He had just sat up on the sand when he heard his name. Looking around, he saw what looked like a purple and tan blob flying towards him. He squinted in the sun to get a better look, but to no avail. Belle had reached his spot and flung herself at him, grinning.

"How've you been?" she giggled, tackling him to the ground with a huge bear hug.

He blinked up at his best friend who seemed somewhat comfortable sprawled half-naked on his chest . "Hey, Belle. I'm fine." To himself he thought, 'In fact, I'm a little more than fine with you on top of me.' But instead, he continued with, "How're you?"

She looked down at him and laughed. His expression was one of pure surprise, but a good one at that. She peeled herself off of him and pushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Sorry. I'm just so happy to see you! I'm great. College is great, this beach is great, life is great! So what brings you to these islands?"

He sat back up, watching her and flashing his dimples absentmindedly. "Dad's got a huge account that he's working on. One that he doesn't trust anyone with. So, I decided to hop the plane with him and come down for some sun."

"Looks like you could use some," Belle teased, glancing at his darkly colored skin.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Uh..." she started, stretching her legs out in front of her and leaning back on her hands. "Spring Break, actually. I'm here with a couple of friends from school. We took Dad's jet so it was a free trip."

"Cool. Anyone I know?"

"Umm...I don't think you know them..." she said thoughtfully. "Their names are Mandy and Amanda. Their parents are from about an hour away from the campus, so..."

"I see," he said. He stretched out beside her, flipped onto his stomach, and reached out to flip off his radio. Belle gasped at the sight of his back.

"You're getting sunburned, Phil. You should really put some lotion on."

He chuckled and reached for his beach bag. Inside he found a tube of tanning oil. He squirted out a little in his palm and began rubbing it lightly on his shoulders. He tried to reach his back, but only ended up looking weird. Finally, Belle took the tube from his hands.

"Let me help," she demanded, squirting a little in her hands. Suddenly, he could feel her soft, small hands working up and down his back. They were slick with oil and kneaded the muscles slightly, causing him to draw in a shaky breath. As she moved her fingers over his hardened muscles, she saw them ripple. 'Wow.' she thought to herself. 'He didn't look like this the last time I saw him...' She was snapped back to reality when he sharply cleared his throat.

"So, how's college life?" he asked, delighiting in the feeling of her touch.

"It's fun...except when I'm in class. The floor that I live on is wonderful - the girls are all so nice. We all go out together, eat together, and sometimes have little sleepovers. I'm actually kind of sad that no one from Salem joined me in Hays. Everyone'd love it there! Even you," she rambled, unable to concentrate much on anything other than Philip's body.

He chuckled at her answer. He had barely made it through high school, so college was a distant and somewhat impossible dream for him. Besides, the only thing he was interested in that came from colleges were sorority girls. And Salem University gave him plenty of those. "I don't know about that, Belle."

"You'd love it! I know you would," she said excitedly. "I bet you would just die if you lived in anyplace but Salem. It's an awesome feeling...the freedom."

He rolled over and looked up at her. The sun was actually starting to set behind her, casting shadows along her face framed in fire. 'God, she's beautiful.' he thought to himself. Tearing his gaze away from her forcefully, he tried to think of the conversation at hand. 'She's your best friend, Philip. You'll just have to get over it. She'll never like you and you'll ruin your friendship thinking that she will.' He propped himself up on his elbows and shoved the thoughts out of his head.

"College isn't for me, Belle. You know that, I know that, hell, the whole world knows that. But I'd definately come up and check out the campus to see you."

Thinking he sounded forward and stupid, he scrambled to a sitting position and began stuffing his belongings in his bag. Belle's hand stopped him. "Do you mean that? Would you come visit me...just to see me?"

"Just to see you, Belle," he whispered. Her touch was heating his flesh and he had to get away. He gathered up his radio, put on his sandals, and helped Belle to her feet.

"Come help me get my things and we can go out around the island, okay?"

"Sure."

