PREVIOUSLY

“I was just thinking,” he said, purring into her ear. “If this is your idea of taking it slow, I don’t think I’ll survive when you pick up speed.”

She opened her eyes, grinning at him seductively. “Well, start thinking of your epitaph, because I’m not finished with you yet, Manning.” Their lips met again, softly, but with the promise of more pleasure yet to come.

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“That’s it, Delgado,” said Todd, trying to be supportive in spite of the fact he was sure they were going to go hurtling off the road any minute. “Brake and downshift at the same time….What the? This is a sportscar, not a meat chopper!” Téa glanced over at him from the driver’s seat with a scowl on her face. Inwardly, she was amused. Todd was actually trying his best to teach her to drive his precious Ferrari, but it was obvious that concern for his prized possession was warring with his desire to please her.

The day was spectacularly lovely as they raced down a deserted country lane, leaving a wake of colorful fall leaves flying into the air behind them. Téa was in heaven at the wheel of the magnificent driving machine. The man she adored was beside her, and she felt a deep sense of satisfaction, both personal and physical. Nothing like making love all night and falling asleep in your lover’s arms to put a little extra glow on an autumn morning. And the gorgeous scenery provided by the showy colors of the surrounding woods didn’t hurt, either. Looking at Todd out of the side of her eye, she decided to take pity on him.

Carefully downshifting so as not to upset him further, she slowed the car and pulled into a turnout, parking it behind a couple of trees so it was all but hidden from the road. She turned off the ignition and swiveled to face her companion. “What are you doing Delgado?” he asked in confusion. “I thought you wanted to drive back to Llanview?”

“I do,” she said unlatching her seatbelt. “But I thought we could use a little break.”

Todd looked warily around the surrounding woods. “Here? Why not wait and drive though the McDonald’s when we reach the turnpike?” Téa hissed in exasperation.

“Because it is so much prettier and….private here,” she said enigmatically as she pulled a wicker basket from behind the seat. “I had the kitchen at the Bayberry pack us a picnic before we left.”

“Good, ‘cause I’m starved,” said Todd sliding over to the driver’s side. “Give me a sandwich, will you?” he said, fumbling with the keys. Téa stared at him in shock.

“Todd, I said a picnic, not a to-go meal,” she said emphatically. She pulled out the quilts she had purchased at the Apple Festival. “Let’s find a nice quiet spot and eat.”

“You mean outside? On the ground with the bugs and squirrels and stuff? Why?” Téa stomped her foot.

“Because, Manning, it’s supposed to be romantic, although one would never know it, the way you’re acting.” She turned on her heel and started trudging through the thick leaves. Calling over her shoulder she said, “If you want to eat, you’d better hurry up, or I’ll feed it all to the chipmunks.” Rolling his eyes in frustration, Todd leapt smoothly out of the Ferrari and grudgingly followed along behind.

When he caught up to her, Téa had found a nice spot next to a little brook and spread out one of the quilts over the bed of soft leaves blanketing the floor of the woods. Todd threw himself down on it and leaned his back against a heavy tree trunk, stretching his long legs out in front of him. He watched her closely as she bustled around, smoothing out the quilt and brushing away any stray leaves. She looked naturally beautiful, dressed in a southwestern patterned red wool sweater over a cream colored mock turtleneck. Her bluejeans fit her like a glove, showing off her trim waist and hips to perfection. She had her hair brushed up away from her face and loosely clipped back, exposing her earlobes, which he found himself longing to nibble.

Téa looked up from her chores and was somewhat disconcerted to find him studying her so closely. “What?” she asked self-consciously, glancing down to check her appearance and then back up to his shining hazel eyes.

“Come here,” he ordered in a hoarse voice, holding his arms open. With a contented sigh, she crawled over the quilt and nestled comfortably against his smooth black leather jacket. They lay there a moment, listening to the pleasant sound of the gurgling brook. Then Téa became aware of soft kisses at her temple, brushing light as a butterfly over her eyelids and the bridge of her nose. With a deep groan, she tilted her head back, exposing her throat to the same exquisite torture.

“I thought you were starving,” she said in a far away voice.

“I am,” he mumbled against her shoulder. He shifted her position so she was sitting in his lap faced away from him. He caressed her neck. “You know, Delgado, I once saw a picture of a picnic in an art book. The guys were sitting around in these black suits and top hats and the chicks were naked.”

