Beach Bungalow

"Alright. I know, sorry. You're my best mate and I trust you," Kurt said in a way that almost sound like it hurt to say. It brought Drew back to the present as Miranda opened the door smiling brightly. He quickly put his finger up to his lips and she nodded.

"Good. I'd better go Big Willy. I've got to pick up your sister. I don't need another Willington mad at me, do I?" Drew said giving Miranda a look and her smile started to fade. She knew and she nodded.

"Safe trip. I'll talk to you when you get back," Kurt said signing off.

"See ya bud," Drew said before he ended the call. "Hey Mira..."

"Big brother, huh?" Miranda asked rolling her eyes. She took her hat off and threw it in the back with her long braided ponytails falling over her shoulders. To Drew she looked amazing and just had this cute look about her. He smiled before she leaned in and kissed Drew near his lips on the cheek which he reciprocated before she closed the door. She was well aware of how overprotective her brother could be all the time and was really sick of it.

"Yeah, but it's all good. You all set to go?" Drew asked putting the conversation with Kurt in the back of his mind. He wasn't about to let that influence his weekend away with Miranda.

"Yep, all set. Already in my bikini so we can hit the beach as soon as we arrive," Miranda said putting her bag and clutch in the backseat.

"Thanks for coming with me. It means a lot," Drew said as he started the car.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Miranda said as they got on their way out of the city. "Thanks for having me."

"Any time," Drew said happily as they navigated the city traffic until they were on the freeway.

They were silent for a little bit before Miranda spoke up.

"A girl could get used to this," Miranda said which piqued Drew's interest.

"Oh? How so?"

"The feeling of being free. Such as wearing a bikini all the time, just being comfortable. You know, going to the beach with a handsome guy, and taking it easy. Just us," Miranda said suggestively.

"The stuff dreams are made of, huh?" Drew asked as the traffic thinned out around them on the highway to the coast.

"Yeah. Is this what you dream of?" Miranda replied sweetly. He knew where she was going with this. Things had changed since their last trip, but he wasn't sure where this was going yet.

"I dream of lots of things," Drew said which made her laugh.

"Yeah, but do you think about your future. Where you see yourself in say... five years?" Miranda asked trying to tip toe around the topic she wanted to discuss.

"At times. Sure, I mean who doesn't," Drew said with only two cars way up ahead of them now. "As for five years ahead. I don't know. Sometimes I see myself with a promotion, maybe with a family. But I don't know. Things changed a bit after my grandmother passed, so. Not sure now. What about you?"

"Well... the same, I guess. I've earned enough money now; I can go back to study and finish my business degree. I've got about a year left, so that is something for me to do," Miranda replied with a shrug. She wasn't ready to spring it on him yet, she needed more time. "Anyway, I guess we'll see. Let's just enjoy the time away."

"Sounds good to me," Drew said happily.

They made good time, even after the rest stop to grab a bite, getting to the beach bungalow and settling in. It was becoming a well-oiled routine for Drew, opening up the windows and doors, and getting the place liveable before settling in for the evening.

Once settled, they were both still dressed casually, and Drew felt like he wanted to take Miranda to a special spot up the beach.

"Come on," Drew said holding out his arm before walking out the back of the house.

Miranda felt giddy, quickly looping her arm through his as they walked out the back of the property and onto the warm sand. It was a picture-perfect moment for the two of them, walking arm in arm while enjoying all that nature had to offer. Taking a deep breath of the fresh sea breeze, Miranda looked at Drew and felt ever closer to him.

"So, where are we going?" Miranda asked holding him close as they walked up the beach. The water was lapping the sand and the breeze was cooling them down, even if it was still quite hot out.

"Just up a little ways. There's a nice place to sit, look out at the ocean," Drew replied putting his hand on top of hers for a moment.

"Sounds wonderful," Miranda said happily.

They walked in silence, arm in arm for a good ten minutes before he changed direction slightly and walked them over to some fallen palm trees.

"Here we are," Drew said offering her a spot on the large boulders stuck in the sand in front of the fallen palm trees. They sat and looked out at the ocean. The burnt orange sun was almost asleep but still filling the sky with gorgeous colours.

"I know I've said it before, but this is beautiful," Miranda said resting her head on his shoulder. "I could see myself living here."

"Me too," Drew said softly.

