Table For Two: Barrington Billionaire's Series: Book Two (16 page)

She felt his body tense with hers, and he cried out her name.

She clung to him, not wanting to let go. While she was still wrapped around him, Dean walked to the bed and laid her down on the cool sheets. Tessa welcomed the warmth of his body as he lay beside her.

Rolling over, she rested her head on his chest. “That was amazing. I never thought it could be better than that first time. You’ve proven me wrong,” Tessa said softly.

“This is definitely a night I will remember, and look forward to beating. Maybe after we eat that dinner you made, we can try besting it tonight,” Dean said as he pulled her on top of him.

Tessa laughed. “I think I might be up for that challenge.”

Dean gave her bottom a playful slap. “If you don’t stop looking at me like that, we will be skipping dinner and going straight for dessert.”

Tessa pulled away and wrapped the sheet around her, toga style. “I’m tempted, but I do make a mean lasagna.” She laughed and dashed out of the bedroom with him following close behind.

Yes, tonight is a night I will never forget.

T
essa was so nervous. Thankfully, she and Lexi had gone out clothes shopping, so she felt dressed for the occasion. But that was only on the outside. Inside she had no idea what to expect. This was going to be the first time she saw Zoey since she mistakenly thought she’d been sent from the temporary staffing agency.
I can’t believe I made such a mistake. How embarrassing. I hope the rest of the family doesn’t know.

Normally she wore her hair pulled up because her curls were too outrageous to control. But today Dean was taking her to brunch to meet his family. This was not just any day. At least not for her. She had made a very early appointment at the hair salon to get her hair straightened. Not something she had ever done before, but she’d always wanted to. Looking in the mirror, she almost didn’t recognize herself: a touch of makeup and long straight hair. She never would have thought the casual blue dress Lexi helped her pick out would look so good on her. She was not one to take selfies but maybe just this one time. Pulling her cell phone from her purse, she held it as far away as her arm would go and snapped the photo. It was like looking at a stranger. She had changed so much in such a short period of time. It was not just her hair and makeup, though those were great, but it showed in her eyes.
Wow. Is this really me?

She had been tempted to send it to her parents, but they probably wouldn’t believe it was her either.
What they don’t know probably is better at this point. I don’t want to answer a million questions.

Before her nerves could get the better of her, she heard a knock on the door.
Here we go. I hope he likes the new look.

When she opened the door, the look on his face said it all. Dean’s mouth dropped almost to the floor. “Tessa, are you trying to kill me?” he asked teasingly. Pulling her into his arms he gave her a light kiss. “Please tell me you’d rather stay here and make love all day.”

Tessa was tempted to take him up on that offer, but his family was expecting her, and she wanted to meet them as well. Her feelings for him were strong, and he had already met her parents, even though the circumstances had made it awkward. No, if they were going to have any type of relationship, they needed to go.

“It’s only brunch. I am sure we will have plenty of time after we get back,” Tessa said before kissing him on the cheek.

“I was afraid you would say that. Okay, better get out of here before I pick you up, carry you to that bed, and change your mind.” He tried to hold her in place.

Tessa laughed and walked past him, out the door. She loved that he couldn’t keep his hands off of her. But it was more than that. He was different when they were alone. Every once in a while he let down his guard, and she saw the sensitive side of him. If she mentioned that to him, he probably would pull away and shut her down. So the best thing she could do was enjoy it privately.
When the time is right, I’ll call him out on it. But right now, let him think he is all badass. I know differently.

When they arrived at his brother’s house, Tessa’s hands trembled. She wanted to pretend that it was all good, but she needed to be up front with Dean. “I’m not sure I can do this.”

He reached out and took her hand in his. “Why?”

Why? I’m going to meet your family for the first time. Who wouldn’t be nervous?
“Have you ever brought anyone here before? I don’t mean just to your brother’s house; I mean to meet your family?”

