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Gabriel was already on the task of placing the side dish on the table, sliding his homemade Mexican cuisine in between a platter of spiced deviled eggs and a crock pot full of baked beans. He inserted a serving spoon on the table into his dish, then placed the glass cover back on top to keep insects away.<br/>
<br/>
Gabriel's gaze was warm as it met Jaxon's, returning his smile as he commented, <b>"This is quite a turnout, Jaxon."</b><br/>
<br/>
Gabriel hoped the crowd would appreciate the salad he made, but most of all he hoped Jaxon would like it too. When Jaxon showed curiosity about what he brought to the barbeque, Gabriel's response was pleasant.<br/>
<b><br/>
"It's called <i>Ensalada de Tres Habas</i>, and its a dish from the Jalisco region of Mexico where my family comes from. The closest thing to it would probably be a Mexican three bean salad. It's very easy to make. Black beans, kidney beans, and white beans mixed with a little cilantro, red onion, bell peppers, mango and chopped corn. I thought it might be best to not go too heavy with the chili pepper, so I tossed the salad with a mild citrus vinaigrette."</b><br/>
<br/>
Gabriel stood beside Jaxon, silently studying his features and his casual attire, and his heart nearly skipped a beat in his chest when he caught a whiff of his after shave. He was actually surprised that Jaxon was that eager to try a sample of the salad, and lingered at the table watching for the marriage of sweet and spicy flavors to hit his tongue. A faint trace of a smile started to spread across his lips as he watched for Jaxon's approval and found it.<br/>
<br/>
<b>"I'm so glad you like it, hopefully the rest of your guests will too."</b><br/>
<br/>
Gabriel was slightly disappointed that the toy he thought he was giving Kiv was meant to encourage him to bite instead of play like most dogs did. The smile faded a little as Jaxon explained the reasoning behind the need to have Kiv play with it away from the others, and was replaced with a frown. <b>"Oh they didn't explain that to me at the Petco. Otherwise I would've gotten him something else."</b><br/>
<br/>
Still, the little demonstration of commands Jaxon gave Kiv was somewhat breathtaking to watch. While Gabe was fluent in Spanish, he didn't understand a single lick of what Jaxon was commanding the dog in French. It sounded very sexy when Jaxon said the words, and that made Gabriel's mind wander off the page. He suddenly felt like he needed a cold shower or a beverage to cool off.<br/>
<b><br/>
"Can't imagine that, Jaxon," </b>Gabriel's voice replied softly, thinking Kiv was such an obedient dog, it was hard  to imagine that he was ever considered awful.<br/>
<br/>
But Jaxon had the scars to prove it, and Gabriel was instantly drawn to the bend of his elbow following the bulge of muscle and the veins that popped out on his forearm. There were deep gouges that looked paler than the rest of his tanned skin, attributed to Kiv's bad behavior. Before he could stop himself from doing so, Gabriel's hand reached out suddenly to lightly touch his arm where the wounds had been.<br/>
<br/>
<b>"Oooh. That must've hurt." </b>Gabriel crooned gently, drawing back his hand as he suddenly realized where he was, and that he'd attracted attention.<br/>
<br/>
What he actually wanted to do with Jaxon wasn't fit for an audience of more than two. Since they were in front of everyone, the lascivious thoughts Gabriel was having left him so conflicted that his hands froze at his sides. He was paying close attention to Jaxon's story about acquiring Kiv. The story only made Jaxon that much more endearing.<br/>
<br/>
<b>"It seems Kiv was made for you, and you were made for Kiv, Jaxon." </b>Gabriel found himself saying, smile returning to his face.<br/>
<br/>
<b>"Uh, sure! I don't mind helping out."</b><br/>
<br/>
An enthused Gabriel eagerly gave 100% when Jaxon requested some assistance in the kitchen. If there was anything that Gabe excelled at, it was cutting up vegetables and fruit because he did it all day long when working at his mother's restaurant. On the way inside, Jaxon paused to introduce him to quite a few members of his clique, they all seemed friendly and welcoming. Then again, anyone would have been nicer than the sort of riff raff Slater Conway surrounded himself with. One of Jaxon's male guests was a bit more persistent in his line of questioning, but Gabriel had noticed him watching them earlier when he reflexively reached out to touch Jaxon's arm.<br/>
<b><br/>
