Beauty and the Feast (19 page)

Eva kicked off her black sneakers and removed her shorts and polo shirt as she approached the bathroom. She opened the door and entered, still wearing her dark blue lace bra and panties. Gabe stood, gloriously naked, beneath the stream of water, his head thrown back, eyes closed, water running over his lean, sculpted body. Eva stopped and stood still for a moment, admiring the view. As she watched, he opened his eyes and extended a hand. She began to remove her bra, but he said simply, “Leave it on.”

Eva smiled then, as she stepped toward him, kicking the bathroom door closed behind her. Gabe took her hand and pulled her beneath the water, bringing her hard against his chest. She was immediately soaked to the skin.

“Your breasts are glorious,” he said in a low voice, palming them roughly through the lace. “God, I love the way you look in anything. You could be wearing shapeless overalls and a filthy work shirt and I’d still want to fuck you senseless.”

With Gabe’s hands busy on her body, Eva found that her mind had nothing intelligible to say. She moaned as one of his fingers slipped beneath her lace panties.

“Um…wet…” he murmured in her ear, sliding a finger inside her while his teeth tugged on her earlobe.

Feeling utterly boneless now, Gabe easily maneuvered her against the shower wall. His mouth moved downwards and he sucked on the sensitive junction between her neck and her shoulder. Somehow, that spot seemed to run in a straight line directly to her clit. Between the sensation of his mouth on her neck and his finger between her legs, Eva became so aroused she found herself unable to move a muscle. She heard herself whimper like a little kitten. She felt Gabe pull the cups of her wet bra down. She knew the pressure of the straps had thrust her breasts forward, directly into his waiting mouth. He sucked hungrily on one nipple while he rolled the other nipple between a thumb and forefinger. As he pulled his mouth away from her erect tip, he bit down with just enough pressure to make her squeal, thrusting two fingers into her at the same time.

Eva would have fallen then if Gabe hadn’t leaned into her, pressing his erection against her stomach. Eva ached to take his length into her hands, but her hands wouldn’t seem to cooperate. Despite her admonition, they stayed glued to the shower wall while his mouth explored her face, finally finding her lips. He pressed his against hers. She parted her lips in response, allowing him to enter. Gabe’s kisses were so sensuous, so full, so generous, that every time he kissed her it was as if she’d never been kissed before in her entire life.

“God, you taste good,” he murmured, lifting his head. “You taste like smoke and marshmallows and chocolate and barbecue sauce. Tell me, Eva, do you want to come? Do you want me to make you come now? Right now?”

“Mmmmm,” she managed to reply.

“That’s not good enough, lover. Say it. Tell me to make you come. Tell me.”

“Gabe… I… I…”

“You what? What? Say it.”

“Oh God, Gabe, make me come,” Eva exhaled.

“Please? You forgot please.”

“P…p…please…please make me come, Gabe. Please…make…me…come.”

“Yes. Of course.”

With a firm hand on her shoulder, Gabe kept her pinned to the shower wall. He kissed her, long and slow, and lowered his mouth to an aching nipple. He moved his fingers so that they slid beneath her panties along her thigh. He rubbed, slow and deliberate, through her slick folds, skimming his fingertips over her clit and into her opening. Eva began to shake and she wondered if her legs were about to give out.

Gabe lifted his head. “Stand there,” he ordered her, his voice firm, and he dropped to his knees.

Eva desperately pressed her back to the dripping stone wall, while Gabe spread her legs. His fingers thrusting inside her, he laid his mouth against the front of her panties and bit down, right onto her clit. Eva screamed as she felt the beginning of an orgasm. Gabe didn’t stop. He sucked against her panties, taking her nub into his mouth, his fingers thrusting, sending her over the edge again and again, until exhausted, Eva finally dropped, the shower spraying over her head and shoulders. Gabe caught her in his arms and sat her gently on the wet floor. He stripped her panties from her and pulled her toward him. He lifted her up and supported her above his erect cock. He felt hard, thick and hot against her opening.

“Shall I fuck you?” Gabe asked.

