured and cuddled closer to him. "I guess I don't know what's supposed to happen now."

Relaxed, he ran a gentle hand down her hair and simply enjoyed the feel of her sleek body against his. "Well, the people in the movies sometimes light up cigarettes… though, I never got why." He smiled, when she giggled. "But I think we're doing fine the way we are." His hand moved to glide along her curvy side.

"Are you disappointed that we didn't wait until the weekend?"

"Nope, this worked out just fine with me," he replied with a devilish grin. "Now, I may just be able to sit through everything without picturing you naked… maybe."

Laughing, she rested her chin atop her wrists and looked down into his eyes. "Kiriakis, I'm beginning to think you've got a one track mind."

"And you're definitely on it." He took the playful smack to his shoulder in stride. "Before you took advantage of me, I was going to invite you back to my room, so I could clean up. Maybe grab some dinner. But I think your idea was definitely better."

"Philip!" She felt slightly embarrassed now. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Not only had to given herself quite willingly to Philip, but she had also initiated it.

Yes, she had. Hadn't she? she thought with a satisfied smile now.

"Ok, what are you thinking?" He swore that he felt brain cells die, when she looked at him, like a lioness licking her chops.

She settled back on his chest, hiding an unexpected smirk. Feeling somewhat silly but very pleased with herself. Poor little orphaned Chloe had seduced big shot player Philip Kiriakis. Who would've thought? In her wildest dreams, she certainly hadn't.

But this wasn't about their respective reputations. From the moment they'd met, there was something about him. At first, they'd tried so hard to hate each other, interpreting their underlying feelings for each other as resentment inherent between two such different creatures. She, an enigmatic freak, who strove to go against every convention and was bitter at the world. He, the stereotypical rich, spoiled jock, who cared only about impressing irrelevant people by bowing to convention. But fate definitely had a quirky sense of humor, because she'd never fathomed that she could love anyone as much as she loved him.

She rubbed her cheek against his chest and sighed. Bit by bit, Chloe Lane had gotten to know Philip Kiriakis and he'd gotten to know her. To their surprise and everyone's disbelief, they discovered that they had more in common than anyone could have expected. They both hid behind masks, which they used to confront the world and protect the vulnerability beneath. She lived as Ghoul Girl and he tried to live up to his last name. No one really knew the real people beyond presumption and expectation. Until now.

Now, the only expectation was truth. They'd promised that they'd always strive to be honest with each other, which was not an easy lesson to learn, considering the bet, those dreams, and Brady. But they'd persevered. Now, he belonged to her and she belonged to him. She'd waited so long to believe in someone so completely. With his arms around her, she felt so safe and loved.

Basking in that warmth, she let her eyes grow heavy, as she traced a lazy, curvy pattern on his side. She smiled, when his muscles quivered at her touch. She gave a kiss to his neck and sighed, when she felt his hands roam down to her hips to mold her tighter against him. He murmured her name, before rolling so she was beneath him. His eyes had darkened to a stormy indigo. Then, they met in an ardent kiss, before his lips hungrily ran downward under the blanket.

"Son of a bitch!"

"In your face, Welles!"

"Do that again, punk!"

Belle and Mimi rolled their eyes and let their feet dangle off the bench. Males and their inane struggles for domination. One would think that they were back in the times of saber tooth tigers and cave dwellings with their hopeless competitive natures. One benefit, however, was the view. The boys had stripped off to their undershirts and tanks, which were plastered against their bodies from sweat. Belle tilted her head for a better look, when Shawn ducked down low to evade a check.

"So, what're you doing this weekend?" asked Mimi, wincing when two boys collided in midair.

"Oh, I don't know. Shawn was talking about paddleboating on the pond. He's so sure that they'll open up early this year with the pretty weather and all." Playing the attentive girlfriend, Belle applauded when Shawn made a three-pointer. He flashed her a devastating smile.

"That sounds like fun," said Mimi, shaking her head in amusement, when Jason put Shawn in a playful headlock. "That looks like it hurts," observed Mimi, raising her chin at the short wrestling match.

"I don't think it matters," replied Belle and grunted, "Ooga booga."

The girls broke into laughter and grunted and scratched their sides in imitation.

"Hey," said a glistening Shawn, who hustled over, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," smiled Belle, "Just telling Mimi about paddleboating this weekend."

"You should come, Mimi," suggested Shawn, before he took a swig from his bottle of water, "We always have fun on the water."

Belle cocked a brow. "Yeah, the last time we went paddleboating, we were going so fast that we almost ran over a family of ducks."

"What're you talking about?" smiled Shawn. "Everything turned out alright. We didn't even ruffle a feather."

Belle gave unladylike snort. "Good thing we crashed into a tree limb just in the nick of time."

"Exactly," corroborated Shawn with a wink.

"Oh, Jasey!"

The three turned toward the high-octave strawberry blond, who tittered across the court and threw herself into Jason's arms.

Mimi simply shook her head, as he flashed the Little Mermaid a smile. What did they say about a leopard and his spots? Mentally shrugging, Mimi pulled a glossy magazine from her bag and flipped through it to investigate a possible new hairstyle.

"Oh, come on, Jasey!" whined the girl with a voice that unfortunately traveled with crystal clarity. "It'll be fun."

