Chapter 25

Stephanie smiled dreamily as her eyes fluttered open, her hand reaching out to search for the firm, warm body she had fallen asleep next to. But as her fingers clutched the cold, crumpled sheets beside her, she realised she was all alone. Stephanie lifted her head from the white cotton pillow and pushing her hair back from her face, she looked towards the alarm clock. She was relieved to see they still had a couple of hours until they had to be at the airport. Yawning loudly, she swung her legs out of bed and grabbed her robe as she made her way down the stairs.

The rays of morning sunlight that peeked through the blinds as she walked along the hallway warmed her skin. She smiled at the sight that greeted her as she opened the kitchen door. Paul had obviously been working and was sprawled across the table, his head and arms resting on top of various pieces of paper. His soft blonde strands covered his face like a curtain. Stephanie pulled out the chair beside him and as she sat down, she tucked his hair behind his left ear. His long lashes rested against his cheek as he slept. He looked so peaceful and absolutely perfect to her. Everything about him was perfect and she was reluctant to disturb him, content to just watch him and admire him. But she knew she had no choice but to wake him up if they wanted to make their flight on time.

Smiling tenderly, Stephanie leant across and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She called out his name as she gently shook his broad shoulder. Her only response was a discontented grunt before his head turned to face the other way. She shook his shoulder again, this time a little harder. As he muttered something unintelligible, she chuckled to herself. She had learned very quickly over the last few weeks that Paul most definitely wasn't a morning person. It usually took several attempts to wake him up but he had to get his ass in gear this morning otherwise they were going to be running late. She shook him again and this time his hand reached out to swat at her.

"Go away," he mumbled grumpily.

Stephanie laughed as she got up from the chair. She bent down and brushing his hair away from his face, she whispered in his ear. "Well that's a shame. And to think I only wanted to offer you my services in the shower, you know give you some help with those certain places."

She stepped back and laughed again as his head shot up from the table. Paul looked disorientated as he rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly, leaning back against the chair. A slow smile crept across his face as he came round to see Stephanie standing in front of him. His hand reached out towards her, his voice thick with sleep.

"Come here."

As Stephanie took his hand, he pulled her towards him and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she sat down on his knee. His face wore a gentle smile as he cupped her face with his hand.

"You're nothing but a tease McMahon."

She grinned as she rested her head against his. "Well, I had to wake you up and somehow I knew that would get your attention."

"Hmmm, you know me too well." he murmured into her mouth as their lips met in a slow, lingering kiss. As they broke apart, his arms moved down to slide around her waist. His eyes wore a gentle expression as he simply watched her.

Stephanie saw the tenderness in his deep brown pools and she was touched by his concern. She knew what was going through his mind but she had no regrets whatsoever about last night. She had felt any hesitation disappear the second they began to make love and it had meant so much to her. She also knew how much it meant to Paul too.

"I love you," she whispered. Her fingers ran through his soft, blonde hair as she kissed his forehead.

"And I love you too." Paul hushed stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"Good. Now how about we take this little mutual appreciation society of ours on the road. We need to get moving if we want to make our flight.."

Stephanie kissed the tip of his nose as she stood up, tightening the belt of her robe. She heard the heavy sigh as Paul gathered the pieces of paper together in a messy pile.

"Did you get everything done?" she asked him.

He nodded his head as he stood up, stretching his arms above his head. His t-shirt rode up his chiselled torso exposing the tanned strip of stomach and she absently licked her lips.

"I think so. I'll probably run through it once more while we're on the plane just to make sure."

"Well, if you want to take a shower, I'll make us some breakfast." she offered.

Paul grinned as he pulled Stephanie back into his arms. He had a mischievous glint in his incredible eyes. "I thought you were going to join me and take care of those hard to reach places."

"Maybe later. If I join you now, we'll never make it to the airport."

He smirked, winking at her. "I can make it quick."

"Honey, that's maybe something you don't want to brag about."

Paul scrunched his nose in contemplation. "Good point. I'll go and take that shower now before I tarnish my reputation even further."

