Hi thanks for the reviews!

Sneal, Emily Jane & Desperate dreams, I had no idea when I posted the last chapter that it came across the way it did so I am glad you were honest with me. I am also glad it got everyone het up because I wanted it to be really frustrating haha.

Amy you cracked me up! And that is surely the nicest thing anyone has said about my writing so thank you!

Zanessaluv you may have a good point about them being cursed!

I have a feeling this chapter may make up for the anguish I put you through…

TY

Ang

Christmas come early

CHAPTER 17

"So how was it?" Maria asked Gabi the next morning as she sat in the corner of the set at her new desk and juggled paperwork and jobs on the laptop equally with the cell phone clamped to her ear.

"How was what mom?" she asked, though she knew exactly what she was talking about.

"The date! How was it?" she repeated excitedly.

"How was it?" she repeated flatly "Let me think, when I went to meet him, he had another girl in his room. Let's just say the evening didn't last long." She quipped drily.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?" she asked with concern.

"Well he was coming out of the shower half dressed and the girl answered the door and he told me she was his assistant but I sent him away" she explained.

"You sent him away?" her mom pined.

"Yes mom." She said flatly.

"Honey, won't you give him a chance?" she begged.

"Mom you spoke to him for five minutes, you don't know him" she said reasonably.

"Well, actually I spoke to him again yesterday morning" her mom hedged.

"What?!" Gabi demanded.

"He called me to ask me what food you like and what are your favourite flowers" she shared "I guess you never got to see them…" she added.

Gabi's mouth dropped "He called you?" she repeated.

"Please give him a chance, Gabi. You need to let someone in eventually and I know you fight it, but he seems like a beautiful person" Maria urged.

"Okay, okay, I may have over-reacted a TAD" she allowed.

"I hope he can learn to live with your fiery temper Gabriella" she murmured and Gabi smiled.

"He's a saint if he did" she mused.

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Gabi took a bite of her pasta salad just as a shadow fell across the table and Troy was standing before her, looking at her with sorrowful eyes.

"There's something you should know" he said gently and Gabi chewed her food to swallow it and looked up.

He handed her a small bag, the small bag from the drugstore that she had purchased the condoms from. She opened the bag and the box of condoms was in there, unopened and she took it out, the light casting back upon her as Troy moved away with his hands in his pockets.

He made it all the way to his trailer and inside before Gabi got up and followed him, still stunned by what she had found out this morning about the boy she loved to hate.

She checked behind her to make sure her dad wasn't around and she knocked on his door, her nerves making her tummy twist in knots.

When he opened the trailer door, his fringe was in a chaotic arrangement kind of sticking up horizontally and his fist was clutching a script.

"You look like you need some help" she said as she took a nervous breath.

His blue eyes searched hers and she let them. He stood back from his door to let her pass into his trailer where she stood awkwardly in the middle of his room.

"I'm sorry" she said softly, not knowing what else to say and before he could do anything else she walked up and stroked his cheek to bring his gaze to hers so she could tilt her head and kiss him gently.

Troy let her kiss him and then looked into her brown eyes, wishing he could finish what she was starting but he had a whole lot of catching up to do with the revised script.

"Me too" he said and Gabi hugged him around the middle, placing her cheek against his t-shirted chest.

Troy was surprised at her show of affection and was a little delayed in hugging her back but when he did, he held her tightly against him and took a gentle fistful of her hair and ran it between his fingers as he cupped her to him, sighing heavily.

"Are you okay?" she checked.

"Honestly? Not really. They changed the script on me and I find it tough to learn the lines that way. I'm kind of dyslexic and I get help from Paty normally, but she went back to LA." He explained.

Gabi pulled away and looked at him "She went back?" she said.

"Mm. Something about not wanting to get in the way" he shrugged tiredly.

"I'll help you. It's the least I can do after you called my mom to find out my favourite flowers" she smiled a little smile.

"She told you?" he blushed.

"Uh-huh. My mom is a matchmaker" she added "So what flowers did you get?" she asked interestedly.

"You'll have to come by and collect them won't you? Then you'll find out" he smiled back gently, still not his usual sharp self, but teasing her all the same.

"Is that an invite?" she checked .

"Third time lucky?" he suggested and she giggled.

"I'll drink to that" she murmured "Now, let's get the script and learn you some lines" she said pragmatically, taking the book from his fingers and sitting down with it as she stroked her hair behind her ear and he smiled upon her form.

He sat next to her and took a breath as she began to go through the new script with him patiently.

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"Gabriella, you were in Troy's trailer again" Gabe said to her as she met him outside his trailer in the late afternoon to run through his schedule and the latest calls.

"Mmm" she agreed "Did I tell you about the promo shoot next week? And GQ wants an interview…" she added.

