Forever & an Engine (33 page)

‘How much
money does Gabe have?’

‘Lexi!’ I
admonished.

‘Seriously,
how much?’

‘It’s his
dad’s house not his and I get the impression his dad’s pretty well off.’

‘Well
duhhhh
doesn’t exactly take a genius to see that. How much does Gabe have though?
Paying for your op, his car, the designer clothes.’

‘I don’t
know Lexi, it’s none of my business, which means it’s definitely none of yours,’
I replied shooting her a glare.

‘Huffy,’
she replied pulling a face at me.

‘Sorry, but
that’s not why I’m with him so I don’t care. I’ve got to look into a way to
repay him regardless. Can we get back to the film?’

‘You were
the one holding it up with your two hour postman visit Miss stroppy pants.’

I shook my
head and pressed play. It was nearly twelve thirty by the time it finished and I
ordered pizza. I had the same as the other week and Lexi ordered a spicy meat feast
with stuffed crust and we put on Revolutions. Lexi paid for the pizza when it
arrived, her get well present to me and I ate three quarters of it before admitting
defeat and closed the box, that would do for tomorrows breakfast.

Lexi
managed all of hers and belched loudly before swigging some coke. I sighed, it wasn’t
my favourite habit of hers, you’d think having gone to an exclusive boarding
school they’d have managed to drum some manners into her, but she was never one
for following the rules or being normal. We had a break so I could have a walk
around to stretch my legs and head up to take my painkillers. I tried bending
over a few times, which was definitely getting easier. It was after four by the
time we started the last film and I ended falling asleep about ten minutes in,
all snuggled up in the blanket. Lexi had the volume full blast, but even the
surround sound that was practically vibrating our chair wasn’t enough to keep
me awake. Lexi shaking me and yelling my name was though.

‘What?’ I
groaned.

‘Gabe’s at
the door.’

‘What?’ I
squinted through sleepy eyes at the screen and sure enough there was his face
and he looked really pissed. ‘Why’s he buzzing it’s his house? And isn’t he
supposed to be in English?’ I asked as I checked my watch.

‘Well don’t
ask me, let the poor sod in and ask him. He’s getting really irate. Actually
don’t, this is quite amusing, leave him out there for a while, it’s more entertaining
than the third film,’ she chuckled as she watched him scowling at the camera.
‘It’s like being at a safari park, watching the animals in their natural
habitat.’

‘Well he’s
looking like one animal that’s well overdue his feed,’ I sighed as I pulled my
blanket off. I headed upstairs rubbing my eyes and opened the door.

‘Thank god,’
he uttered as he stormed in dumped his bags and then grabbed me and squashed me
tightly to him.

‘Gabe
what’s going on? Why aren’t you in English?’ I asked. He let me go, stepped
back and put his hands on his hips. O no, I knew that stance, he was angry.

‘What’s
fucking
going on? I’ve only been trying to reach you since lunchtime, to see if you
were ok and not had a bloody response. Where’s your phone?’ he snapped.

‘Upstairs
on the dock,’ I whispered, cringing.

‘What’s the
point of having the bloody thing Mia if you never look at it?’ he said with a
glare.

‘I’m sorry
I forgot it was there.’

‘I was
worried sick something had happened to you.’

‘I’m fine,
what would’ve happened to me?’

‘You could
have fallen down the bloody stairs or tried swimming too soon and drowned. Christ
Mia,’ he ran a hand through his hair. I could see he was almost shaking and
walked up to him and put my hands on his chest. He tried to avoid looking in my
eyes. I knew why, I always melted and forgave him when I looked into his.

‘Lexi was
here with me, she’d have rung you. Look at me Gabe, I’m fine.’ I ducked my head
down and looked up to meet his downwards gaze and he shifted on his feet. Good
I was wearing him down.

‘I thought
you’d bloody changed your mind about our fight yesterday and you’d packed up
and left and were ignoring my messages.’

‘Gabe, I
told you I was sorry. I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere.’