“Yes…please…” Eva said in a small voice.

“When?”

“Now.”

“You’re sure? Now? You want it now?”

“Yes…oh…yes… Please God, yes…”

Gabe slid his entire length into her in one motion.

“Oh, God,” Eva gasped.

“No, my sweet and tasty Eva,” Gabe whispered, “Oh, Gabe.” And then he laughed huskily.

A semi-hysterical giggle escaped Eva as Gabe stretched her out on the floor of his luxurious shower, holding her arms above her head with one hand, the other hand playing with her up-thrust breasts.

Completely oblivious to the water pouring over them, firmly in control of her, Gabe rocked his hips against her, deliberately bumping against her clit with every thrust.

“Oh fuck,” Eva cried, whipping her head back and forth against the shower floor.

“That’s right, that’s right…damn…” Gabe bent his head and slowed his movements, trying to remain in control.

“Don’t,” Eva cried. “God, don’t stop. Come, Gabe. Come for me now.”

“Say please,” Gabe gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Please…” Eva wailed as she felt her own orgasm begin.

“Yes… Eva…”

Gabe’s thrust into her, hard and deep. His mouth pressed roughly against hers and she opened for him, parting her lips even as she spread her legs wider to allow him deeper access. As her inner muscles began to contract around him, Eva could feel Gabe’s cock shudder within her, and then she felt the heat of his ejaculation against the mouth of her womb. An involuntary cry tore from her lips, only to be swallowed by the sound of Gabe’s deep, raw, guttural growl.

For a brief moment, Eva forgot where she was. When she finally opened her eyes, Gabe lay over her, panting, spent. His eyes were closed. Water poured over his head and ran down onto her cheeks. She wasn’t certain that the water all came from the shower. It was possible that she’d been crying.

Gabe opened his eyes and grinned at her. “That’s never happened to me before,” he stated.

“What?” Eva asked, wiping some of the water away from her eyes.

“I don’t know… Whatever that was,” he replied.

“Me neither,” she admitted.

Gabe withdrew from her with a groan. He got to his knees and reached up, turning the water off. He pulled Eva up with him.

“What do you say we sleep on it?” He asked.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Eva answered him, with a matching grin. “But you’ll have to help me to bed. I think I’ve melted.”

“C’mon, we can help each other.”

Eva anticipated a busy week, for both of them. Gabe had already forewarned her that he would need to stay in the city to catch up on everything he’d left undone while he was in
Chicago
. That actually worked out well for her. Dr. and Mrs. White had hired ATAP and Eva to cater Jason’s graduation party on Sunday. They wanted a deli-style buffet and a big, decorated sheet cake. Eva had already discussed the menu at length with Jason. She figured he and his friends were the ones she really wanted to please, and his palate had grown more sophisticated since she became their part-time cook. She could get his cake completed and in the freezer early and then concentrate on the buffet all day Saturday and Sunday morning. She’d already arranged for Miriam and Ruth to serve.

Jason and his parents had considerately invited Eva to attend the reception as a guest. She’d wondered aloud if she could bring a date. Dr. and Mrs. White thought that was a fine idea, but when she and Jason were alone, he bristled at the notion that she was seeing someone. Eva reminded him that his girlfriend would have a field day with that one. He eventually simmered down and asked her about the guy. He was quite impressed to learn
the guy
was Gabriel Abbott. Eva laughed when the young man demanded that she divulge every detail. She deliberately kept her description of all events relating to Gabe spare and as vague as possible.

“Don’t worry,” said Jason, patting her thigh, “I’ll talk to him on Sunday. I’ll make sure he treats you right. Has he taken you on a private tour of his vineyard yet?”

“Actually… no,” Eva said. Visiting the vineyard hadn’t even occurred to her. The corner of her mouth twitched. They hadn’t really had the time, what with all the sex and so on and so forth.

“What are you grinning about?” asked Jason.

“Oh,” laughed Eva, her cheeks coloring. “I was thinking about what I’ll write on your cake.”

