Chapter Two
"You know," Antonio began breaking through the lingering silence between him and Shelly as the band finished their latest set onstage. The jukebox slowly replaced the melodic beats changing the tone that had prompted Shelly to bring him out onto the dance floor to begin with, "it would appear that fate is telling us that our dance fever is about to be cut short."
"Only if you are feeling worn out," she squeezed her arms around his muscled torso offering up a playful wink, "but truth be told, I'm not through with you yet."
"No?" he lifted a curious brow as she smiled up at him.
"Not by a long shot," Shelly promised with a sinfully wicked grin sweeping over her beautiful features, "but I suppose we can put dancing on hold for a few minutes before I really start wearing you out."
"So this is a prelude of things to come," Antonio reasoned surprised at how easy flirting with her turned out to be as he winked down at her, "because I should probably warn you that once you get me started, I'm pretty insatiable."
"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind when we get back to the table and have the eyes of your brother and the woman with him upon us," Shelly leaned in towards him, stepping up on her toes as she collected his lips in a teasing nip tugging on his lower lip as her fingers slid into his dark hair coaxing his lips into sweet surrender as she let out a faint murmur, "So what do you say?"
"I don't understand why you're doing this," he blurted out as his arm curled around her crushing her soft curves against him as he found himself hating to let go of such a moment, "but truth be told, I am enjoying this very much."
"Of course you are," she breathed in a throaty whisper, "and I wouldn't want you to have it any other way."
"Still…" he began as she slipped out of his reach lacing their fingers together as she guided them towards the table. Somehow this mysterious, beautiful woman had inspired an optimism in him that he was certain that he wouldn't be feeling again in this lifetime. Now as she lead him across the pub, he half wondered just how far he'd follow her as the taste of her still lingered upon his life. Tonight was most certainly looking up he reasoned. Then again, as he cast a glance over at the corner booth were Luis and Sheridan had sat down to enjoy a romantic moment, he realized that perhaps this was a lesson in torture at the same time.
"Forget about them," Shelly urged as she took her seat across from him at the table. He reluctantly dropped in across from her sliding more comfortably into the booth, "They really aren't worth it."
"How can you be so sure?" Antonio questioned as she casually glanced over in their direction.
"Well for starters any woman with eyes can see who the real prize in the family is," Shelly confessed with a hint of a smile as her dark eyes swept over him in a very appreciative perusal.
"Yeah Luis," Antonio frowned thinking about the way life had taken him down the quickest path to misery as fate had managed to have him wind up in love with a woman who'd wanted nothing more than to be with his brother.
"Wrong Sparky," Shelly shook her head at him scowling at his words, "You've got so much more going for you than he does and hey if Blondie can't see that, well her loss is my gain."
"Now you're flattering me," Antonio watched as she brushed her finger tip over the top of his hand in an intimate gesture.
"Why would I need to?" she arched a perfectly sculpted brow, "I just call it like I see it. That's how it works with me Sparky."
"What's with Sparky," he frowned leaning in towards her as their eyes connected.
"You don't like it," her full lips curled in a mock pout, "and here I was hoping we'd reached a point in our relationship where pet names were appropriate."
"That all depends," Antonio suppressed the urge to smile as he sought out her hand lacing their fingers together.
"On what?"
"Well, on whether or not this works both ways," he answered simply, "I mean if I'm Sparky, then well, I would imagine that it would be fair play for me to give you some kind of pet name although I suppose that would be moving a bit fast considering that I only learned your real name less than an hour ago."
"Hmm, that would be kind of pushing the limits there on this relationship early on," she pretended to think it over, "but I suppose that a nickname couldn't hurt if and only if I approve."
"Now wait just a minute," Antonio gave her a sideways glance, "I'm Sparky and I didn't get a say in that."
"I'm a woman," Shelly answered with a hint of laughter in her voice, "and it's my prerogative to have a say in what terms of endearment you bring my way."
"But Sparky is something I'm just stuck with because that's the way the cards fell," he shook his head at her, "I hardly see the fairness in that."
"Well that's the beauty of it," she eased across her seat sliding out of the booth as she rose from the table just long enough to slide in beside him making herself comfortable, "I seldom play fair."
"I have a feeling I'm getting into a whole new world of trouble with you, aren't I," he questioned as she eased her arm out over the back of the booth, sliding her fingers over his shoulder as she batted her eyelashes up at him.
"Somehow I get the feeling that I'm just the kind of trouble you need in your life," she answered confidently as she tilted her eyes up towards him.
"I'd have to say the verdict isn't out on that one just yet," Antonio confessed a broad smile sweeping over him as his fingers teased through her dark hair.
"Hmm, well let's see if we can work on changing that," she suggested leaning up towards him capturing his mouth in a barely there, seductive hint of temptation. His fingers fanned out over her cheekbone tasting the warmth of her against his mouth as she let out a soft murmur leaving one last lingering moment of passion between them before she pulled away from him with a confident smile, "Well?"
"Luscious," he offered in a low whisper.
"Luscious," she repeated in confusion as his index finger brushed up against her silken skin.
"That's what I'll call you," Antonio nodded in confession, "because that's what you are."
A tiny bubble of laughter swept over her as she slid in closer to him, "And you're drunk, aren't you?"
