Troy called Gabriella phone for a third time and listened impatiently as it went to voicemail.
"She told me she would be here at four," Taylor said as she looked at small group of people who had gathered in the middle of the restaurant looking for Gabriella. The designers had been on time and Troy and Ryan had appeared shortly after but it was almost half past four and still no signs of Gabriella.
Troy's anger was ramped as he paced the kitchen one more time listening to Ryan make his sales pitch to the designers. It was the same one that he had been planning to make himself and the only thing keeping him from strangling Ryan with his own backstabbing tie was the fact that Gabriella was still missing. She wasn't at her mothers, she wasn't at home, Sharpay hadn't see her and for the life of him he didn't know who else to call. He wasn't even sure if there was anyone else to call.
Ideas ran through his mind, ideas of her laying out in an alley, coward in a small hiding spot somewhere afraid for life, or in a hospital bed with no recollection of who she was. With a final grunt he began making his way to the door, he's search the entire city if he had too. Just as he was half way through the dining area Gabriella appeared through the double doors. "Where the hell have you been?" he bit out angrily, "Your late and we've been waiting."
"I'm sorry, I was missed my bus," she said walking past Troy cautiously.
"I called you three times."
Gabriella ignored his comment as she approached the designers with her hand out to shake Maven's hand. "I'm so sorry for my late appearance."
"No problem we were just going over a business proposition with Ryan here," Maven offered with a polite smile. "I'm excited to be working exclusively with the company as a designer for the food industry."
"Wonderful," Gabriella said beaming at Troy, "I'm incredibly happy for you."
"Wish I could say the same," Troy muttered as he came to stand by Taylor. "You said you had papers you needed me to sign."
"Oh yes," Taylor jerked by surprise as she fished through the paperwork in her arms.
Troy surveyed the huge room with concealed dissatisfaction, he hated construction. Nothing was every neat or clean, there was no vision, no depth, just a blank slate. He wondered why it was that when fate gave him what he believed he had always wanted he found it so irritating. Clingy women who remained wield to him like superglue in his company had always exasperated him. In the course of their marriage he had learned that Gabriella did not cling, shadow him around the room or continually seek ways to attract his attention.
In fact he sometimes felt like handcuffing her to his wrist or tagging her with a satellite navigation system he could use to locate her and bring her back to his side. Watching her talk to the designers he smiled lightly as he took in her faint color, her puffy eyes and her cowering stance when she thought no one was looking. Where had see been and who had she been with? Who would upset her this much and who would leave her unescorted in the city to fend for herself. He hated that she took the bus. Hated that she refused to let him buy her a car, one that he could track, have followed and more importantly have the knowledge that she was safe in.
He watched snarky as she walked through the restaurant with the designers the causal spring in her step duller than normal as she talked with them, her smile never reaching her eyes, her laugh excluded to a small humming. Troy himself had felt excluded from that general niceness and that awareness nagged at him like a stiletto knife in his side. She did however set him on fire in the bedroom and wasn't that what was most important? He asked himself impatiently as he waited for his moment alone with her.
No woman had ever given him so much pleasure and scared him so profoundly at the same time. Gabriella was different, if he wasn't careful about his distance he end up doing something stupid or worst. He might say something he'd regret. Naturally he wanted her to be content with her role in his life and he was a very generous man. She wore the clothes and the jewelry that he had given her with indifference, shedding them for Jeans and T-shirts the first opportunity she got.
What bothered Troy most of all was the sneaking suspicion that Gabriella was not happy. She didn't brandish that unhappiness, never mentioned it, and didn't mope around in public. Yet he was continually conscious of it. Was she pining away for David Pierce? The very suspicion filled Troy with a murderous tide of hostility. Infuriated by that lack of mental discipline, he used his fierce strength of will to thrust both the name and thought from his mind.
After a silent car ride home he parked the car in their driveway and they both sat in the surrounding silence. "Where were you?"
Gabriella jerked from the raw edge in her voice. "I was having lunch," she said quietly as she picked up the stack of folders in her lap to prepare for her walk up the driveway.
"With who?" he said quietly.
Gabriella was quiet as she thought about telling him the truth, about telling him that in a moment of weakness she had to see David, had to smell him, see if he was as real to her as she remembered. The problem was that she was no more certain of herself now than she had been this morning. Months ago if David had comeback she would have leaped into his embrace, cried a thousand tears and fallen asleep in the nook of his arm. But now, now she wasn't so sure. Nothing was as black and white as it had been months ago.
