Desiree's Star Ch. 11

In the morning, everything was not fine. Desiree's mouth felt like she'd swallowed a handful of cotton balls, her eyes felt like they were expanding in her head, her shoulders were sore, and she could feel the start of a dull ache in her sex.

She rolled over and gazed at Gabriel as he slept. He had a cut under his eye and a fist sized bruise on his ribs. Despite the aching between her legs, she felt herself getting aroused just looking at him. It seemed ludicrous that she had slept with him -- twice.

Not wanting to wake him, Desiree removed the sheet covering his groin. She licked her lips in anticipation of what she was about to do. Moving quietly she grabbed his semi-erect cock and lifted it off his stomach. As if her touch made it come to life, it doubled in size. She felt its weight in her hand and played with the skin stretching over the head. She watched, enthralled as it began to twitch on its own.

Making an 'O' with her thumb and forefinger she squeezed and began to move her hand slowly up and down its length. In his sleep hushed moans were escaping his dreams. Desiree smiled. It seemed almost sinful the amount of power she could display over a man undoubtedly twice her size.

She climbed between his legs being careful not to wake him. She blew her hot breath on his swollen purple head. Her mouth watered at the thought of taking him deep in her mouth. He'd tasted her twice, and she had yet to sample his flavor.

Slowly she lowered her head to his cock. She snaked her tongue out of her mouth and tasted the head. Engulfing the entire head and sucking it like a lollipop she could faintly taste herself on him. She moaned deep in her throat as Gabriel's eyes flew open.

"Oh fuck," was all he could manage.

Desiree smiled around his cock and tried to take him deeper. She'd never had a cock in her mouth, but she'd read and heard enough from friends to know the moaning he was doing was a good thing. She took him as deep as she could without choking and used one hand to massage his balls.

"Oh yea, suck my cock." She could feel him grabbing onto her head as he fucked her mouth, thrusting his hips towards his face. Surprising for Desiree, her pussy was dripping too.

"Oh god, I'm gonna cum Dessie," he shouted. Desiree increased the suction and began to pump harder. She couldn't wait for him to spew his hot cum against the back of her throat.

"Ungh," was the only intelligible sound coming from him as Desiree felt the cum rising from his balls.

"Fuckin swallow it Desiree! Swallow it all!" he shouted as he pumped rope after rope of cum down her throat. Desiree was surprised it didn't taste all that bad.

Gabriel's head fell against the pillow as Desiree continued to suck him. She sat up and smiled as she watched his chest heave.

"This whole smiling thing after sex isn't gonna work," he said.

"Works for me," she shrugged smiling.

"How bout I wipe that smile off your face," Gabriel taunted as he grabbed her and pulled her beneath him.

"No don't, I'm sore."

"No one said anything about fucking your pussy, little one."

"Oh no," she said wiggling beneath him. "You're not putting that monster in my ass."

"Maybe not today..." he said smiling. He leaned down and kissed her cheeks then moved to chew on her bottom lip.

She'd already been on edge when she sucked him off, so when he clamped on a hard nipple, and eased three fingers into her wet channel, she came almost immediately.

Gabriel kissed her glowing face and looked into her eyes. Six months ago, who would have imagined he'd be fucking Desiree and liking it?

"What now?"

"Now we get dressed and eat," he said rolling off her.

"But you ripped my underwear," Desire said an annoyed tone.

"You don't need them anyway."

~*~*~

They took turns showering and dressing, Desiree without underwear. When Desiree emerged from the bathroom, she caught sight of Gabriel standing over the kitchen sink munching on a piece of toast and smiled. As if sensing her gaze, he turned and returned her friendly smile.

"That shirt looks good on you." Desiree beamed. She hoped he wouldn't mind her taking one of his shirts.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she said as she neared him. Gabriel was standing in front of the sink freshly scrubbed in his favorite pair of jeans. His hair was still wet and standing on end, and he hadn't bothered to shave, and his stubble was alarmingly sexy. She stepped closer and breathed in his scent, and she was sure her knees buckled. She didn't know a smell could have this effect on a person.