"Not as drunk as you think I am, though I suppose right about now that would be a good enough excuse to use for my inappropriate behavior huh," he paused lifting his finger from her cheek as he drew in a breath, "I'm not usually like this."
"I'm not complaining," Shelly reached for his hand placing it against her face once again, "and right about now, I think you're doing beautiful here."
"You're the beautiful one," Antonio blurted out unable to believe that he'd found himself in this position. Somehow this night was anything but a typical night in the life of Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald and even now as he looked to the beauty before him thinking of the ways in which he'd been flirting shamelessly with her, he realized that this wasn't the life he'd been living. This ease at which this situation with her unfolded was the most atypical thing that he'd ever come across in his lifetime and yet in the same instant it felt strangely wonderful.
"I'll bet that Blondie over there is thinking about what she gave up," Shelly offered leaning in towards him as she motioned towards the table that Luis and Sheridan were seated at, "They can't seem to keep their eyes off of us."
"I think that's got something to do with you," Antonio confessed his voice a whisper as he tried to be casual in taking a look at Luis and Sheridan.
"It's got everything to do with you," she argued with him, "I mean I'm sure finding you with someone else was the last thing they expected right about now, huh?"
"Honestly," seriousness fell over his tone as he thought of the situation he'd found himself in lately, "I don't think they imagined I'd be in anything but misery and truth be told, I figured I'd spend a lifetime there once I lost Sheridan."
"Sheridan," Shelly repeated, "So that's the name of the woman who made perhaps one of the biggest mistakes in the world."
"She's an incredible woman and if you stay in Harmony long enough you'll find that the biggest mistake she made was me," Antonio sighed painfully as he slumped back in his seat.
"So what happened?" Shelly inquired.
"Luis is her soul mate," he turned his attention to the drink before him plucking it up from the table top and dropping back the cool liquid finishing off the drink before looking back to her, "I just got in the way."
"Hmm, well maybe that was fate trying to tell you that you were the one making a mistake," she shrugged her shoulders repositioning herself beside him, "I mean why would you want a woman that was clearly incapable of loving a man like you? Where I come from, most women would love to find their own handsome hero waiting in the wings. Come to think of it that kind of man is more of a myth than reality."
"So where is it that you come from exactly," he questioned turning the focus off of himself and his misery.
"Minnesota," she answered with a bit of a frown, "at least part of the time, but I've been pretty much everywhere in my lifetime. New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Port Charles…"
"And what prompted the visit to Harmony," he questioned in a bit of a slur, "I mean other than your sister of course."
"My sister is the one reason I'm here," her eyes narrowed as a frown touched over her lips, "I have to find her."
"Which brings us back to what we were talking about before," Antonio thought to their introductions, "You said that you hired that jerk to help you find her."
"Something like that," she nodded.
"And your last name is Lambert and I would assume that she has the same name…unless of course she's married," Antonio reasoned.
"She was married," Shelly confessed as a darkness shadowed over her beautiful features, "once upon a time…"
"You don't sound too happy about that," Antonio noted, "I take it you have a less than savory tale to tell as well."
"Let's just say that my sister threw her life away on the wrong men," Shelly offered with a huff, "She followed around the silly notions of soul mates and love for eternity and it wound up destroying her. She had it all and she lost it all because she fell in love with the wrong man. She gave him her heart completely and in the end, she was left with nothing but misery…"
"That's something I relate to," Antonio confessed with a sigh before adding, "well not that giving my heart to another man because I'm not like that as you can see…" he teased.
A smile touched over her lips as she spoke up once again, "I'd be highly disappointed if that was the case about you and another man as I had such plans for us," she teased unable to resist the urge, "I'd hate to lose you that early on Sparky."
"I don't think that will be a problem, well except for this whole Sparky thing…the name's Antonio," he explained simply.
"Well Antonio, the way I see it, you and I found each other at the right time and maybe this can work for the both of us," she turned her attention back to Luis and Sheridan once again, "I mean we're both searching for something that's missing, right?"
"I'm not searching for anything other than peace of mind," he answered giving her a strange look.
"I think you want more than that," Shelly contemplated the sadness behind his eyes, "I think you want the world to see you for what you are and maybe for them to realize that perhaps there's more to you than what they saw…"
"I really could care less because none of that matters anymore…"
"Liar," she blurted out giving him a disbelieving look, "You want to show Sheridan as much as I do that she gave up a good thing in her life. Sure you wouldn't want to have her back, but at the same time a part of you wants her to see that she could've had the world with you."
"I never said that," he objected.
"I can see it in your eyes and hey, it's fine by me. In fact the way I see it, happiness is the sweetest revenge…"
"Now wait just a second," he frowned down at her, "I'm not looking for revenge against anyone. That's not my thing."
"Fine," she shrugged her shoulders up at him, "then how about taking me home with you? Is that your kind of thing?"
"Are you always this forward with the men in your life," he blinked back in surprise.
"Only when I see a good man who needs some excitement in his life," she wrapped her arms around him easing herself into his lap, "and you Antonio are in desperate need of some excitement."
"Look tonight's been fun, but I'm not usually…" he started as she leaned in closer to him.