"Hi, I'm Gabe. Nice to meet you. And you too as well." </b>he replied politely, flashing a white smile as Jaxon did all the explaining.<br/>
<br/>
He was relieved that nothing of how they truly met was mentioned to any of the guests, and he appreciated Jaxon's consideration for his privacy.<br/>
<b><br/>
"Maybe you'll stop by Picaduras too. See you around."</b><br/>
<br/>
When Jaxon excused himself, Gabriel was also in tow since he wasn't familiar with the layout of his home. He admired the simple decorations, and the warm homey feeling Jaxon's place gave him. Jaxon's home looked lived in, not like his spartan home decor. He thought he saw a medals display and a flag case on the wall unit as they passed through, and made a mental note to self to check it out a little later and ask Jaxon what each one meant. They certainly were colorful, and Gabriel was confident that most of them were for bravery, because Jaxon was definitely brave.<br/>
<br/>
Entering the kitchen, Gabe noticed where the tomatoes and lettuce were sitting, uncut. So he headed over towards the sink to wash his hands first before handling the accoutrements for the burgers that were being grilled. Placing a tomato on the cutting board, he removed any stem pieces before halving the vegetable with a paring knife he found in a nearby dish rack. He found himself bumping and rubbing elbows with Jaxon in close proximity as they tended to their tasks.<br/>
<b><br/>
"Thanks for inviting me Jaxon. Your friends seem so nice, and I love your house!" </b>he commented, offering compliments. <b>"Were those all of your medals in the den? You'll have to show them off a little. I would like to know what they mean."</b> he mentioned, curious about Jaxon's military service.<br/>
<br/>
Gabriel was efficient and quick while cutting up tomatoes, he did them rapidly like a master chef, and began to place the leaves from the outer core of the head of lettuce over the ice so they wouldn't directly touch the rest of the vegetables. As Jaxon was layering the cheese slices, Gabriel was layering the tomatoes so that they looked uniform. He was cutting through the head of lettuce in order to separate the leaves when another of Jaxon's male friends entered the kitchen to use one of the Coleman coolers near the door.<br/>
<b><br/>
"No problem, Jaxon, I'm happy to help you out."</b><br/>
<br/>
The comment made by Jaxon's friend caused Gabriel to bristle slightly in irritation, and turn his head to avoid having his perturbed expression noticed by Jaxon and his friend. He didn't know what to think about the dimwit's comment, but he was dying to say something snarky in response. Instead, Jaxon fielded the comment like a professional, and Gabriel found something out about Jaxon that he didn't know previously. One failed marriage under his belt, and this guy seemed to know Jaxon pretty well.<br/>
<br/>
He wanted to say <i>Jaxon doesn't need a woman to define who he is as a man.</i><br/>
<br/>
Jaxon's answer sort of defused the tension Gabriel was feeling, and he also learned that Jaxon suffered from an extremely high amount of stress during that period in his life. The last thing Gabriel needed or wanted to do was make a huge scene over an inconsiderate remark. He just continued working, listening instead of adding anything to the conversation between Jaxon and the other man. Gabriel sucked up his sour mood, and finally spoke.<br/>
<b><br/>
"I don't think we've met yet? I'm Gabriel Alcantara."</b> introducing himself to the other guy as he helped Jaxon carry the supplies outside to the backyard barbeque.<br/>
<br/>
Officially kicking the party off, Gabriel stacked aluminum foil between the two trays of cheese and vegetables before leaving the kitchen to prevent their exposure to the elements and keep them ready for the diners. He took his cue from Jaxon, setting the trays off to the side of the grill on the table so people could serve themselves buffet style.<br/>
<br/>
Hearing his name called, Gabriel's head turned to look at Jaxon, who was living up to his grill master status quite well.<b> <br/>
<br/>
"My steak? Oh I prefer mine cooked medium well."</b> he answered back, as he approached to observe how Jaxon used the grill.<br/>
<br/>
He never personally used a grill to cook anything, even though he had one back at the casita that he still had yet to use. Hearing about Jaxon's father's meat packing company he replied,<b>"That's awesome, you must get the best cuts of everything."</b> he trailed off.<br/>
<b><br/>
"Hope you don't mind me watching you cook, I've never really used a grill before."</b></span></span></span></span>