~*~

An hour later, Philip stood in the cool, darkness of Belle's hotel suite. She insisted that they change to go around the island, but told him to keep his trunks on. "We might end up going swimming," she'd said, a gleam in her eye that he'd never seen before. So, there he was, standing in his damp yellow trunks, hair disheveled, and a slowly reddening back. His T-shirt was wrapped around his neck, glancing at the clock on the nightstand.

"Isabella! What is taking you so long?" he bellowed.

"I'll be out in a minute, jeez!" was the muffled reply from the bathroom door.

Just then, two tiny brunettes strode through the door, laughing and swinging beach totes. They almost ran over Philip, who quickly stepped out of the way. He unfortuately tripped and landed seated on one of the queen sized beds. "Hello there, handsome," one brunette said to him, smiling sweetly.

"Hi," he sputtered. He pulled a pair of his jeans over his trunks, slightly embarrassed by the girls' entrance.

"I'm Mandy," the brunette continued, offering her hand. "And this is Amanda. We're Belle's friends, as if you didn't already know. Where is Belle anyway?"

"In the bathroom," he squeaked. He desperately wanted far away from the girls who were flirting not-so-subtly. He shook Mandy's hand and nodded at Amanda, who flung her bag down on the other bed. Then, she proceeded to begin to undress.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked, not caring whether he did or not. "I just have to get out of this bathing suit and into something comfy."

Mandy giggled playfully as Philip's face turned the same color as his back. "I do believe he's embarrassed...er...who are you anyway?"

"Philip Kiriakis. Belle's friend."

"Oh...now I remember...your pictures don't even do you justice!" Mandy exclaimed, plopping down beside him in her small blue bikini. She began rummaging through her bag to find her wallet, from which she produced a senior picture of him.

"How'd you get that?" he asked, taking it from her. Then he turned it over. On the back it read, 'Belle, Stay cute, be smart, and don't worry about guys...they aren't all like Shawn. Luv ya, Phil.'

Mandy giggled again as she snatched it away from him. "Don't worry, this isn't the only copy floating around! Belle made lots of them. She's trying to hook you up, I think. Practically every girl on campus has this picture, and the story of you and her when Shawn was a total ass."

Mandy's giggling and Amanda's variable states of undress were making him edgy. "Belle? Are you done yet?" he called.

Finally, the bathroom door flew open and Belle emerged. Hair still pulled up in a ponytail, wearing a baby tee and a jean skirt, Philip could see the ties of her bikini collected around her neck. "Tada!" she exclaimed, flourishing. "Hey, girls, what've you got going on tonight?"

"Nothing, unless you want to rent me out a hunk," Mandy asked, eyeing Philip. He quickly put on his T-shirt and moved to Belle's side.

"Mandy, you need to get laid," Amanda replied, rolling her eyes.

"I know, I know. I just need a partner..."

"So...Belle, what's on the agenda? Pizza? Sounds good. Let's go," Philip said quickly, taking her by the hand and pulling her out the door.

"She was being sarcastic, Phil! She's engaged, anyway...so you're safe."

"Thank, God!" he breathed. "So pizza sounds good, then?"

"Yeah! Us girls found a great bar and grill that serves pizza, too. Let's get outta here."

~*~

They arrived at the bar and grill, both starving for food and information. They hadn't seen each other for almost a year, they were interested in all the gory details of life for the other. Especially if the other had had any relationships...you know...basic gossip.

"So, how long was it before you found out that Shawn was leaving?" he inquired, shoving a large slice of supreme into his mouth.

"Umm...I think I found out the day after graduation. He didn't want to spoil graduation for me. Ha!"

"Yeah, I knew shortly after that, you know, after the whole baby thing. They should be settling in by now, wherever they are," he said, thinking back on Shawn and Jan. They had moved out of Salem soon after Jan gave birth, trying to avoid the evil glances people were giving them. On one level, Philip could understand, but when it came to Belle, he was as lost as she was.

"Yeah," she sighed. "So, did you see the announcement in the paper?"

"Umm...Brady and Chloe's? Yeah. When are they getting married again?"

Belle could tell that he wasn't completely comfortable about it, so she tried to keep her answer short. "June, I think. I only found out because mom sent me the clipping."