"I need someone. You were right about my needing to find the right man in Harmony," she confessed her voice barely a whisper, "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to need someone like you if I even stand a chance of finding my sister again."
"So this is about your search for your sister," he deducted thinking it over, "All this flirting has been a ploy to coax me into helping you on your search?"
"Not exactly," she tossed her dark hair over her shoulders, "I'm doing this for your own good, but beyond that, well I need to have someone around who knows this town and more so someone that isn't a sleazebag who's buried up to his eyeballs in his own agenda. I'm tired of going that route and this time, well I think you might be just the help I need."
"I'm not a private investigator remember," Antonio pointed out as he eased his hands around her slender waist, "although I must confess that the idea of spending more time with you is rather tempting."
"Good because I'm tempted to keep you around for a little while as well, Sparky," she teased in a sinfully wicked tone as her lips hovered in over his.
"Shelly I…" he began as she bridged the distance between them devouring his mouth in a hungry kiss once again taking him by surprise. Now as he held her feeling the warmth of her savory curves against him, he realized he'd never reacted to readily to a woman as Shelly was temptation in ways he'd never dreamt possible. They knew nothing more than the basics at best about each other, but in kissing her, well, he'd realized far more about her than he'd ever imagined when he'd stepped in on the pier. She was passionate, intense and certainly would no doubt be a very demanding lover…at least he would imagine by the intensity of her kisses. His hands curved around her hips impressing her lines in his mind as he heard a very distinct sound coming from beside them.
"Uhm," the sound continued as Antonio reluctantly tore himself away from Shelly finding Luis standing beside the table scrutinizing the situation for a long moment, "Everything alright here?"
"Everything's just fine," Shelly offered dragging her finger over her lower lip as she shifted in Antonio's lap, "and you?"
"Sheridan and I were just on our way out, but I thought I'd come over and have a word with you both," his voice was a bit uneasy as he looked between the two of them, "I don't mean to sound rude here, but I really wasn't aware that you were seeing someone…"
"I guess there's a lot you don't know about me, Luis," Antonio answered tightly feeling the old feelings of jealousy and bitterness sweep over him, "then again I suppose that should come as no surprise to you considering the year we've gone through."
"Look," Luis scowled back at him, "Sheridan and I were just trying to do the right thing. We never intended to hurt you by our love. We just hoped that one day you'd understand that when two people are destined to be together…"
"He understands," Shelly eased her hand over Antonio's chest in a tender gesture, "and I can assure you that he's never been happier. Isn't that right?"
"That's right," Antonio agreed with a nod, "Shelly's given me a new outlook on life."
"Well good," Luis offered still skeptical as he focused on the brunette on his brother's lap, "Still, I'm just so surprised that no one has heard of the two of you yet…"
"I just flew into town a short while ago," Shelly explained brightly, "and when I'd heard that Antonio was free again, well I knew that I'd found the right moment to snag him up. You have no idea how long I've waited to find a way into his heart again. Just thinking about how close we came to losing it all, well," she smiled brightly, "I guess you can say that destiny has a way of working itself out."
"So you two knew each other from before?" Luis probed further.
"What's with the twenty questions Luis?" Antonio scowled up at him.
"I was just getting a feel for the situation. That's all," Luis answered as Sheridan approached the trio.
"What situation," she inquired looking down at Antonio and Shelly. Her smile faded a bit as she noticed the obvious display of affection between the two of them.
"Antonio was just telling me about him and Shelly here," Luis admitted wrapping his arm around his wife, "It seems it's quite serious."
"Really?" Sheridan's eyes widened in surprise.
"Very serious," Shelly nodded in confession turning her attention to Antonio, "Should we tell them?"
"Tell us what?" Sheridan questioned in confusion.
"Oh I don't know," Antonio began a bit uneasily as he tried to read the expression on Shelly's face, "they really don't want to sit around and hear this considering they have to get home to their family and…"
"Oh nonsense," Shelly dismissed his words as she looked back to the happy couple, "You know how he is. He never wants to brag about things like this, especially when you both are so happy and in your moment together…"
"Things like what?" Luis gave her a strange look, "What's the story, Antonio?"
"Well Shelly and I," Antonio started looking to Shelly for some help as she smiled brightly.
"Are engaged," she finished cheerfully.
"You're what?" Sheridan's jaw dropped in surprise.
"We're getting married," Shelly added enthusiastically, "I mean we were waiting to share it with the family, but now that you're here, well we couldn't just keep a lid on it, could we?"
"No we couldn't," Antonio offered struggling to find the words as he glanced up at Sheridan and Luis wondering if they believed the lie that had fallen from Shelly's lips.
"Well this is quite a surprise," Luis folded his arms in front of his chest, "One that I'm sure the family would love to hear all about. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize that if you're just breaking the news to us now, then you'd probably be best to share the news with everyone else…like say this weekend at the welcome home party Theresa is throwing for Sheridan and I."
"Oh I don't know if we can make it to the party considering," Antonio began suddenly on edge as he realized that meeting Shelly had gone from wonderful and exciting to something that he was certain was way over his head.
"Oh don't be shy about it honey," Shelly poked at him, "Of course we'd be more than happy to attend."
"Well wonderful," Sheridan forced a smile, "I mean this will be just the thing for us all to get to know one another better."
