Awe-Struck, Book 2 (12 page)

~~~

Sunny had awoken in a hospital bed and a little doctor hovering over her, checking an IV that was stuck in her arm. Her throat was sore and her head was fuzzy. Fear had instantly consumed her. She had no idea why she had again been admitted to a hospital only one month after the last time. The last thing she’d remembered was singing and dancing with her friends.

After the doctor had explained that she had been drugged along with her bodyguards, she’d began to panic. The doctor had left to get Gabe who was in the waiting room.

Sunny laid her head back on the pillows waiting for Gabe.
How do I keep getting myself in these situations? Since when did I get cast on
General Hospital
?
Sunny closed her eyes in frustration.

“Sunny?” She heard Gabe’s soft baritone.

“Gabe.” She responded with a wobbly voice filled with tears. He strode over to her quickly and grabbed her hand. “I’m freakin’ out here.” A tear slipped down her cheek.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. Please don’t break it off with me again.” He pleaded, his face filled with worry. “I promise we’ll figure out what’s going on…who’s behind this.” 

“I’m not going to break up with you Gabriel. I tried that once…obviously it didn’t work.” Sunny tried to smile at Gabe, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “And don’t apologize, it’s not like you put drugs in my drink.”

“I know, but loving me has been nothing but trouble for you. The right thing, the honorable thing would be for me to let you go, but…but I can’t. I can’t be without you. So if that makes me selfish, then I guess I’ll be a selfish bastard.” Gabe bent over resting his head on her soft tummy.

Sunny stroked a hand through his thick waves. “I couldn’t be happier to have found such a thoughtless, inconsiderate selfish man. It’s what I’ve always prayed for.” She giggled, tugging playfully at his hair.

Gabe’s shoulders started shaking with deep chuckles. “Only you could make me laugh at a time like this.” Gabe’s shining blue eyes looked up at her with reluctant joy.

“Excuse me, Mr. Wolf? Ms. Stone?” A knock sounded at the door, drawing their eyes in the direction of the doorway.

Two men in suits that Sunny didn’t recognized walked into the hospital room. One was a handsome older Latino
gentleman and the other was a younger ‘wet behind the ears’ tall lanky blond with puppy-dog brown eyes.

They shook hands with Gabe before introducing themselves to Sunny. “Ms. Stone, I’m detective Hernandez and this is my partner Detective Rhodes. If you’re feeling up to it, we’d like to ask you a few questions about tonight?” The older detective asked politely.

“Go ahead detective, I’m fine.” Sunny sat up straighter in the bed.

Gabe clasped her hand for moral support. She squeezed back in appreciation.

“Ms. Stone, did you at any point notice anyone unusual at the bar tonight?” Detective Hernandez started.

“No sir
, I didn’t. But then again I’m not sure I would’ve thought anything of it if I did.” Sunny responded apologetically.

“You’d be surprise
d what your mind may notice. It’s okay though, that’s what we’re here for, to help you figure it out.” The detective said encouragingly.

“Well I did have an eerie feeling at one point, but shrugged it off as nothing.” Sunny admitted.

“And that was your body’s response to something being wrong, but you ignored it. From now on, make sure you pay attention to that gut feeling.” Hernandez suggested.

“Ms. Stone did you get your drinks directly from the bartender?” Detective Rhodes asked next.

“Yes. I either went up to the bar myself or with my friends whenever I went to get a drink.”

“Did you walk away from any of your drinks throughout the night?” Detective Hernandez continued.

“Uh…I don’t…think so…Oh, wait! I did! I went to the bathroom. Oh shit…” Sunny exclaimed and then quickly covered her mouth with her hands at her slip of the tongue.

“Don’t worry about your language, Sunny. Just answer the questions as best you can.”

“What were you going to say, what did you remember?” Rhodes asked.

“The guards came with me and stood outside of the bathroom. I remember giving them a hard time for almost coming in with me.” Sunny looked up at
Gabe as he scowled down at her, at the thought of the bodyguards in the bathroom with her.

“Okay, more than likely that was when the suspect slipped the Rohypnol in your drinks.’ Hernandez commented.

“I’m sorry Gabe. I shouldn’t have left my drink unattended.” Sunny cringed.

“You couldn’t have known, you’ve been going to that bar forever and all of your friends were there. Don’t apologize, Sweet Girl.” Gabe brushed a wild curl from her face.

“Can either of you think of why anyone would want to hurt Sunny?” Rhodes asked getting the questioning back on track.

“Absolutely not. Everyone loves Sunny. She wouldn’t hurt a fly, so no one would have a reason to want to hurt her.” Gabe reasoned.