"With who Gabriella?"
"I was with Isabella," she said quickly.
The car was silent as he felt his stomach fall from his gut and melt into a furious boil of anger. She lied to him. And if she lied to him that meant he knew exactly who she was with. He knew exactly where she was when she missed his call, who she must have been talking to when he was pacing the kitchen in a violent rage over seeing a thousand worst case scenarios run through his mind. Making an effort to move he got out of his car and slammed the door shut with incredible force. Such forced that the car rocked back a little in result.
Gabriella got out from her side when she realized he wasn't coming around to get her door. "Troy," she called out to him as he made his way up the drive. "Troy wait!" he had already unlocked the door and was inside when she came in behind him closing the door and locking it before placing the pile of folders down on the small hall table. "Troy what's wrong?"
"You're lying to me," he said quietly as he stood at the kitchen table. His mind was racing with new images, ones of her rolling around in the bed of another man. He could hear her voice calling his name the images of her willingly accepting him flooded his mind. "You were with him."
Gabriella froze as she stood in the hall staring at Troy from behind, his shoulders were hunched up and tense and his voice was rubbed raw as if he was controlling a temper she'd never see before, and for all she knew she hadn't. "Troy-"
"I told you that if you cheated, you'd lose everything."
"I didn't cheat, we had lunch that was all."
"Then why did you lie!" Troy shouted as he spun around to face her. "Why did you not answer my call, why did you not answer my question about where you were when I asked you the first time?"
Gabriella jumped from the sound of voice as it boomed through the house. "I do not have to ask permission from you on who I choose to eat with." Her voice was softer as she glared at him with the same rising anger that he had as he watched her.
"You do if he's a lover." Troy shot back at her as he took a step towards her. Gabriella took two steps back as she hit the hallway table with the small of her back.
"David is my ex-boyfriend, he is not my current lover."
"You told me that he wanted you back." Troy said lowing his voice an octave as he stared at her. "Why now? What are his intentions? Did you even give thought to the reasons or did you just blindly jump inro his arms without fail?"
"David would never do anything to hurt me. I told him that I was married," Gabriella said hurriedly, "I would never do anything to jeopardize the restaurant or my family."
His blue eyes turned from the boiling pool of anger to a stone cold glass that made her body break out into a cold sweat. "I've heard enough," he said as he walked past her to the front door.
"Where are you going?" Gabriella asked as she watched him move.
"I'm going to kill him."
Gabriella jumped about a foot off the ground as she raced to the door bushing past him and laying herself against it. "Don't you even dare," she warned with a pointed chin.
"You belong to me and he must be told because obviously this," he said grabbing her right hand indicating to the diamond ring on her finger. "This isn't clear enough."
"This ring means nothing and you know it. These diamonds on my finger are not the equivalent of a dog collar," Gabriella protested as she yanked her hand back from him. "I refused to be treated this way."
"There are many women who would look at that collar with envy."
"It's like being branded by your ownership and I don't care how much money its worth," she spat at him. "You just don't get it, do you? You think that being your playmate is some kind of honor-"
"Move away from the door," Troy instructed.
"No."
Troy used both his hands as he gripped her waist and pulled her from the door only to be met with her resistance to be moved. Gabriella squirmed and flung around violently pushing against him as he dragged her from the doorway. "Why do you have to be such a savage?" she grunted as she pulled away from him.
Troy released her instantly. "Stop playing the victim! I'm getting tired of it. I've given you everything; you have all the freedom you desire and more. My one request is that you stay loyal."
With a final tug away from him he watched as she fell back onto the couch. "At least I've held up my end of the deal."
"And I haven't?" he said caught off guard by her remark.
Gabriella pushed herself up off the couch, "Who did you sell the restaurant to? Taylor told me you didn't own it, in fact she told me you were no longer in charge."
"Of course I sold the restaurant; it's in safe hands until I buy it back." Troy took a step towards her so they were chest to chest. "Do you take me for an idiot?" he said in a low tone as his eyes roamed her features, "The moment that restaurant is in my possession you can file for divorce at any time and take half. At least this way you are mine until I say otherwise."