“Ah yes, the Le Dejuner sur l’Herbe,” said Téa dreamily. “I’ve always found it kind of erotic.” Suddenly she sat up straight and turned her head to look at him with wide eyes. He was smirking at her. “You’re not saying…you don’t want…”

“Why not? You’re the one that wanted the stupid picnic. May as well make it interesting.” He began to tug her sweater down over her shoulders.

“But Todd, that was in France in the middle of the summer…it’s…it’s…cold here.” He lightly brushed the peaks of her breasts with his fingers, watching in satisfaction as the nipples came to attention.

“There are certain advantages to the cold, Téa,” he said huskily, pulling the turtleneck over her head. Téa hugged herself lightly against the chill of the shadows, now kneeling before him in her bra and jeans.

“Todd,” she said uncertainly, but relaxed as he pulled her into his arms. He rubbed at the gooseflesh prickling up and down her arms, nibbling at her lips. Then he gently reached behind her and unsnapped her bra. After stripping it away, he held her slightly away from him by the shoulders, eagerly drinking in the sight of her naked flesh. She was definitely cold, all right, or maybe something else. She sat docilely as he unbuckled her belt and unzipped her jeans, pulling her to her knees as he tugged them over her hips. He pushed her gently down as he reached to her feet to pull off her boots, then finished removing her pants. Disposing of her socks, he again pulled her to her knees in front of him, holding her arms out to the side as he examined her body, head to foot. She wore plain white cotton panties, which he found to be a tremendous turn-on, but he wanted her completely naked. With a final flourish, he pulled them down, over her legs and off. Téa trembled slightly as he stared at her, finding it immensely erotic to be stripped totally naked in front of her fully clothed lover.

After taking in every detail of her quivering form, Todd slowly reached to the side, picking up the second quilt. Shaking it out, he draped it lightly around her shoulders, providing her a little warmth, but leaving her body open to his view. “Now, where’s my lunch?” he growled seductively. With a shy grin, Téa began rummaging in the basket.

A short while later, Téa lay nestled contentedly against Todd’s chest, the quilt wrapped tightly around her and held in place by his arms. Lazily, she reached out an arm and picked up a segment of sliced pear resting nearby on a plate. Leaning away from him slightly, she dipped it into some red wine and slowly brought it to his lips. He nibbled at the fruit, letting the juice and wine dribble from his mouth. Téa licked it away, then locked her lips to his in a searing kiss. He returned her ardor, holding her tightly by the shoulders as he probed her mouth with his tongue. Teasingly, she pulled away and took up another wine-soaked pear slice. She shifted position, straddling his lap, causing the quilt to slip down her shoulders a bit. This time, she held the fruit to his lips, but pulled it away as he bit for it, whisking it to her own mouth instead. Eyes locked to his, she sensuously nibbled at the pear, letting the juice and wine drip onto her naked breasts. His breath quickening, Todd pulled her to him, lapping at the sweetness that glazed her shimmering orbs. To her delight, he lingered over the nipples, pulling at them with his teeth, sucking them into sensitive peaks of pleasure. Téa groaned and arched back, holding his head to her chest as she reveled in the feeling of his soft hair caressing her exposed flesh. She could feel his desire growing beneath her through the fabric of his jeans. Breathing hard, she latched on to the last of her self-control and reached for another pear segment.

She gasped as Todd reached out and grasped her wrist, suddenly tipping her over onto her back. Quick as a flash, he was on top of her, covering every inch of her body with fiery kisses. “I’ve had enough fruit, Téa,” he growled against her ear. “I see something else I want for dessert.” Téa relaxed against the soft quilt, the chill of the afternoon forgotten. She looked into the beautiful foliage of the trees above her, until the ecstasy of her body caused her to close her eyes tightly, the pleasure over-shadowing every other sensation.

Afterwards, she lay with Todd collapsed on top of her, gently stroking his hair as they both recovered from the pinnacle of their passion. She wondered if she would ever be able to enjoy a picnic again without feeling Todd’s lips on her naked flesh and his fingers caressing every inch of her body. She didn’t want to find out.

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Todd made a great show of struggling with Téa’s numerous bags and packages as he helped her carry them down the hall toward her apartment. “Jeez, Delgado,” he complained, “is there anything you actually didn’t buy at the Apple Festival?” He sounded peeved, but secretly he was ecstatic that she had invited him to her home. He just wasn’t ready to let her go yet. They had parked the Ferrari in the locked parking lot of her building, using a vacant spot that belonged to an elderly lady who didn’t own a car.

“What are you complaining about, Manning?” asked Téa, keeping up the good-natured teasing. “We had to leave most of my stuff behind to be shipped, including my new Shaker rocker. You and your precious sports car…if we’d had a nice SUV we could have brought all my things back easily.”