"I can't wait," Shelly added with a bright smile before adding, "and as fun as this has been, well Antonio and I were just on our way out. I mean hey you both know what it's like to be lost in love right," she turned her attention to Antonio giving him a quick kiss, "You did promise to rock my world tonight, remember?"
"How can I forget," Antonio felt a hint of a smile creeping over his lips as he looked to his brother and Sheridan, "I can't let my fiancée down, can I?"
"Of course not," Luis stepped aside as Antonio and Shelly rose from the seat they were in, "but we'll see you this weekend, yes?"
"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Shelly promised, "It was so nice to meet the both of you at long last."
"Likewise," Sheridan replied with a soft smile as Shelly tugged on Antonio's arm.
"Come on honey," she urged, "the night is calling."
"Then we should answer," Antonio replied offering a nod towards Luis and Sheridan, "Good night."
"Night," they offered as Antonio quickly followed Shelly out of the pub. As they hit the night outside, Shelly broke into a delighted laugh as Antonio shook his head at her.
"What were you thinking?" he demanded still trying to make sense of the situation they'd just walked out of.
"I did you a major favor tonight," Shelly explained simply facing him once again, "I hope you realize that."
"You just told my brother that we're engaged," he shook his head at her, "Do you have any idea what my family is going to do with that knowledge? And worse to think that we could even pull this off…"
"Relax," she assured him, "I'm one hell of an actress so that won't be a problem. I can learn to loosen you up Sparky and believe me you're going to need it by the time that party comes about."
"Shelly, you aren't getting this," he interrupted shaking his head once again, "We just spun out the biggest fairy tale of my life and now we're going to have to face the consequences."
"Antonio, look the way I see it, I did you a favor and now you can return the favor in helping me find my sister," she explained matter of fact, "We can each find a way to help each other."
"You weren't helping back there," he argued with her, "Telling them that we were getting married only makes things worse."
"Worse than them watching you in misery day in and day out because they took away the only hope you had for love," she countered skepticism laced in her tone, "Tell me you couldn't have been content with being that kind of sucker."
"I wasn't being a sucker," he snapped back at her, "You don't know the entire situation."
"Well then enlighten me," she suggested with a shrug of her shoulders, "Seeing as we'll be spending a lot of time together, I'm sure you can fill me in on the details."
"Shelly, this isn't a game," he reminded her sharply, "This is my life you know…"
"And it's mine too," she insisted as a sigh spilled over her lips, "Finding my sister is everything to me."
"Then let me ask you, why me," he questioned softening his tone a bit as he noticed the way the moonlight washed over her features causing his breath to catch in his throat at the sight of her. Despite the fact he'd almost lost it when she'd lied to Luis and Sheridan, he couldn't help but find himself drawn to her. Still she'd opened him to a world of chaos and deception for no apparent reason…
"Because tonight on the docks when you came to my aid, well you didn't seem to have a hidden agenda," Shelly explained simply, "and maybe I'm wrong about you, but my gut instinct tells me that you're someone I can trust."
"Is that your gut instinct or the drinks talking," he challenged.
"It's the direct result of months hunting down any trace of my sister," Shelly confessed with a sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Look it's complicated and I'm just afraid if I don't find her here, I'm not going to find her again."
"Somehow I get the feeling there's more to this than a family reunion," he frowned as she turned away from him.
"More than you know, but the truth is as much as I'd like to do this on my own, I can't and I'd really rather not do this with someone like that jerk on the docks."
"And what makes you think I'm the man to help you?" he asked again.
"Because you stepped into the situation and you took it upon yourself to help me out of the mess I was getting myself into," she sighed shaking her head, "Look it's been a long day and being new in town, well it's just nice to have a friendly face on my side. That's all."
"Honestly," he raised a curious brow.
"I don't just spend my nights kissing random strangers for the hell of it," she admitted with a tiny smile.
"Hmm, well then I suppose this is the point in time where I should tell you that I'm not one to get wrapped up in casual things…" he motioned back towards the pub, "Back there wasn't how it is for me…"
"Well then let me put it to you this way," she took a step in towards him, "You're helping me and I'm helping you," she waved her fingers between the both of them, "and this, well it isn't a casual thing. We're engaged you know."
"Yes I realize that," he answered with a small smile, "which means we're going to have a lot of explaining to do starting with why I don't have a ring for you."
"The ring is the least of our problems," she offered with a tiny laugh.
"I suppose at this point in time, you could be right on that," he agreed, "So what now?"
"Now you show me to a hotel and we'll call it a night," she decided with a shrug of her shoulders, "We can regroup in the morning."
"What happened to coming home with me," he teased lightly, "I thought you were going to rock my world."
"You couldn't handle it yet," she teased back at him, "but when the time is right, well we'll work on it."
"I'm going to hold you to it, Shelly," he laughed lightly offering his arm out towards her as she readily accepted.
"Good because I'm going to hold you to a lot more when destiny comes calling," she laughed lightly linked her arm in his as Antonio realized that tonight was the night that somehow was going to change the rest of his life. The hows and whys he wasn't quite sure of yet, but as he walked away from the pub arm in arm with Shelly, he was determined to figure it out one way or another.