“Well then, let’s rephrase the question. Who would want to hurt
you
? Anyone who hasn’t been under a rock the last couple months know about you two. So is there someone that would want to hurt you through her?” Hernandez asked, looking deeper into the possibilities.

“No, not that I can think of.” Gabe said thoughtfully.

An unpleasant image flashed through Sunny’s mind of being pressed up against Gabe’s movie trailer, hot breath on her face and an erect penis rubbing against her hip. Realization dawned.

“Oh. My. God!” Sunny gasped. Three sets of male eyes zeroed in on her. “Josiah!” She said breathlessly as she looked at Gabe in shock.

“Fuck! I forgot about that prick.” Gabe growled.

“Who’s Josiah and why would he want to hurt you, Ms. Stone?” Hernandez asked.

“Josiah Caldwell.”

“The actor?” Rhodes asked incredulous.

“Yeah. We worked together on the current movie I’m filming. He had made some inappropriate comments about Sunny awhile back and had been warned that he could be replaced if he didn’t stop. It even came to blows once and I broke his nose. Then one day about two months ago he assaulted Sunny on the set, on a day that he wasn’t even supposed to be there.” Gabe paused, thinking. “Dammit! I can’t believe I didn’t even think of this till now. He’s more than likely the one that recorded Sunny and I having sex in my trailer that day.” Gabe grumbled in frustration and Sunny blushed as usual at the subject.

“Mr. Wolf, don’t beat yourself up for not realizing who would do something like this. This type of stuff is hard to imagine if you don’t have a criminal mind.” Hernandez comforted.

“I still should have, because that day I nearly strangled him to death and then the director on the film fired him and he’s basically been blackballed from Hollywood. He probably can’t even get a gig doing commercials. So of course he’d try to come after us. He was an arrogant dick that loved showing off the money he made and we took that from him.” Gabe raked a hand through his hair and paced the room agitated.

“Just calm down,
Mr. Wolf. We’ll find him and bring him in for questioning. In the meantime, when Ms. Stone is released, we’ll need you both to come down to the station to make a formal statement. And make sure that you’re both well protected. If you would feel better with police protection instead of hiring someone, let us know. We’ll see what we can do.” Rhodes suggested.

“It was nice meeting both of you; we wish it was under better circumstances. We’re big fans of yours.” Hernandez said as he shook Gabe’s hand.

Both men shook Sunny’s un-casted left hand and then exited the room.

“God Gabe! Do you really think that Josiah is capable of doing all this?” Sunny’s voice shook with fear.

“Maybe. But don’t worry baby, they’ll get him. If he tried to grab you in the middle of a bar full of your friends that means he’s desperate and stupid. And those two emotions combined are what make people make mistakes.” Gabe said trying to assure her, but Sunny could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

A nurse came bustling into the room to check on Sunny. Her eyes got as big as golf balls when she saw Gabe, and she stumbled over her feet making Sunny smile and remember the first time she’d met him.

“Do you have any idea when Sunny will be released?” Gabe asked the nurse, unfazed by her reaction to him.

“In the morning. We’ll keep her over-night for observation and then she’s free to go.” The nurse answered breathlessly, unable to even look Gabe fully in the eyes and then rushed out of the room.

“Do you even realize the affect you have on women?” Sunny grinned at Gabe, trying to find anything to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, well I only care about the affect I have on one woman.” Gabe leaned over and kissed Sunny softly on the lips.

“Then you might want to call the doctor because I’m having heart palpitations.” Sunny winked at Gabe and he laughed deeply.

“Once again, you make me happy and have me laughing at a time when nothing should be funny and I should be pissed off. I love you, Sweet Girl.” Gabe kissed her again.

Sunny scooted over in the bed and patted the empty spot next to her. “There’s not much room, but this is going to be a long night. I assume you don’t plan on going home and that chair looks awfully uncomfortable. So get that tight ass up here, I need your arms around me right now more than ever.” Sunny patted the bed again.

Gabe slid in next to her and Sunny turned into him and rested her head on his chest.

“We’ll get through this Sunny. Everything is going to be okay.” Gabe kissed the top of her head.

“I hope so.” Sunny whispered softly before yawning.

The stress of the night and the residual drugs left in her system made her eyes heavy and she almost instantly fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

Chapter 9

The next couple of w