"They're kinda rushing it, don't you think?" he took a sip of his Pepsi and shifted in his seat. He'd made her uncomfortable, now it was her turn.

"I don't know, Philip. I just want everyone to be happy. Did you hear about Mimi and Jason? Of all the people in the world, they're together!"

"Really? I heard that they both went to UCLA, so I guess it's been expected."

They were both silent for a minute, realizing that they were both lonely. "Belle," he asked, looking up at her.

"Yeah?"

Her piercing blue eyes met with his and he almost lost his nerve. "We're the only two left out of the group to find happiness. Even your friends are engaged or taken. You did tell me that Amanda had a boyfriend, right?"

"Yeah," she said sadly.

He reached over and took her hand. Just then, the music changed from hard rock to pop. Belle started to perk up. Then, she started singing and bouncing in her seat. "Sometimes we sit around, just the two of us, on the park bench. Sometimes we swim around, like two dolphins in the ocean of our hearts." She instantly became mock sadistic. "But then I think about the time when we broke up before the prom and she told everyone that I was gay...OKAY!"

Philip laughed at her, still holding her hand. People from other tables began to turn around to watch her belt the song. He tried to hide his face from the crowd. "Belle...you're calling attention to yourself!" he mumbled, but she didn't hear him.

"Cuz that's the way, UH-HUH, UH-HUH I LIKE IT!" she sang loudly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Phil...I like this song. Were you saying something?"

He groaned sarcastically as she pulled him from his seat and onto the dance floor. She kept singing, moving and shaking to the rhythm. Philip had nothing else to do but dance, so he did. They were laughing and twirling around each other crazily, looking like two complete idiots when the song changed. They looked at each other instantly. Belle began to drift off the floor, but Philip shook a finger at her and pulled her to him. "My turn, Belle." Then, he began singing in her ear.

"So denied

So I lied

Are you the now or never kind?

In a day, and a day, love

Im gonna be gone for good again

Are you willin

To be had

Are you cool with just tonight?

Heres a toast to all those who hear me all too well

Heres to the nights we felt alive

Heres to the tears you knew youd cry

Heres to goodbye, tomorrows gonna come to soon"

Belle put her head against his chest, hearing his soft tenor voice reverberate in his lungs. She could smell his skin through the T-shirt. It smelled of coconut tanning lotion, and it was quite possibly the best smell she'd ever encountered at the moment. His hands were rubbing small circles on her back, pulling her closer to him. The song was sad and Belle felt as if she may cry, knowing that soon she'd have to say goodbye to her friend again. But there was a new reason that she didn't want that to happen...love. She looked up at him in bewilderment. He seemed off in his own world, lips forming the words, eyes closed, breathing deeply whenver he could.

Philip could smell her with every breath and it was driving him nuts. 'I can't just let her get away. I have to know if she feels the same way" he thought silently. She was looking at him and he liked it. It had never happened before...these strong, overpowering feelings rushing over him. He knew then that he loved her. And he had to tell her...tonight.

The song changed again and Belle turned around so that her back was to him. He enjoyed the new feeling of her behind crushed against his body, placing his hands lightly on her hips. She began singing again when she knew the words, arm snaking up around his neck so he could hear the words. "I wanna be bad, you make that look so good, I've got things on my mind-I never thought I would. I wanna be bad, you make that feel so good, I'm losing all my cool. I'm about to break the rules. I wanna be bad."

Philip could feel his erection starting, but he had to keep it covered. Belle kept singing those words, eyes closed slightly, cheeks aflame from dancing, a small sweat breaking on her brow. He tried to move back a little so that she couldn't feel his approval, but she insisted. Her denim-clad butt ground into his lap, and she gasped sharply when she felt his attraction to her.

'Oh, shit, Philip! Now what? You just blew it with your best friend! Time for some damage control,' he thought, panicking. He pulled free of her arms and began dancing close to her, but far enough for her not to feel anything else. He had to get rid of his erection before anyone else in the bar saw. Unfortunately, Belle spun on her heel to face him.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, eyes glancing down to the bulge in his jeans.

Embarrassed, he tried to hide it from her. "Uh...I think we should leave, Belle. I'm tired."