"You know," Antonio began breaking through the lingering silence between him and Shelly as the band finished their latest set onstage. The jukebox slowly replaced the melodic beats changing the tone that had prompted Shelly to bring him out onto the dance floor to begin with, "it would appear that fate is telling us that our dance fever is about to be cut short."
"Only if you are feeling worn out," she squeezed her arms around his muscled torso offering up a playful wink, "but truth be told, I'm not through with you yet."
"No?" he lifted a curious brow as she smiled up at him.
"Not by a long shot," Shelly promised with a sinfully wicked grin sweeping over her beautiful features, "but I suppose we can put dancing on hold for a few minutes before I really start wearing you out."
"So this is a prelude of things to come," Antonio reasoned surprised at how easy flirting with her turned out to be as he winked down at her, "because I should probably warn you that once you get me started, I'm pretty insatiable."
"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind when we get back to the table and have the eyes of your brother and the woman with him upon us," Shelly leaned in towards him, stepping up on her toes as she collected his lips in a teasing nip tugging on his lower lip as her fingers slid into his dark hair coaxing his lips into sweet surrender as she let out a faint murmur, "So what do you say?"
"I don't understand why you're doing this," he blurted out as his arm curled around her crushing her soft curves against him as he found himself hating to let go of such a moment, "but truth be told, I am enjoying this very much."
"Of course you are," she breathed in a throaty whisper, "and I wouldn't want you to have it any other way."
"Still…" he began as she slipped out of his reach lacing their fingers together as she guided them towards the table. Somehow this mysterious, beautiful woman had inspired an optimism in him that he was certain that he wouldn't be feeling again in this lifetime. Now as she lead him across the pub, he half wondered just how far he'd follow her as the taste of her still lingered upon his life. Tonight was most certainly looking up he reasoned. Then again, as he cast a glance over at the corner booth were Luis and Sheridan had sat down to enjoy a romantic moment, he realized that perhaps this was a lesson in torture at the same time.
"Forget about them," Shelly urged as she took her seat across from him at the table. He reluctantly dropped in across from her sliding more comfortably into the booth, "They really aren't worth it."
"How can you be so sure?" Antonio questioned as she casually glanced over in their direction.
"Well for starters any woman with eyes can see who the real prize in the family is," Shelly confessed with a hint of a smile as her dark eyes swept over him in a very appreciative perusal.
"Yeah Luis," Antonio frowned thinking about the way life had taken him down the quickest path to misery as fate had managed to have him wind up in love with a woman who'd wanted nothing more than to be with his brother.
"Wrong Sparky," Shelly shook her head at him scowling at his words, "You've got so much more going for you than he does and hey if Blondie can't see that, well her loss is my gain."
"Now you're flattering me," Antonio watched as she brushed her finger tip over the top of his hand in an intimate gesture.
"Why would I need to?" she arched a perfectly sculpted brow, "I just call it like I see it. That's how it works with me Sparky."
"What's with Sparky," he frowned leaning in towards her as their eyes connected.
"You don't like it," her full lips curled in a mock pout, "and here I was hoping we'd reached a point in our relationship where pet names were appropriate."
"That all depends," Antonio suppressed the urge to smile as he sought out her hand lacing their fingers together.
"On what?"
"Well, on whether or not this works both ways," he answered simply, "I mean if I'm Sparky, then well, I would imagine that it would be fair play for me to give you some kind of pet name although I suppose that would be moving a bit fast considering that I only learned your real name less than an hour ago."
"Hmm, that would be kind of pushing the limits there on this relationship early on," she pretended to think it over, "but I suppose that a nickname couldn't hurt if and only if I approve."
"Now wait just a minute," Antonio gave her a sideways glance, "I'm Sparky and I didn't get a say in that."
"I'm a woman," Shelly answered with a hint of laughter in her voice, "and it's my prerogative to have a say in what terms of endearment you bring my way."
"But Sparky is something I'm just stuck with because that's the way the cards fell," he shook his head at her, "I hardly see the fairness in that."
"Well that's the beauty of it," she eased across her seat sliding out of the booth as she rose from the table just long enough to slide in beside him making herself comfortable, "I seldom play fair."
"I have a feeling I'm getting into a whole new world of trouble with you, aren't I," he questioned as she eased her arm out over the back of the booth, sliding her fingers over his shoulder as she batted her eyelashes up at him.
"Somehow I get the feeling that I'm just the kind of trouble you need in your life," she answered confidently as she tilted her eyes up towards him.
"I'd have to say the verdict isn't out on that one just yet," Antonio confessed a broad smile sweeping over him as his fingers teased through her dark hair.
"Hmm, well let's see if we can work on changing that," she suggested leaning up towards him capturing his mouth in a barely there, seductive hint of temptation. His fingers fanned out over her cheekbone tasting the warmth of her against his mouth as she let out a soft murmur leaving one last lingering moment of passion between them before she pulled away from him with a confident smile, "Well?"
"Luscious," he offered in a low whisper.
"Luscious," she repeated in confusion as his index finger brushed up against her silken skin.
"That's what I'll call you," Antonio nodded in confession, "because that's what you are."
A tiny bubble of laughter swept over her as she slid in closer to him, "And you're drunk, aren't you?"
