Chapter 4
Morning broke fresh and bright and Troy busied himself with gardening duties, the night before stirring up some unusual emotions that he wasn't quite coming to terms with.
He didn't think he had ever held a woman in his arms all night before; despite his naturally caring nature and his often offered comfort to his girls. No-one had ever fit by his side so well; no-one had made him ache with longing quite that way.
He'd seen beautiful women- he'd felt tempted, turned on and sometimes downright horny, but Gabi inspired something else besides, deep inside him that he didn't recognise. It was like his sexuality was a murky layer of silt he'd settled in the pit of his belly and here she was, a whirlpool of activity, coming to stir it up.
He'd woken with an arousal. A hard, throbbing ache that he had wanted to expend in the only way he had never experienced, by sinking into her welcoming body; only that thought- as unexpected as it was- was quickly banned from his mind.
She had enough men wanting to own her body, she didn't need him joining the queue and he prided himself on his strength to resist temptation. Only he knew, he knew he could have that. He knew his church would not disown him for having a relationship as long as sex came after marriage and he didn't flaunt it to the world.
So why did he abstain? It seemed easier, sometimes. It seemed easier than finding a woman willing to wait for the bond of God. It seemed easier than putting himself through the agonising pain of being able to kiss and hold but not being able to suck and touch. It seemed easier not to let his heart get hurt. Because it had, once. And he hadn't even got so far as to making love or anything closer than kissing before his young feelings had been stamped on by the only woman he thought he could ever love.
Eighteen years old, innocent and looking for excitement, his vulnerability had been played upon by his college professor and she had teased him into an elicit affair. Only her husband had found out and she had broken his heart, leaving him to take the brunt of the man's anger, his young body and mind broken by what happened.
And then he had joined. He'd joined the faith he loved so much, sworn off women and pumped every muscle in his body to breaking point, swearing never to be hurt like that again- either way.
And so far it had worked. So far he had convinced himself he didn't need more than his modest life offered him and the bright lights and big city satisfied him as much as his quiet existence behind closed doors did. Until the black beauty appeared, that is. Then everything seemed to go skewiff…
"Can I help?" Gabi ventured from the doorway, her arms folded over her front. She was wearing some sweats and a vest and her hair was bound into a high ponytail, belying her youth.
"Of course," he smiled, shifting over on his vegetable patch to make room for her and she came and knelt, putting her hands to her knees.
"What do I do?"
"Loosen the soil like this," he forked the soft ground to show her. "Poke holes two inches apart…pop in a seed, then cover."
She nodded and pressed her lips in. "Okay."
"They're marrows." He explained to her blank face and she smiled at him with a cute dimple.
"Yummy."
"You're teasing me." He accused, feeling her ponytail swishing against his arm as they worked side by side.
"No, marrows are delicious." She defended.
"Did you eat breakfast?" He checked.
"You're so cute," she answered back, her yellow eyes warming as she looked at him.
"I am?"
"You really are like a father." She described.
"I'm doing that again, huh?" He closed his eyes.
"Hey," she touched his arm. "It's a good thing, don't be sorry."
"We agreed to be friends and I end up being all fatherly." He mused.
"You're not fatherly," her voice was like rough silk and his breath hitched in his lungs at her tone. "Far from it."
He couldn't quite find the words until his brain kicked in when he realised he was staring at her profile like a lovesick teenager.
"Then what am I?" He wondered.
"Caring." She described. "And kinda sexy for a church guy…"
He spluttered out a laugh at her words and his eyes crinkled in his humour. "You cannot say that when the Priest visits." He warned.
"Oh? Does he not like his Reverends to be hot?" She enquired amusedly.
"I don't think that's top of his agenda." Troy commented, brushing the mud off his hands as they began to shake with awareness and he reached for his water to lubricate his suddenly dry throat.
"Mm, he's a fool then. Did he notice your church is always full?"
"That's not because of how I look…" Troy denied bemusedly, then flicked her a sideways look as he drank and she looked at him in a 'are you kidding' kind of way.
"Whatever you say, Rev." She remarked and he spat out his water.
"What are trying to tell me, Gabi? That my followers only come because they think I'm a hottie?" His thick brows rose high on his head and she couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up.
"The way you say hottie…" She laughed to herself.
"I'm glad I could amuse you…" He irked a brow.
"Ok, look. You need to know these things. I can't let you wander around Vegas looking as good as you do without you knowing the truth." She offered.
"I want my words to mean something." He stated empathically, sighing dejectedly.
Gabi frowned, realising what effect her own words were having. He wasn't complimented by her appraisal of his handsomeness- he was upset he wasn't being heard.
"They do." She assured, reaching out to touch his arm again, her fingertips tingling at the muscles she felt there.
"As well as my cute face?" He wondered drily.
"You saved me, Troy. More than once. That means more than you can ever know," she promised.
He smiled sadly with a nod and stood, holding out his hand to help her up, too.
"How are you feeling?"
"Honestly? I don't know. My head is crazy right now." She smiled a little.
"It'll pass. It always does."
"I just keep thinking what if…what if you didn't come? What if he had raped me? Every time I close my eyes he's there above me, and I can't remember a time when I wasn't being hurt by these men…"
Troy watched her hands animate her confused emotions and he fought to stop himself holding her. "It makes me wonder sometimes, with evil like this in the world…"
"Do you doubt your faith?" She wondered with surprise.
"It's hard not to when beautiful girls like you get hurt the way you do." He admitted.
