DESTINED FOR ETERNITY

CHAPTER 29

JULY 1983

Holly decides to soak in a nice hot bath before turning in for the night. As she relaxes in the tub, she tries to come up with a scenario on how the best way to tell Robert that she truly and deeply loves him, a forever kind of love. Holly could not believe that she was so afraid. She had never had any problem telling Robert anything. Deep inside she knew that her biggest fear came from the fact that she was ashamed for being so fickle. First she loved Luke, then Robert, then back to Luke and now Robert. What if Robert didn't believe her? What if he didn't trust her to know what she wanted? The funny thing was that Holly knew that she did not have even the slightest doubt. She knew that she loved Robert, it was what she felt right now, and what she would feel forever. She would just have to convince Robert of her feelings. He loved her, she knew that much. Determined to have her talk with him, Holly emerges from the tub and grabs her robe and throws it on. She quickly enters the bedroom only to find Robert sound asleep. Holly can't help but smile at "Mr. Macho-man" sleeping so peacefully. Definitely, he still tires easily after his ordeal, regardless of the fact that he will not admit it. Well, they have an entire week alone together for her to talk to him. Right now he needs his sleep and Lord knows she was quite exhausted herself. Too tired to worry about finding a nightgown, Holly tightens the belt on her robe and gets into bed beside Robert. She quietly turns off the bedside lamp and then lies there and stares at Robert's silhouette in the darkness. For the first time in months, Holly feels free of burdens and has hope for the future. She smiles and scoots even closer to Robert. Deeply content, she snuggles against his side and quickly falls asleep.

Sometime later, Robert comes awake with the realization that an arm is across his waist and a head on his shoulder. He doesn't have to open his eyes to know that it is his wife, Holly. He would know the feel and the smell of her anywhere. He turns his body onto his side so he can look at her. Smiling, Robert knows that he would need nothing more in life than to be able to gaze his eyes upon this woman every day. He would love to go to sleep every night just like this, with her in his arms. To make love to her and to see her face the first thing in the morning. Snuggling even closer to her, Robert puts his arm around her and kisses her temple.

"Robert," She murmurs in her sleep and tightens her hold around his waist.

Smiling, Robert is very happy that at least Holly says his name in her sleep instead of Luke's. Lord, how he would love to wake her up and show her just how much he loved her. Stopping his thoughts from going any further, Robert reminds himself that he is going to have an entire week of this torture so he better learn to deal with it. He did his best to close his eyes and ignore the fact that she was in his bed. At that moment, Holly throws her leg over his and Robert's eyes pop wide open. Robert groans and laughs to himself. Who the hell was he kidding? He could not forget for even one minute that this exquisite lady was in his bed. He was sincerely tempted to make his escape to the sofa. The only problem with that was he liked having her here, beside him, in his arms. Sighing contentedly, Robert closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment, knowing it could never last forever.

When Holly wakes up that morning, she smiles as she realizes that Robert has his arms around her and their legs are entwined. This felt so perfect, so right. She wanted to wake up just like this for the rest of her life. Smiling and content, Holly reaches up to push a lock of his hair off of his forehead. Immediately she sees a pair of beautiful blue eyes staring into hers. The realization of where they are and how intimate the situation is hits them at the same moment and they quickly try to disentangle themselves. As Robert tries to get his arm out from under her, he drags her robe with him. It dawns on Holly that she has nothing on underneath and gasps as she makes a grab for the sheet. Robert turns to see what is going on and wishes he hadn't looked. God, not only was she in bed with him, she was nearly naked in bed with him. Then the mischievious part of him wished he would have known that last night when he had woke up. He is diverted from his thought when he hears Holly laughing as she lay back in the bed with the sheet up to her chin.

"Are you all right?" He asks as she continues to laugh hysterically.

"It's just...the look on your face, it was priceless," She answers. "I am sorry. I was so tired last night, I never bothered with a nightgown."

"So, I noticed," He remarks with a smile.

"That is nice to know," She answers.

"What?" He asks in confusion.

"It is nice to know that you noticed," She explains as she wraps the sheet around herself and gets out of the bed. Robert just stares at her in silence. "I will try to remember to wear a nightgown the rest of our time here," She teases as she walks into the bathroom. Robert comes out of his daze. "I swear, she is going to be the death of me," He murmurs as he heads for the kitchen to make some coffee.

As Holly is taking her shower, she is filled with a new determination. Today they would be all alone on a sailboat. There would be no interruptions, no distractions. She would tell her husband exactly how she felt about him and their marriage She couldn't help but smile as she remembers the look on Robert's face this morning. This would be a day to remember.