eeks Sunny became a hermit. After they had left the hospital and made their way to the police station to make a formal statement about the events of the last couple months, Gabe got her home and she didn’t leave again. He tried to get her to come to the set for the last few weeks of filming, asked her to go out to dinner to a nice restaurant but there was nothing he could do to make her budge.

Sunny knew she was being irrational, but she was tired of bad things happening to her and being in the hospital. The house was a veritable fortress and until they had Josiah in jail, she was too terrified to go anywhere. Even after Gabe had setup GPS tracking on her phone that he had told her he could trace from his phone anywhere she went.

The detectives had informed them that Josiah had moved or was thrown out of his last place. It was some fancy condo in Hollywood that he could no longer afford. And it was like he had vanished, they couldn’t figure out where he was. That didn’t instill much confidence in Sunny to go traipsing around town; just waiting for him to snatch her up and do God’s knows what. It just didn’t seem worth it.

So instead she stayed home and worked on her screenplays. The final draft of her animated movie was almost done and ready to be read by the interested director and producer. She was excited to see what movie studio would back it. Her dream was
Disney
or maybe
Dreamworks
.

She was also still communicating with Gabe’s mother, almost on a daily basis. Francesca was ecstatic over their engagement and horrified over the possibility of someone trying to hurt them. The only thing that made Francesca feel better was being included in the planning of the wedding with Sunny and her mother.

So they had started mass emailing each other so that Francesca could be a part of the decision making. They were still trying to choose a destination for the nuptials. Sunny wanted something small and intimate and away from the media.

“Sunny, I’m home!” Gabe shouted from downstairs, making Sunny smile.

Gabe loved to say that every day when he walked in the door.
He’s so damn cute!

“I’m coming!” Sunny yelled back.

She jumped up and ran from the bedroom and down the stairs and leaped right into Gabe’s arms. He always stood at the foot of the stairs if she was upstairs when he came home and she’d jump into his arms for a big hug and kiss.
My favorite time of day…well besides bedtime.

“Something smells delicious.” Gabe said pulling his head back to look at her, after kissing her soundly.

“It’s Thai. I made stir-fry. You hungry?” Sunny grinned at him.

“Always. I’m a growing boy. Though I could take a raincheck and have you for de
ssert first.” Gabe pulled her close and started nibbling on her lips.

“I think you stopped being a growing boy
,
years
ago. You’re
all
man now. And aren’t you tired of me yet?” Sunny pulled her lips away from his assault.

“Never! Like I told you before, this body is made for sex…with me.” He clarified as he squeezed her butt. “And for making my babies.”

“You need a hobby.” Sunny smiled shyly at the mention of babies.

“You’re my hobby.” He slowly slid her down his rock hard body, and she felt a certain appendage was hard as well.

Sunny just shook her head at his amazing libido and walked into the kitchen with Gabe following close behind. Gabe continually tried to grab her ass along the way. And she continued to smack his hands away.

“Oh
would you behave?!” Sunny laughed as she tried to dodge him again.

“Nope, this is just too much fun.” Gabe said pressing her into the counter as she tried to fill their plates.

He kissed the tender skin of her neck, a particularly sensitive spot that made her giggle and shrink away from him.

“Oh, is someone ticklish?” Gabe said as he tickled her side.

“Gabe…I’m warning you. Don’t start!” She gave him a stern look, grabbing a knife she had used to cut up peppers, trying to threaten him and backing away at the same time.

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about. ‘Don’t start’ what?” Gabe
said innocently as he inched towards her.

“My brother found out the hard way when we were little. I peed all over the living room floor when he tickled me once.” Sunny warned as she rounded the island, looking for an escape route.

“I’ll take my chances.” Gabe chuckled as he lunged after her.

Sunny took off around the island, dropping the knife and ran into the den, towards the couch to put it between her and Gabe. But she was no match for Gabe’s speed and long legs. He caught her around the waist and smoothly tackled her onto the couch, straddling her midsection. Once he was on top of her, there was no getting him off, no matter how hard she bucked and his hands were everywhere tickling her until tears were streaming down her face and she was breathless with laughter.

“GABRIEL! STOP!” Sunny shouted with giggles.

