Thank you for the reviews everyone :) I love reading your responses, always makes me smile. You're gonna hate me for the next 2 chapters :D

Bluebell, glad it could cheer up your cold! If you ever want to beta read for me let me know lol.

CHAPTER 12

"We found her,"

Sharpay's voice was like a god-send as Troy fidgeted and paced in his work office; waiting for the press to disband before he tried to leave.

"Is she ok?"

"You can speak to her if you want?" Shar suggested.

"I'm coming home. Just stay with her until I get there." Troy commanded.

"Yes, boss," Shar teased.

"Sorry, Shar. Thanks for everything you have done for me and for Gabi," he conceded.

"You're welcome. Get your butt home already," she added affectionately.

Troy didn't go straight home, he drove for a while. He drove until he couldn't feel the evident pound of concern in his heart or the familiar ache of want in his belly. He drove until the world made sense and every thought in his head was in order.

He didn't realise it had gotten so late. He didn't know that Shar had left a long time ago and that Gabi had fallen asleep on the sofa, waiting his return.

And when he came in to find her there, every mile he had driven to try and erase her from his mind was forgotten because all he wanted to do was curl her up into his arms and never let go. And that did frighten him. Because they were just…together before. They were just…kissing. He'd never let himself think beyond that; he'd never imagined that falling for her would happen so fast. Sure he'd known deep down that this woman was the only one he could ever be his real self with; but he never imagined it would hurt to let her go. He'd never imagined a life without her.

"Brie," he stroked her hair back from her face as he crouched before her.

"Troy?" She roused and blinked at him, then smiled. "You're back."

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to be late…"

She blinked and her brown eyes turned sad. "They know about me, Troy. They know what I am…"

He pressed his lips together and silently shrugged off his jacket, climbing onto the sofa with her and cuddling her smaller body. "It's gonna be okay, Brie. I promise you."

She snuggled into him and he held her like that until the telephone rang; forcing him to break their embrace to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Oh hello, Troy. It's Ryan here, remember me?" Ryan Grinchley asked.

"Don't call this number again," Troy said firmly, and then hung up.

"Who was that?" Gabi asked, getting up too.

"You know when you asked me what I prefer?" Troy asked back, flicking his tired eyes over her sleep-relaxed body; dressed in his comic pyjama bottoms and one of her little white vests that outlined her perfectly small breasts.

"Yeah…" she frowned, surprised by his change of subject.

He came over and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "I like you like this," he affirmed. "Dressed in my clothes."

She smiled patiently. "Do you really mean that?"

He nodded, brushing his thumbs under her breasts. "And this vest is the best thing you ever wore…"

"Troy…" She blushed shyly.

"I mean it," he husked.

Gabi looked down. "My breasts are too small and I have nothing to push them up…"

He lifted her chin and kissed her mouth. "Your breasts are perfect."

"Don't say that," she argued.

He very gently ran his thumb up over her nipple and then bent his head, suckling through the material of her top to show her just how perfect she was.

"Troy," she half sighed, half exclaimed as she felt the trickle of desire between her thighs at his ministrations.

He looked up at her and grinned, peeling up her top with slow care as his eyes kept hers in a steady gaze until he had uncovered her and then he flicked his tongue against her puckered bud; repeating his previous actions without the cotton of her vest in the way.

She groaned and clutched his head close; governed only by the sensation his mouth created deep inside her with his kiss intimately right there, on her breast.

She panted his name, writhed for more and cried out when he gave it.

"Come with me," he whispered, leading her to his room, kissing her until they both sank onto his bed where he crawled up her body and smiled into her face.

"What are you smiling at?" She wondered on a whisper.

"I want to show you something," he replied.

She rolled her eyes. "I can already feel your hard-on, Troy."

"No, not that," he assured, kissing down her chest and lower, right down the line in the centre of her belly toward her pyjama bottoms.

"Troy?" She called, resting her hands on his shoulders which were now free of his work shirt; muscled and strong under his vest and he'd rid his trousers too, leaving him in his boxers.

She wanted to touch more of him; she wanted to kiss him all over, but he was drawing down her pyjama bottoms with another intention.

"Shh, Brie," he whispered against her skin as she called him again and then she whimpered as his lips touched the inner side of her thigh, driving her hips off the bed.

"Wh-Oh, wow," she sighed as he gently placed those soft kisses up the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, his demonstrative hands running up the back of her thighs simultaneously and his thumbs brushed her backside.

"Just relax," he ordered equally softly as she clawed for him and tried in vain to be in control; to be the one who pleasured instead of this insane attack on her senses that she couldn't quite get to grips with.

"I…" She began to speak, but gave up as his tongue flicked out to taste her skin, first at the very top of her thigh and then driving into her belly button, surprising her.

She sank her fingers into his hair and let him reign; she couldn't do anything else she mused as his thumbs pressed over her panties and promised a deeper exploration.

