Chapter 2

Sarah tried to feel guilty. She kept telling herself she shouldn't have been with Gabe, but curled into a bed and feeling sorry for her loss. But when her sister and brother had invaded, the sorrow had turned to rage. When Gabe called, she wanted escape and he had offered. She snagged up the lifeline.

She told Gabe about her childhood. The first few years, she admitted weren't fun. Her parents struggled with Trevor and Denise's jealousy at having a new child in the house. Though looking back, she thought it selfish that her fourteen and thirteen-year-old siblings really thought they were loved less, just because a baby had been brought into the house... but they had and that meant she never had a lot of fun times with her sister and brother.

Gabe spoke of his youth. His childhood was happy and full of life. The loss of his mother had been painful, to both him and his father, but through time they both came to accept it. He shared with her how he'd walked into his father's home and discovered that his father had a girlfriend, and not just a girlfriend, but a lover. He told her about how he had wanted to call her the minute she left him in the parking lot of the NAPA store and that brought a blush to her cheeks.

When dinner ended Gabe took Sarah's hand in his and led her to a different part of the restaurant that catered as a bar and a dance club. He pulled Sarah into his arms and slowly danced with her as close as propriety would allow. His fingers pressed against the small of her back and he breathed warm puffs of air against the top of her head. The scent of her shampoo washed over him and he swore there was a scent of feminine arousal hidden underneath it. He felt his sex stir to life, something that had been a reoccurring problem throughout the night.

"Sarah," he whispered against her ear, letting his breath caress her neck. "I'm going to kiss you," he told her.

Sarah trembled and turned her lips toward his. "I'd like that," she answered back, offering her mouth to his. Her lids fluttered closed, but stopped when she felt his thumb on her lower lip.

"Not there," he told her and tilted her head back. His mouth moved to the pulse beating under the fragile skin of her neck. He pressed his lips to her flesh, while one hand swept up her ribs and curled around her breast. He licked the skin, sucked firmly and then teased the moist spot with several warm caresses of air rushing across her skin.

"Oh God," she whimpered and felt him grinning against her.

"Yeah," he told her and swept his tongue up her neck and over to her ear. He pulled the lobe and chewed gently on it. He traced the shape of the sweet tender flesh with the tip of his tongue. He felt her shake and pulled her closer to him. "Feel that?" he asked.

"Mmm... ohh holy fuck," Sarah hissed. Her fingers clenched the lapels of his jacket and she shook her head against his chest.

"You do that to me," he told her and skimmed his palm down her back. He kissed her shoulder.

"Gabe, I don't think," Sarah whimpered. She stepped back. "Maybe we should go?"

Gabe looked down and stared into her hazel eyes. "Yeah, we should." His mouth pressed against her's and he slid his tongue inside the warm recess. She kissed him back, their tongues dancing in time with the music. When they parted, Gabe kept her snugly pressed against him.

Sarah let him lead her to the car. Her hand lay against her stomach and she took several breaths to calm the fluttering of butterflies. She watched Gabe take his place beside her and reach toward her. She expected a kiss and was rewarded with one, but also was cheated by the quickness of it.

"Damn," he muttered against her lips. Sarah giggled.

He reached around her and took the seatbelt. He pulled it across her small frame and buckled her in. "Damn?" she asked and winked at him.

"Yeah, damn... for being a gentleman." Gabe turned on the car and started back toward Sarah's home.

Sarah felt the heat of her sex and knew the arousal was even more enhanced because of her monthly cycle. She also knew her toys would be getting a workout when she got home. She kept her fingers on Gabe's thigh; his hand constantly touched the top of her hand.

He parked his car in the driveway of her home and reached over to release her seat belt. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. Gabe's tongue lapped at hers, tracing the contours of her teeth and gums and then dove back in to do more battles with her soft muscle. When they parted, he kissed her head and got out of the car.

Sarah walked on a cloud as Gabe led her to the door of the house and kissed her on the porch. A light flickered to life and she heard Gabe curse. She felt his body stiffen and was touched by how he shielded her from the light and the embarrassment of being caught like a teenager making out after a date.

"Sarah?" Trevor said into the yellow-tinted light.

"Trevor, I didn't know you'd still be up," Sarah whispered and turned away from Gabe's protective embrace. She noted the cool night air run over her warmed features and she shivered, already missing Gabe's body against hers.

"I can't sleep. Dad died, I find it kinda hard to have a good time," he muttered and raised a brow to the man that stood behind his sister.