Then suddenly out of nowhere she let out an unfortunately loud fart. They both stopped dead, staring at each other in shock. Apparently she had more than a weak bladder to worry about. Sunny’s mouth dropped open in horror and Gabe’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Gabe squeezed his lips together, trying to hold back his laughter.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!

Sunny covered her beet red face in embarrassment as Gabe’s laughter burst out in loud guffaws. He laughed so hard that she felt his body shaking uncontrollably over her.

“Oh shut up! You suck!” Sunny said behind her hands.

“Aw, come on babe! Don’t be embarrassed. It’s no big deal.” Gabe said, pulling at her hands, forcing her to uncover her face.

“Says who, ya big jerk?!” Sunny tried to frown unsuccessfully as she looked up at his grinning face.

“Don’t worry I’ll love you, no matter what…even when you’re stinky and flatulent.” Gabe said, his laughter starting all over again.

“Oh you’re such an ass!” Sunny giggled as she pushed him.

He was laughing so hard, he was caught off guard by the push and fell over off the couch. Sunny laughed at his surprised face as he landed on the floor. Gabe reached up and pulled her off the couch and she fell on top of him. They laughed until they couldn’t breathe and clutched their stomachs.

He rolled over, putting Sunny underneath him. “I love you, Sweet Girl.”

“Yeah…yeah. I love you too.” She said grudgingly.

“Come on. Let’s go eat, before I molest you on this floor.” Gabe said as he stood and then pulled her up off the floor. Her embarrassment averted for the moment as they made their way back into the kitchen.

“So…babies, huh?” Sunny broached the subject he had
so casually brought up earlier, as she continued to fill their plates with noodles at the kitchen island.

Gabe
leaned his hip against the counter folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her. Sunny peeked up at him from under her lashes and he was smiling warmly at her.

“Yes. I can’t imagine anything better than you barefoot and pregnant, round with
my
baby.” Gabe said sincerely as he got a wistful faraway look in his eyes, like he could see it.

“I just hope that I can have kids. I never really thought about it. I guess I figured it would never happen.” Sunny shrugged filling wine glasses with a nice white wine to go with the noodles.

“Really? You don’t want to have kids?” Gabe said slightly panicked.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that I didn’t think it would happen for me. So why get my hopes up? But I think it would be wonderful to have kids with you.” Sunny rubbed a reassuring hand down his thick corded arm.

“Good. And don’t worry; we’ll keep trying until we do. That’s the fun part anyway. And I plan on keeping you pregnant.” Gabe wiggled his eyebrows at Sunny.

“Uh…how many kids do you plan on having?” Sunny looked at him fearfully.

“How about we try to give that one Mormon family a run for their money?” Gabe smirked down at her.

“The hell you say?! You must be out your damn tree! My vagina would end up looking like ground beef, if you have your way!” Sunny backed away from him in horror, carrying their wineglasses as Gabe grabbed the plates.

“Okay, how about five?” Gabe asked, completely serious.

“How about we just try for one first and see how it goes?” Sunny compromised.

“Fine.” Gabe pouted like a little boy denied a toy car.

Wow…I went from chronically single to engaged and planning a big family in a matter of months! Sweet Mary Mother!

Sunny’s head spun with every emotion under the sun. She prayed that she could be everything he needed her to be. Sunny was so deep in thought that all she was doing was pushing the food around on her plate, but not really eating anything. She felt a warm strong hand squeeze hers.

“Sunny, I know all of this is happening too fast for you. And I’ve tried to slow things down so I don’t freak you out. But I can’t help myself. I get so excited and ahead of myself when I think of our future together. You know I’ve never had this either. And it’s so amazing to me that I want it all right now. So just bear with me when I get a little crazy.” Gabe looked at her in desperation.

“I’m fine. Everything is moving fast, but I want it just as much as you do. It’s just hard to believe sometimes. I just need to stop and pinch myself every now and again.” Sunny grinned at him.

“So…I’ve stalled in asking you something.” Gabe hedged tentatively.

“Oh God, what now?” Sunny cringed.

“Well, the
MTV Movie Awards
are this Sunday and I’m nominated for Best Male Performance for Clutch and I know it’s not the
Oscars
or anything but I want you to go with me.” Gabe asked shyly.

“Babe, I wouldn’t be anywhere else. I know I’ve been a hermit the past couple of weeks, but of course I want to be there to support you and cheer you on.” Sunny reached over and caressed his cheek, freaking out a little on the inside when she thought of leaving the house. But she wouldn’t miss it for the world.