Stephanie laughed as he walked away and allowing her eyes to linger until he had disappeared through the door, she began to make a start to breakfast. Humming a tune to herself, she realised was actually looking forward to their trip to New York and to spending some quality time with Paul. And maybe she might be able to persuade him to arrange a night out with Kevin and Melissa too. She missed her friend terribly and wanted to spend as much time as possible as she could with her.

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Stephanie refused to let a single thought about another certain person enter her head. She didn't even want to think about the fact that he would be in the same city because at this point in time, she wasn't quite ready to deal with her estranged husband just yet. And while it was a confrontation she knew she couldn't put off forever, Stephanie was perfectly content to ignore their situation and maybe if she got really lucky or wished really hard enough, the whole thing with Shawn would just simply disappear…..

Stephanie let out a calming breath as the elevator doors opened and her fingers tugged on the bottom hem of her halter top. She was surprised to realise she was actually quite nervous about seeing her work colleagues again. Apart from Melissa and the odd phone call to her boss, she hadn't spoken to anyone else since she had lost the baby. They had been really thoughtful though sending her flowers and cards offering their condolences and best wishes and she had been so thankful for that. Their kind words had been a tiny ray of light in a really dark time.

As Stephanie stepped out into the corridor, she smiled despite her nervousness and saw it was business as usual. People were chattering and running around while the phones rang out incessantly. She put her head down trying to be discreet as she made her way towards her office but it was to no avail. As soon as she turned the corner, she heard someone call out her name.

"Stephanie! Is that you?"

Stephanie groaned inwardly but forced a smile as she turned round to see Dana, the office gossip. She lifted her hand in greeting and was soon surrounded by Dana and two other girls who she recognised but couldn't recall their names.

"You look really well Stephanie considering…well, you know."

She nodded and smiled uncomfortably. "Thanks."

"So is this you back full-time? We've really missed you around here, you know."

Stephanie had opened her mouth to reply when she felt someone tug on her arm and she was relieved to hear Melissa's voice behind her.

"Come on girls. The poor girl is just in the door. Leave her alone."

Dana threw Melissa a dirty look but backed off and walked down the corridor muttering away to her two friends. Stephanie smiled at her friend gratefully before pulling her into a hug.

"God Mel, it's so good to see you."

She stepped back and admired her friend. She grinned as she saw the telltale glow in her cheeks and the sparkle in her green eyes.

"So, getting some on a regular basis obviously agrees with you."

Melissa laughed as she playfully slapped Stephanie's arm. "Watch it you or else I'll call back Dana and her pack of vultures and let them continue to interrogate you."

Stephanie giggled as she began to walk along the corridor with Melissa. She ignored the peering eyes from behind the desks.

"So, on the subject of getting some, how are things going with Kevin?"

Melissa couldn't help the huge grin that appeared on her face at the mention of his name. "Wonderful. I mean, the guy is amazing."

She paused as her eyes twinkled at her friend.

"And you know the guy is like some Karma Sutra God. I never realised there were so many different positions."

Stephanie snorted and shook her head in playful disgust. "That's far too much information for my liking, Mel."

Just then, they reached the door to Stephanie's office. Melissa watched as her friend waited a beat before her hand reached for the door knob and it lingered there. Stephanie stood there frozen to the spot reluctant to enter and Melissa squeezed her shoulder reassuringly sensing what she had to be going through.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." she told her.

"It's okay. I'll be fine." Stephanie said.

Letting out a slow breath, she opened the door and her footsteps were tentative as she walked into her office. She hovered around the doorway and looked around. She saw that thankfully everything had been cleaned up and her desk was clear and tidy. She shivered slightly as she tried hard not to think about what had happened here just a few weeks ago. Her mind was screaming with memories she just wanted to forget. She looked towards Melissa and seeing her concerned expression, she offered her a small smile.

"This is more difficult than I thought." she admitted.

"Hey, it's understandable."

Melissa wrapped her arm around her shoulder and glanced down at her watch. "Listen, it's Friday, it's nearly three o'clock and Mark isn't around to catch me. How about we blow this joint and go for a drink instead? It will be my treat!"

Stephanie laughed in spite of herself. "Living dangerously, huh?"

