Picture Perfect (21 page)

Sylvia grabbed my hand and pulled me from Mason with a laugh.  “
Oh sugarplum, there are none so blind as those who can’t see.  It’s not too early dear, trust me.”  Turning to Flynn she said, “Tessa’s going to make a beautiful bride, don’t you think?”

I was mortified that she was putting him on the spot like that, and it took everything I had not to smack my forehead with my hand. 
I imagined that Flynn wanted to run from the room.  Instead of running, he laughed.  Grabbing me from Sylvia, he took my hand and lifted it to his mouth, opening my hand and settling a kiss on my palm before closing it and addressing his Gram.  “No doubt about it, she’s going to be stunning.”

I pretty much vapor-locked right then and there. 
Was Flynn agreeing with Sylvia that he saw marriage in our future? 

Giving a mental shake of my head, I laughed it off.  Of course he didn’t mean
it, he just said it because he was put on the spot. I was falling for him- hell, I’d already fallen- but the tour loomed like a black cloud.  I knew that it was bound to change everything we had.  It would shift our relationship for sure, and I feared that it would do irreparable damage. 

Thankfully
the bell saved us when the front door chimed announcing the arrival of Flynn’s guests.

Flynn’s dad was first through the door and he enveloped me in a big hug.  Then things got overwhelming for a few minutes as I was introduced to everyone else.  Flynn’s newly discovered twin sisters, Dominique and Delilah, were amazing.  They were ridiculously beautiful but they also managed to be two of the
most genuine people I’d ever been fortunate enough to meet.  Todd was clearly enamored of his daughters, and it was a lovely sight.  Flynn had filled me in about what a difficult life the Hart family had before their Aunt Sandra took over, and it really impressed me how down to earth, and well adjusted, they all were. 

Everyone except for Dominique had a significant other at
his or her side.  Flynn had already told me that she appeared to be single, so I’d expected that. The introductions moved on to Delilah and Dominique’s other brothers, Dante and Damien Hart.  Those two pieces of prime eye candy were male model material, but just like their sisters, they couldn’t have been nicer.  Dante introduced me to his wife, Sabrina, and then Damien introduced me to his fiancée, Brooke.  Sabrina and Brooke were sisters, and the resemblance was obvious.  They perfectly complimented their men, and it was clear to see that both relationships were in full bloom.

Next
I met was Delilah’s fiancée, Spencer. He was built like a Nordic God, and I had to remind myself to swallow as I took all of him in.  I’d been told that he and the Hart boys were like brothers, and even though there was no physical resemblance, I could see similarities in the three of them, mostly because they all carried themselves the same way. There were women everywhere who would kill to be a room with this much male beauty, and I sure did enjoy it.  

Spencer was in full expectant dad mode and it was
adorable
.  He had an eye on Delilah at all times, their movements so perfectly mirroring each other that it almost looked like they were synchronized. 

The last person through the door was Sandra Thomas, the Hart family’s guardian aunt.  She was
a lot
younger than I’d thought she would be.  I’d assumed that she was Todd’s age or older, but she was definitely a few years younger than he was.  She didn’t look all that much older than the oldest Hart brother, and I marveled at what kind of inner strength she had to possess that she’d taken on five children without hesitating. She had to have been crazy young when she’d gotten custody.

I noticed that she gravitated toward Todd, and I found that interesting.  They sat together at dinner and he rarely left her side.  The two of them definitely had chemistry.  Reflecting on what Flynn had said to me about his desire for Todd to remarry, I thought that was a good thing.  Sylvia looked thrilled every time she looked at them, so I knew that I wasn’t the only person that had noticed.  Flynn caught me watching them at one point, and he smiled and gave a thumb’s up.  Clearly he had noticed as well.

