Beauty and the Feast (10 page)
A warm hand slid under her tee shirt and fingers moved up her belly. Eva found herself arching her back, giving him easier access. Gabe wasted no time in discovering the sensitive underside of her breast. He stroked the satiny skin with his fingertips and then, as his big hand cupped her breast, his thumb circled her nipple. Eva’s legs shook when he rolled her aching tip between his thumb and forefinger. She tore her mouth away from his, and tossed her head back, moaning, while his teeth sought her neck and he nibbled his way down her collarbone. Eva knew where his mouth was headed and she nearly screamed in anticipation. Abruptly, he shoved her tee shirt up and he arrived at her breast. Gabe closed his hot, wet mouth around a nipple that had become almost painful with desire. He sucked, closing his teeth around her taut point, biting, the action deliberate yet delicate at the same time.
Eva did scream, at least, she thought she did, and her hands sought the front of his jeans. She stroked his hard length through the taut material. She heard Gabe groan, his mouth still on her breast. He sounded as if he was in agony. In one fluid motion, Eva unzipped his jeans and she moved his boxers and freed him. A single thought raced through her brain as her hand ran down his steely length,
Oh my God,
and then it disappeared as her tee shirt was torn from her and her boxers were shoved down her thighs. Gabe’s fingers searched the delicate folds between her legs. She could tell she was incredibly wet and very slippery.
“Jesus Christ,” she heard him grit out between clenched teeth as a finger was thrust carefully inside her. Her body welcomed the intrusion and her mouth trembled as he took her lips again, thrusting his tongue inside, matching the rhythm of his finger. Eva teetered on the brink of what seemed like either a precipice or a cataclysmic orgasm. She wasn’t sure which. She slid her thumb over the tip of Gabe’s big cock, finding a drop of moisture there. The image had her panting. She heard him growl deep in his throat and her boxers vanished. She felt his hands reach beneath her bottom. Gabe began to lift her off her feet and… suddenly Eva smelled smoke. She pried open her eyes and watched, puzzled, as a gray haze drifted their way from the kitchen. For an instant, the sight didn’t register, then the smoke detector above their heads began to shriek.
“Shit!” Eva yelped. “The potatoes!” Her feet found the floor. She shoved Gabe backward and bolted for the kitchen.
“Fuck the potatoes!” she heard him rumble from behind her retreating back.
Eva burst into laughter. Naked as a jaybird, she grabbed a dishtowel and tore open the oven door. Smoke billowed around her. She grabbed the pan containing the charred mass and tossed it into the sink. She opened the tap and ran cold water. Nasty smelling steamed hissed upward. Eva threw the back door wide open to try to usher the smoke outdoors.
“You got a broom?” Gabe stomped down the hallway, buttoning his jeans, his eyes fixed on her naked behind.
“Over there.” Eva pointed to the pantry.
Gabe grabbed the broom and returned to the hallway. The shrieking vanished abruptly as he managed to shut off the offending smoke detector. While he busied himself with that chore, Eva grabbed a throw from the couch and wrapped it around herself.
Gabe reappeared in the kitchen doorway. He looked her over, from her flushed cheeks to her swollen lips to the throw wrapped tightly around her shoulders, her arms crisscrossed in front of her to hold it in place.
“So,” he said finally, “I take it you don’t intend to pick up where we left off.”
“Maybe… maybe it’s for the best,” Eva replied. “Things were getting a little out of control there.”
A corner of Gabe’s sinful mouth turned up. “Do you hear me complaining?”
Eva smiled shyly. She suddenly felt very exposed. He was fully clothed. She was not. She wanted to get dressed. Now.
“Sit,” Eva motioned to a seat. “I made Reuben sandwiches and at least they’re not burned. I took them out of the pan before I… I mean I was going to come back and get the…”
Gabe stood there, listening to her, indulging her, an amused expression on his face.
“Oh fuck. Just sit down, Gabe. I’ll be right back.”
Eva tried to skirt past him, but he grabbed the throw and whirled her around to face him. “You look guilty as hell,” he said to her. “Like you just got caught shoplifting or something. You have nothing to feel guilty about, Eva. Nothing whatsoever.”
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to…to get so carried away. It’s embarrassing.”
“What’s embarrassing?” Gabe’s voice challenged her. “What the hell is embarrassing about wanting someone? About what we just did… almost did?”
“Because…because I’m shy, all right? I’m shy around guys.” Eva began to raise her voice. “I’m not like you. I don’t have a lot of… I don’t have all that much…all that much experience. I’m not like you.”
Gabe kept his hand on her shoulder. He looked directly into her eyes. “How do you know what I’m like, Eva? How would you know?”
“Well that’s just it, isn’t it? I wouldn’t know. I don’t know you at all. I mean, look at you. You probably have women throwing themselves at you. You were probably fucking someone just last night. She was probably in your bed when you called me. Isn’t that what the dinner was all about? So you could seduce some woman? Isn’t that why you hired me?” Eva listened to her own words in shock. She didn’t know why she was behaving like such a harpy. Gabe had been nothing but kind to her.
Gabe stood silently for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally he said, “Go get dressed, Eva, and then we’ll start this conversation over.” He let his hand drop from her shoulder. Eva felt its absence like a wound. Tears filled her eyes and she knew he’d noticed them. Eva ran to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Crying, she threw herself on the bed. Behind her, the door opened and she felt the bed lean as Gabe sat beside her.
“Eva,” he said, and then he pulled her onto his lap, taking care to keep her covered with her blanket, and he wrapped her in his arms
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she sobbed into his shoulder. “I’m not usually like this. I’m not… I’m not usually a weeping, screeching shrew.”
Gabe rubbed her back, soothing her. “I know sweetheart. I know. It’s been a long, hard day.”