He became quiet, too quiet. She was sorry she had mentioned it. She could feel the tension in his hand which still held hers. Tessa wanted to break the silence but didn’t. She wanted to push him a bit to open up to her, even if the timing was off; they were sitting in a limo in front of his brother’s house.

When he did speak his tone was dry and soft. “No. I haven’t been around much over the last thirteen years. You could say we had a major falling out and I left. I only came back when my father became ill.”

She had no idea what had happened then, but that was all in the past. He was here now. That’s all that mattered. “I am sure it meant a lot for your father to see you before he passed away.”

Dean laughed. “I wasn’t there for him. Zoey asked me to be there. If it were not for her, I never would have come.”

“Sounds like you and Zoey are very close.” Tessa tried to bring a positive side to light. Every family had issues, even hers, but sometimes they were less obvious.

“We are. Out of all of us, Zoey has been the one who kept in contact with me wherever I was. Whether I wanted her to or not.”

“Oh, I got to see firsthand how much she loves you. You’re lucky to have her. I wish I had siblings. It’s not easy being an only child.”
Even someone to fight with once in a while would have been better than the loneliness I had.

“She’s here now and if we don’t get in that house, she’ll be out here banging on the roof nagging me till we do. So what do you say? Are you ready?”

With him by her side, she was ready for anything. Nodding, she answered, “Ready when you are.”

Once inside they were greeted by a woman with dark curly hair that seemed to have a mind of its own. She almost laughed; it looked just like hers normally did except for the color. The woman went right up to Dean and gave him a hug. “So glad you could make it, Dean.” Then she turned to Tessa. “And you must be Tessa. I’m Lena. Welcome to our home.”

A little boy also with dark curly hair came running around the corner, right into Lena’s arms.

“This is Nicholas, our son.”

“He’s adorable. Looks just like you,” Tessa said.

“Thank you. He looks like me but thinks like his father,” Lena added.

“Sorry about that Lena,” Dean teased.

She laughed. “Oh, your brother is not as bad as you think.”

“Don’t be trying to ruin my reputation, Lena. I’ve worked hard to be the jerk everyone believes me to be,” Brice said as he entered the room. “So, you’re Tessa. Never thought I’d see the day Dean would bring a woman around. Maybe you can talk some sense into him about selling Poly-Shyn, since he doesn’t want to listen to any of us.”

Tessa saw Dean’s jaw flinch. He was trying to hold back, but she knew that was a sensitive subject for him, and it wasn’t going to take much to snap. “You have a beautiful home.” Tessa said the first thing that came to mind. It was lame and everyone knew it, but the hint was taken, at least this time.

“Let’s go eat before it gets cold. Everyone else is already in the dining room. They wanted to start without you because Logan had bet you wouldn’t show. Won’t he be surprised when he sees you both?” Lena asked.

When they entered the dining room, Tessa felt overwhelmed. All his brothers looked as intimidating as Dean. The only family member who looked inviting was Zoey, who got up and gave her a welcoming hug.

“Nice to see you again,” Zoey said.

“You two have met before?” Brice asked.

“Briefly, one day when I went to visit Dean at the office,” Zoey said and gave Tessa a wink.

Tessa smiled
Thank you Zoey. I knew I liked you.

“Dean, are you going to introduce the rest of us or not?”

“That smartass is my brother Alex. This is my brother Logan, and I believe you remember my brother Shaun. This is Tessa Brooks.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Tessa said.

“Trust me, the pleasure is all ours. Why don’t you come sit over here by me, so I can find out how my brother was able to snag a classy woman like you,” Alex said.

“Don’t listen to any of them, Tessa. You get them together and they become teenagers all over again,” Zoey declared.

Lena laughed. “I’ll second that. My husband included.”

“So that settles it. She is sitting with us. You guys fight among yourselves,” Zoey said and guided her to a seat. She leaned over and whispered to Tessa, “Trust me, you will thank me later.”