“Like hell you were!” Jason accused her. “You were thinking about him.” The young man clutched at his chest. “I feel so betrayed.”

“Jason,” Eva rolled her eyes, “Don’t be such a drama queen.”

“A drama queen? A drama queen? I’ve bided my time for an entire year and the minute I graduate from high school, you throw me over in two seconds for some rich dude. Hey, you think he can get me some money for a start-up?”

“You little jerk!” Eva gave Jason a shove off the couch.

“What can I say?” winked Jason. “I’m an opportunist. So remember, three layers, two chocolate, espresso in the middle, chocolate mousse in between, and I want that chocolate glaze over the top, not butter cream. No flowers, no sprinkles and no writing. No girlie stuff. Got it?”

“Yes, master.”

“Is that what you call
Gabriel
?”

“Jason, you shit! Get the hell out of here.”

“Ah…ah…ah, potty mouth.”

Eva tossed his soccer bag at him. “Get,” she said.

Jason sauntered out the front door, leaving Eva to her cleaning. Five days without Gabriel Abbott. Well, she’d spent the previous week without him, and the week before that, and the week before that, and the week before that, ad nauseam. But things had changed since their initial phone conversation. Was it really only three weeks since she’d first spoken with him? God, that was hard to believe. Eva felt as if she’d known him far longer than that. It seemed like the man had been in her life for many years. Gabe had managed to become an integral part of both her inner and outer worlds. How weird was that?

* * * *

Despite the fact that he had Eva on his brain, Gabe concentrated on his work. The sooner he wrapped things up, the sooner the week would be over and he could return to
Napa
and her bed. There was a big backlog on his desk and in his computer’s inbox. After several hours of answering email requests and returning phone calls, he asked Marsha into his private office. They needed to begin scheduling interviews for promising high school juniors and seniors. Most years, Gabe traveled to interviews during the month of June. His first stop, as always, would be
Chicago
, provided Father Joe felt well enough to participate. If not, he’d put his visit off until early July. Gabe had printed up the list of students who had been referred to Abbott Industries.

“Marsha,” he said, holding a stack of paper in his hand, “I’d like to go over this list with you. Maybe we can whittle it down until it’s manageable, but I’d also like to help as many of these kids as we can. Even if it’s just with a partial. Do you mind spending a few hours with me this afternoon?”

“No problem,” Marsha replied. “I can spare as much time as it takes.”

Marsha stood at his desk for a moment. Gabe looked up. It seemed as if she wanted to ask him something.

“Yes? You got something on your mind, Marsha?”

“Eva,” she said simply.

Gabe raised his eyebrows. “What about Eva?”

“I like her,” said Marsha. “I like her a lot. If she’s just another cog in your wheel, Gabriel, then…well… I think you know what I’m getting at.”

Gabe wasn’t angry at her inference. He’d known Marsha a long time. They were good friends. Most of the time, no matter how uncomfortable it made him, she addressed him as Mr. Abbott. That was for public consumption. When they were alone, she always called him Gabriel or, as in this case, when something was important to her and she wanted to remind him of their long association.

“Yeah, I know what you’re getting at,” he said, walking out from behind his desk. He leaned against it and crossed his arms. “She’s a lot more than a fling. She’s… Eva’s… I’m not sure I can explain how I feel about her, other than to tell you that I think I’m in love with her. And that is for your ears only. I need a little time to digest this. It’s a brand new feeling for me. Why? She say something to you?”

“We talked,” Marsha admitted. “She’s a private person and she kept her end of the conversation pretty noncommittal, but I got the distinct impression that she cares for you, quite a bit. Not only that, but she seems surprised.”

“Surprised?”

“Yes. Surprised that a man like you would be interested, seriously interested, in a woman like her.”

Gabe looked confused.

“She feels a bit…well, I guess a bit undereducated for you. Do you understand? Like she’s not quite the sophisticated sort of woman you’d want to show off at the symphony. She’s pretty down to earth. There’s nothing pretentious about her at all. With Eva, I’m guessing that what you see is what you get.”