"No way, wait until the song's over," she told him, pulling his body to hers. He was clearly uncomfortable, but who could blame him? He was aroused and scared in the middle of a dance floor with his best friend. She'd just have to make him realize that it was okay to be aroused by her. So, as the song ended, she grabbed his face planting a kiss on his mouth.

Her lips were on his in an instant, softly parted and strawberry flavored. He sighed into her mouth when she parted his lips with her tongue, searching out his in return. They stood there kissing for a while before Belle pulled away. "Philip," she started, eyes down.

"I'm sorry, Belle. I didn't mean to kiss you back, really. God, I'm such a bad friend."

He started to walk off the floor, but was pulled back once again to her waiting lips. This time when they pulled apart, Belle placed a finger on his lips to hush him. "All I was going to say before was, Philip...I've wanted that for a long time."

He let out a breath he was unaware that he'd been holding. "Oh...me, too," he whispered against her finger. Then his ears picked up the song that was playing. He began snickering.

"What?" Belle asked, afraid he was joking with her.

"The song, Belle. Listen to the song!"

She tuned into the song and looked him in the eye. "Philip Kiriakis!" Then she started to sing once more. "I want to licklicklicklick you from your head to your toes, then I wanna move from the bed down to the down to the to the floor, then I wanna ahh ahh, you make it so good I don't wanna leave, but I gotta. Let let me know what's your fan-ta-sy?"

Then, she took his mouth possessively. "Philip, I want you," she moaned this time. He didn't waste time. He quickly pulled her off the floor, flung two twenties on the table, and led her out the door.

~*~

They had successfully made it to the car, but Belle was becoming urgently hot. "Please, Philip. Find a place, now!"

Her body hummed with the sound of her own fevered pitch. Philip looked at her with wide eyes and steered off the road. "Here. We'll go down to the beach."

He grabbed his bag from the car. They grabbed each other's hands and searched out refuge for their love making. It was way overdue. Belle tugged at Philip's arm as she spotted a cave not far from the ocean. "Over there," she whispered.

They crawled inside the big stone cavern, spread out a blanket, and looked at each other. It was dark inside, but the moonlight streamed in just enough for them to see one another. Before any words were spoken, Philip took Belle into his arms, claiming her with a probing kiss.

She moaned softly in his lips, moving so she was under him. He laid down on top of her gently, hands holding both of hers and entertwining with them. The kisses came naturally as if they'd been stored inside them forever, waiting to come out on this night. Belle nibbled as his lower lip as his tongue darted in and out of her soft lips. It grazed the underside of her top lip, causing her to cry out in pleasure. "Philip," she panted. He simply took her lead and ran his tongue along her teeth.

"Philip," she repeated, hands struggling to be free from his grasp. "Touch me, Philip."

His head was reeling. Was he actually kissing his best friend? Did she just ask him to touch her? Was he having another wonderful dream? As the thoughts swirled in his brain, Belle took action into her own hands. She reached down and grasped his butt with her hands, kneading the flesh so his hardened body was pressing into hers. He made a soft sound before tracing lines down her sides with his fingers, all the while, working on her mouth.

She shivered. Slowly, his hands searched out the swell of her breasts, touching them lightly, exploring. 'No wonder this is a sin,' she thought comically. 'Nothing should feel this good unless its bad.' She smiled against his lips.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked, parting from her lovely, soft mouth momentarily. He flashed his dimples at her and she melted.

"This feels so good, Phil. Why didn't we do this before?" she whispered.

Taking that as a sign to move on, he began devouring her neck with tiny suckling motions. She gasped in delight as he reached her collar bone. He tugged at the bottom of her shirt, wanting more access to her skin. She granted it by removing the shirt in one quick movement.

Philip looked down at the skin that he had seen once before that day, and many times before, but what he saw was not the same skin as then. It was far more sensual, more intriguing. He paused a moment before going on with his mouth's exploration. He nibbled his way around the bikini top, stopping shortly to delve his tongue into the cups for a taste. Belle's hips moved involuntarily beneath him. "More," she gasped.