That’s right
, Eva thought,
long and hard
. She suddenly began to giggle despite her tears. She could feel her body shaking against Gabe’s chest. He tilted her head back to look at her. She saw concern in his eyes.
“Giggling? You’re giggling?” He sounded surprised. “What did I say that was so funny?”
“Long…,” Eva managed to choke out, “…and hard.”
Gabe’s resulting grin was wide. “Hey,” he protested, “Aren’t you the same woman who was just yelling at me about how shy she is?”
“I am shy,” laughed Eva, “but I know a big thing when I feel it.”
Eva hid her flaming cheeks against Gabe’s shoulder. She felt her head bounce up and down as he laughed at her words.
“I don’t know whether I’ve just been complimented or sexually harassed,” Gabe finally commented.
“Maybe both?”
Gabe winked at her. “C’mon Eva, throw some clothes on. I’m starving.”
He lifted her in his arms and lowered his head. He kissed her soundly on the mouth. “And not just for a Reuben sandwich. Meet me in the kitchen and we can talk.”
* * * *
“Damn, this is good.” Gabe felt juice run down his chin but he didn’t care. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. The Reuben was the best he’d ever eaten. The corned beef had been sliced paper-thin, the Swiss cheese had a nice, nutty tang. Eva had melted it just right, and the seeded Jewish rye was grilled to perfection, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. She’d drained the sauerkraut before she’d laid it on the meat, but its sour juice still mingled with the sweet homemade Thousand Island dressing. Gabe licked his fingers. In Gabe’s view, there was no way to eat a Reuben neatly. The sandwich was messy, sticky comfort food, pure and simple. It reminded him of home. He glanced over at Eva across the table where she picked at her Reuben minus the corned beef. She’d donned a pair of faded jeans and a short-sleeved sweatshirt.
“So how come you have corned beef in your house if you don’t eat meat?” Gabe asked, curious.
“Oh, Tom and Marcus stop by a couple times a week and they like my sandwiches. I indulge them.”
“You gonna eat that?” Gabe nodded at her sandwich. “Or pick it apart?”
“I’m eating,” Eva replied, with a roll of her eyes. “I haven’t eaten with anyone for a while. It takes some getting used to.”
“You were all ready to eat with me before.”
“Yes, but that was before we…”
“Nearly fucked in the hallway?”
Eva smirked at him. “Yes.”
Gabe chuckled. He waved half a sandwich at her. “If it makes you feel any better, I’d rather be fucking you than eating this. And I really, really like this. In fact, this is amazing.”
Eva shot him a reluctant grin. She pulled a piece off her sandwich and began nibbling on the edge. “So,” Gabe heard her say, “what happened last night?”
“Nothing,” he replied.
“Oh, so you mean it’s none of my business?”
“No, I mean nothing. I ate supper and I called you and I tried to sleep, which was pretty damn hard after eating that meal you prepared. That salmon was something.”
“You liked it?” She sounded pleased.
“That would be an understatement. It was…” Gabe searched for the right word. “Evocative. Extremely evocative.”
“Evocative? Of what?” Eva asked innocently.
Gabe looked directly into her eyes. “A certain portion of a woman’s anatomy. On my tongue.”
Eva’s cheeks flamed almost instantaneously and she quickly looked down at her plate. Gabe loved to watch her reactions. She could cuss a blue streak, but the least little mention of sex made her blush.
Gabe finished up one sandwich and started in on a second. “Your four brothers, is that where you got your potty mouth?”
Eva grinned at him. Gabe noticed that she had a small dimple in her left cheek. He found it adorable.
“You ever hear a farmer when he’s pulling the engine out of his old pickup because of a blown head gasket? Or listened to him when his John Deere breaks down in the middle of spring planting? Or heard what comes out of everybody’s mouth when the bull gets loose? My dad and my brothers can use some pretty colorful language.”
Gabe chewed thoughtfully. So she was raised on a farm. “Here in
“No,” Eva replied, still nibbling. “Back in the
Midwest
.”
“Oh? Where?”
“
“I’ve been by there,” said Gabe. “That’s just east of
Council Bluffs
, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” answered Eva. “How do you know?”
“I’m from
Chicago
,” he told her. “I’ve driven through
Council Bluffs
a number of times on I-80.”
Eva gave him an appraising look. “I assumed you were born and raised in the Bay Area. Where in
Chicago
?”
“My mother lives on
Skokie
. But growing up we lived in one of the projects.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. The look she gave him now was one of admiration. “Ah, so you weren’t born into the wine industry.”
Gabe took a long swallow of the ice-cold beer Eva had set in front of him.
“Hell no. Wine was the furthest thing from my mind when I moved out here. I stumbled into the business completely by accident. I got my masters in Business Administration from
Livermore
area. Eventually, when I’d made some money, he made me a business proposal. The rest, as they say, is history.”
“But your wines, they’re outstanding,” said Eva. “How did you know… I mean, I realize your wine maker, your friend, is exceptional, but how did you know? If you didn’t have any experience, I mean.”
Gabe winked at her. “Night school,” he said. “I’m a quick study. I took some classes at the local community colleges. When I first started out, I didn’t know a Cabernet from Mogen David.”
Eva laughed with him. She had the most delightful laugh. Gabe noticed his cock begin to respond to the sound of it. Her laugh, her food, her foul mouth, her wonderfully round little ass and her deliciously soft, smooth, firm body. God, was there anything about her he didn’t respond to?
“Gabe, the dinner last night… I got the impression… Was I really so off base?”
“No,” he admitted. “You had the right idea. I just had the wrong woman. I took her home before dinner.”
“I apologize if it was something I did. You know, if she was important to you.”