"Why don't we then?" Miranda asked taking his hand in hers and intertwining their fingers.

"Because Kurt would kill me," Drew replied enjoying the feeling of holding her hand.

"Do you remember Robbie Kirkwood and Miles Jones?" Miranda sat up and looked at him.

"Why would he do that? He loves you," Miranda said curiously.

"He loves you more," Drew said looking at her lovely eyes. "Kurt basically flogged Robbie and Miles to within an inch of their life after they said some things about you. Robbie was going to ask you out, sure he was a little crude in his description of things, but he had the hots for you. And Miles, well... you know the rest. Anyway, Kurt couldn't take them saying anything about you. Especially not that. I had to restrain him... He loves you Mira... a lot."

"But I love you more," Miranda said sweetly. "I have ever since seventh grade."

He let out a sigh. The problem was, he had loved her just as long. He had practically taught himself not to say it, to say those words, and now he was struggling to say anything.

"Me, I..." Drew said but stopped himself trying to find the right words. "I..."

But before he could continue, Miranda changed the subject slightly.

"You know, I'm sick and tired of modelling. I don't want to do it anymore. I'm twenty-five and I should already be settled down and have had at least two children. I wanted to have all my kids before I turn thirty. I've always wanted that," Miranda said but stopped mid-sentence when Drew leaned in and kissed her lips. They lingered there a moment, feeling the electricity between them, the spark that had always been there. Then they slowly parted and ever so softly Miranda spoke again. "What was that for?"

"Because I've loved you just as long and I always wanted to do that, but I made a promise to your brother," Drew said with a sigh.

"What promise?" Miranda asked looking into his eyes. She was eager to kiss him again, taste him on her lips one more time. He was like a drug to her, and she was thoroughly addicted.

"That I would never date you," Drew replied moving a few strands of hair behind her ear. "He said he'd kill me if I ever tried. That friends don't do that to each other."

"He made me promise something similar," Miranda said touching Drew's cheek. "And I'm guessing he's said something to other guys I've tried to date. It makes sense why they never stuck around."

"Mira," Drew said before they kissed again. This one had even more affection in it before they pulled apart.

"I'm no saint Drew. I've dated a few guys, but I'm not some tramp either," Miranda said her voice firming up.

"I'm not perfect either, believe me," Drew said as the parted and sat a little more apart.

"I know, no one is," Miranda said with a reflective look about her. "Did you know that when I was nineteen I did a nude shoot in Europe?"

Drew looked at her surprised and she softly smiled a nodded.

"No, I had no idea. Does Kurt know?" Drew asked still surprised by the revelation. It started to make more sense now, with how comfortable she was with her body.

"God no. He'd freak," Miranda replied with a laugh. "Peter and Justin were really lovely photographers. They were professional, funny and warm. I guess I wanted to push myself and I earned a decent amount for it. But Kurt wouldn't understand that, some weird macho thing he has going. He just doesn't get it. Did you know Sam and I did some boudoir stuff too, all nude of course? But that was a long time ago now."

It started to make more sense now, as to why Miranda and Samantha seemed so comfortable in their own skin.

"Why are you telling me this?" Drew asked looking at her and still feeling all the adoration he did before her confession.

"So you know I'm not perfect. I don't care about the past, what we've done... just our future. I want to marry you, Drew. Always have. I want a bunch of kids and for us to be a family. But I'm not going to play games. I'm not going to worry about some stupid promise you made my brother because he thinks he knows best," Miranda said calmly. "Now, I've got a couple of modelling jobs to do over the next two weeks, and then I'm free for a while. It's never been easy to date while modelling, but if you think you can get passed 'the Kurt thing' and want to give it a go. I'm more than willing. But the window is small. I have a two-month break after these gigs, so, you've got until then to decide if I'm worth it. If so, I'll clear my calendar and go back to study early."

"Mira, I," Drew said but she put her finger to his lips and silenced him.

"I've said my piece. I'm leaving it up to you. Now, let's just enjoy this evening like we always have, please?" Miranda said with a pleading evident in her eyes. Drew was sure he could almost see tears forming in her eyes, making it clear it was hard for her to say what she just did.

"Okay, Mira," Drew said causing her to smile. He got up off the rock, and sat down in front of it, leaning back against it for support. He looked up at her, that woman he loved and patted the sand between his legs.

