Picture Perfect (7 page)

I shook my head
as I continued trying to catch my breath.  "I don’t know Flynn.  I've never… it's never… I guess it's you."

Chuckling, he smoothed my hair.  "Well, I think it's you
, and you think it's me so… it must be us, together.  There’s chemistry here Tess, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.  I can see that you’re reticent about taking steps forward, but it would be a crime to walk away from this.  I promise I won’t push you too far too fast, but I do want to get to know you.  Don’t overthink it.  Just say yes.”

Every part of my brain wa
s screaming at me to be cautious as I shook my head in the negative, but my mouth blurted out “Yes” anyway.  Traitor!

Flynn wa
s clearly delighted by my response, and he quickly kissed me again before standing.  I was a little daft just at that moment, staring up at the god like perfection that he was.  It should be illegal for anyone to be that attractive.  When my gaze dropped to his slacks, I almost cried out in shock.  He was
very
turned on, and right then I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the bulge I coveted when I was younger was all Flynn, no rolled up tube socks involved.  Shit.

It wa
s titillating and terrifying all at the same time.  I wanted him so badly that I could almost taste it, but I could tell just by what I saw at that moment that he had to
easily
be almost double the size that Lee was.  In addition to being crappy, sex with Lee hurt.  I suspected that was because I was never wet enough, but what if it wasn’t?  There really was such a thing as being too tight, and I know some people had problems accommodating larger sizes.  I was in no way confident that I could take Flynn.

When he held out his hand to pull me up, my heart was in my throat.  B
eing assailed with feelings I’d never come close to experiencing before had me a bit loopy.  It was going to be a lot to digest and assimilate.  Of course, I didn’t really have time to process anything, because I’d be at a tour meeting with Flynn tomorrow and the night after that, we’d be at dinner together. 

Pulling me closer to him, he smiled at me as he gently
ran his fingers down my cheeks.  “I can almost see the wheels spinning in your head, babe.  We’ll take it one day at a time Tess, I promise.  Never anything more than you can handle. This is a magical thing, sweetness.  Don’t shut me out.  Give whatever this is a chance.”

I nodded my
head in trancelike agreement.  I’m not even sure why.

Pulling me into his arms, he covered my lips with his own again.  Briefly, so briefly, he kissed me goodnight.  I’d never have imagined that Flynn had it in him to be so tender, but he
really was.  With one more kiss on the lips, followed by another glide of his fingers down my cheek, he took his leave.

“Sweet dreams Tess.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The only thing that gave me the ability to walk out of Tessa’s hotel room was the certainty that she would shut me down
forever if I pushed too hard.  She was skittish, and I couldn’t ignore that. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, and I couldn’t risk losing the chance to explore the connection we had.  I’d never experienced chemistry like that with anyone.  Considering how many women I’d met in the last ten years, from all around the world, the difference with Tessa
had
to mean something.  I’m not sure what it meant, but it was there.  I’d waited for what felt like a lifetime to feel a connection, and now that I’d found one, I needed to tread carefully.

Tipping the valet, I got into my car and started driving home.  I needed advice on how to proceed, because I sure as shit didn’t know how to woo a woman.  I’d never had to put any effort into getting girls, and I had no idea what being romantic would entail. Glancing at the clock on the dash, I
saw that it was after one in the morning, which meant that it was too late to call my dad.  I knew I could call Cole or any of my other band mates, but the truth was that they’d be as clueless as I was. 

Even though my mom’
s been gone for over twenty years, my dad still talks about how much he loved her.  He’s never remarried, and has told me countless times that he believes that that it’s never going to happen for him.  “I had the love of my life son, and I don’t think it’s in the cards for me to feel that again.”  He loves to tell me about the relationship he had with my mom, and that more than anything is why I know I can talk to him about Tessa.  He’ll point me in the right direction. 

Of course, that will be after he picks his jaw up off the floor.

Since it was so late, I had no choice but to go home and think about Tessa all by myself.  I laughed when I pulled into my driveway, seeing the house as Tess must have.  It really was cold and impersonal, and so uninviting.  My dad had taken one look at it and asked if I had been hit on the head. “Flynn, this is one ugly as sin box.  You’ll never be comfortable here.”

At the time, I had been a twenty year old cocky as hell kid.  I looked at the house and all I’d seen was how hot chicks were going to be
dropping their panties when they saw my mansion.  I wasn’t looking for comfort; I was looking to get laid. I wanted the pussy parade, a never-ending one-night stand. Mission accomplished, but dreams change and now the house had to go. 

My dad was right.  I had never been comfortable here, not for even one night.
  Naturally it had taken me
years
to admit that, but once I let go of my ridiculously inflated ego, it was the first in a long line of truths that I’d confessed.

It’s funny that no one I really care about likes the house.  My grandparent’s think it’s atrocious and Cole’s parents hate it too. Cole and I both had taken a lot of shit from our families about the houses that we had both wound up in.  His is right down the street from mine, and the fucker is hideous.  It’s over the top
ostentatious, and Cole hates it.  He’ll know exactly what I mean about how awesome it is that Tessa dislikes my house.

Walking through the house on my way to my bedroom, I chuckled as I really took a good look at my ‘home’.  It was gray on gray on steel on gray.  Every now and again there was a splash of white or black, but for the most part the entire thing was gray.  Even the glass was smoked gray. 
There was no family or personal pictures in any of the formal rooms.  My decorator had decreed that “things like that” were “gauche” and belonged in private areas.  My office and my den were pretty much wall-to-wall photo displays of my friends and family, but they were the only two rooms in the house that had any personality.  What the hell had I been thinking hanging onto this shithole for nine years? 

