Diavolo Ch. 06

"Don't start, Erica. What did I do this time?"

Silence.

"Again? Again the silent treatment?" Michael punched the door, making Abigail jump.

"God-damn-it, Erica. What did I do?"

"You know what you did," the girl finally spat. "I saw you looking at that nasty whore that kissed Gabriel. Maybe Abigail doesn't mind that type of behavior, but I'm not going to put up with that shit. Your being a rock star does not impress me, Mike."

There was struggling outside and again the door was banged.

"How 'bout this? Does this impress you?"

"Get the fuck off me, you pig," Erica hissed.

Abigail covered her mouth in shock when she heard the distinct sound of a slap. She cupped her throat, hoping they were not about to start beating each other as the sound of a tussle made it clear through the door.

Unsure as to whether or not she should walk out of the bathroom, she heard Mike's muffled voice exclaim, "Stop-it-stop-it, Erica. Have a little respect for Gabe's grandmother's house."

"I don't give a rat's ass whose house I'm in, you jerk."

"Erica, I was not purposely looking at that chick. She grabbed Gabe and started kissing him. Rafe and I were trying to get her off him, is all," he said in a pleading tone.

Abigail heard Erica's heels stomping off and Michael's hurrying after her.

Poor Michael. She knew he wouldn't ever cheat on Erica. This past month she'd seen how he cared for Erica, making sure she took her medication, and that she ate and rested well.

She thought about what Erica had said to Michael and then thought about Gabriel.

Guilt assailed her at her own reaction to him when he finally came home. Instead of welcoming him with affection, she'd turned her face from his seeking kiss, heart full of doubts. He didn't deserve that, and admitted to herself she'd let Mikayla poison her mind.

Feeling repentant, she walked out of the bathroom and went back outside, mind made up about what she needed to do

Gabriel sat alone, face stony, looking at the glittering pool water as the light reflected from within.

Feeling shy, she walked toward him. The others laughed and talked. There was music from a sound system playing.

Gabriel never looked up when she approached him and sat again.

Now he seemed cold and distant, even though she touched his face.

"I'm sorry I bolted," she began.

He reached to his left and to her shock lifted a bottle of beer with a shrug. "You're entitled to do whatevs."

"Gabriel, you shouldn't be drinking," she exclaimed reaching to take the bottle from him.

He yanked it from her reach, his eyes glaring at her, "God-dam-it, Abs. I'm not a fucking monk. Let me at least get shit-faced, yeah?"

Abigail stared at him, mouth open.

He put the bottle to his mouth and tipped his head back. Before he could take the first swig, Michael appeared and snatched the bottle away. "You're on meds, asshole."

"Fuck," Gabriel hissed, closing his eyes.

Michael patted his head and chugged down the beer for him.

*******

Gabriel was doing his best not to flip out from rage.

Paulina's words played over inside his head on an endless loop, driving him insane. She'd had the audacity to call him, pretending to be happy he'd recovered. The bitch.

He was almost sure she was the one who'd driven him off the road. He vaguely remembered a black vehicle ramming him from the side.

She'd asked about Abigail. That's where he'd practically lost it.

"I've cut off my financial aid for her. Seems her putting out for you has secured her enough income to not need mine anymore."

"Don't talk about her as if she were some cheap whore."

"Well, that's what you've turned her into, it seems. You're garbage. Anything you touch or fuck turns into garbage as well."

"Funny. I recall you giving me the fuck me eyes at dinner that night before you tried to kill me later, Auntie," he spat with as much hatred as he could draw from the blackest depths of his soul.

"If I'd wanted to kill you, trust me, you'd be as dead as your whore of a mother," she replied smugly.

White-hot fury had seared through him, but the communication had been cut off. Apparently, she'd said all she needed and hung up on him. Second woman that day that had done that. The first one sat between his spread thighs now, looking like a kicked puppy.

Abigail stared intently at the fingers she twisted and pulled on her lap.

Her hair fell in a tumble of gold over the shoulder facing away from him. She'd worn a tight little tank top that accentuated the full swells of her breasts. Short as she was, he could see clearly the mouth-watering cleavage her pink top exposed. Her heart-shaped ass and long legs were encased in faded jeans. He'd already caught the guys ogling her, sending his possessive, dominant male nature skyrocketing. Gabriel just wanted to drag her beneath him and claim her right there in front of everyone, to show them who she belonged to.