Sarah didn't miss the remark or the way it was delivered. She squared her shoulders and was ready to launch into a verbal battle, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure it is hard to find fun in the day. I'm also sure you are happy to see your sister was able to escape for a few minutes and take a moment to relax after all she's been through, readying the funeral, arranging for the reading of the Will, not to mention the burial and the fact she's put you and your sister up for the night and tomorrow, even after she was robbed. I bet she even bought extra food for you and Denise to eat and has managed to make sure you were taken care of and lack for nothing," Gabe's voice was strong and reeked of both confidence and menace.

Sarah watched Trevor's jaw grow tight as he clenched it and bit back his words. She could tell he wanted to answer Gabe in a manner that would make him look better, but she also knew there wasn't much Trevor could say. Everything Gabe had said was true. Denise and Trevor were staying in her home, she had just been robbed, handled all the arrangements for their father, and become a Bed and Breakfast for two very ungrateful adults.

"Well, I'm glad it was just you and your," Trevor paused and ran a gaze across Gabe, "friend," he added. "I thought of calling the cops after what you said about being robbed, but I figured I'd check first. I couldn't imagine them coming back for the crap they left behind."

Sarah sighed and watched her brother walk away. She turned back to Gabe and touched his cheek. "Thanks," she told him and saw he was still quite upset over Trevor's behavior.

"I could nix the gentleman bit and take you home with me," he said and looked down at her sparkling eyes.

Sarah grinned. "I never said you had to be a gentleman," she kissed his lips, "but since you have been, you probably should continue for another night." She winked and opened the door to her house. "It seems weird to ask, and I'll not expect you to say yes, but do you think you could... "

"I'd already planned on it," Gabe answered. "I'll be here at 9:30 to pick you up."

"Thanks," Sarah answered. She slipped inside and shut the door behind her. Trevor was gone and Denise didn't look to be up. She left the kitchen and hurried to the living room. She watched Gabe get in his car and drive away. Her thoughts touched briefly on his willingness to take her to the funeral in the morning and she found herself looking forward to a small part of the day.

Sarah headed to her bedroom and slipped out of her clothes. She grabbed a towel from her bathroom and laid it on her bed. Her fingers slipped down her body and she felt the moisture of her aroused sex and the warm fluids of her monthly flow. She dismissed the later, too thrilled to worry about anything but reaching the peak of a climax that had been teased all evening. Her other hand reached over to open the drawer of the small night stand by her bed. She palmed the artificial cock and pressed the button to activate the rotating head.

Several climaxes later Sarah lay in her bed gasping for air and wishing her brother and sister had stayed at a hotel. She'd wanted to scream and shout Gabe's name, to curse violently and beg to be fucked, but her passion was held in check on that level as she covered the toy with her sexual fluids. After she came down from her high she quickly showered and then cleaned her toy, slipped her panties and a fresh pad back on. Her T-shirt slid over her hard nipples and she groaned at the friction. "Damn," she muttered and then blushed.

Back in bed, she thought of Gabe and rubbed herself through the fabric of her panties and her maxi-pad until she was climaxing again. Finally she fell asleep, knowing she had a smile stretched from ear to ear.

Sarah rolled from bed and slipped into the shower. The smell of bacon, eggs and coffee filled the air and she thought of Gabe. The idea of seeing him on such a dismal day brought a soft smile to her face as she washed away the evidence of her late night play. She slipped on clean clothes, noted her period was almost over and smiled at what that meant in the wider scope of things. Perhaps she and Gabe would be able to take a step closer in a few days. She blushed and rolled her eyes as she thought about jumping into the sack with a man she'd only known a few days.

She heard Trevor's deep voice, followed by her sister's higher alto one. A third voice made her jaw drop and she flew through brushing her hair and teeth. When she reached the kitchen she was shocked to see her brother, sister and Gabe sitting down having breakfast together. Her gaze flew from each one's face and then the table, full of the same things she'd smelled when she woke up. "Ummm... good morning," she told the group.

Gabe smiled and stood up. He walked over and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. "Good morning. I figured I'd help out and make things easier on you and your family." He bent down and kissed her cheek. His mouth moved to her ear and he added a whispered, "for you" before rising up and offering her a seat at the table.

Gabe had gotten up early after deciding the night before he wasn't ready to give Trevor or Denise the opportunity to make Sarah feel guilty over having a good time last night. He wanted to be there for her. The thought that he was invading her space didn't occur to him, until he got there, but he pushed it back. He remembered how cocky he'd been that first day he met her and decided he'd just chalk his behavior up to attitude if Sarah had a problem with his being there. The look on her face told him she was surprised, but very pleased.