“I can thank you now.” Tessa smiled as she looked at the men who were already bickering over some business transaction.

As they sat down to eat, Tessa noticed this family was not as comfortable with each other as she was used to. No personal conversations took place. They spoke as though they were at a business luncheon, not a family gathering. The only ones who seemed relaxed were the ladies she was sitting with.

She could tell by the lines on Dean’s forehead that he was not enjoying himself any more than his brothers. He said they were distant, but she saw people riding on the subway who interacted more than this, and they were perfect strangers.

“Don’t worry about them, Tessa. It’s been like this all our lives,” Zoey said softly to her.

She turned to her and asked, “Why are you not like them then?”

Zoey became quiet for a minute.

“Sorry. I had no right to ask that.” Tessa knew she had overstepped her boundaries. The words had slipped out, and she wished she could take them back.

For the first time since meeting Zoey, she saw the same sadness in her eyes that she had seen in Dean’s. Whatever they had all been through in their past, they were still battling now.

“Growing up, we were never allowed to be close with each other. Our father thrived on controlling everything. I guess he figured if the boys stood together he would lose the power he held. So he did everything he could to make sure none of them would bond as normal families did. Brice, being the oldest, took the brunt of abuse for us. If it weren’t for Lena in his life, we all wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

Lena gave Zoey a small nod as though she also knew the importance of family and was trying to make a difference in this one. “One day at a time.”

“So the only thing any of them knows is how to be successful. It was what our father had driven into them. Win at all cost.” Zoey looked at Dean and then back to Tessa. “Dean also carries a lot of scars that he won’t talk about. He has put himself in a box and thinks he’s like our father. I’ve always been close with Dean. I can tell you, Tessa, Dean is nothing like him. He is just afraid to admit it. Letting someone in opens the risk to be hurt. And no matter what you see or hear when these guys are talking, they all are afraid of that same thing.”

Tessa looked across the table to Dean, who was staring at her. She wished she could read his mind and know what he was thinking at that very moment.

“I think letting you ladies sit together was a bad idea,” Dean said in a serious tone.

His brothers looked at him then at the ladies. They had been oblivious to what was being said until Dean brought it to their attention.

“Zoey, don’t scare her away. Dean won’t find another woman who can put up with his sorry ass again,” Alex said while laughing.

Tessa had a feeling he wasn’t joking. Dean’s expression said he wasn’t thrilled with the comment either.

“Hey, guys, she’s a guest here, so why don’t we make her feel more welcome?” Lena asked. Turning to Tessa, she asked, “So where are you from, Tessa? You don’t sound like you’re originally from Boston.”

Now everyone was watching her. She’d almost rather they go back to fighting. Tessa never felt comfortable being the center of attention. She turned to Lena and tried to pretend it was just the three girls sitting there.

“I’m from a small town in Connecticut, Denfield. You’ve probably never heard of it. If you blinked, you drove past it.”

“I’m from a small town myself. It had its charm growing up. There’s no place like it. Everyone watches out for each other. Like a huge extended family,” Lena said. “How about any siblings? Parents?”

“I’m an only child, so I’m not used to sitting at a table like this.”
Probably wouldn’t be even if I had a bunch of brothers like Zoey.
“My parents still live in Denfield. My father is a preacher, and my mother works as a bookkeeper for some of the local farms.”

“The preacher’s daughter? Really, Dean? What lies have you been feeding this woman to be able to pull this off?” Alex asked.

Dean’s jaw clenched, and Tessa saw his fist on the table. “Cross the line, Alex, and guest or not, we’re going to settle it here and now.”

Tessa knew she needed to defuse the situation before Dean acted on his threat. “You have all been watching too much reality TV if that’s what you think of us.” She forced a laugh.

It seemed to have worked as the tension began to leave the room. Except for Dean. But then again, he knew her better than they did and could tell she hadn’t appreciated Alex’s comment either.