"Not as drunk as you think I am, though I suppose right about now that would be a good enough excuse to use for my inappropriate behavior huh," he paused lifting his finger from her cheek as he drew in a breath, "I'm not usually like this."
"I'm not complaining," Shelly reached for his hand placing it against her face once again, "and right about now, I think you're doing beautiful here."
"You're the beautiful one," Antonio blurted out unable to believe that he'd found himself in this position. Somehow this night was anything but a typical night in the life of Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald and even now as he looked to the beauty before him thinking of the ways in which he'd been flirting shamelessly with her, he realized that this wasn't the life he'd been living. This ease at which this situation with her unfolded was the most atypical thing that he'd ever come across in his lifetime and yet in the same instant it felt strangely wonderful.
"I'll bet that Blondie over there is thinking about what she gave up," Shelly offered leaning in towards him as she motioned towards the table that Luis and Sheridan were seated at, "They can't seem to keep their eyes off of us."
"I think that's got something to do with you," Antonio confessed his voice a whisper as he tried to be casual in taking a look at Luis and Sheridan.
"It's got everything to do with you," she argued with him, "I mean I'm sure finding you with someone else was the last thing they expected right about now, huh?"
"Honestly," seriousness fell over his tone as he thought of the situation he'd found himself in lately, "I don't think they imagined I'd be in anything but misery and truth be told, I figured I'd spend a lifetime there once I lost Sheridan."
"Sheridan," Shelly repeated, "So that's the name of the woman who made perhaps one of the biggest mistakes in the world."
"She's an incredible woman and if you stay in Harmony long enough you'll find that the biggest mistake she made was me," Antonio sighed painfully as he slumped back in his seat.
"So what happened?" Shelly inquired.
"Luis is her soul mate," he turned his attention to the drink before him plucking it up from the table top and dropping back the cool liquid finishing off the drink before looking back to her, "I just got in the way."
"Hmm, well maybe that was fate trying to tell you that you were the one making a mistake," she shrugged her shoulders repositioning herself beside him, "I mean why would you want a woman that was clearly incapable of loving a man like you? Where I come from, most women would love to find their own handsome hero waiting in the wings. Come to think of it that kind of man is more of a myth than reality."
"So where is it that you come from exactly," he questioned turning the focus off of himself and his misery.
"Minnesota," she answered with a bit of a frown, "at least part of the time, but I've been pretty much everywhere in my lifetime. New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Port Charles…"
"And what prompted the visit to Harmony," he questioned in a bit of a slur, "I mean other than your sister of course."
"My sister is the one reason I'm here," her eyes narrowed as a frown touched over her lips, "I have to find her."
"Which brings us back to what we were talking about before," Antonio thought to their introductions, "You said that you hired that jerk to help you find her."
"Something like that," she nodded.
"And your last name is Lambert and I would assume that she has the same name…unless of course she's married," Antonio reasoned.
"She was married," Shelly confessed as a darkness shadowed over her beautiful features, "once upon a time…"
"You don't sound too happy about that," Antonio noted, "I take it you have a less than savory tale to tell as well."
"Let's just say that my sister threw her life away on the wrong men," Shelly offered with a huff, "She followed around the silly notions of soul mates and love for eternity and it wound up destroying her. She had it all and she lost it all because she fell in love with the wrong man. She gave him her heart completely and in the end, she was left with nothing but misery…"
"That's something I relate to," Antonio confessed with a sigh before adding, "well not that giving my heart to another man because I'm not like that as you can see…" he teased.
A smile touched over her lips as she spoke up once again, "I'd be highly disappointed if that was the case about you and another man as I had such plans for us," she teased unable to resist the urge, "I'd hate to lose you that early on Sparky."
"I don't think that will be a problem, well except for this whole Sparky thing…the name's Antonio," he explained simply.
"Well Antonio, the way I see it, you and I found each other at the right time and maybe this can work for the both of us," she turned her attention back to Luis and Sheridan once again, "I mean we're both searching for something that's missing, right?"
"I'm not searching for anything other than peace of mind," he answered giving her a strange look.
"I think you want more than that," Shelly contemplated the sadness behind his eyes, "I think you want the world to see you for what you are and maybe for them to realize that perhaps there's more to you than what they saw…"
"I really could care less because none of that matters anymore…"
"Liar," she blurted out giving him a disbelieving look, "You want to show Sheridan as much as I do that she gave up a good thing in her life. Sure you wouldn't want to have her back, but at the same time a part of you wants her to see that she could've had the world with you."
"I never said that," he objected.
"I can see it in your eyes and hey, it's fine by me. In fact the way I see it, happiness is the sweetest revenge…"
"Now wait just a second," he frowned down at her, "I'm not looking for revenge against anyone. That's not my thing."
"Fine," she shrugged her shoulders up at him, "then how about taking me home with you? Is that your kind of thing?"
"Are you always this forward with the men in your life," he blinked back in surprise.
"Only when I see a good man who needs some excitement in his life," she wrapped her arms around him easing herself into his lap, "and you Antonio are in desperate need of some excitement."
"Look tonight's been fun, but I'm not usually…" he started as she leaned in closer to him.