He pushed the last of the toast in his mouth and brushed the crumbs off his chest. He stood looking at Desiree as if he wanted to say something but the sound of his cell phone chirping interrupted him. He looked at the display, and with a heavy sigh he answered the phone and walked into the living room.

Left standing in the kitchen, Desiree wasn't sure what to do. She grabbed a piece of bread out of the bag, balled it up and popped it into her mouth. She heard him say goodbye and hang up the phone.

"So..." she said as she entered the living room. "I don't have my truck -- "

"So you wanna go home?" he asked without looking up from the box he was rifling through.

"I didn't say that, I just wanna know what's on the agenda for today."

"I have some errands to run and then I'll take you home," he said in an irritated voice.

What crawled up his ass? Desiree thought as she set about finding her shoes. Gabriel ushered her out of the apartment as soon as she found them. She wanted to ask him what was wrong but the look on his face told her to keep her mouth shut.

They sat in silence as he navigated the busy streets. When he finally pulled into the parking lot of the local pharmacy, she could guess why he didn't want to talk. She waited as he jogged across the parking lot and entered the pharmacy. A few minutes later he emerged and went next door to the deli.

Desire drummed her fingers on the windowsill wondering if he'd picked up medication for his mom. If that's who was on the phone, it was no wonder he wouldn't talk. She watched as he came out of the deli with his purchase. She was surprised he got in the truck with a smile on his face.

The smell of tomato soup was creeping out of the deli bag and it was making Desiree's mouth water. Gabriel started the car without a word.

"Meds for your mom?" she asked pointing to the pharmacy bag. She couldn't stand the silence between them.

"Condoms." Desiree's eyebrows shot skyward.

"Not for her," he said laughing. "She gets the soup. The condoms are for us."

"Now you think about condoms?" she asked amused.

"Well," he said stealing sideways glances at her. "Each time it happened -- I just wanted to talk to you."

"Well that was one hell of a conversation," she said smiling. "Don't worry, I'm on the pill." She thought she could hear Gabe's sigh of relief. "Shoulda just asked."

Desiree felt the tension between them melt as Gabriel wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

~*~*~

Desiree tried not to let her trepidation show as Gabriel parked his truck in front of his mother's house. As Desiree slid out of the truck, she noted with a smile that nothing changed. The lawn was immaculate, the rocking chair and two-person swing was in pristine condition on the porch. Desiree remembered fondly how much Gabriel's father loved to tend to the outside of the house, leaving everything inside for his wife to take care of. The only thing he truly seemed to care about was the appearance of the yard.

Desiree's stomach tightened at the thought of Gabe's father. He was a drunk, and didn't apologize for it, least of all to the wife and son he beat. Gabe's father was still around. Where, Desiree had no idea, he left Gabriel and his mother when Gabe was 13. He showed up unannounced when he needed something, but that was pretty much all anyone heard of him, and Gabriel never talked about him. Desiree wondered if he even knew his ex-wife was dying.

As if re-discovering the contents of an old box hidden in the attic for almost a decade, Desiree suddenly remembered the bruises and cuts Gabriel seemed to always have. She never understood why, and she used to tease him about being clumsy. She could remember that he was always skinny and lanky. His physical appearance now seemed almost startling to her. He wasn't the small frail kid she remembered. Somewhere along the line, he'd become a man.

She looked at him as he walked around the car, and was sad to see that it seemed as though he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. In that moment Desiree wanted to grab him and tell him everything would be okay. She wanted to tell him he didn't have to shoulder all this alone. That no matter what happened she'd be there for him. She wanted to tell him not to worry, but the moment quickly passed as he motioned her towards the front door.

Desiree held her breath as Gabriel opened the front door. She wasn't sure what to expect and tried to steel herself because she knew seeing Gabe's mother's deteriorating health would bring tears to her eyes. She smiled at Gabe as he turned toward her silently asking if she was ready.

Gabriel opened the door, and Desiree followed. The house looked just as it did when she was little. Immediately she was catapulted back to the days when her brother allowed her to accompany her to his best friend's house. She could remember standing by the basement door and begging to be allowed down to play with the boys. Gabriel had made it a point to make sure she knew no girls were allowed. She smiled to herself as she thought about how much things had changed.