"You're ignoring me" he said softly.

"I'm not." She said back "What is it dad?" she asked.

"You and Troy" he repeated.

"And?" she led with raised eyebrows.

"Your mom told me that there's something between the two of you." He persevered.

"Is that a question or are you accusing me of something again?" she asked quietly as she met his gaze.

"I'm asking you" he said and Gabi was surprised at his calmness.

"Well you know what, dad, I don't know what's between us" she said honestly "But I'd like to find out without you flipping your lid" she added.

Gabe looked taken aback, then he looked uncomfortable and finally he looked unhappy.

"I want you to go home." He said and Gabi stared at him, her breath leaving her body in shock.

"What?" she spat.

"I want you to take a break and go back to Albuquerque. You talked about having a break, I can find someone else to organise me. You deserve a rest." He said and Gabi laughed out loud.

"You don't want me to have a break! You want me to leave the set so I'm not near Troy!" she argued indignantly.

"I have to protect you as my daughter first and foremost" he said firmly.

"You're not supposed to protect me dad! I'm supposed to get hurt and make mistakes. It's called LIFE!" she shouted now.

"Never the less, I think you should take a break" he continued.

Gabi stared at him, fixing her hands on her hips stubbornly "It takes you three years to notice I need a break and the one time you notice is the time I meet someone who makes me smile" she shook her head disbelievingly.

She turned, heading toward the car and she asked Harry to take her into town to shop to release some pent up frustration before she headed back to the hotel.

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Just as Gabi trekked down the corridor back to her room with her purchases, Troy came up behind her and tapped her on shoulder, held a finger to his lips as she turned and when she frowned he pointed to the stairs and mouthed 'your dad'. She smiled, putting her hand into his outstretched one and he ran back toward his room with her in tow.

She placed her bags on the floor of his room and he smiled as he released her hand and collapsed on his bed.

"Arrgghhh I'm so tired! Let me shower and then we can hang out" he said.

"Troy, if you're tired then I'll go, we can hang out any night" she reasoned.

"No! Don't move! I'm here, I'm awake, there are no other girls in the near vicinity to ruin it and your dad is blissfully unaware…" he said as he laid a hand across his face and rubbed his eyes.

Gabi didn't have the heart to tell him about her chat with her dad earlier. She didn't want to think about it yet. All she knew was that 'Margaret' was starting tomorrow and she was expected to hand over all of the work to her by the end of the week. Her mom had told her that much because she was still too angry at her father to speak to him.

"Okay but if you feel tired then I'm going." She added.

"Tired? Who's tired?" he asked as he sat up, blinking sleepily.

"Just go and shower" she said gently, knowing he was barely able to stay awake.

She went over to her bags and pulled out some massage oil she had bought for herself and she smiled as she came up with a thought.

She wandered around his room as she slipped off her coat and shoes and she came across a beautiful bouquet of flowers in purples and blues, including her favourites, lilacs.

She stroked the petals gently and sniffed in the perfume.

"Do you like them?" he asked from behind her and Gabi twisted to find him damp haired and topless in his jeans as he reached across and took them from the desk and handed them to her "They're for you" he added.

"They're beautiful, I love them" she said as she let her gaze flick down his chest and to his taut stomach where she urged to lay her hands.

"Your mom got it right, then" he joked with a little twist of his lips.

"She got it right about you, too" she mused and lay the flowers back before gently guiding him to the bed "Now lay down" she instructed.

He looked over his shoulder before they reached the bed and flexed his brows quizzically.

"Just lay on your tummy" she instructed "I won't hurt you, I promise" she added and he slowly lay out on the bed, folding his arms under his chin as he eyed her.

She pulled the bottle of massage oil out and wiggled it at him as if to say 'see?'. Troy lifted his head, clearly shocked at her plan.

"Is it my birthday?" he asked and she giggled as she knelt next to him on the bed.

"Don't be disgusting or I won't do it" she chided.

"See this?" he asked as he pretended to zip his mouth "Me , zipping my mouth" he said as he relaxed back down, the mere thought of Gabi touching him making him tingle and his excitement at her gesture making his tummy leap in boyish bounds.

"Okay, well, just relax" she said as she poured some oil into her palms and warmed it before placing her hands against his broad shoulders, her breath casting out shallowly at the feel of his strong shoulders under her hands.

She leaned over him and her hair became annoying as she got it caught in her oiled fingers.

"Hold on" she murmured, pulling it into a loose capture and eyeing his rounded backside as she considered straddling his back. "Troy?" she asked gently, wondering if her were already asleep because his eyes were closed and his breathing slow.

"Mmm?" he asked.

"Do you mind if I sit across you? It's easier to reach" she added, feeling ridiculously nervous about it.