"I need someone. You were right about my needing to find the right man in Harmony," she confessed her voice barely a whisper, "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to need someone like you if I even stand a chance of finding my sister again."
"So this is about your search for your sister," he deducted thinking it over, "All this flirting has been a ploy to coax me into helping you on your search?"
"Not exactly," she tossed her dark hair over her shoulders, "I'm doing this for your own good, but beyond that, well I need to have someone around who knows this town and more so someone that isn't a sleazebag who's buried up to his eyeballs in his own agenda. I'm tired of going that route and this time, well I think you might be just the help I need."
"I'm not a private investigator remember," Antonio pointed out as he eased his hands around her slender waist, "although I must confess that the idea of spending more time with you is rather tempting."
"Good because I'm tempted to keep you around for a little while as well, Sparky," she teased in a sinfully wicked tone as her lips hovered in over his.
"Shelly I…" he began as she bridged the distance between them devouring his mouth in a hungry kiss once again taking him by surprise. Now as he held her feeling the warmth of her savory curves against him, he realized he'd never reacted to readily to a woman as Shelly was temptation in ways he'd never dreamt possible. They knew nothing more than the basics at best about each other, but in kissing her, well, he'd realized far more about her than he'd ever imagined when he'd stepped in on the pier. She was passionate, intense and certainly would no doubt be a very demanding lover…at least he would imagine by the intensity of her kisses. His hands curved around her hips impressing her lines in his mind as he heard a very distinct sound coming from beside them.
"Uhm," the sound continued as Antonio reluctantly tore himself away from Shelly finding Luis standing beside the table scrutinizing the situation for a long moment, "Everything alright here?"
"Everything's just fine," Shelly offered dragging her finger over her lower lip as she shifted in Antonio's lap, "and you?"
"Sheridan and I were just on our way out, but I thought I'd come over and have a word with you both," his voice was a bit uneasy as he looked between the two of them, "I don't mean to sound rude here, but I really wasn't aware that you were seeing someone…"
"I guess there's a lot you don't know about me, Luis," Antonio answered tightly feeling the old feelings of jealousy and bitterness sweep over him, "then again I suppose that should come as no surprise to you considering the year we've gone through."
"Look," Luis scowled back at him, "Sheridan and I were just trying to do the right thing. We never intended to hurt you by our love. We just hoped that one day you'd understand that when two people are destined to be together…"
"He understands," Shelly eased her hand over Antonio's chest in a tender gesture, "and I can assure you that he's never been happier. Isn't that right?"
"That's right," Antonio agreed with a nod, "Shelly's given me a new outlook on life."
"Well good," Luis offered still skeptical as he focused on the brunette on his brother's lap, "Still, I'm just so surprised that no one has heard of the two of you yet…"
"I just flew into town a short while ago," Shelly explained brightly, "and when I'd heard that Antonio was free again, well I knew that I'd found the right moment to snag him up. You have no idea how long I've waited to find a way into his heart again. Just thinking about how close we came to losing it all, well," she smiled brightly, "I guess you can say that destiny has a way of working itself out."
"So you two knew each other from before?" Luis probed further.
"What's with the twenty questions Luis?" Antonio scowled up at him.
"I was just getting a feel for the situation. That's all," Luis answered as Sheridan approached the trio.
"What situation," she inquired looking down at Antonio and Shelly. Her smile faded a bit as she noticed the obvious display of affection between the two of them.
"Antonio was just telling me about him and Shelly here," Luis admitted wrapping his arm around his wife, "It seems it's quite serious."
"Really?" Sheridan's eyes widened in surprise.
"Very serious," Shelly nodded in confession turning her attention to Antonio, "Should we tell them?"
"Tell us what?" Sheridan questioned in confusion.
"Oh I don't know," Antonio began a bit uneasily as he tried to read the expression on Shelly's face, "they really don't want to sit around and hear this considering they have to get home to their family and…"
"Oh nonsense," Shelly dismissed his words as she looked back to the happy couple, "You know how he is. He never wants to brag about things like this, especially when you both are so happy and in your moment together…"
"Things like what?" Luis gave her a strange look, "What's the story, Antonio?"
"Well Shelly and I," Antonio started looking to Shelly for some help as she smiled brightly.
"Are engaged," she finished cheerfully.
"You're what?" Sheridan's jaw dropped in surprise.
"We're getting married," Shelly added enthusiastically, "I mean we were waiting to share it with the family, but now that you're here, well we couldn't just keep a lid on it, could we?"
"No we couldn't," Antonio offered struggling to find the words as he glanced up at Sheridan and Luis wondering if they believed the lie that had fallen from Shelly's lips.
"Well this is quite a surprise," Luis folded his arms in front of his chest, "One that I'm sure the family would love to hear all about. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize that if you're just breaking the news to us now, then you'd probably be best to share the news with everyone else…like say this weekend at the welcome home party Theresa is throwing for Sheridan and I."
"Oh I don't know if we can make it to the party considering," Antonio began suddenly on edge as he realized that meeting Shelly had gone from wonderful and exciting to something that he was certain was way over his head.
"Oh don't be shy about it honey," Shelly poked at him, "Of course we'd be more than happy to attend."
"Well wonderful," Sheridan forced a smile, "I mean this will be just the thing for us all to get to know one another better."