"Stop saying that like I don't have a choice." Gabriella said raising her hands up into her hair as she moved away from him, she needed space, a moment, something to grip the reality of what he was saying. "The thought never crossed my mind to do anything of the sort." Gabriella felt her heart racing and her body trembling. Being so close without touching him was almost painful, she could barely understand the ways her body betray her. How could she feel this way about him?
"Well then you are a very trusting woman," Troy said in amazement, "You should never trust someone that much." He was letting her go that easy following her into the kitchen he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"I have no reason not to trust you." Gabriella turned away from him and placed her hands flat on the counter top.
"Am I supposed to trust you?" Troy asked in a low voice as he lifted his hand to the strap of her dress, "Now that you've lied to me."
Gabriella felt regret seeping into her. "It was only lunch." Gabriella bit her bottom lip as she listened to his breathing as his thumbs gently rubbed her shoulders. She was embarrassed by the thrill the action caused, hopelessly unsure how to behave. Her mind was in turmoil. Everything she had believed she knew about herself was being turned upside down.
"I believe you," Troy said gently as he shifted the strap of her dress so that it was back in place. "It's him I do not trust. You just have this innocents about you, you trust so blindly and you haven't even stopped to question why someone who was so quick to leave you is now trying so hard to force his way back in."
Gabriella shook her head "David is my concern and I trust him. He is harmless and I don't want you to interfere," she said with a sigh hoping that he would drop the entire event. He had been annoyed to find out that she had been with David. Had he been jealous or was he just concerned? Perhaps Troy was not quite as cold and unfeeling as his womanizing reputation. Hadn't he told her that she should be proud of the fact that he wanted her so much? Maybe she was old fashion? Maybe she needed to loosen up a little and stop fretting about the moralities of all this.
"Fine," Troy said softly, "but tomorrow morning we're going down to the dealership."
Gabriella shoulders tenses as she turned around to face him, "I don't want a car. I haven't driven in years."
"Then I'll hire a driver," Troy said stepping away from her as he walked towards the staircase.
"This is just another way for you to watch over me," Gabriella said as she followed him stopping at the foot of the stair case. "It's like being under police surveillance. Next thing you know you're going to have me followed."
"Your safety is my only concern."
"You're not even denying it!" Gabriella watched his retreating from as he made it to the top of the stairs and headed to his office.
"Deal with it," Troy shouted over his shoulder as he disappeared into his office.
Gabriella frowned as she crossed her arms. She was furious that the conversation was over. Just like that, he decides what's best. Letting out a frustrated grunt she began to make her way to her bedroom. Locking the door behind her she looked around the room and in a fit of rage and frustration reached for the chair and propped it under the door knob to hold the door in place. She might not be able to resist him but she could damn well stay away from him. Turning around she walked over to Charlie and scooped him out of the bowl to wind up his fin. "Honestly that man is barbaric," she said placing Charlie back in the water. "If he thinks I'm just going to let him buy me a car he's out of his mind."
That night she spent it tossing restlessly in her bed upset and frustrated with herself, with Troy, with David, with her constant staring at the door. Why hadn't he come down? Why hadn't he knocked on the door or attempted to break it down to get to her? Why was she foolishly staring at it waiting for it to happen? Tossing the covers off of her she let out a breath and sat up in her bed. It was almost 3 in the morning. Her stomach tightened with anger and hunger at the same time. In all the activities she'd forgotten that all she had to eat was a piece of toast and a bite of David's dish.
With a sigh she decided to get up from the bed her basket ball shorts and t-shirt were wrinkled and worn from her tossing around and her ponytail which had at one point held tightly was now in a loose droopy mess where her hair had partial escaped the elastic band. Removing the chair she unlocked her bedroom door and came out into the quite living room. There wasn't a sound to be made and all the lights were off, reaching for the light switch she hit it and came to an abrupt halt when she seen Troy with a sandwich half way to his lips.
"Can't sleep?"
Gabriella was quite as she started at him with hesitation. "I didn't hear you come down."
"I didn't want to wake you," Troy said lifting his sandwich he took a bite and began to chew.
Gabriella looked back towards her room behind her then at the Troy was still standing in the kitchen. His reading glasses were on top of his head and he was still in his clothes from earlier. Standing in the kitchen was a more wrinkled version of what she came to expect of her husband. "Have you been in your office all this time?"