"Good morning to you," she told him and then watched him ready a plate for her. She gnawed on her lower lip, as the steely gaze from her brother and sister ran over her.

Gabe reclaimed his seat, which was next to Sarah's. His hand rested on her thigh and he casually drank his coffee, waiting for the first round of questioning to begin. When Denise opened her mouth, he wasn't surprised by the first question.

"How long have you and Sarah been seeing each other?" Denise asked.

"This will be day three," Gabe answered. He felt Sarah tense and he squeezed her leg, offering silent support. "When was the last time you visited Sarah?"

Denise tilted her head. "Back when Mom passed, a couple years ago. Are you planning on coming to the funeral?"

"Yes, I am. I was there when your father collapsed," Gabe answered. He saw Sarah's shoulders slump; he moved his hand from her thigh to her shoulders and brought her close to him.

"Well, Sarah shouldn't have let him continue working, if he'd been ill," Denise said.

"He wasn't ill," Sarah told her sister. "You'd have known that if you came to visit."

"I couldn't visit. I had to take care of things at home. Richard and the kids needed me. I can't just take off on a whim and leave my responsibilities at home," Denise countered.

Gabe curled one hand around the handle of his coffee mug, wanting nothing more then to launch into a verbal attack with Denise, but he also knew Sarah wouldn't want his protection if it meant speaking for her. He would intervene if he felt it necessary.

"I wasn't asking you to visit for an extended time. A weekend wouldn't have hurt you and you know Pop would have loved to see the little ones," Sarah told her sister. Trevor coughed and turned toward Gabe. "So Gabe, do you have kids or an exwife we need to know about?"

"Nope. I've never been married and have no kids. I wouldn't mind having a wife or a gaggle of little Gabe running around though," he answered. His fingers moved to the center of Sarah's neck and he slowly ran small circles against her skin.

"Well I'm sure after three days of Sarah you'll change your mind and be glad you aren't serious about her. She's not very mature and quite careless," Trevor said, his voice conveying the jealousy he felt for his little sister.

Sarah gasped at the shocking public display of malice and stiffened. "Shh... " Gabe whispered against her ear. He looked over to Trevor and sipped his coffee. "Since meeting Sarah, I can promise you that I have thought about marriage and kids a lot more than I ever have." He smirked and bent down to kiss Sarah's neck. "But since I just met her, I figured I'd at least wait a couple more days before I take her to bed and worship the ground she walks on. As far as being mature... I don't have to point out all she's been through and handled alone. Had you or Denise been here, you'd have seen it."

Sarah shivered and blushed. Her fingers slipped from her fork to his lap and she rubbed his leg. "I think I'll go change for the funeral. I'd ask you to join me... but," she winked and slipped off to her bedroom.

Gabe chuckled and began to clean off the table. When he was done, he turned back to the two others that had remained. "I don't know why you treat her like you do, but she is your sister. Like her or hate her, you can't change that fact. Your parents are gone. She's not. Some day she will be, hopefully for all of us it won't be for several years and I'll get a chance to know her more. But today, right now she's mine to protect and care for. I suggest you treat her with respect, in her own home and at the funeral as well as the reading of the Will."

Trevor got up and walked over to Gabe. "We'll be leaving after that, I'm not sure if she's told you or not, but I'll tell you what I told her when we got here. After today's reading, neither Denise nor I will acknowledge Sarah. She wasn't our sister. She was mom and dad's pet. She was spoiled and she was given everything she wanted. She never had to work for anything. Everything was handed to her on a silver platter."

Denise added, "We want nothing to do with her. She came and everything changed for us. Mom and Dad struggled while we grew up, but then they got ahead and things were going great. We had a new house, a new car, new clothes. Then she came home and it all changed. Money had to be put back because they had to save for her too. She needed new things. She was the baby and we were like the help."

Gabe stood there listening to their words and his fingers curled into tight clenched fists. "I don't know where your parents screwed up. I don't mean in the raising of Sarah, but in the raising of you two. If they stopped when you were teens than yeah they failed, but I have a feeling you two plotted a lot behind their back and Sarah's. You may have found ways to make yourselves look like the spurned children, but from what I've seen of Sarah she's not spoiled and it is apparent she's matured better than you two have."

Trevor pulled his sister to his side. "Well, we'll not discuss this further. You enjoy little Miss Sarah, while you can, we have more important things to do."