"But you still trust in God?" She begged, wanting to hear him assure her.
"Absolutely." He smiled, touching her shoulder.
"Do you wonder why I did it?" She asked of her previous profession.
"Kinda," he shrugged. "But I've seen plenty more just like you."
"Really? Just like me?" She repeated, fishing for a compliment.
"Well…"
She smiled and stepped forward, hugging him around the middle, just like Rachel had the day before.
"I like being here." She sighed.
"Er…" He coughed awkwardly, gently pulling her away and she turned to see a foreboding man in a traditional black dress with white collar.
"Good morning Father Bolton." Priest Richmond called jovially.
"Morning, Priest. This is Gabi, a friend of mine." He explained.
Gabi held out her hand girlishly and smiled. "Hi."
"Nice to meet you." Priest Richmond greeted, sending Troy a look.
"Ah, I have to go and do some business…" Troy told Gabi.
"I'll finish the seeds." She offered.
"Okay, see you later."
/
"So, what did he say?" Gabi asked some time later as she sat with her arms wrapped around her knees on his large sofa.
"About you?" Troy checked and she nodded.
"That I was lucky to have a pretty girl around." He admitted.
"Really, he said that?"
"He teases me incessantly about my 'girls'," He mused.
"Did he hate me for hugging you?" She worried.
Troy chuckled at her, swinging his head to grin at her. "Not in the least."
She smiled back and sank across, laying her head onto his shoulder. "Are you hungry?"
Troy flicked his eyes over her curled, touchable hair and sighed out softly, touched by her ease with him.
"Yeah. Are you?"
"Yep. But let's go out. I never spent this long inside a church before," she smirked.
"Are you asking me out to dinner Miss..?"
"Montez." She filled in his gap. "And yeah, I am."
He nodded in approval. "Let me change and I'll be right down."
/
Gabi changed too, into her black hot pants, lace bodysuit and fishnet tights, her over-generous bust enhanced at the low cut of her top and her hair loose down her back. She'd added make up- dark lines around her eyes, smoky grey shadow and shiny, slicked lips.
He cocked his head and wondered which image he preferred- the one before him or the one wrapped in sweats and make up free.
"Wow." He nodded approvingly.
"It's all I had that was decent." She explained.
He swallowed at the thought of what she found to be indecent. "You look great."
"I'll get comments." She blinked knowingly, with an air of confidence that surprised him. "Can you handle it?"
"Oh, I think so…"
"Mm. That's what they all say…" She looked up uncertainly.
"Hey, I'm a guy, ok? I can't help being protective." He defended.
"Try." She begged.
"I promise."
"Good. Now tell me, do you like Italian?"
/
"So…" Gabi ate with her usual starved-forever mouthfuls of food, talking through it as she couldn't decide which she wanted to do first- talk or eat. "What's it really like? Being a Reverend?"
Troy shrugged, putting down his slice of pizza and finishing his mouthful before he spoke. "It's awesome."
"You can't answer that question with two words," she complained.
"What do you want to know?"
"How it feels? What are the rules? How you live the way you do…" She was clearly fascinated by him and he found it strange. When he shook hands with his congregation and shared their hopes and sometimes their pain, he knew there was a little bit of himself being given away with every handhold. But no-one ever pried. No-one questioned and no-one really wondered like she did.
He was surprised foremost, and then he was stupidly happy at her interest in him and his work. His girls often professed their affection for him, but not many asked how he was, was he doing okay?
"Well…how do I feel?" He began on her first question. "I feel blessed. I have this faith that carries me through good and bad and I always have God to talk to, no matter what. I feel like I can actually make a difference in people's lives- I feel like I can do some good in a world where there isn't always any. I feel happy that I get to know each person and see them grow…"
"Do you miss them?" She ventured.
"Every day." He smiled. "But I remind myself I helped them get strong enough to go."
"That's so selfless…"
"The rules?" He changed the subject with a mischievous glint she hadn't expected.
"Ooh, my favourite," she sat forward and beamed.
"I live in the house the church provides- in this case, in the Chapel Wing. I use only what I need and nothing more. I can raise money for 'extravagances' in any way I deem reasonable- selling marrows for example..."
"What are your extravagances, Troy?" She smiled bemusedly.
"Ice Hockey games." He flashed a grin. "No gambling I'm afraid. That's a rule."
"In Vegas?"
He nodded. "No drinking, swearing, no sex before marriage and no 'flaunting' of love relationships," he rolled his eyes.
"Wow." She snarled her upper lip in disgust.
"Yep."
"Anything else?"
He squinted his blue eyes at her and pursed his lips. "Are you trying to find out my rules so you can break them?" He suddenly wondered.
"No…I'm just wondering where I can and can't take you tonight…"
"Tonight?" He looked shocked.
"Sure. Let's go party."
"Ahh…"
"Troy. Seriously. You never get out of that huge, empty passage."
"That's my life." He stated quietly, a little defensive.
"I know," her amber eyes flicked over his muscled shoulders, appreciating the black shirt and grey suit he was wearing for their dinner. "I just thought maybe you'd like a night out."
He pressed his lips together and met her gaze again. "I know somewhere we can go…"
"Is it banned?" She asked in a husk.
He blinked. "No."
"Oh."
"You think I'm boring…" He deduced.
"No…"
"I'll answer your last question if you come with me," he bargained.
She tipped her head to the side and smiled. "Deal."