"Go slow," she begged as he came ever closer to her core. She throbbed inside, she pounded for him; but one touch there and she feared this whole magical experience could be over. She'd not had anyone touch her there since…since before and she didn't know how she would feel, yet. She didn't know how-

Oh god, she arched her head back and almost sobbed at the intense pleasure his tongue brought as he flicked inside her, deep and hot against her throbbing pulse. More, she begged silently, unable to speak words as her throat clogged up with emotion and her body gave itself up to touch, her mind elsewhere and none of the bad feelings she had expected were being allowed through. She was in bliss, utter bliss and she had never expected it to feel like this; she had never imagined a day when she could let herself go like this.

"Troy," she begged on a throaty whisper, real tears cascading her face from the utter joy she felt with him.

"Brie," he kissed up her throat, over her mouth, wiping her tears away before he dipped low again.

He finished her completely, running the tip of his tongue over her bud again and again; ecstatic rain trickling over her skin as the ripples of her orgasm firstly controlled her, and then faded with a satisfied smile on her lips.

She lay in utter awe at what had just happened until Troy crawled up her body and rested against her, kissing her mouth very tenderly.

"I love you, Troy," she told him, deliriously.

Troy blinked and kissed her mouth again, trying to find words. "You're amazing, Brie, you know that? You are so amazing…"

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let him hold her until he shifted and they both re-adjusted, falling asleep together wrapped in each other's arms.

/

"Ryan was right,"

Troy whispered to a sleeping Gabi as he brushed her curls back from her forehead and watched her rest.

"I am in love with you. And I should have said it last night, god, I should have said it back," he winced. "But I can't. Because then you'll never go. It's better this way, Brie. It's better you don't know and then you won't feel bad about leaving…"

He tried to reason with himself, feeling the tell-tale ache in his chest as he denied his feelings.

"You deserve better. You deserve much more than I can give you…"

"Troy?" Gabi murmured, waking.

"Hey, beautiful," he kissed her lips as tenderly as he had before they'd fallen asleep.

"Who were you talking to?" She wondered, her mind foggy with sleep.

He smiled. "Myself."

She split into a grin. "You must be crazy…"

He nodded his agreement. "I…I have something to tell you…" he broached.

Gabi ran her hands up to his shoulders and stretched to kiss him. "Can it wait?"

He tightened his arms around her and kissed her right back. "I guess it can," he smiled, persuaded.

/

"Any news?" Troy asked Steve as he came into work; a little ruffled and definitely late.

"Yeah, they found the source of the story, it was guy from Arabia who recognised Gabi in the paper on a trip he made here and he decided to cash in," Steve answered.

"I mean about the search," Troy amended. He'd asked his assistant to start the search for Gabi's family after Ryan had told him what he thought about that particular idea.

"Oh. Well I asked Chad in Research to help out seeing as I'm not a detective or anything…"

"Chad?" Troy frowned. "Can we trust him?"

"I told him you'd have him killed if he told anyone…" Steve dead-panned.

Troy smirked. "Ha-ha."

"He hasn't dug anything up yet, but he will. He always gets his man," Steve assured.

"Good, the sooner we have contact the better…"

"Why, what's happened?" Steve asked worriedly.

Troy pursed his lips and debated telling him; but the man was close enough his best friend and he felt a strange need to share his concerns with him.

"She told me she loves me," Troy explained.

Steve looked at him for a long moment until Troy spoke again.

"What?"

"Well, didn't you say it back?" Steve accused.

"And make this more difficult than it already is?" Troy argued. "Besides, who said I love her anyway?"

Steve actually laughed at him and Troy snarled at his amusement.

"How is that funny?"

"Because you do!" Steve spluttered. "Did you forget we were all at the ball when you two forgot the world existed when you danced?"

"I don't deny I am attracted to her, but I can't love her, it will just ruin everything." Troy assured.

"You can't love her? Can you hear yourself?" Steve argued. "You need to wake up and smell the romance, boss."

"It's better we just find her family and send her home; there'll be no more press to worry about and she won't be homesick any more."

"Boss?" Steve folded his arms and stood.

Troy ignored him and went through to his desk, fighting all of the voices in his head telling him to forget all about finding Gabi's family and to just keep her here, to himself where he could ruin her every night the way he had last night; a strangely addictive thought.

"Boss?" Steve followed him in, undeterred.

"What is it, Steve?"

"Have you ever thought about the fact she might not want to go home?" he posed. "What are you going to do then?"

"Persuade her," he dismissed.

"What if that doesn't work?" Steve played maverick.

Troy turned and looked at him with icy blue eyes. "I don't know Steve, okay? I don't know…."

"You can find her family Troy, but you don't have to send her home. You can do both," his friend suggested gently, seeing his struggle.

Troy lifted his eyes. "I need to save myself. That's why I'm doing this."

Steve frowned. "Save yourself from what?"

Troy swallowed. "From being hurt. From the two-month itch. I have to send her away before I fall too deep…"

"Troy," Steve used his name for the first time and it brought Troy's head up sharply. "There's every chance you won't get hurt, why won't you give it a try?"

Troy sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "Because I wouldn't survive if it didn't work out."