But, she'd never let him do that. Christ! The very thing that attracted him to her had him tied in knots. The fact that he'd be her first had him salivating. He sure as hell would be her last because he wasn't giving her up. Ever.

Living together would solve much, but he knew she'd never agree. He almost felt like he was being forced to marry her, but if that's what she wanted, he give her that. Marriage. The old chain and ball.

He took a lock of her hair and fingered its silkiness.

"You got yourself all pretty. For me, I hope," he growled.

Her hands fluttered as she took a deep breath, still not meeting his eyes. "Oh, I-I just threw on any old thing, really."

"So you weren't trying to dress for me?"

The tops of her breasts turned pink, the flush rising to her face. God, how he just wanted to plant his face against those two swells.

She bit her lower lip, her head ducking further as one shoulder lifted in a careless shrug. "I could never compete with the majority of the women that throw themselves at you," she laughed softly, humorlessly, "I mean, just look at me."

He gripped her face with his left hand and turned her to look at him.

"What the hell are you saying? Are you kidding me? You've got me jerking off every night thinking about you like a pathetic idiot and you come out with this lame shit?" She winced at his crude wording, but he was too pissed to care. "You have a lot of things going for you, Abs, but what you don't have is how you see yourself. Your low self esteem annoys the hell out of me."

Her lip trembled and it was a kick to his gut.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, eyes wide and bright.

Christ. Now his shitty mood was going to make her cry.

"No. I'm sorry, baby. I'm not in the best of moods right now. Don't ever apologize to me when I'm being an ass. Matter of fact, I give you permission to chew me out when I act like an ass, and if that doesn't work, just smack some sense into me."

Her eyes widened even more, tears already glittering at the edges. "Oh, no. I don't believe in corporal punishment."

Gabriel had to laugh at her serious tone. "Oh, baby, what am I going to do with you?"

Hauling her in for a kiss, he was done when she sighed and clutched his shoulders, opening her mouth docilely beneath his.

He nipped at her lips before sliding his tongue deep and stroking everywhere. A shudder echoed from her into him when she tangled her tongue with his, completely blowing his mind.

Her hands slid down, fingers feeling his pectorals, exploring, inflaming him until his cock protested being trapped behind the harsh steel of the zipper to his jeans.

"Baby, you're killing me," he groaned against her lips.

"Hey, you two," a masculine voice shouted, "Take that shit to the bedroom."

Abigail gasped and pulled away to his disappointment.

She looked around, eyes wide. The guys were laughing, annoying him because he could see it was distressing her.

"Fuck them, Abby. They're just jealous."

Her shoulders hunched a bit. "Your grandmother must think I'm a floozy."

He had to bite back his bark of laughter at her wording. Floozy? Who the hell talked like that anymore, but that's what he loved about his Abby. Fuck-yes, he loved her.

"Baby, mamá loves you. She'd kick my ass if I ever let you go."

Abigail turned her wide blue eyes to him. "Gabriel, you're not with me just to please your grandmother, are you?"

Gabriel scowled at her, "seriously, Abigail?"

She went back to fiddling with her fingers.

Gabriel gripped her hands with one fist, making her look back up at him. "I do what I want, see who I want. No one dictates to me who I should or should not see. That my grandmother likes you is a plus, but either way it's always my choice, Abigail."

Her gaze was intense. She swallowed hard before opening her mouth. He could see she really wanted to say something, but her own shyness was holding her from fully expressing herself.

What would Abby be like completely uninhibited?

"What is it, Baby?"

"I'm sorry I acted so stupid when you got here."

He didn't want her apologizing anymore, but didn't want her to curb her need to express herself.

"What is it, Baby? Tell me," he prompted when she tried to turn away again.

"I..." Her eyes welled again, making him want to kick himself and quite possibly hit someone. "I felt...It hurt me when I saw that woman...but I don't blame you, Gabe. Honest." Tears were trailing down her cheeks now and he cupped them, wiping at the wetness with his thumbs. "I know that it's all part of this life you lead—"

Gabriel shook his head. "No, Abby. That shouldn't be part of my life, at least not anymore. We need to come out as a couple. Not that that's a guarantee that shit'll stop happening, but at least people will know I'm taken."

Her tears stopped and now her face flushed with pleasure. He smiled, feeling triumphant, and dipped his head to kiss her.

He wanted to pound the guys when they began whistling and making inappropriate comments. He felt Abigail flinch and move away, but at least this time she was smiling even though her face was scarlet.

Diamond approached with another beer for him, but surprisingly Abigail snatched it from her and began drinking it.