Curious, Mimi looked up to see Jason, extracting himself from her grip and giving her hand an awkward pat, before returning to the game with his buddies. The girl left in an obvious pout. Once she was out of earshot, a boy joked, "Aw, Jasey! Give the girl a break, man. She is stacked! Damn."

Jason drove in for a lay-up. Unusually deft for his size, he landed lightly on the balls of his feet and said, "That's 32 to 26, dudes." And moved to take the ball back.

Smiling at the feel of her hair across his belly and arm, Philip awoke. She lay asleep, cuddled against him. He didn't want to move. Even if the earth turned upside-down and inside-out, he could've have stayed there forever with her. But his family was probably wondering where he was and would soon send someone to look for him. He'd locked the stable doors, when he'd gotten up to fetch the blankets, but he wasn't willing to take the risk. As astounding as Chloe looked naked, he had absolutely no desire to let anyone else see her this way.

"Hey." He ran a loving hand down that impossibly soft back and waited for her eyes to open. "It's getting late. And we've got an early day tomorrow." His hand cupped her cheek and he gave her a soft kiss. He pulled back and gazed into those eyes he loved so much. "Come on, beautiful."

She nodded. Then, she realized she'd have to sit up without a stitch of clothing on. Another first. What to do now? Somehow, letting him see her in the buff was different, when the glands no longer eradicated all logical thought. Her hands gripped the top of the blanket, while her eyes cautiously darted through the dim light for her clothes.

Noticing her new and endearing reaction, he laughed. He fiddled with the shiny locket cradled in the hollow of her neck. "If you want, I'll cover my eyes. I swear, no peeking." He placed his hands over his eyes. And spread open his fingers as wide as he could.

She laughed, despite herself.

Understanding, he reached out to run a thumb over her cheekbone. "It's ok, Chloe. You can cover up, if you want."

She rested her forehead against his in gratitude. She turned with the blanket wrapped around her, as she reached for her clothes. She heard him dress behind her and smiled again at this almost surreal moment. She'd never thought she'd reach this level of intimacy with anyone. How much farther would they go? she wondered. Now, the possibilities seemed limitless.

Foregoing her bra, she buttoned up her shirt, as best she could, being that some of the buttons were missing. Disheveled but dressed nonetheless, she rose to find her jacket and tucked her bra in the wide pocket. She returned to the stall, where Philip, back in his tank and jeans, folded the blankets. She'd reached down to help him, when he took hold of her wrist. She looked up at him with a curious expression.

"Chloe…" His eyebrows furrowed. "I hadn't planned on tonight…"

She smiled, "Neither had I."

But his eyes remained serious. "I mean, I didn't use anything…"

"Philip." She took his hands in hers. "It's ok. I started taking the pill a week ago."

His eyes widened. "You did?"

"Yeah," she replied, her cheeks pinkening, as she saw his lips curve. "Since that morning in the guesthouse, I wanted to be… prepared."

Relieved and ridiculously flattered, Philip raised her knuckles to his lips. He pulled a straw of hay from her hair. Then, hand-in-hand they walked back to the mansion for some dinner, before he escorted her home.

Chloe sat on the steps of her front porch with eyes drooping against the rapidly rising sun. She slept a good seven hours, but she'd never been much of a morning person. So, she pulled her jacket tighter around her to ward off the morning chill. Her hair braided in a simple French style, she'd decided on a long thick skirt and three-quarter-sleeve cotton top to travel in. The rest of her clothes were in the two bags, which were propped beside her. Her eyes fluttered closed for a bit, when a humming engine glided before her house.

She opened her eyes to see Philip emerge from the shiny black limousine. He smiled at the sight that met him - a sleepy Chloe in a soft lavender outfit. Her elegant face was clean and free of makeup. So, in his characteristic stride, he walked over to her in his white shirt and starched khakis.

"Morning, beautiful." He gave her a kiss in greeting.

She smiled. "Good morning. If we're going fishing, I'm going to have to sock you."

He chuckled and picked up her bags. "Come on." The driver popped the trunk and helped them load her bags next to his. "Thanks, Sebastian."

"You're welcome, Sir, Miss." Sebastian dutifully held open the door for his passengers then closed the door behind him. After everyone was settled, the limo smoothly left the curb.

Watching her eyes still flicker from the remnants of sleep, Philip pulled Chloe to his side and she quickly dozed off. He smiled. Perfect.

So, she didn't know, when he carried her onto the jet and strapped her in. She was dreaming of their magical night in the stables together, when the plane took off and seamlessly cut through the puffy white clouds. When they reached a safe altitude, Philip unbuckled the safety harness and let her rest against him. She sighed, when he kissed her forehead, took her hand in his, and closed his eyes.

Mimi met Belle at the pond later that morning. Indeed, the park service had opened the paddleboat rentals in celebration of spring. Already, a smattering of excited Salemites floated in the bright blue, yellow, and pink boats over the calm waters.

"So, where's Shawn?" asked Mimi.

Belle looked behind her and smiled. "There they are."

"They?" Mimi turned around and sighed.

Dressed in t-shirts and baggy long shorts, Shawn and Jason headed over to the girls.

"Hey," Shawn greeted his girlfriend with a kiss.

"What's up?" said Jason simply, with his hands in his pockets, gazing across the water.

"You guys ready?" Shawn threw an arm around Belle's shoulders and led the group over to the rental booth. "We can play bumper cars with the boats."

Jason grinned at the prospect.

The girls only rolled their eyes but smiled.