“Sorry, but I don’t do SUV’s,” said Todd. “The ‘Family Truckster’ is just not my style, Delgado.”

“But Starr is playing soccer this fall, and all the soccer moms and dads have them. You don’t want her to feel left out, do you?” said Téa in a playful, whining tone. She set her bags down to the side of a door and fished through her bag for her keys. After unlocking the door, she turned to Todd. “Can you come in for a while?” she asked nonchalantly. Secretly, she was hoping to prolong the date. She just didn’t want the magic of their reunion to end.

“Uh, sure,” said Todd in an even voice as he followed her inside, successfully hiding a broad grin. After passing the threshold, he unceremoniously dumped all the bags in a heap on the floor. Téa shook her head in amused annoyance, carefully setting her burdens on an old ladder-back chair sitting by the door. Todd walked into the middle of the living room, looking around curiously at the furniture and knick-knacks. “This is nice, Delgado,” he said, sounding a bit surprised. “I guess moving to Angel Square wasn’t such a bad idea.”

“Todd, it isn’t the place, it’s the company,” she said. “I’ve made some wonderful friends here in this apartment building. It kind of reminds me of my grandmother’s place back in New York.” Walking into the kitchen, she asked, “Do you want a beer?” After getting a positive response, she returned a few moments later to find Todd sitting in the padded window seat, staring at the street below. “See anything interesting?” she asked with a laugh, handing him the beer. She sat down next to him, curling her feet under and taking a sip of her own beverage. Outside, the beautiful autumn afternoon was turning gloomy as a few gray clouds obscured the sun.

Todd looked up, seeming distracted. “No,” he said slowly, taking a swig of the beer. “I just have this weird feeling, you know?” Téa reached out and took his hand in her own, squeezing it tightly.

“Aren’t you happy, Querido?” she asked softly. She looked deeply into his eyes, hoping she wouldn’t find any regrets there. Todd startled, surprised by her question.

“Happy?” he asked. Suddenly he put the beer aside and scooted closer, taking her in his arms. “Look, Téa,” he said breathlessly. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ‘happy,’ whatever that means. But I know I never want you to be sad again, and I’m going to try to make sure that everything is the best it can be for you, OK? You…you make it better for me…you help me forget all the bad stuff and let me be myself…and…and you aren’t scared.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “I love you, Téa.”

“I love you, too,” she said, squeezing him tightly and laying her head on his shoulder. After a long moment of enjoying their closeness, Todd pulled away slightly.

“Téa, I know we said we’d take things slow and not mess up this time…but…but…I don’t want to be away from you anymore. You don’t know what it meant for me to wake up yesterday and know that both you and Starr were with me. It…it felt like home for the first time. Please….” Suddenly, he jumped up and melted to his knees. “Marry me again, Téa,” he said, whispering.

Téa bit her lip, fighting back the tears. It was the fourth time Todd had proposed to her, and something told her that this time it was right. She reached out a hand to him, pulling him back into her arms.

“Yes,” she said simply.

“Yes?” said Todd, totally surprised. “You…you mean yes?” Téa nodded, smiling shyly. Smiling back, he held her tightly to him. “I was afraid, you know, that you’d say you needed more time, or wanted to wait some more. I’m ready, Téa, I’m really going to make it work this time!” She pulled back and carefully took his face between her two hands, staring intently into his face. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Todd? Are you ready to trust me? Can you tell me the truth and believe that I’ll stand by you, no matter what? Because if you can’t…if it will be more deception and hiding, then there really is no point to this, is there?” For a long moment, their eyes were locked together.

“Delgado, you know I screw up a lot, and…and trouble just seems to follow me around. But I know now that I won’t survive without you in my life. So, I’ll trust you, and tell you everything, but you have to promise you won’t run out on me the first time I disappoint you. I…I need to trust you too, Téa.” After a long pause, her face lit up in a tearful smile.

“I won’t leave you again, Todd. I promise.” She leaned in and their lips met in a tender kiss. Todd crushed her to him, his heart full.

“So, how soon can we get married? Do you want the whole hoopla again? Because anything you want, you got!” he prattled happily. Téa chuckled at his enthusiasm.

“No, I think something nice and private, with just our close family would be best,” she said dreamily. A thought struck her. “You know, I’ve never met your other sister, Tina, and her kids. Want to invite them?” Todd sighed heavily.

“I really miss CJ and Sarah…I’ll bet they’re so big now. Yeah, sure. Let’s invite them. But take it from me, after you meet her, you’ll know why I kept you away from Tina.” He chuckled wickedly. “Hey! What about your brothers? They coming to the wedding?” Téa shrugged her shoulders.