"Have you been sleeping in that all this time?" Troy countered as he looked over her pajamas.
Gabriella rolled her eyes, "What are you eating?"
"Peanut Butter and Jelly," he said lifting it for another bite, "I somehow forgot to eat today."
"Don't you mean yesterday?" Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest and came to the realization that she wasn't wearing a bra. Squeezing her arms tighter to her she shifted uncomfortably.
"What brings you to the kitchen at this time?"
"Hungry," she smirked.
Troy held up the last bit of his sandwich, "Want some?"
Gabriella looked at what was left of the sloppy sandwich, "How much Jelly did you put on it?"
"Not all of us are chefs," he said bringing his sandwich back to him and lifting it for a bite.
Gabriella was quiet as she looked around the kitchen and smiled, "Would you like a pizza?"
Troy was quiet for a moment as he thought about her offer, "I guess I could find a takeout menu?"
"Homemade."
Troy let out a sigh as he looked around the kitchen and then back at her, "How?"
Gabriella walked over to the fridge and pulled out a flat sheet of circular shaped dough that was wrapped up with wax paper. When she placed it on the table she turned around to turn on the oven so that it could preheat.
Troy looked at her questioningly, "Do you always keep pizza in the fridge?"
"No," Gabriella said with a small laugh, "I made this yesterday morning, I thought Chad might be hungry when you both arrived and I'd make you a homemade pizza."
"Oh well," Troy paused as he looked at the bland circular shape of dough she laid out on the table. "We don't have to eat it now."
"I can make another," she said waved as she began taking ingredients out of the fridge.
Troy looked at all the contents that she was gathering, he didn't even know he had this much food in his refrigerator, then again he hadn't been paying all that much attention to the kitchen. He was too busy paying attention to his job or walking past it in the dark to get to her bedroom. His eyes followed her as she moved around the kitchen barefoot and so disheveled. She looked comfortable, at home, innocent and amazingly nurturing. In the past he couldn't recall ever describing a woman that way, especially one that he'd have taken to bed.
"What do you like on your pizza?"
The question distracted him, "Cheese, sausage, mushrooms, and green peppers?"
"Ever try bacon?" Gabriella said as she held up a zip lock bag of crushed bacon.
"No but now I'm curious?" he said with a smile as he watched her come over to the table with the last few items. His eyes roamed her features the arch of neck, the dip of her chest without a bra. Her curves were homey and he filled with the intense urge to reach out and touch her. "Tell me," he said pulling back and putting some space between them as he leaned on the other side of the counter. "What made you fall for a guy like David?"
Gabriella looked up at him with puzzled face as she poured a sauce over the dough, "Why do you want to know about that?" she asked lifting a spoon to spread the sauce out over the circular canvas.
"Curious about how someone like you falls for someone so stupid and simple." Troy said pointedly.
Gabriella rolled her eyes as she looked up at him with a small twinge of annoyance, "David is not stupid and he's not simple."
"Compared to me he is," Troy offered playfully.
Gabriella let out a small laugh as she shook her head in disbelief, "That ego of yours.." she said as she placed the spoon to the side.
"All confidence," he corrected.
"When was the last time you fell for anyone?"
The smile seemed to dim and Troy felt as if he been dumped in conversational quicksand. He didn't do love, didn't believe in it, didn't go into the building, never mind the living room. Love was a four letter word that had never crossed his lips since childhood and not something he was prepared to talk about.
When he remained quiet Gabriella looked up at him from her task of covering the pizza in shredded mozzarella cheese. "How come you can ask me but I can't ask you?" she prompted in the simmering silence.
"I just don't fall," Troy shrugged.
Gabriella fixed stunned chocolate brown eyes on him to read his expression. "You mean…ever?"
"So what?" Troy was suddenly uncomfortable by her compassionate look that implied he must be some kind of emotional cripple.
Gabriella wished she hadn't asked. She felt terribly sad for him and hastened to breach the awkward silence. "My father used to say that it takes all sorts to make the world," She continued brightly. "I suppose that if I'd ever met anyone else worth caring about, I would've have gotten over David. Then again, he would be a hard act to follow. He's very creative with food; he designs lots of erotic dishes and experiments with taste. We have a lot in common," she said the last part a little more flat than she intended. She opened the bag of sliced peppers and began placing them on the pizza.