Without hesitation, Miranda smiled, moved down between his legs, and sat back against him before his arms enveloped her. She always felt safe with him and felt like she was well and truly home. When he kissed the side of her head, she snuggled into him and felt for the first time in her life things were going to go her way. Drew too felt safe with her but still unsure about how Kurt would take it. He pushed that out of his mind so he could enjoy the time alone with Miranda. It was the most blissful night of their lives.

Chapter 6

While Drew had expected Kurt and Samantha to be there to simply help fix up the bungalow, something else happened the night before. Kurt got down on one knee at sunset, on the beach in front of Samantha and popped the big question. While Drew was happy for them, it led to a night of torrid sex until sometime after midnight. Or as he recalled, around the time Drew stopped looking at the clock.

He didn't get that much sleep and while he was a little grumpy, overall, he was happy for the couple. Kurt was his very best mate and ever since Drew knocked a couple of guys off Kurt during a fight, they had been tight. It was the only time Drew had ever seen Kurt vulnerable. One of the guys had kicked Kurt in the testicles from behind, before they unleashed a few more blows into that region, crippling him. Then they laid into him while he was on the ground. Drew flew in the get them off and in the aftermath, Kurt had sustained quite a bit of damage. The rival football team didn't take kindly to some of Kurt's taunts before they lost the game, hence the revenge attack. Kurt was laid up for weeks with a couple of broken ribs, nose, two black eyes and some serious damage downstairs. By all reports he made a full recovery and Drew had to wonder if Kurt was still trying to make it known how virile he was after all these years.

Getting up and making some breakfast, Drew took solace in the peace and quiet until he heard the two love birds going at it again. Thankfully this time it was only short, fifteen minutes of pure deity defining moments before they stopped and hit the bathroom. Still, Drew was in disbelief when Kurt emerged like nothing had happened.

"Again?" Drew asked incredulously. "Last night wasn't enough?"

"What?" Kurt replied with a shrug. "She was happy I proposed..." He looked at Drew who started to laugh.

"Geez Big Willy. I know this place is awesome, but do you always have to have sex the minute you wake up?" Drew asked causing Kurt to burst out laughing.

"I can't help it if she's horny," Kurt said still laughing. "Ow!"

Then Drew heard another slap and chuckled to himself.

"Don't be so crude," Samantha said coming up beside her fiancé. She was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her midsection, barely hiding her most intimate parts. "We're guests here."

"Sorry dear," Kurt said putting on his best 'sorry' face before grinning at Drew. Drew simply shook his head. "Look, I'll make it up to you later. But right now, I'm going to go for a run up the beach."

"Fine, but you better be on your best behaviour, otherwise no more of this," Samantha said pointing at herself.

"Yes, dear," Kurt said before walking out the back and off to the beach.

"Thank god he's gone," Samantha said with a smile. "Sorry about that, he can be such an animal at times."

Without skipping a beat, Samantha pulled the towel off and headed to the kitchen counter where she had moisturiser waiting. Drew stood there trying not to look at her naked body, that sublime figure of hers, while she put lotion in her hands and bent over to apply it to her legs.

"Umm, I should go," Drew said turning to leave the bungalow. It seemed to be that everyone let their guard down here. Some more than others.

"Why? Haven't you seen someone moisturise before?" Samantha asked calmly before she stood upright and moved the towel on the countertop. Drew got a full frontal look at her body and he could see why Kurt was so enamoured with her.

"Well, yeah, but what if Kurt comes back? He'll kill me for being near you, let alone looking," Drew said maintaining eye contact with her. He knew that wouldn't be the case but had said it anyway. Kurt seemed to regard Samantha as a bit of a trophy at times and Samantha knew it too, as she did about how Kurt would react.

"No he won't. Anyway, he likes to show me off, I don't mind. Do you?" Samantha asked applying lotion to her breasts and swirling her hands around.

"Sam... this is Kurt we're talking about," Drew replied but she shrugged. "And no, I don't mind seeing a beautiful woman, but still. This isn't right."

"Why isn't it right? We're all friends, it's not like I haven't been naked before and people haven't seen me. Nudity doesn't bother me or Kurt. What's more natural than being naked? Have you ever seen him get upset when I'm topless or in a thong?" Samantha asked as her hands slipped down her taught stomach. She was right and Drew simply shook his head. "That's what I thought. Can you do my back?" She turned and showed off her firm ass.