"And why not? My best friend is back in town and that's as good a reason as any. What do you say?"

She smiled gratefully as she linked her arm through Melissa's suddenly desperate to get out of the office. "I say let's go."

As they closed the door behind them and walked arm in arm down the corridor, Stephanie couldn't help but feel relieved that they were leaving here. Honestly, she had thought she could handle this but she quite clearly wasn't as ready as she thought. She just needed to give herself a little more time. There was no need to rush anything. In the meantime, she would just enjoy spending time with her friend and besides she and Melissa had some serious catching up to do.

Kevin grabbed his phone as it rang out in the apartment silently praying it was Shawn. He had been waiting for him all day and so far, he had been a no show. He hadn't even called yet to tell him when he would be arriving but that was typical Shawn. Although knowing his friend's habits offered him little comfort when he was pacing around this place like a cat on a hot tin roof.

As Kevin answered the call, he tried to mask his disappointment when he heard Melissa's voice reply at the other end.

"Hey baby. What are you up to?" she asked.

He sighed as he flopped down onto the soft blue chair. "Nothing much. What about you?" He paused briefly as he heard the noise at the other end and his lips curved into a smirk of amusement. "Is that singing I can hear in the background?"

Melissa laughed crackled down the phone. "Yep. Steph seems to want to serenade everyone on the sidewalk."

"So, how much have you two had to drink exactly?"

"I'm not sure. I guess we lost count during Happy Hour. So you beautiful man, how would you like to join the party?"

Kevin sighed. He wished he could but he wanted to be here when Shawn returned. God knows he had a million and one things to say to the guy but the question was how he would explain his need to stay at home to Melissa? He tried to fob her off instead.

"I wouldn't want to cramp your style." he told her. "You and Steph just have some fun. I'll catch up with you tomorrow."

Melissa playfully clicked her teeth at him down the phone. "Sorry, but we won't take no for an answer. And if you don't show up, we'll send Paul round. He'll drag your sorry ass out to meet us."

"I didn't realise Paul was with you." said Kevin, surprised.

"He's not. Not yet anyway. Stephanie's just waiting for him to call when he's finished his meeting and then she's going to persuade him to join us too. So what do you say, handsome? Is it a date?"

Kevin pondered over his options. If he didn't go, then Paul would suspect something was up and the last thing he wanted was him coming anywhere near Shawn's apartment. He quickly decided that he would go. He could deal with Shawn when he came back; that's if Shawn was even here.

"It's a date." he agreed. "Where will I meet you?"

He smiled as he heard Melissa cheer down the phone.

"Hey Steph, Kev's coming."

He heard another cheer, this time from Stephanie.

"Tell Mr Million Positions to get his ass down here pronto."

Kevin chuckled and shook his head. Tonight looked as if it would be very interesting indeed especially with two drunken women on their hands. God help him and Paul when they got there.

Paul's eyes scanned the busy bar for Stephanie. He was desperate to see her and was looking forward to a nice, cold beer and a good time. He needed it after the afternoon he had just had. His client had been one major pain in the ass and had basically issued him with an ultimatum. He had to produce brand new plans by the end of next week or the business would go elsewhere. Due to his arrogant attitude, Paul had been tempted to tell him to shove it where the sun didn't shine but he had managed to bite his tongue. Instead he had smiled politely and told him it wouldn't be a problem. He knew he had his reputation to think of and not only that, the deal offered him good money which he would be a fool to turn down.

Just then, he felt a pair of hands cover his eyes from behind. They were warm and soft and her familiar perfume gave the game away as she reached up and whispered in his ear.

"Guess who?"

He smiled and decided to play along anyway.

"Hmmm, Angelina Jolie?"

"Wrong. Guess again?"

"Halle Berry?"

"Nope. One more strike and you're out."

"Well in that case, it must be my extremely gorgeous girlfriend."

He turned round to see Stephanie grinning at him but the first thing he noticed was her huge, glazed blue eyes. He chuckled and shook his head as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Make that my extremely drunk, gorgeous girlfriend." he joked.

