Rachel stepped off the bus back out into the cool evening air. "So is everything ok with the real estate biz?" she asked as they walked along. "Nothing bad going on I hope?"
"Nope, everything's fine," he assured her. "John just looks for reasons to come out and meet me somewhere. He loves travelling and would probably pack up and come along with me if I'd let him," he chuckled. "He's a great guy though. It was nice having another guy in the family to help me combat my older sisters who were always wanting to play dress up with me!" he smiled at the memory. "I always wanted to run and hide when it was time for their tea parties!"
Rachel couldn't help but grin at him. "Aw, I bet you were adorable," she said, nudging him playfully, laughing even harder when she saw him roll his eyes.
"Well... ok, yeah I pretty irresistible. It's true! Why deny it?!"
Rachel laughed and ran off ahead in front of him, into a little park. "Catch me if you can, sweetloned!"
"O-ho, flamegirl, here I come!"
Howie set off after the ephemeral creature in front of him, his heart beating, his breath coming fast as his body pumped into motion. Whew, she was pretty fast! He heard the tinkling melody of her laughter from the darkness ahead. He was filled with a rush of energy, pure adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Te quiero, mon amor..." he puffed under his breath. And he did want her, with his heart, body and soul.
Rachel flew through the night, feeling like a teenager doing something forbidden and thrilling. She heard Howie's footsteps echo behind her, and it spurred her on faster. She pulled the comb from her hair and let it billow behind her like a banner.
Howie pushed it... just a bit more... and finally caught up with Rachel. He reached out for her arm and she spun, falling into a panting pile beneath him. For several breathtaking seconds they just stared into each other's eyes, both of them too winded to speak. And just as suddenly as he had caught her, Howie dipped his head and claimed her lips with his, tasting their sweetness. After a moment of shocked panic Rachel relaxed into the kiss, returning it with as much fire, and more.
+++
Myumi made her way slowly toward the crew bus. What she really longed for was some time alone, but that was a rare commodity during a tour. As she walked she saw Howie and the writer walk out of their bus. She watched in the dark as the writer broke away, Howie giving chase. Whew.
With a little sigh of loneliness she resumed her walk toward the bus. There was a sound from the other bus and she looked over. AJ walked out and stuck a cigarette in his mouth. He watched Howie and the woman run into the woods. slapping around, he was clearly looking for a light.
"Damn." he said turning to go back on the bus.
"Um..." said Myumi nervously, "I have some matches."
AJ turned and squinted out into the darkness, taking the smoke from his mouth. "Who's out there?" he said.
"Mr. McLean, I have some matches." Myumi walked forward slowly, holding out the packet of matches in shaking hands as if holding a piece of meat to a rabid dog.
+++
Several moments later Rachel felt Howie pull back and saw him smiling down at her, his brown eyes sparkling. "Whoa...I mean....whew...." she managed, still somewhat speechless, laying her head back against the grassy covering, still feeling the warmth of his body pressed lightly to hers. "And I'm totally out of shape," she panted. "I'm glad you finally caught me, or I probably would have passed out," she laughed lightly.
"Ditto," he agreed with her, finally moving so that he was sitting beside her. He took her hand and helped her sit up, catching her eyes again. "I hope I didn't overstep my boundaries just then," he admitted, a bit worried. "Part of me has been wanting to do that no matter what, the other part was being too logical about it."
Rachel smiled at him, the flush still in her cheeks from the exertion of running and the excitement of Howie's kiss. "You didn't overstep anything," she told him, suddenly a bit shy. "I'd be lying if I tried to say that I didn't want you to do that since I met you," she said as she fidgeted with some blades of grass nervously. The evening breeze blew past, tossing her loose curls around. She felt Howie reach out and tuck a stray strand gently behind her ear and out of her face.
A sweet smile curled the corner of his lips at her admission. "I'm glad," he sighed. "I was worried so much about doing the wrong thing, I realized AJ was going to sweep you right out from under me. Good thing John talked some sense into me. I just didn't want our work relationship to suffer, and vice versa. There's a connection here that I can't explain with words Rach, if that makes any sense." He saw her nod and he reached over, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Now we should probably head bake before they send out the search party," he grumbled, taking her hand and helping her up from the cool grass.
As they walked back it seemed to Rachel as if there was an electric current running through their joined hands. Kissing Howie had been
remarkable, even more magical than she had imagined... and she had imagined it plenty.
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