Sylvia was in full great-grandmother mode, and she asked a million questions about how Delilah was feeling.  She didn’t even look pregnant yet, but you wouldn’t know that by the way Spencer possessively caressed her stomach whenever the opportunity presented itself.  He regaled the table with stories about the pregnancy book he was reading as Delilah shook her head and laughed as she told us all that he was starting to drive her nuts.  “Since I told him that we’re having a baby, he’s woken me up every Monday morning to tell me what developmental stage the baby is in.  Two days ago I found him on the computer buying a stethoscope so that he can listen to the heartbeat.  The man’s gone mad!”  She radiated joy as she told us that, so I knew that she didn’t mind at all.

Just seeing how happy they were about the life they had created made me think about what it would feel like to have a baby that Flynn and I created together growing inside of me. 
Almost as though he knew what I was thinking, he reached over and took my hand in his. The look in his eyes as he smiled at me seemed to promise a million things, all of them dreams come true.  If someone had told me two months ago that Flynn Rand would become the center of my universe, I’d have called them crazy, but here we were and he absolutely was my center.

Flynn’s other sister, Dominique, seemed sad to me.  She smiled and participated in the conversation, but I sensed that there was something going on with her.  Flynn had told me that she was the more reserved twin, and I could see what he meant by that.  She was lovely and had a beautiful personality, but she was definitely the harder nut of the two to crack.

Sylvia was in her element, and it was obvious that she’d already decided that the Hart, Cross, and Tyler families were all now part of her own.  It looked to me as though Dante, Damien and Spencer were eating up all the attention that she paid them all, and I assumed that was because they’d never experienced a grandparent before.

As dinner progressed, I grabbed my camera and started taking photos.  It was like a knee-jerk reaction to me, as necessary as water in order for me to feel right.  I loved capturing a moment, especially when that moment was something that should be remembered.
  Sylvia squealed when she saw the camera and shouted out, “Sweetie, do you have a tripod?”

“I sure do
”

“Wonderful! Can you set it up after dinner to take some pictures of all of us together as a family?”

“Of course!”

At the conclusion of dinner,
Sylvia corralled everyone into the backyard so that we could take some pictures while the light was good.  After we were all in place I set my timer and took twenty photos lightning fast.  When I was finished, Sylvia dragged me into Flynn’s office so that she could see the photos.  After choosing her favorites, she had me email them to her before she enveloped me in a bear hug. 

When we finished hugging I was surprised to see that she was tearing up.  “Oh no, Sylvia! What’s wrong?”

Shaking her head she grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her eyes.  “Ignore me sugarplum, I always get like this in the weeks before they go out on tour because I’m a silly old woman.  You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but I’m not.  I’m going to miss you, Flynn and Cole terribly while you’re on the road.  I shouldn’t complain- this is actually the shortest tour they’ve ever done, but it never hurts any less when they leave.”

Wrapping my arms around her, I kissed her cheek.  “I can’t imagine how hard it’s been to have had to do this time and again for the last ten years, but you’re right, this is the shortest tour they’ve ever done.  It will be over quickly and they’ll be back before you know it.”

Pulling back, Sylvia looked at me. “You’ll
all
be back sugarplum, not just my boys.”

How I wanted that to be true, but my future with Flynn was uncertain at best.  We felt rock solid now… but four months from today, who knew what would have happened. 

“Well, no matter what happens with Flynn and me, I’ll see you at the final show of the tour.  That’s something to look forward to.”

As she stepped away from me Sylvia waved her hand in front of my face.  “Hello, Tessa?  Earth is calling dear.  You need to stop planning for the worst.  You’re Flynn’s other half sugarplum, and you aren’t going anywhere, that much I can promise you.”

I gave a smile that I hoped she interpreted as encouraging.  I could only pray that she was right, because I knew there would be no coming back from the feelings that I had for Flynn.  He rooted himself deeper in my soul by the hour and I knew that if it ever came down to it, I wouldn’t be able to walk away with my heart intact. 

As the night wound down
Dante and Sabrina invited us all over to their home the following evening for Sunday dinner.  Apparently it was a tradition in their family, and it was a good indicator of where things were going that they wanted to include the Rand’s in that group. 