Was that all she could say about David? That he was nice? She felt a small blush of embarrassment race to her cheeks. Looking back on her relationship with David it had been very bland compared to her relationship with Troy. But under the circumstances anything after Troy would only be boring. She liked the excitement, their conversations, the way he looked at her, the way he knew where to touch her, the constancy of their sexual delight. She knew in the back of her mind that it wouldn't last, that he would only get tired of her soon. Her mind shuttered at the thought of the aftermath of their relationship. How would she take it? Would she spend another five years in celibacy pinning away for a man who ran off?
"Sounds like the real wow factor," Troy said politely.
Her heart shaped face tightened as she looked up at him and then down at the slices of peppers. "David's really special, kind and caring."
Worth caring about. Troythought to himself. Although he wasn't looking for love, Troy felt affronted. David was kind, caring and creative. It was not a level playing field. Perhaps David filled in for saints in his spare time. Low and behold he come in second yet again only this time it wasn't to his father or his job but to his wife as well. Troy pushed himself up from the table as he watched her place the sausages randomly on the pizza. Troy decided that pursing the topic any further was beneath his dignity.
Coming around the table he came to stand behind her his arms coming around her waist as he rested his chin in the nook of her shoulder. "How do you always smell so good?" he mumbled as he closed his eyes and let her scent overwhelm him.
"I don't try too," Gabriella smirked as she started spreading out the crushed bacon. He felt too good, holding her this way made her want to lean back into him. Made her want to take in his own good smells and nestle in his arms as if she were home. "Can you put this in the oven please?" she said needing the distance before she did something she might regret.
Troy's laugh was soft as he gave her a soft squeeze and then released her to grab the pizza. Once he put the pizza in the oven he turned around, "How long do we wait?"
"Twenty-five minutes or so," she said leaning over the counter to gather all the ingredients so she could put them away. In the instant she came back from her trip to the fridge his hands were on her waist and he turned her to face him.
"I can work with that," he mumbled before coming down to meet her lips.
Surprise came first, followed by a heady excitement to finally be able to kiss him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she welcomed the wild play of lips and tongue. Their bodies molded chest to chest, hip to hip. The bulge of his erection against her belly made her eager to get even closer. To get skin to skin.
"You can really haunt a man's dreams you know that?" he mumbled against her lips as he shifted his hands around her waist for a better grip.
Before Gabriella could respond he lifted her onto counter and she let out a small shriek at the sudden movement. His mouth came in on hers again, as he worked on removing his shirt once it was discarded on the kitchen floor he reached for the hem of her shirt lifting it over her head. Gone was the shyness from before, her modesty to be covered. Now she was eager to touch and be touched, she ran her hands over his chest and taut stomach, enjoying the heat of his smooth skin, but it wasn't enough.
As if reading her mind his hands grabbed her shorts, "Up," he said jerking her so she would lift herself from the counter, "I'm going to throw these damn things in the trash," he said once he got them off of her.
"I love those shorts," she said with a shiver when her bare bum sat on the cold granite counter top.
"They're men's clothing," he said holding them up with a frown. "I want you in something more appealing, something covered in lace and silk," he grinned as he threw the pants across the kitchen and nudged his way between her legs.
Dragging her gaze from his bare chest to his face, she saw the glitter of desire in his eyes as he openly admired her naked body. He looked as if he could devour her in one greedy bite. A thrill raced through her as he tugged her to him, shifting his hand in her hair and bringing their lips together in another deep kiss. His hands cupped her breast squeezing them in his hands. Dipping his head lower he tasted the arch of her neck thoroughly making sure he left nothing unattended as he dipped even lower to her collar bone.
One of his hands swept down her thigh, pulling her leg around his hip. She reveled in the feel of his back muscles moving beneath her hands and the jut of his erection pressing against her stomach. She arched into his palms as he cupped her breast. Lightly pinching her nipples and driving her crazy.
Troy quickly pulled back just a little to unbutton his pants. When he was free from restriction he wasted no time in pricing inside her, plunging deep into the folds that had become his own personal heaven. A little frown puckered her brow and she stopped moving, going still from the shock of his entry. A spear of panic went through him. He didn't want to hurt her; he should have thought better of their positioning, "Are you alright?"
"Don't stop!" she hissed out as she shuttered in the cool air between them.