‘I had to
leave English early to come and make sure you were ok.’ No swearing and no
snappiness, good that was progress.

‘Thanks for
doing that, but I’m good. Better than good, especially now you’re here.’ I
smiled and ran my hands up his chest and kept eye contact with him.

‘I know
what you’re doing Mia. You’re trying to break me with your smiles and your
touching and your … your … your tits look even bigger than normal. Are you
wearing a push up bra?’ He asked as his eyes widened. I burst out laughing and
he chuckled and pulled me into his arms resting his chin on my head. ‘I was
really worried Mia.’

‘I know,
I’m sorry, I’m crap with my phone, you know that. Why were you ringing your own
doorbell?’

‘I was in
such a rush this morning I forgot my keys.’

‘Well now you’re
home can I welcome you back with a kiss?’

‘Hmmm yes
please, now you’re talking.’ He lifted me up and sat me on the hall table
kissing me deeply and I clung to him and made the most of it. I really had
missed him and he’d only been gone a few hours.

‘For god’s
sake, if it’s not the sodding postman delaying the film, or the pizza delivery
guy, now you two are at it in the fucking hall ruining my viewing,’ came Lexi’s
annoyed voice, interrupting us.

‘You had
pizza for lunch?’ said Gabe surprised, pulling away.

‘Yes sorry,
we had a craving,’ I shrugged.

‘Who gives
a fuck guys. Mia can we go and finish the damn film.
Please.
’

‘Go, I need
to work on an assignment. I’ll see you later.’ He kissed me and helped me down
and ran upstairs.

‘Ok let’s
go Lexi. We really need to talk about this fondness you have for the work fuck
and its various connotations multiple times in a sentence. Potty Clarke is
living up to her reputation.’

‘Fuck you,’
she teased. I grinned as she put her arm around me and we headed back down to
watch the end of the film.

It was after
six when we tidied up and Lexi headed up to have a sleep while I went in search
of Gabe. I grabbed his present from the bedroom, after looking for him in there
and the bathroom, with no luck, but found him in his study.

‘There you
are, I was worried sick,’ I teased. He swung around in his chair smiling and
patted his lap for me to get on. I did and put one arm around his neck as he
slipped his around my waist. I kissed him and handed him his present.

‘What’s
this?’

‘Well you
have to open it to find out.’

‘Why do I
have a present?’ he looked at me surprised.

‘It’s a belated
birthday one.’

‘I feel
spoilt.’

‘You
deserve to be. Come on open it, I want to see what you think,’ I smiled. He
fumbled with the wrapping still having one arm around my waist.

‘You do it,
I can’t reach.’

‘Are you
calling me fat?’ I teased.

‘Never.
Sexily curvaceous, incredibly hot and mine is what I’d call you,’ he planted a
kiss on my lips then my forehead. ‘I don’t want to let go in case you fall.
Please open it, I’m dying to see what it is. It feels heavy.’

‘You’re
very excited,’ I observed.

‘I’m not
used to getting presents.’

‘What do
you mean?’

‘Well it’s
only dad and I. I don’t often get something to open, especially not a day other
than Christmas or my birthday. Mia please open it or I’ll plonk you on the
floor and do it myself,’ he ordered. I pulled off the wrapping and handed him
the digital hand held camcorder and watched his face. ‘Are you serious? I can’t
believe you got this. Is it what I think it’s for?’ He was grinning like a
child.

‘Yes I’m
serious, the tripod will come separately. I figured we could have some fun with
it, you know …
sexually
.’

‘O baby, you’re
not going to be disappointed, we’re going to have
so
much fun with it,’
he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

‘It remains
private Gabe, if ever I find any tapes of me on the internet I’ll separate you
from that delicious manhood of yours.’

‘As if I’d
want to share you naked with anyone else. Baby I love it, thank you, you’ve
spent too much money.’ He put it on the desk and kissed me, then jerked back. ‘Shit
speaking of sharing, you’re becoming a You Tube and Facebook legend. It’s all
over campus, the guys are going crazy for your clip. I’ve been slapped on the
back that many times I think I’m bruised.’