Robert takes a solitary walk along the beach as Holly is getting ready for their day on the sailboat. He is deep in thought about Holly. He is going to have to talk with her. He has a feeling that she is keeping something from him and she has been acting strangely lately. But then again she didn't seem nearly as tense and nervous as she did before his shooting, but she definitely had something on her mind, he knew her well enough to know that much. Today would be the perfect day to talk with her. They would be all alone and no place for her to escape.

Meanwhile, back in Port Charles, Luke Spencer is not only furious with Holly as a result of their phone conversation and then finding she went out of town with Robert, but he is totally confused as well. Why was she acting this way? She was pushing him away, he could feel it. Luke understood that she was angry over his involvement with the hospital hostage crisis that resulted in Robert getting shot. But now that she knew Robert was fine, why is she still so distant? One thing that Luke now accepted as a fact was that Holly definitely had a depth of loyalty for Scorpio that Luke had never understood before. But to go on vacation with Robert? It made no sense. And he could not just stand by while Scorpio took advantage of Holly. With all of her confused feelings, being alone with Robert could only lead to trouble. Luke decided he was just going to find out where Robert took Holly. He would go talk with Bert Ramsey. Robert probably left instructions on where he would be at in case of any emergency. Luke just needed time alone with Holly so he could make her see that she had no reason to punish him any longer. Robert was fine, her guilt was no longer necessary. Once at the police department, Luke discovered that it wasn't so easy to get information on the Scorpio's whereabouts. If Bert did know where he was, he refused to tell Luke. Agitated, Luke decided there had to be other ways to find out. He wasn't giving up yet.

Holly fell in love with sailing. She loved the feel of the wind in her hair and the sun on her skin. She enjoyed watching Robert at the helm of the boat. He looked so relaxed and happy. And he really meant it when he said he knew all about sailing. He definitely had an air of confidence in his ability to control the boat. It was just so beautiful and so peaceful, as if they were the only people in the entire world. Everything was absolutely perfect, or it would be as soon as she told Robert how she truly felt about him.

Robert looks over at Holly as she is looking out over the water. She was so pretty, sometimes it hurt just to look at her. She had put on a bikini and had a sarong around her waist. Which made him think about her fair skin, beautiful skin, but very fair skin.

"Did you put suncreen on, Luv?" He asks in concern. "This sun is much hotter than your fair English body is accustomed to, you know?"

She smiles at his concern. "As a matter of fact," She goes to a tote bag and brings out a bottle of sunscreen. "But, if you have a minute, I could use your help with my back."

Robert manages a difficult swallow. "You could?" He asks, barely above a whisper.

Oblivious to his discomfort, Holly replies, "Yes. I was able to get the rest of my skin, but not my back."

Knowing this involves touching her, Robert prays for strength. He puts the boat on autopilot and walks over to Holly. She had placed some cushions on the deck of the boat, throws a towel over them and is laying on her stomach, waiting for him. She had taken off the sarong and has her eyes closed. Robert kneels down beside her and picks up the bottle of sunscreen. Slowly he begins to apply the lotion to her smooth, flawless back. "I would hate to see this gorgeous skin of yours get burned," He says, attempting some kind of conversation.

"Mmm," Holly manages to answer, a cross between a moan and a answer. "You and me both." Holly basks in the feel of his gentle hands applying the lotion as well as caressing her back. "That feels so wonderful. You have an excellent touch."

Robert's mouth is so dry he is unable to say a word. Unable to keep his thoughts in working order, he just does what comes naturally. He bends over, moves her hair aside, and begins placing gentle kisses at the nape of her neck. Momentarily, Holly stiffens, but then she smiles and just relaxes even more. She tilts her neck to the side even more, allowing him easier access. Robert begins trailing the kisses down her spine, slowly and gently, as his hands continue to caress her back. Unable to stand the exquisite torment, Holly quickly turns onto her back, and before Robert can say a word, she has her arms around his neck and her mouth on his. The kiss they shared was desperate in its intensity. Eventually they had to come up for air, and as they do all they can manage is to stare into one anothers eyes as their ragged breathing comes under control.

"Sweetheart," Robert begins, "I am . . ."

"No, Robert. Please don't apologize anymore." She reaches up to kiss him gently on the mouth. "I want you," Holly whispers. "And I refuse to deny that any longer. I truly want you. I want you to make love to me. I need to be a part of you." She kisses his neck. "Robert, please."

At first, all Robert can do is stare at her in shock and surprise. He wanted to resist just so he could question her about her feelings, but he couldn't. His body always responded to hers and just knowing that she desired him was enough for now. Robert takes her face into his hands, stopping her from kissing his neck. He looks deeply into her eyes, searching for answers, but passion and desire is all that he can manage to read for now. Finally, emitting a deep moan, he crushes her mouth with his own, letting the desire take them away from reality. Because even though Robert knew he had to give her up some day, there was NOTHING in this world that could keep him from making love to Holly at this moment.