Troy let out a rumble of a laughter as he dipped in to taste her. Finally she had him completely, gloriously embedded inside her. Her head fell back and she moaned as if she'd swallowed a delicious treat. He stared at her, awed by the sight, not just by her physical beauty, but her open sexuality, her lack of pretension, her eagerness to play. Everything about her drew him to her, made him crave her. The woman he was looking at now was nothing like the woman on that boat who begged for the privilege of keeping her clothes on.
Something clicked inside him, like the final tumbler of a lock that had been steadily falling into place since the moment he'd first met her. And when she tipped her head forward again, opened her eyes, and smiled at him, he knew in one lightning bolt, clarifying moment that he was in love. There was no use in denying it, no use in trying to avoid her, in spending all his time burying himself in his work.
This was it. She was it. He'd found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving. Thunderstruck by the idea he went rigidly still as she moved slight against him moaning, his thoughts scattered, but his body had no trouble staying on track. He hardened even more as he drove into her putting them both on a steady rhythm. What a wild feeling to have joy fill his mind with his body on the verge of exploding. His heart hammered as the pace increased and she arched to catch her breath.
His hands came down her back pressing her to him, obliging she leaned forward to kiss him. He tunneled his hands into her hair, holding her as he took over the kiss pouring every ounce of crazy emotion rushing through him into the dance of lips and tongue. When she started to peak, he used both his hands on her waist holding her still at the edge of the counter while he thrusting himself deep over and over, welcoming a shattering release more powerful than anything he'd ever experienced.
When her mind cleared he was adjusting himself back into his pants and pulling the zipper up. Gabriella took a small leap off of the counter top and her thighs ached with a newfound tenderness she was beginning to enjoy more than she should. Without hesitating she reached for his discarded white work shirt and slipped it on pulling the panels shut a little she buttoned two buttons and looked down to see the fabric stop at her thigh.
"See that I'm perfectly alright with," he said coming over to her to wrap an around her waist. "A man could die from wanting you."
Gabriella hands were flat on his chest as she looked up with him a smirk. "I'm getting the idea," she murmured, "I've just never been one for lingerie."
"Nonsense." His hands griped her bare bottom and she let out a little shriek as she swatted at him playfully.
"Do you ever stop? What are you a little energizer bunny?" Gabriella moved away from him to check the oven.
"There is nothing little about my bunny." Troy said looking in the oven as well although he had no idea what he was looking for. His eyes drifted back to her in nothing but his shirt. He liked it. He liked it a lot. "I really like you."
Gabriella looked at him a little puzzled, "Thank you?" she said a little unsure what to say, "When you're not being a control freak I like really you too."
Deciding to change the topic of conversation Troy looked away from her as he reached for two wine glasses from the cabinet. "So I've seen the designs for the restaurant. I'm impressed it looks very intimate."
Gabriella closed the oven and watched as he went into the fridge for a bottle of wine. "I think the best experiences of food happen in an intimate setting," she said removing the band from her hair and combing her fingers through her hair.
"I like it," he said as he begun to uncork the wine, "Surely San Juan is not suited for something so elegant?"
Gabriella pause as she thought about the name of the restaurant, Guilt began to consume her. "No, I guess it doesn't."
"So change it."
Gabriella jerked as she gathered her hair up again this time beginning to braid it along the side. "I hadn't thought about changing the name."
"Why not after all we're going this far, it would be a shame to have to stop now." Troy began to pour the wine stopping at half a glass for both.
"I wouldn't know what to change it too," Gabriella said trying up the end of the braid, "It feels like I'm erasing everything my father built."
"Must feel amazing," Troy said handing her a glass.
"No it feels like I'm stabbing a knife in his back." Gabriella said taking the glass and staring at its contents. "My father was a good man who made an honest living and took care of his family who am I to be the one that wipes him away."
"You're not wiping him away," Troy said puzzled by her concerns, "This is your dream, you wanted a restaurant of your own, you went to school for this, you have been slaving away in that kitchen every day for the past five years leading to this moment."
Gabriella took a deep breath as she put the glass down, "Yeah well this moment stinks."
"Well what can I do to make you feel at ease," Troy said bringing his glass to his lips. He watched intently as Gabriella crossed her arms as she rested her hip on the counter. The action made her breast squeeze together, which displayed beautifully since she hadn't buttoned the top buttons of the shirt. Troy stifled a groan, "Do you any idea how much of a siren you are?"