Gabriel watched completely stunned as she made a face. "Ugh! This tastes horrible."

"Then why are you drinking it?"

She tipped her head back and took another mouthful. "I've never had beer before. Just want to try it."

Shit. She was doing more than just trying it. Gabriel's eyes widened when she shut her eyes tight and began downing the whole bottle.

"Easy," he said gripping the bottle to move it away from her lips.

Some of the liquid dribbled down her chin and throat. Unable to resist, Gabriel dipped his head and licked the trembling drop from the top of her right breast.

She let out a little sound that was half groan, half sigh. His cock twitched in his pants. Sitting back in the lounge chair to lick the taste of her flesh from his lips, he was startled when she came at him and devoured his mouth with a hunger that left him breathless.

Holy. Fucking. Shit!

"Gabriel," she moaned, saying his name with a hefty measure of adulation.

He stared at her in surprise when she leaned back, pressing the cold bottle of beer to her heated cheeks. Her glasses were even steamed up.

"Have some more, Baby," he murmured tipping the bottle back to her kiss-swollen lips.

He knew he shouldn't have encouraged her to keep drinking, but the Abby that emerged when she was finally tipsy was glorious. She laughed, danced, and even sang a few songs that she knew when Michael rolled out the karaoke machine.

Her cuss words were hilarious, her repertoire including gems like oh-Jiminy, dang-gone-it, and of course his favorite, frickity frackety-poo.

Halfway through the night, she'd lost her glasses and was rubbing at Ariel's face saying, "Arry, sweetie, why is your face so darn blurry. What did you do? Oh my."

Gabriel was about to bust a lung from laughing so hard.

He finally frowned and signaled Michael when Diamond came at her with another beer.

Enough was enough. He didn't want her to get sick.

It was late, his grandmother long having gotten to bed. Ariel and Angelo had crashed on the couches in the living room and Rafe had left to go pick up some entertainment for the night, which meant he was most likely going to score some coke. Michael helped Sharmane tidy up. The man had an obsession with cleaning. Gabriel had no idea where Erica had taken off to, but he wasn't liking the way Diamond glared at Abby as his tipsy girl danced on her tiptoes around the pool.

"Baby," Gabriel called to her.

Abigail grinned wide and skipped somewhat unsteadily toward him.

He winced when she plastered herself to his entire front and began to kiss and nip his throat with a little growl.

"Baby, you're drunk."

She giggled. "Just a widdle."

Gabriel bit his lip, grinning like a loon at her antics. "I'll tell Mike to give you a ride home."

Her fingers gripped his t-shirt, clinging, "nooo. I've decided to stay." She kissed her way up his throat to his jaw and then his lips. "I want to sleep with you."

Gabriel froze. Good-god! "Abby, you don't know what you're saying. You've had too much to drink."

"I can take her home," Diamond volunteered, her grin stretching from molar to molar.

"Mike will do it," Gabriel insisted.

Diamond glared at him.

"But I want to stay with you," Abigail whined, looking up at him with wounded eyes.

Gabriel shook his head. "Baby, you're in no condition to make these kinds of choices right now. I won't have you waking up tomorrow with regrets and accusations."

"Listen here, buster," she said poking him in his chest. All he could do was gape at her. What the hell? "I said I was sleeping with you and that's that. You, sir, are acting like an ass so don't make me slap you up-side your head now." She ended her argument by biting his lower lip and then sucking it hard.

Michael laughed standing at the foot of the chaise lounge. "I hope you got a pair of iron underwear. She looks like she's ready to eat you up whole."

Not good. He wanted Abby with all his might, but not like this. Not drunk.

Alarms went off in his head. If anything happened between them, he would never forgive himself, feeling he'd taken advantage of her in a weakened state, but then again she might feel rejected if he flat out refused her too.

God-how did he get himself into this mess?

"Fine, but you're sleeping in the spare guest room."

"I'm sleeping with you."

"Abby—"

"I know what I'm doing. I decided before I started drinking, so there."

Gabriel frowned, pissed now. She had to get herself drunk to sleep with him? What fucked up kind of shit was that?

"Gee, thank you," he spat sarcastically.

She grinned and tapped his nose with one finger, "You're welcome."

"Tell you what. I'll just go home with you. More privacy," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, Gabe." She leaned against him again, kissing him senseless before pressing her lips to his ear. "I want you to make love to me tonight."

Gabriel closed his eyes in agony. He'd officially entered the seventh circle of Hell.