Sounds of laughter floated from the television in the living room, and Desiree guessed that's where Mary, Gabriel's mother, was sitting.

"Hey ma," Gabriel yelled as he shut the front door and made his way to the living room.

"Hey Gabe," she tried to yell back, but couldn't and ended up coughing. Gabriel refused to look at Desiree as he led her into the living room.

"Someone's here to see you," Gabriel said as he rounded the recliner his mother was sitting in.

"Gabe, you know I hate company," she said trying to smooth down her hair.

Desiree said nothing as she stepped around the front of the chair so Mary could see her. Desiree was surprised how delicate and small Mary looked sitting in her chair. Confusion than recognition fluttered across Mary's face as she gazed upon Desiree.

"My God, Desiree," she said reaching out to her. "Look at how you've grown. You are so beautiful." Desiree beamed and blushed at the compliment. "I've heard so much about you," she said, "But Gabriel didn't tell me what a beautiful young woman you've turned into."

Gabriel chose that moment to jam him hands in his pockets and march towards the kitchen.

Mary motioned for Desiree to sit down on the couch to her right, as she handed Desiree a thick heavy book.

"I know this is silly, but I can't stop thinking that I should have done better with Gabriel. He's such a good boy, but he's trying to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Sometimes I think he blames himself for my cancer coming back," Mary sighed and looked into Desiree's eyes. "Give him time honey," she said gripping Desiree's arm. "He's as stubborn as his father, but give him time. Just be patient," she said after a pause.

Desiree shook her head politely. She was going to tell Mary that there was nothing going on between her and her son, but Mary silenced her with a knowing smile. "That's Gabriel's favorite shirt, and it looks good on you."

Desiree's face heated as she tried to figure out how moms always knew.

As if on cue, Gabriel returned to the living room holding the bowl of warm tomato soup he'd gotten for his mother.

The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. By the time the pair left the house, the sun had set low into the horizon and as warming the sky with its vibrant orange color. As Gabriel and Desiree walked to the truck hand in hand, neither wanted to voice how much time Gabe's mother had. Desiree could imagine the pain Gabriel was feeling as he watched his mother dying before his eyes.

They held hands as Gabe navigated the streets towards Desiree's home. When they pulled up in front, Desiree was prepared to get out and not look back. She still wasn't completely sure what was going on between her and Gabe, but she didn't feel now was the time to ask about it. She was surprised when she felt his grip tighten on her hand as she turned to hop out of his truck. Desiree turned back to him with questioning eyes.

"Thanks," he said bringing her hand to his lips. "I'd kiss you, but I can see your mother staring at us from the living room window. I don't think she's ready for that."

Desiree smiled and said you're welcome as she climbed down from his truck. She walked toward the house forcing herself not to look back. Before she could touch her hand to the knob, her mother swung the front door open and was staring at her with a smug smile on her face.

"So..." her mother asked her, arms folded across her chest. "What happened?"

Desiree sidestepped her mother asking, "Why didn't you tell me about Mary?"

"Gabriel asked me not to...and that sort of thing is up to him," she said following Desiree into the kitchen.

"How much time does she have?" Desiree asked not meeting her mother's gaze.

"Any day now," her mother said in a hushed voice. Neither said anything for a while, letting the gravity of the situation sink in.

"So, are you gonna tell me what happened between you and Gabe?" her mother asked finally breaking the silence between them.

Desiree turned from the sink and grinned. "No."

Her mother threw the dishcloth she was toying with at her daughter and smiled. "His shirt looks good on you."

Desiree threw her arms in the air and marched up the stairs to change the shirt. The last thing she wanted was for her brother to comment about it too.

~*~*~

The next few weeks flew by as Gabriel and Desiree were consumed with taking care of their affairs. With the passing of Gabriel's mother and Desiree's inevitable return to school, neither bothered discussing what the future held.

Desiree stood by Gabriel in silent support as he shook hands with relatives, family friends and people he didn't know. She watched, as he seemed to shoulder more of the family responsibility as becoming the "head" of the family now that his father was certainly out of the picture. The man hadn't even bothered to show up to his ex-wife's funeral.