~~~

The day of the awards show Sunny worked on her screenplay until she was finished. She stretched and smiled, looking at the last page with pride. It was almost time to get ready, but she wanted to email Francesca before she started.

Francesca,

The resort in Cabo approved our date for the wedding. It’ll be Saturday, July 27th. Keep your calendar open, because I’d love to have you there. Right now I’m just trying to decide whether to tell Gabriel now or surprise him the day of. It might be good to tell him now and maybe you could come stay with us for the next month, so you can get to know each other. I’ll keep you posted.

Sunny

Sunny looked at the clock and jumped up.
Shit, I’ll never be ready in time if I don’t get moving.
She wished now that she had taken Gabe up on his offer of having a stylist come to do her hair and makeup. But since she had finally gotten her cast removed earlier in the week, she figured she could do her own hair and makeup.

She jumped in the shower and quickly washed her hair and shaved everywhere. She got out of the shower in record time and started on her hair and makeup. Gabe walked in and kissed her on cheek.

“Hey, Sweet Girl. I’m getting in the shower. Be out in just a sec.” Gabe said stripping down.

“You’ll probably be ready before me and started after. Oh, to be a man.” Sunny teased as she admired his naked form stepping into the large shower.

And of course he was out of the shower and dressed before she had started on her makeup. Luckily she only put on minimal makeup. It was her mass of curls that took so long. She took a little extra time to get her hair just right. She parted her hair on one side then loosely French braided both sides and pinned her curls in a messy side bun on the nape of her neck. She left out a few curling tendrils here and there to femininely frame her face.

As she started on her makeup, Gabe called to her from the bedroom.

“Hey, how’s the screenplay going? Were you able to finish today?” He said in a raised voice so she could hear him.

“Yeah I did! I can’t believe I did it!” Sunny heard nothing but silence in the bedroom. “Gabe?”

Sunny walked into the bedroom to see why he had become so quiet all of a sudden. Gabe stood in front of her laptop, and what he was looking at stopped her heart.
No no no no no!!! Not like this…I didn’t want him to find out like this!

“Gabe, I-” Sunny started.

“You found her?” Gabe interrupted. “You contacted her? You fucking contacted her?!” Gabe shouted the last part.