Smiling a little at her invitation, he untied her top, keeping her mouth occupied with his. After he had that done, he swept it off of her with one motion of his fingers. She lay beneath him, half-naked and heavy-lidded. Philip had never seen anything so beautiful. He would have been content to stay that way forever, but Belle was now tugging at his T-shirt incesently.

Once it was removed, they resumed kissing passionately. Belle's hips kept rising and falling to meet his grinding motions. He found that soon, he could not control himself any more. "Belle, I need you..." he whipered, voice grating with passion.

She nodded and lifted her skirt. Underneath, her bikini bottoms had been removed, revealing nothing but her soft, blonde curls. He took in a sharp breath. "When did you? How did you? Where are they?" he stumbled, eyes not moving from her body.

"Not important now, baby. I just want to make love to you now," she said in a voice as thick as honey.

"I've never done this before, Belle," he told her. His gaze met hers and he knew it would be alright. With that, he moved back into the cave so that his lips were resting on her center. She moaned his name as his tongue grazed her clit and two of his fingers pressed inside her. She squirmed against his face unashamed, calling his name and making small noises in the back of her throat. As his tongue and fingers continued their pleasuring, Belle found her hands pressing his head down further. She wanted him to taste her when she came.

It wasn't long before she was jerking involuntarily against his mouth, screaming his name out into the darkness of the cave. Her orgasm flooded over his fingers and he replaced them with his tongue as she came down. He lapped up all of her juices before resuming his position abover her.

"How was that?" he asked, dimples smiling down at her.

She simply sighed loudly. "Your turn, Mr. Kiriakis."

She tugged the skirt down off of her hips, tossing it to the floor. It was soon followed by his jeans, belt, and swim trunks. Straddling him, she watched as his erection pulsed and shuddered at her closeness. She laughed, as her hands came down upon him and a small dot of liquid pooled at the top. Her tongue went to work to clean the liquid up, flicking along the ridge around the head. His breathing had become labored and intense. His eyes closed as she pulled the rest of him into her soft, wet mouth.

Then, she began humming as her lips went up and down his length. This produced a whole new set of sensations for Philip, who'd been given head only twice before. His groaning and hip movement told Belle that he was getting close, so she licked him one last time before letting him spring out of her mouth.

His eyes fluttered open, clouded in desire. "Belle, I want this right now."

She nodded. "You've never done this before?" she asked, moving to positison herself over him. She took him in her hand gently, rubbing as she awaited his answer.

"No, I'm still a virgin. For now," he breathed. She was driving him mad. "Are you? I mean...have you done this before?"

"Oh, Philip," she cried, dismayed. "I had sex with Shawn a couple of times before he went off with Jan! I'm so sorry. I didn't know that it'd be like that...with him. I wanted my first time to be special. Not ruined by Jan's pregnancy!"

She crawled off of him and sobbed into the blanket, back turned to him. He reached out, fingers grazing her back. "It's okay, Belle. Don't think about it. Shawn is scum and we both know it."

"But my first time was with scum...I blew it on him..."

"Let's just say that that doesn't count. You can have your first time with me. I promise that I don't have anyone else pregnant. Believe me. If I'd had sex before now, I wouldn't have asked."

She sat up and looked into his eyes. His lust-filled gaze was shadowed by his concern and love for her. She wiped away the tears and roped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Philip. You're my best friend. And....I love you."

With that said, Philip kissed her. They rolled so that they were looking at each other, hands and mouths exploring with new fervor. His hands awoke the burning need inside her once more, while her sighs and moans egged him on. Soon, they were back where they started, her straddling him, hands working to align their hips. Finally, she looked into his eyes. "I love you, Isabella," he whispered as she descended on his shaft slowly.

They quickly moved in a feverish pace, creating new sensations, reeling in the old, and all the while gasping their love for each other. Philip, it being his first time, was unable to hold out for long and came with a long cry not long after they'd begun.

"I'm sorry, Belle. It's just, you're so soft, and wet, and beautiful..." he panted after he was done.

"That's okay, baby. There'll be plenty more times to go longer. But for now, let's sleep," she cooed, holding him close.

~*~The End~*~