"I can't wait," Shelly added with a bright smile before adding, "and as fun as this has been, well Antonio and I were just on our way out. I mean hey you both know what it's like to be lost in love right," she turned her attention to Antonio giving him a quick kiss, "You did promise to rock my world tonight, remember?"
"How can I forget," Antonio felt a hint of a smile creeping over his lips as he looked to his brother and Sheridan, "I can't let my fiancée down, can I?"
"Of course not," Luis stepped aside as Antonio and Shelly rose from the seat they were in, "but we'll see you this weekend, yes?"
"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Shelly promised, "It was so nice to meet the both of you at long last."
"Likewise," Sheridan replied with a soft smile as Shelly tugged on Antonio's arm.
"Come on honey," she urged, "the night is calling."
"Then we should answer," Antonio replied offering a nod towards Luis and Sheridan, "Good night."
"Night," they offered as Antonio quickly followed Shelly out of the pub. As they hit the night outside, Shelly broke into a delighted laugh as Antonio shook his head at her.
"What were you thinking?" he demanded still trying to make sense of the situation they'd just walked out of.
"I did you a major favor tonight," Shelly explained simply facing him once again, "I hope you realize that."
"You just told my brother that we're engaged," he shook his head at her, "Do you have any idea what my family is going to do with that knowledge? And worse to think that we could even pull this off…"
"Relax," she assured him, "I'm one hell of an actress so that won't be a problem. I can learn to loosen you up Sparky and believe me you're going to need it by the time that party comes about."
"Shelly, you aren't getting this," he interrupted shaking his head once again, "We just spun out the biggest fairy tale of my life and now we're going to have to face the consequences."
"Antonio, look the way I see it, I did you a favor and now you can return the favor in helping me find my sister," she explained matter of fact, "We can each find a way to help each other."
"You weren't helping back there," he argued with her, "Telling them that we were getting married only makes things worse."
"Worse than them watching you in misery day in and day out because they took away the only hope you had for love," she countered skepticism laced in her tone, "Tell me you couldn't have been content with being that kind of sucker."
"I wasn't being a sucker," he snapped back at her, "You don't know the entire situation."
"Well then enlighten me," she suggested with a shrug of her shoulders, "Seeing as we'll be spending a lot of time together, I'm sure you can fill me in on the details."
"Shelly, this isn't a game," he reminded her sharply, "This is my life you know…"
"And it's mine too," she insisted as a sigh spilled over her lips, "Finding my sister is everything to me."
"Then let me ask you, why me," he questioned softening his tone a bit as he noticed the way the moonlight washed over her features causing his breath to catch in his throat at the sight of her. Despite the fact he'd almost lost it when she'd lied to Luis and Sheridan, he couldn't help but find himself drawn to her. Still she'd opened him to a world of chaos and deception for no apparent reason…
"Because tonight on the docks when you came to my aid, well you didn't seem to have a hidden agenda," Shelly explained simply, "and maybe I'm wrong about you, but my gut instinct tells me that you're someone I can trust."
"Is that your gut instinct or the drinks talking," he challenged.
"It's the direct result of months hunting down any trace of my sister," Shelly confessed with a sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Look it's complicated and I'm just afraid if I don't find her here, I'm not going to find her again."
"Somehow I get the feeling there's more to this than a family reunion," he frowned as she turned away from him.
"More than you know, but the truth is as much as I'd like to do this on my own, I can't and I'd really rather not do this with someone like that jerk on the docks."
"And what makes you think I'm the man to help you?" he asked again.
"Because you stepped into the situation and you took it upon yourself to help me out of the mess I was getting myself into," she sighed shaking her head, "Look it's been a long day and being new in town, well it's just nice to have a friendly face on my side. That's all."
"Honestly," he raised a curious brow.
"I don't just spend my nights kissing random strangers for the hell of it," she admitted with a tiny smile.
"Hmm, well then I suppose this is the point in time where I should tell you that I'm not one to get wrapped up in casual things…" he motioned back towards the pub, "Back there wasn't how it is for me…"
"Well then let me put it to you this way," she took a step in towards him, "You're helping me and I'm helping you," she waved her fingers between the both of them, "and this, well it isn't a casual thing. We're engaged you know."
"Yes I realize that," he answered with a small smile, "which means we're going to have a lot of explaining to do starting with why I don't have a ring for you."
"The ring is the least of our problems," she offered with a tiny laugh.
"I suppose at this point in time, you could be right on that," he agreed, "So what now?"
"Now you show me to a hotel and we'll call it a night," she decided with a shrug of her shoulders, "We can regroup in the morning."
"What happened to coming home with me," he teased lightly, "I thought you were going to rock my world."
"You couldn't handle it yet," she teased back at him, "but when the time is right, well we'll work on it."
"I'm going to hold you to it, Shelly," he laughed lightly offering his arm out towards her as she readily accepted.
"Good because I'm going to hold you to a lot more when destiny comes calling," she laughed lightly linked her arm in his as Antonio realized that tonight was the night that somehow was going to change the rest of his life. The hows and whys he wasn't quite sure of yet, but as he walked away from the pub arm in arm with Shelly, he was determined to figure it out one way or another.