Stephanie gave him a kiss before stepping back and smiling at him. Her fingers played with the collar of his white shirt. "So, you think I'm gorgeous, huh?"

Paul smiled and nodded as he clasped her hands in his. "Not that you deserve to hear such things seeing you got drunk without me but yes I do."

His hand reached up, brushing a stray hair from her face. As his lips connected with hers, he heard the shout from across the room.

"For God sakes, Levesque, put her down and come and grab a beer."

Paul shook his head and laughed as they broke apart. Hand in hand, he walked with Stephanie across to the table where Kevin and Melissa sat. He gratefully accepted the bottle of beer that his friend held out to him and smiled as he watched Melissa snuggle into his large chest. Paul winked at Stephanie who sat beside him.

"You were right, babe. They do make an adorable couple."

He burst out laughing as Kevin flipped him the finger and looked round as he felt Stephanie tugging on arm to get his attention.

"Apparently he's extremely talented in bed. Mel says he knows loads of positions."

Paul's nose wrinkled with disgust as he digested that piece of information.

"Steph, please! I haven't even eaten yet and already I've lost my appetite."

"What's wrong Levesque? Are you jealous?"

He grinned as he shook his head at Kevin. However, Stephanie interrupted before he had a chance to answer. She sat down balancing herself on Paul's knee and holding her drink in one hand, she wrapped her free arm around his thick neck.

"I'll have you know that Paul has absolutely no reason to be jealous of any man." she said confidently as she waved her beer bottle in Kevin's direction. She then turned to face Paul and grinned at him, her tongue poking out between her teeth.

"No reason whatsoever. My man is an absolute stud between the sheets."

A few heads turned to stare in their direction as Stephanie's raised voice carried across towards them. Paul dropped his head, ignoring them and instead smiled at the woman sitting in his lap.

"Thanks baby but please, feel free to keep that kind of information to yourself in the future."

Stephanie nodded in agreement as she rose to her feet, albeit a little unsteadily. She held out a hand towards Paul.

"I love this song. Will you dance with me?"

He grimaced and shook his head. "Steph, I don't do dancing."

Stephanie snorted. "Of course you do. Everybody dances. Come on Paul. Please? For me?"

As she looked at him with her wide eyes and pouting lips, Paul knew he was a goner. He reluctantly placed his beer on the table and couldn't help but smile as Stephanie dragged him out onto the dance floor.

Melissa stood up and smiled at Kevin. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back in a second."

Kevin smiled and watched her as she walked away, admiring her legs in her short, black skirt. However, his attention was soon diverted to his phone which lit up as it sat upon the table. As he looked down to see Shawn's name on the caller display, he breathed a sigh of relief that Paul or Stephanie weren't around to see it. He quickly grabbed his phone and made his way towards the exit. He was totally unaware that Paul was watching him as he left.

Stephanie saw he was distracted and that his face wore a frown as he watched the bar entrance. She stopped dancing and curled her hands around Paul's face grabbing his attention. As their eyes met, she smiled at him seductively before pressing her lips against his.

It was all he needed. Paul shut out all the people around them and forgot all about his friend as he felt himself get lost in her kiss. Her lips felt hot and soft as they moved slowly and languidly against his. In fact there was no urgency in the kiss whatsoever. It was like they had all the time in the world and Paul liked to believe that they did because God help him he was head over heels for this woman and he wanted to be with her forever.

Just then the music changed and Stephanie broke the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. She smiled at him as her body began to sway in time to the beat and Paul wrapped his arms around her, pressing her closely against him. His heart raced in his chest as he felt the heat of her skin through the flimsy material of her dress. His eyes closed as he felt Stephanie's breath against his ear, her whispers of love making his body tingle and his stomach pool with his desire for her.

Melissa smiled as she watched her friends on the dance floor. She felt so happy for them, especially Stephanie. She had been through so much lately with Shawn and the baby. Hopefully now, she would find peace and love in her new life with Paul.

She was so wrapped up in watching them that she failed to see Kevin return from outside. He only caught her attention when he sat down beside her. She gave him a smile as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Where did you get to?" she asked him curiously.