Desiree was amazed at how large Gabriel's family was. It was dizzying and it must have been for Gabriel too because everyone seemed to look at him for the answers. He'd shrug his shoulders and tell everyone he was working on it.

More than one family member had been bold enough to ask Desiree what her place was in his life, and she smiled and said she was a friend. The female relatives looked at her with disgust -- no doubt because they were all aware of Gabriel's philandering, and the male relatives looked at her as if amazed Gabriel was capable of bagging someone with a brain.

The lines in Gabriel's face seemed to deepen with the passing of his mother and he seemed to have lost the heart to tease her like he used to. Suddenly, Desiree realized she was slowly being squeezed out of his life and she wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to stop it. She would sit in her room asking herself if being with Gabe was what she really wanted and she couldn't come up with an answer. Deep down she knew she couldn't bear it if when she returned back to school, Gabriel didn't care. She was just a kid anyway right? He'd said it plenty of times himself.

Desiree stood in her room packing her clothes and the essentials for her trip back to school convincing herself she didn't want to be emotionally tied to someone that wasn't available for her. She didn't blame Gabriel, but the timing couldn't have been more wrong. Gabe was still immersed in his work, and she was going back to school an hour away.

They talked on the phone just about everyday, they had dinner together a couple times a week, but it just seemed like they were becoming best friends instead of lovers. The gentle caresses stopped, the innocent kisses were no more, and much to Desiree's surprise, they hadn't had sex since the night she'd found out his mother was sick.

Desiree mentally slapped herself for being so childish -- she understood the man's mother just died, but she felt like she was a placeholder in his life. Like he was with her, and she defined the term "with" very loosely, because he felt obligated to.

What they shared -- however brief -- was special and she'd always love him in some way, but she was chalking their experience to the convenience of summer love.

Desiree closed the last box she had to pack and picked it up to bring to her truck. Desiree cursed herself for making the boxes so heavy. She nearly toppled down the stairs twice before her toes finally found the hard landing at the bottom of the stairs.

She shifted the weight of the box trying to see around it as she tried to make her way to the front door. Where was her brother when she needed him? She'd thought she'd lost her grip on the box as the weight was easily removed from her hands. The box was removed from in font of her face and she was greeted with Gabriel's teasing grin she'd missed so much.

"Looked like you were having a little trouble there, little one," he said as he held with box with one arm wrapped around it.

"Show off," she said sticking her tongue out at him.

"You look cute," he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

"How would you know?" she asked wiping the sweat from her brow. "You never even looked."

She watched as a sly grin spread across his face. "I didn't have to. You always look good."

Desiree wasn't sure how to take the first compliment he'd given her in weeks, so she rolled her eyes and headed back up the stairs. "Can you put that in the truck? I'm gonna go get another box," she shouted over her shoulder.

"How much stuff are you bringing?"

"Only the essentials," she said as she jogged the rest of the way up the stairs. As Desiree bent down to grab another box, she caught her reflection in the mirror. She huffed and picked up the box thinking there was no way Gabriel could have looked at her, and liked what he saw. She was sweaty and her hair was a mess.

Desiree stepped outside and looked around for Gabriel half hoping he'd be there to take the next box from her. There was still a pile of stuff in her room she still to fit into her truck, and it would be easier with his help. She made her way across the driveway and managed to open the tailgate of her truck while balancing the box on her knee. She dropped the box onto the bed of the truck and bent over trying to push the box as far back onto the bed as it would go. Her body stiffened as she felt the weight of someone else's body pressing up against hers from behind. She felt rough hands slide up her back and curl over her shoulders.

"You know this is my favorite position, don't you?" she felt Gabriel whisper into her ear. Her stomach knotted at the sudden and unexpected sexual advance, and she immediately felt herself grow wet.

"This must be your favorite position too, little one. You always seem to be bending over in front of me, and you have no idea how hot it makes me."

Desiree inhaled sharply as she could feel the length of Gabriel's growing erection pushing into her ass. She tired to move fearing discovery but Gabriel's hips held her firmly in place.

"Gabriel don't," she said pushing herself against him trying to get away. "Anyone could see us."

"That's half the fun, baby." Gabriel said making sure she could feel his erection pressing against her ass.