“Who knows? I’ll try to track them all down, but I’m not sure they want to be found, you know?”

Throwing his hands out to the side, Todd said, “I don’t care who is at the wedding, as long as you show up, Téa. You and Starr.” They came together passionately, clawing their fingers through each other’s hair and sealing their lips together in a deep kiss. Slowly, they stretched their bodies along the window seat, running their hands over their partner’s form, pushing at the clothing that lay between them.

A loud pounding sounded at the door, and they pulled away from each other in surprise. “Who could that be?” asked Téa in exasperation as she rolled off Todd and straightened her clothes. “It’s the middle of the afternoon…usually no one is around.” She walked to the door, patting nervously at her hair as Todd sat up, breathing heavily and secretly cursing the intruder. Téa flung the door open, preparing to send whoever was on the other side rapidly on his or her way. She stared in shock at what she saw.

“Counselor,” said John Sykes coldly, immediately noticing her dishevelment. He was flanked by two uniformed police officers. “We want Manning, and we know he is here.” He looked into the room behind her, seeking his quarry. Téa’s eyes narrowed in anger.

“This is getting so old, John!” she spat. “Must you constantly harass him because you’re angry I chose him instead of you?” Sykes chuckled coldly.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Counselor,” he said in a nasty tone of voice, “but I was over you about ten seconds after you walked out on me in that restaurant.” He took a step forward, staring down at her menacingly. In a low voice he said, “You just wouldn’t listen to me, would you? You went running back to that beast in spite of my warnings. Well, Téa, now you can pay the price.” He pushed past her roughly, followed by the two cops. “Where is he?” he hissed.

Téa grabbed his arm, yanking him around. “You’d better have a warrant, John, because I’ll…”

“I don’t need a warrant. He’s wanted for questioning and I saw him come in here. That’s reasonable cause for entering the premises.”

“How dare you!” shouted Téa. “I’ll file suit against the department so fast…”

“Never mind, Delgado,” said Todd unfolding himself from the window seat and coming forward. “What’s this about, Syko?” he asked with a scowl. “Did I jaywalk or something?”

Sykes stepped forward with a triumphant grin, getting right in Todd’s face. “You’re wanted for questioning in the bludgeoning death of Michelle Phelps on January 2, 1984 in Chicago, Manning. We’re taking you down to the station.” He gestured to the two uniformed policemen who moved forward.

“All right, that does it, John!” shouted Téa angrily. “Get out of here now! This is just your idea of a sick joke. Peter Manning killed the girl, and you know it! The Chicago police declined to pursue the matter further.”

“That was before some new evidence surfaced, Counselor. Seems your boyfriend here found it convenient to blame his poor, dead father for his own heinous crime, using a fake recovered memory to make it all believable.” Todd clenched his fists at his sides and moved closer to Sykes.

“That’s a lie! If there is any new evidence, I can guarantee it’s phony and you’re behind it, Sykes. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out.”

“Listen, Manning. I’ve got two detectives from Chicago flying in as we speak, and they want to talk to you. Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

“I’m under arrest?” asked Todd, unable to keep a slight tremor out of his voice.

“No, but the Chicago Police want to question you. You can cooperate and come down to the station with us now, or we’ll get a warrant and throw you in the slammer and ask the questions later. Your call.” Todd looked miserably toward Téa. She moved next to him, sliding her hand around his back to soothe him.

“Todd, I think you should go with them,” she said in a soft voice. “I’ll call Sam and have him meet us there. Don’t say anything without him there. Tell the truth and this will soon be over.”

“They’re trying to frame me, Delgado,” he said with a catch in his voice.

“They can’t do it without hard evidence, Todd, so just cooperate and answer their stupid questions.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

“You’ll come with me?”

“Yes, I’m with you all the way.”

Sykes snorted. “We’ll see about that once you’ve heard the new evidence, Counselor. Something tells me you’re going to be feeling like a fool again, just like you were when I had to pick up the pieces after this lowlife left you broken by his lies.” Téa glared at him through narrowed eyes. Grabbing her sweater and purse, she took Todd by the arm and walked with him through the door, followed closely by Sykes and the cops.

A cloud covered the sun, plunging the deserted apartment into gloom. The rumble of an approaching thunderstorm echoed ominously around the deserted rooms, as the pile of treasures from the Apple Festival remained where they had been dropped, completely forgotten.

TO BE CONTINUED IN THE SERIES "HEAVEN"

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