After spending time with Tessa, I needed to get myself under control. I was sporting a serious hard-on that really hadn’t banked down at all since I’d left her hotel.  Turning on the jets, I stepped into my steam shower and started cleaning myself.  My cock ached for her, more than it had when I’d just been looking at her pictures
and had no idea what she sounded like.  As I worked my shaft, I thought of nothing but her.

I jerked harder as I remembered how she’d kissed.  The girl knew how to use her tongue that was for damn sure.  I’d had to restrain myself from begging her to lick me all over.
  I let out a moan when I imagined her hot little mouth tonguing my cock.  Just the image alone made me work myself harder, my shaft glistening under the water as my fist shuttled up and down at a frenetic pace.  I gripped harder as I pulled faster, and when I went over the edge, I came with her name on my lips.

I climbed into bed still filled with thoughts of her, and I dreamt of her that night. 
I was up by eight in the morning.  I knew that my dad would be home and awake, so after throwing on some clothes, I drove to his house.  Whoever said that you couldn’t go home again didn’t have a great relationship with their family.  The house I live in is a cube, but my father’s house has always been my home.

Walking through the kitchen door unannounced, I found my dad standing at the counter making what was probably his third or fourth cup of coffee of the morning.  I used to hound him about it mercilessly because I was really concerned about the amount of caffeine he consumed, but once he’d gotten his beloved Keurig, he’d taken to alternating between decaf and caffeinated.  It was a small change, but it made me feel better. 

Anyone who has ever lost a parent knows the anxiety of worrying about the one that’s left.  It never really goes away.  It would be easier if I had brothers and sisters, but sadly, I don’t.  It’s always been just my dad and me since my mom died. When I’m on the road, it’s my dad that I miss the most.  He’s young, only fifty-one, and I often wish he’d get married again. At least that would give me the feeling that he had someone to look after him.

He smiled at me when I came through the door, walking over to give me a hug.  “This is a pleasant surprise son.  It’s been a few weeks since you came over for breakfast.  I’m about to make omelets and toast.  You want some?”

“You don’t even have to ask dad.  Of course I want one of your omelets.  Make it a double.  I’m starving.”

My dad’s omelets are up at the top of the list of my favorite things to eat.  When I was a kid we used to do breakfast for dinner once a month, and it was always a favorite.  Cole and his parent’s would join in and bring his moms banana peanut butter pancakes
.  Those nights were the best.

Grabbing some tomatoes and mushrooms from the fridge, I set to chopping them as he took out a ham steak and started cooking it up.  My mouth was already watering.  Once I was finished chopping I stood by the stove and watched my dad finish cooking the ham.

Glancing over, he raised an eyebrow at me.  “Alright Flynn, you’re fidgeting.  What’s going on?”

Leave it to my dad to pick up on the fact that I was keyed up about something.  Smiling at him I blurted out, “I met a girl.  No, wait… that’s not descriptive enough.  I met a girl that I really, really like.  I’m here for advice on how to romance her.  She’s different.”

His head snapped back and his eyes widened as he turned his full attention to me.  “Your mother must be hard at work up there to have achieved this miracle.  I’ve been praying for this for years.  Tell me all about her.  Don’t leave anything out.”

I smiled at the mention of my mom.  He’d told me before that when he went to visit the cemetery he always told her to find me someone to love.
  I normally roll my eyes when he says it, but he’s been adamant about his desire to see me settled down.  “I want grandchildren while I’m young enough to be the cool grandfather,” he always says.

Taking a deep breath, I dove right into explaining Tessa. 
“She’s beautiful dad, so damn beautiful that she takes my breath away.  And guess what?  She hate’s my house!  Absolutely loathes it.  I put her on the spot and asked what she thought of it, and after a minute all she could come up with was that it was big.”

That got a hearty chuckle from him.  “Now
that
makes me happy. If you liked some woman that thought that place was beautiful, I’d be so disappointed.  How did you meet her?”

Once I started talking, it was like I couldn’t stop and
while he was finishing making breakfast I told him every detail of how we’d met. (Okay… not
every
detail… I did conveniently forget to mention that we’d both admitted to masturbating to each other’s photos)

Plating our
food, we headed into the breakfast nook before taking seats.  “She sounds delightful Flynn.  She’s clearly not a groupie or a stalker.  If she were guilty of being either, she would have made herself available to you last night, and she never would have told you she was fan. She also wouldn’t care if you thought she was a groupie.  A good woman is hard to find son.”

“I know dad, and that’s why I need your help.  I feel like such a defective idiot, but I have no idea how to proceed.”

Dad beamed at me, like I’d just told him I’d been nominated for a Pulitzer.  “The very fact that you’re thinking about it tells me that you’re headed in the right direction.  I suggest spending time with her actually getting to know her.  Don’t go overboard with crazy dates at expensive restaurants. You need to talk to her, really talk to her, and listen to what she says. The way to a woman’s heart is through her brain Flynn, not her panties. Make good choices and remember that a real relationship won’t look like
anything
you’ve done before.  You’ve had women throwing themselves at you for a long time, but none of that ever made you truly happy or brought you anything other than superficial contentment.  It’s time to try something different.  You want to get to know Tessa? Then you need to step outside of your box.  What do you think would be a nice thing to do with Tessa that would make her happy?”

The
second he posed the question; I knew just what to do.  My father was a genius! We spent the rest of the meal talking about my plan. We hugged as I left, and my dad reminded me that he and my grandparents would be at the press conference that afternoon to support us as we made the retirement announcement.  It didn’t go unnoticed that I was excited about them meeting Tessa.  I wanted my family to see what I saw in her.  I just hoped that they would.  I’d be crushed if they didn’t like her, or vice versa.