‘O god seriously?
It’s going to be so embarrassing when I go back in. I can’t believe you’re
being so cool about this.’

‘I think I
just made it to top stud at Uni for “
banging that hot chick
” in the
words of most of the guys, plus it helps that word is spreading that you’re off
the market and mine,’ he said smiling happily.

‘You were
already top stud Gabe,’ I smiled kissing his forehead ignoring his over
possessive comments. ‘Were they all that polite?’

‘Not all of
them no. I did have to punch one of them, look.’ He showed me his right hand
and his knuckles were all red, so I kissed them for him.

‘Thank you
for protecting my virtue. So if you’re ok with this clip, how do you feel about
me going topless?’

‘What?
That’s a bit random.’

‘Well if
say … we were on holiday, would it bother you if I was topless and men were
staring and saying things?’ I asked. I’d thought of a way of making some extra
cash fast to pay him back, but I wasn’t sure how well learning to pole dance so
I could perform at Peppers strip club would go down with him, so I needed to
test the water. He frowned for a minute and I could see the cogs whirring.

‘No, I
guess topless would be fine. Most women do it don’t they? I told you I’m fine now
with men looking, it’s touching I wouldn’t be happy with, that I’ve got a
problem with.’

‘Or calling
me derogatory names,’ I smiled.

‘Well yes,
that too. So, I need something to eat and then I plan to eat you.’

‘
Gabe
.’
I slapped him on the arm making him laugh.

‘So you can
say rude and suggestive things to me, like you did this morning, but it’s not
ok the other way round?’

‘You could try
and make it sound a bit more sexy.’

‘I’ll make
it sound damn sexy when I’m down there,’ he murmured, nibbling my neck.

‘Stop doing
that, I’m already excited enough as it is. I had a nice shower and put on some
sexy underwear for you.’

‘Don’t
baby,’ he sighed. ‘I’m not sure how I’m going to do this without getting to
fuck you.’

‘I’ll have
to do something for you then.
Again
,’ I smiled. He raised an eyebrow and
laughed.

‘If we’re
keeping score, I think you’re quite a few orgasms ahead of me. Right let’s stop
this sex talk before I take you here and now, regardless of your stitches.
Would you eat some lasagne if I cook one?’

‘Sure.’

‘We’ll get Indian
instead for tomorrow night as you two ruined my pizza plan.’

‘Blame
Lexi, I was all for toasted sandwiches.’

‘Where is
she?’

‘Snoozing,
but she’ll definitely be happy with lasagne too. I’ll wake her up when it’s
time to eat.’

‘You’d
better warn her to wear her headphones, I plan to have you screaming, in the
good way.’ He grinned, picked me up and carried me down to the kitchen and
deposited me on my viewing spot. I watched as he even made the white sauce from
scratch and put loads of mustard, cracked black pepper and cheese in it, before
layering it all up in a large square dish and putting it in the oven and
preparing some herbed buttered focaccia.

‘So I can
bend over a bit now, do you want to take me on at pool Gabe?’

‘Sure it’s
not too much?’ he asked, flashing me a concerned look.

‘Are you trying
to back out Gabe Austin? Too scared of losing to a mere girl again?’

‘You’re
lucky you’ve got pelvic stitches or you’d be over my knee,’ he scowled. ‘Get
that delectable arse in the games room, I’m going to whoop it a different way.’

He wasn’t
joking, three games later I’d lost 2 to 1, it was too uncomfortable bending
over that low for that long and it had put me off my game. He came around to
give me a pity hug.

‘Gloating doesn’t
become you. If I was at full fitness you’d be sulking right now. Does your male
ego feel better?’

‘Much,’ he
grinned. ‘Making you come over and over tonight and have you beg me to stop
will bolster it even more baby. I’m going to make you want me so badly.’