"Sam."

"And my ass?" Samantha asked looking back over her shoulder at him. "Reggie never minded."

"Sam!"

She then giggled and turned around.

"Okay, okay, I'm only teasing. Let me go put on a bikini and I'll be right back," Samantha said heading to the bedroom. In no time she was back wearing a skimpy red bikini and sat down next to Drew who was on the sofa. She kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry, I got a little carried away. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't. I just," Drew said letting out a sigh and putting his face in his hands a moment. It was hard to get the image of her naked body out of his mind, but he tried, thinking about Miranda instead.

"This is about Miranda, isn't it?" Samantha asked putting her hand on his shoulder. He looked up from his hands and nodded.

"Yeah. I need him in a good mood," Drew replied still wondering how Kurt would take what he had to say about Miranda.

"Don't worry about Kurt. You just need to give him an ultimatum like I did. If you love her, grab hold of her and don't let go," Samantha said kindly. Drew now understood why Kurt proposed so suddenly, he knew Samantha would have demanded it. "Kurt will understand, trust me."

"He'll kill me Sam," Drew said bluntly.

"No, he won't. He's just scared of losing both of you," Samantha said stroking Drew's arm. She knew what he was going to ask next. "He hasn't said it in that way, but I know. It may seem odd, this big gruff guy being emotional, but I can read him. He gets me too. Why do you think I agreed to marry him? He's my big lug. So, what are you waiting for?"

Drew looked at Samantha and when she smiled, he felt it all come together. All the pieces of the puzzle nearly all in the right places, with just one left, Miranda.

"Just waiting for her to get back," Drew said which made Samantha beam even more. Miranda had flown off for a modelling gig and wouldn't be back until the end of the week.

"That a boy. You leave Kurt to me," Samantha said hugging Drew tightly. "Finally."

"Yeah, finally," Drew said as they embraced on the sofa.

Drew knew exactly what to do, all he had to do now was wait.

Chapter 7

The whole trip up had been a blur. Miranda had been nothing but her usual lovely self while Drew found himself running all different kinds of scenarios in his mind. He might have been imagining it, but Miranda also seemed friendlier, touching him more and lingering by his side. It was only once they had opened the bungalow up that he felt a wave of calmness come over him. Miranda came out in her usual black bikini, and without thinking he slipped off his shirt before they headed for the beach.

Smiling at each other, they made their way out of the backyard and then left up the sand towards the large rock face. They stopped halfway down, made their way to the edge of the water, and just soaked up the atmosphere. Finally, after a few minutes, Drew turned, and he had everything he wanted to ask come to the forefront of his mind.

"You said a couple of months ago that you'd love to live here. Did you mean it?" Drew asked looking at the beauty before hm.

"Of course," Miranda replied with ease.

"With me?" Drew asked this time.

"I'd live with you anywhere. In a tent on the side of the road, if it meant we were together," Miranda replied moving closer, so they were only inches apart. Her hands found his torso and automatically, as if they were meant to be, his hands found her upper arms and his thumbs stroked her skin gently.

"In that case, I'm going to break my promise to Kurt," Drew said which brought a big smile to Miranda's face. "I want you, Mira. I don't want to live another day without you. Is that okay? Will that work for you?"

The kiss answered his question. Then when her arms wrapped gently around his neck, and their bodies touched, it answered the question further. The kiss got deeper, and she held him lovingly before slowly pulling back. She took a couple of steps back, took his hand and lead him back to the bungalow.

"It's more than okay. It's perfect," Miranda said as they made their way up the back yard to the patio. She stopped, pulled him to her and kissed him again. "Marry me." She kissed him again.

"Aren't I supposed to ask that?" Drew asked between passionate kisses.

"Then ask," Miranda said reaching up behind her neck and undoing her bikini top. It was quickly discarded while they kissed, her breasts pushing into his chest.

"Will you marry," Drew asked before she cut him off with a kiss.

"Yes," Miranda replied breathlessly. She pulled the strings on her bikini bottoms and was soon standing naked in front of him. The man she loved more than life itself.

"We'd better go shopping for a ring," Drew said as her body pushed into her once again.