"What?" Gabriella said caught off guard as she looked at him oddly.
Troy smiled as he watched her look at him with mild confusion, "Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about," he said with a naughty grin, "You seem to bring the teenager out in me."
"I'm sorry," Gabriella stopped as she extended her arms down pulling the ends of his shirt down as much as she could, "I'm not trying to."
"Don't apologize." Troy came up to her and lifted her wine glass from the counter, "Not thirsty?"
"Too much wine makes me giddy," she murmured looking at the wine in the glass.
"So," Troy said with a wicked grin, "Nothing is going to happen while you're here with me, don't be so afraid to indulge."
Gabriella took her glass from his hands and as if he had commanded her to, she took a long sip. The cool taste quenching her thirst and making a warm after tingle settle in her blood stream. His blue eyes watched her with amusement. "Have you always felt so entitled to indulge?" she asked.
"Not quite," Troy said lifting his own glass for a sip, she watched his Adam's apple move the muscle there shifted with such grace calling to her. She wanted to taste the wine off his skin, wanted to pour it over his bare chest and taste the sizzle it would leave in its path. "I'm a rich man, but I didn't get this far by indulging," he said.
"You've been through your fair share of woman," Gabriella raised a brow as she looked back up into his eyes. "The paper trail behind your name is almost endless."
"I like sex," Troy said smoothly, "I just never enjoyed a partner as much as I enjoy you."
"And what about now, am I the only one?" Gabriella said stunned by how much she wanted to be his only one.
"Yes," he answered watching her over his glass.
Gabriella smiled timidly as this piece of information seemed like a prized possession.
"Does it make you happy that I essentially belong to you?" Troy asked before placing his glass down on the counter beside hers.
"It does actually," she said not able to hide a small smile, there were parts of him, times like this where she felt as if she held all the power, where she felt an odd comfortable feeling of safety overwhelm her.
"Good," he said slinking a hand around her waist and tugging her to him so they were hip to hip. "I'd like to revisit my offer from before."
Gabriella froze from the awareness of his proximity and from the tone in his voice, "What offer?"
"An actual marriage," he said off handedly, "Things have been slow lately but there bound to pick up, we'll have company more often, more nights out, I can give you a lot of things other men can't."
Gabriella was still at his side as she glanced up at him, he looked so casual, as if he had just offered to run to the store and get a gallon of milk. "Troy, just a few hours ago we were fighting about David."
"And just a few minutes ago I believe we were making up, were we not?"
Gabriella pushed away from him quickly needing the space between them to clear her mind. "We don't think the same," deciding to distract herself she bent to check the pizza.
"I wouldn't want you if you were anything like me," he countered as he watched her avoid him.
Gabriella let out a huff as she brushed some hair away from her face. "Why do you even want me at all?"
"Because I like you,"
He liked her. "Well I need a little more than that Troy." They were both quite and she could barely believe she said it.
"How much more?" Troy asked finally.
Gabriella reached for the oven mitts and shook her head as she opened the oven door and pulled out the warm roasted pizza and placed it on the stove top. Once she closed the oven and turned it off she let out a sigh, "I want more than you're willing to give Troy. It's almost impossible for me to know what I feel or what I want from you. I've spent so much time forcing myself to hate you. I don't know, I can't help but think that you've gotten everything from me that you wanted, even when I didn't want to give it. Maybe you just don't get everything you want Troy."
Troy was quite as he watched her with a cautious glaze, "I'm sorry you feel that way, I never meant to-"
"To what?" Gabriella turned around to cut him off, "to make me want you, to make me need you, to make a fool of me, to use me, to what?"
"My intentions were to never make a fool of you," Troy said not able to hide the hurt in his voice that she would even think that of him. "I wanted you from the first time I saw you, it was like I knew you belonged to me and I will do everything in my power to make sure that I don't lose you."
"Then spend the night with me," Gabriella said turning around to face him.
Troy was quiet as he looked at her with deep thought, "Is that your only concern?" he asked watching her carefully.
Gabriella shrugged slowly as she watched him, "I want to feel …wanted," she mumbled the last word feeling foolish for saying it out loud.
Troy grin as he moved towards her with small smile, "All you have to do is ask," he said gently placing his hands on her hips.