"Do I mind? Hell, you make a guy feel like Christmas has come early and you ask if I MIND?" he teased and she felt her tummy tighten with desire at his words. Did he really feel like Christmas had come early?

She cast her thigh over his backside and let herself settle so that she was in contact with his sexy derriere and now able to reach up the entire expanse of his beautiful back. He had those little dimples above his backside and he was moaning softly when she hit a sensitive spot or a tight knot and she didn't know what possessed her when she leaned over and placed a kiss his shoulder but he moaned again, shifting beneath her but she wouldn't let him turn, she just carried on rubbing his shoulders, then leaned over and flicked her tongue against the back of his ear, dropping a kiss on his neck where his hair curled cutely as it dried.

"Mmm" he murmured, lifting himself up and she cast her leg up so he could twizzle and he took her thigh to place back down once he was flat on his back and facing her, his hands gently grasping the back of her thighs as she stared into his sleepy face.

"Was it okay?" she asked innocently, pouring more oil into her hands as she felt his arousal that jutted into her clothed softness.

"What do you think?" he asked, his voice rough as he swished his hips to ingrain his hardness against her.

"I think any man would have hard-on after a massage" she said matter-of-factly.

"Wait, how many times did you do this before?" he questioned suspiciously with a grin that melted her insides and had her wet with wanting at the same time.

"This is the first" she said unashamedly as she brought her hands down onto his pecs, enjoying the feel of his muscled torso as he watched her sitting above him.

"I think you missed a bit" he husked, his voice tight like his jeans, gently stroking his fingers up and down her forearms.

"I did?" she asked and he nodded, unable to speak as her lips pursed in concern.

He pointed to his lips and she smiled "I haven't finished" she said petulantly.

"You know what, you might not be, but I am" he groaned as he shifted her to try and gain some room for his poor swollen groin.

"Oh, here, let me" she said and moved to undo his jeans buttons.

"Whoa…" he said, stilling her hands "Don't go there, princess" he said as he undid the other rivet himself and met her gaze, which was worried and she bit her lip temptingly, making him ache in places he didn't know he had.

"Should I…stop?" she paused, wondering if she should go.

"Please don't" he begged as he captured her hand and kissed her palm "Your hands are like magic"

She poured some more oil and ran her hands down his tummy, her favourite part of him, taking extra care in the spots that he closed his eyes at and when he wasn't looking she leaned forward to kiss him, his full and soft lips so inviting under hers as he slowly reacted, his hands taking her face in a gentle frame as he deepened the kiss with his tongue and Gabi abandoned her massage, instead deciding to grope his large and bunched arms as they framed her face and he stroked her tied up hair.

Troy pulled her hair from it's weak hold and relished in the feel of it falling against his chest, revelling in the feel of Gabi knelt over him like this, her lips loving his.

When Gabi felt his hands drift down to her waist she felt like she had never been touched before in this gentle, worshipping way. His thumbs drove up her ribs toward hers breasts and when he reached them and cupped her gently, she pulled away from the kiss, her eyes a deep dark brown that Troy wanted to imprint in his memory forever.

"Too much?" he asked and Gabi hovered in his lap as his hands rested below her bust now, curled around her ribs.

She twisted her mouth. What kind of girls was Troy used to? The kind that just threw caution to the wind and jumped into bed with him? Was she weird? Did she fall behind somehow?

"Gabi, talk to me" he whispered, seeing her turmoil in her eyes but not knowing what caused it

"I'm sorry. I'm not…I'm not like the girls you're used to" she apologised, feeling so awkward and embarrassed.

"You're right there" he said softly, letting her climb from his lap as he helped support her and then she lay next to him where he stroked her face. "You're far more beautiful and way, way hotter" he grinned.

"I just wanted to help you sleep" she said as she laid her hands on his chest and he snuggled up to her, tightening his arm around her waist as his other supported his head above them. He nuzzled her nose with his and she smiled with a blush as she met his eyes, reminding him that she was actually quite guarded and shy. And there was no doubt she was trusting him and opening up but he knew he had to prove himself and for once, he was willing to do it. She had proven herself ten times over with her dad and the paparazzi on top of them and none of that, so far, had put her off.

"I'm sleepy" he assured her, closing his eyes as his breath touched her face "See I'm sleeping right now" he smiled softly and she couldn't resist running a finger down his freckled nose.

"Liar" she accused, relaxing into him as she let her inhibitions go and she gave into these amazing feelings he brought out in her.

"I was determined not to fall asleep on you again." He smiled, his eyes still closed.

Gabi leaned forward a quarter of an inch to kiss his lips "You can sleep now" she assured him and he sighed gently as he relaxed and she liked feeling his breath against her face.

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