Kevin smiled as he placed his phone back in his jacket pocket. "It was a call from Bill at work." he lied not wanting her to know it had been Shawn. Unfortunately his had rung off before he could answer but he had called back leaving Shawn a message and warning him about Paul. He didn't know what else to do. He felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"There were a couple of problems with deliveries but I got them sorted." he embellished.

Melissa smiled as she turned back round to watch Paul and Stephanie. She tried hard not to think about Kevin returning to Miami. It had only been a few weeks but she had gotten used to having him around. In fact, she was pretty certain she was developing genuine feelings for him. Kevin would be the first guy in a long time that she actually cared about. She had floated from relationship to relationship always looking for the man she could find herself settling down with. But now that she'd found him, it looked like it could be over before it had a chance to begin.

Shaking her head lightly, she decided not to dwell on it. She would enjoy the time they had together and worry about it later. After all, he hadn't mentioned going back to Miami any time soon. And with any luck, he just might not be.

Stephanie grinned at her friend as she led Paul back to the table. "So, does anyone fancy something to eat? I'm starving."

She turned round to him and winked at him.

"All that dancing has given me an appetite."

Paul grinned as he pulled her back towards him. "You can say that again. I'm thinking of skipping the main course and going straight for the dessert."

Stephanie giggled as he leant her back in his arms and began to place soft kisses on her neck.

Kevin stood up and Melissa quickly followed. He smiled at her as he helped her on with her jacket.

"So, where's the best place to eat around here?"

Melissa shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Wherever we can get in, I guess. There's not a lot of places round here that you don't have to book to get in on a Friday night." She grabbed her bag from the table and she smiled at Paul and Stephanie. "Unless you guys want to come back to mine and get some takeaway? There's great Chinese food in that place around the corner."

Stephanie nodded her head and turned to smile at Paul. "What do you think? Mel's apartment is only a few blocks from the hotel."

Paul nodded his head. "Anywhere is fine by me as long as we can pick up some beer along the way."

Melissa smiled and nodded her head. "That's sorted then. Let's go."

The four of them walked out the bar and along the street. Kevin ignored his phone which continued to vibrate silently in his pocket.

The movie finished and shifting in his seat, Paul yawned and looked across at the sofa. Kevin and Melissa had their arms wrapped around one another and were fast asleep and they weren't the only ones. Stephanie also had her eyes closed beside him as her head leant against his shoulder. He smiled gently as he brushed back her hair and swore she looked like an angel as she slept, the same angel who he had to somehow try and get back to the hotel.

As Paul lifted his wrist and glanced at his watch, he groaned seeing it was after two. It was definitely time to leave, especially when he had a meeting set up for ten o'clock the next morning. He gently removed Stephanie's head from his shoulder, carefully placing it down on the cushion and stood up looking around the living room for his jacket. He needed his phone to call a cab and it was in the pocket. He then remembered Melissa taking their jackets and placing them in her bedroom.

Tiptoeing out of the room and along the hall, Paul opened the door and switched on the light. He smiled as he spotted his jacket lying across the bed. As he got closer, he could hear a vibrating noise and soon realised it was coming from Kevin's leather coat. Paul reached into his pocket to retrieve it. He guessed it must be important for someone to be calling him at this hour and maybe he'd better check just in case it was problem at work and he had to wake up Kev.

As Paul lifted the phone and looked at it, he saw Shawn's name scroll across the screen. His top lip curled into an angry snarl and the blood beat in his ears as his finger jabbed at the button and he answered the call. He slowly brought the phone up to his ear and his stomach churned as he listened to the voice at the other end.

"Kev, where the hell are you, man? I'm back at the apartment now. I've been calling you for hours."

Without saying a word, Paul hung up the phone and threw it down on the bed. His face was like stone as he pulled on his jacket, flicking his hair over the collar. But while he was void of emotion on the outside, on the inside it was a different story. His whole body was trembling with his anger at the thought of the man who hurt Stephanie and the man who he held responsible for killing his unborn child. And now Shawn was back in New York which meant he had a score to settle.

Without looking back, Paul walked out of the bedroom and the apartment while everyone else slept on, blissfully unaware that he had left to find Shawn…