Gabe watched them leave and shook his head in disgust and confusion. He didn't understand the feelings that were rolling from the siblings, but he did know Sarah was going to need him today. Something in his gut told him that the reading of the Will was not going to be something Trevor and Denise were happy with.

At 10:00 Gabe sat beside Sarah, her small hand tucked in his larger one. He kept her pressed to his side and listened quietly as music played from a tape somewhere inside the small funeral home. Trevor and Denise sat a few feet away and several older men and women were scattered about the room. A minister stood at the front of the room, to the left of the casket. Gabe listened to the scripture and heard the woman beside him crying softly. He pulled her to him and embraced her, kissing the top of her head and letting her use him as her tissue.

Eventually the service ended and they walked together to a limo that had been arranged to take her and her siblings up to the small cemetery. Once there, a song was sang and a prayer given. Sarah stayed next to Gabe for several minutes as well wishers walked by offering words of condolence and hugs to her and her brother and sister. It came as a shock to Gabe and to Sarah that many didn't know Trevor and Denise existed.

They left the cemetery by limo, returning to the funeral home and Gabe picked up his car. He drove Sarah to her father's lawyer, after seeing Trevor and Denise enter a waiting cab. Sarah watched her bother and sister each receive an envelope, which they quickly opened. She expected cashier checks to spill out, but nothing came. She wanted to read the words that her father had penned, but wasn't given the opportunity. She watched them being crumbled by one large fist and torn into pieces by another. Tears fell, because she had a feeling that she had lost all hopes of having a relationship with her siblings.

Trevor looked at Sarah and muttered, "Figures." Denise said nothing, only picked up her coat and purse, and then left. Trevor followed behind her.

Gabe sighed and squeezed Sarah's hand. "I'm sorry," he told her.

Sarah shrugged. "Let's get this finished."

The lawyer cleared his throat. He began to list Sarah's inheritance, starting off with the keys to a safety deposit box, followed by a six-figured cashier's check, and finally with the deed to the land her father's home rested on. Once she signed the papers, her eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks covered with streaks of dried tears and her heart hurt from the loss of her father, her mother from years ago, and her siblings.

Gabe shook the lawyer's hand and ushered Sarah out to his car. He tucked her inside and quickly dashed to the driver's side and got in. He didn't take her hand right away, wanting to give her the space she needed to absorb all that had transpired. She wouldn't have to work ever again if she played her cards right. Gabe had been shocked by the amount of the cashier's check. He'd also been surprised that she now owned her father's home and wouldn't be expected to share any of it with her siblings. Whatever had been in the notes had left Trevor and Denise angry and relatively speechless. He hoped they wouldn't contest it, but if they did, he wanted to be there for Sarah.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked her.

"The bank and then to Pop's. I just want to get this all over with one swoop and start over tomorrow," she answered back quietly. He agreed to do as she asked, though inside he wanted to take her back to her home and tuck her in bed, hold her close and watch her sleep.

They arrived at the bank, where she was greeted with a handshake from the bank manager, once she stated her business. She and Gabe walked to the vault and they were allowed to pull the safety deposit box out. The banker offered to leave, but Sarah told him it wasn't necessary. She sat down and Gabe stood behind her, rubbed her shoulders and waited for her to open the box.

Inside she pulled out a small bible, the size of her palm. An inscription inside showed it to be one that her Great-Great Grandfather had carried with him during the war. A black velvet lined box gave way to a set of pearl earrings and a necklace once worn by her grandmother. Another box revealed the engagement ring and the wedding ring, her mother had worn during her life with Paul, as well as an anniversary band. Stock certificates and several barer bonds were tucked in a manilla pouch and Gabe shook his head in amazement at the amount of wealth Sarah had in her possession. Did Trevor and Denise know of all this? Or were they as unaware as Sarah seemed to be?

She took the jewelry and the bible, and then asked the banker to make photo copies of the stocks and bonds. When she had those back in her possession she put them back in the box, ownership was transferred to her name and she left the bank with more dollar signs trailing behind her.

Gabe wondered if she knew her value as a single woman had just rolled into a seventh figure and a new tax bracket. He doubted she did, but he knew in time she would. He wanted her to keep it all for herself. The more time he spent with Sarah, the more he learned that she would issue checks to her brother and sister and try to "win" them back. He also knew that it wouldn't be enough, Trevor and Denise seemed poisoned in their greed and jealousy.

"Ready?" he asked. "Or can I convince you to come back to my place and let me feed you. No strings attached," he added.

Sarah smiled warmly. "I'd like that. Maybe I'll have you take me to my Pop's, later. I guess doing it all at once isn't the easiest after all."