Once everyone had gone, Flynn and I cleaned everything up before heading to his bedroom to shower.  Our end of the day ritual of showering together had become a highlight for me, and for him as well
, judging by how eager he was to get there each day.

Being in the shower and having free reign to soap and caress Tessa’s body had easily become one of my favorite activities.  There’s an intimacy between us that surpassed any expectation I’d had about what a relationship could or would be, and I treasure that.  I now understood what the words, “with my body I thee worship,” meant. 

It’s funny how one person can change your entire life, shifting your paradigm
in a nanosecond.  When Tessa had been in LA the first time, I had known that we were headed somewhere amazing.  But when she’d shut me down and changed her phone number, the panic I’d experienced made me realize that I was falling in love with her.  Since then, I’ve only fallen deeper.  Seeing how overjoyed my sister and her fiancée are about her pregnancy touched me on a very deep level.  I’ve always wanted children, but I never thought I’d meet someone I’d want to share the responsibility of parenting with.  Now that I’ve recognized Tess as the woman that I want to create a family with, my feelings for her are even more intense.

My thoughts were derailed
as her hands glided up my torso.  Looking down into her eyes, I felt my heart skip a beat.  Gone was the girl who had mistakenly thought that she was frigid.  In her place was a woman who was discovering her body in a new way and who liked what she was finding.  Tessa took great delight in exploring my body, puffing up with pride when she got the responses out of me that she wanted.  I was open to all of her explorations, delighted by her appetite for me since it matched mine for her.  We were insatiable for one another and it showed.

I groaned as she turned and bent forward so that her sexy ass was plastered to me before she gave a little wi
ggle.  “Jesus babe, you’re crazy fucking sexy.”

Fisting my cock, I rubbed the tip up and down in her folds.  She moaned and arched her back, looking over her shoulder at me with
smoldering eyes.  “Give me your cock honey, don’t make me wait.”

She should’ve known that I wouldn’t go fast, and I tsk-tsked her as I slid the tip in slowly before pulling out equally as slow.  “Babe, you should know by now that I’m not going to fuck you after ten seconds of foreplay.”

“Foreplay was sitting next to you for hours thinking about how badly I needed you inside of me.  I was a good girl, don’t I deserve a reward?”

She moaned and tried to wiggle as I slid the tip back in and slowly retreated again.  “Don’t you fucking wiggle babe. 
You’re going to get a fuckin’ reward, believe you me, but you’re going to get it when I’m good and ready to give it to you.  Bend over, spread your legs wide and rest your hands on the shower wall.”

My instruction
s were followed while I positioned the showerheads at the angles I wanted them.  Dropping to my knees behind her, I ran my fingers up the sides of her legs, smiling as she moaned.  Tapping her legs I instructed, “Wider.”

She complied, her actions leaving her sex as the perfect angle for me to devour.  Placing my hands on her hips, I leaned in and swiped the flat of my tongue against her.
  She moaned and shivered as I ate her, and my cock wept with the need to be inside of her. 

“You taste so beautifully sweet on my tongue baby.  I’ll never get tired of
this.”

I went back to lapping at her as I slid two fingers into her tight sheath and began to pump slowly in and out.  She was wet and wild against my fingers and my tongue, her breathing ragged and desperate.

“Grind your pussy back and come on my face Tess.  If you want your reward, give me that sweet cream.”

I buried my tongue back in her wet heat and she lost it, grinding against my face as her pussy began convulsing against my fingers as she came with a
wild cry.

After getting up and taking a seat on the shower bench, I grabbed her hips and guided her back toward me.  Holding her tight I growled, “Sit down and ride baby.
  It’s all yours.”

With a cry of pure pleasure she sank down and seated me inside of her to the hilt.  The friction of her slippery walls against my swollen cock was too good to describe.  Her cunt was bathing me in her cream with every one of her downward movements, and my control was starting to
evaporate.