Staff.
Tessa’s heels clacked on the stone floor and he found his eyes drawn to the gold on her wrist. A delicate bracelet he hadn’t noticed.
His gut twisted and for a second, he thought he might be sick.
Not because of Tessa. Or the house. Or the shoes or the gold.
It was Kip.
Something in him rebelled and rejected everything affluent.
Like the way a body reacts when introduced to poison.
There was a legitimate reason for him to be in therapy. Clearly.
As all these thoughts tumbled and tripped through his mind, a familiar voice rang through the air.
He recognized it too late.
Both he and Tessa stopped short at the entrance to what he thought was going to be a dining room but looked more like a lounge or study.
“Christopher!” his mother called out, like she was happy to see him.
“Mom, dad, I did not expect to see you here,” Kip replied, guardedly. He glanced Tessa’s way for an explanation, but she looked as confused as he was.
Tessa cleared her throat and stepped into the room. “Mom, dad,” she greeted her own parents with partial embraces. “I didn’t realize you’d invited company.”
“I couldn’t exactly pass up the opportunity to have the Carter’s over for dinner. You haven’t had a serious boyfriend in years. It’s cause for celebration.”
“We’ve only just arrived,” Kip’s mother said as she approached him for what he assumed was a hug.
Even though Kip had a very strict do-not-hug-a-bitch policy, he found himself in the embrace of the woman who supposedly gave birth to him.
“It’s so nice to see you,” she said, her smile as plastic as most of her body these days. “You never stop by anymore.”
“That’s true,” he agreed. Because it was. He didn’t stop by. And that was by design. He wasn’t going to apologize for it because that would be a lie.
“You could have at least pretended to remember how to dress yourself,” his mother said under her breath through her teeth as she picked invisible lint off his sleeve. Her eyes tracked to his hair and her fake smile soured. “Your hair is grotesque.”
“Thanks, mom. Always good catching up. How’s dad? Still drunk?” Kip turned away, unable to fake any further conversation with her.
“Dinner won’t be ready for an hour,” Tessa’s mom announced. “Please help yourselves to something to drink. Then maybe we can get to know each other a little better.”
A heavy fog filled Kip’s lungs and head as he tried to navigate his way to the table of refreshments near the back of the room.
He poured himself a glass of what he assumed was scotch and slung it back. Then he refilled the glass and added two ice cubes.
“Hey.” Tessa slid a hand along his back as she came along side him. “Are you okay?”
Kip blinked at the decanters and crystal in front of him.
“I’m unprepared,” he said roughly.
Her hand ran slowly up his back and rested in between his shoulder blades. He closed his eyes at the warmth that seeped through his shirt and into his skin. It was a comfort he’d been denied most of his life and he found himself on the verge of tears.
Yeah, he was unprepared.
“If you want to go, we totally can,” Tessa whispered, leaning in close. “I don’t even like these people.”
Kip’s tears evaporated as he snorted involuntarily. How did he ever get this girl to notice him? He didn’t deserve her.
“Come sit down,” Tessa’s mom commanded them both. “I want to hear all about what you’re doing and how you met and when the wedding is…”
That last one was followed by a round of cackles. Yes, even the dads cackled.
Kip never understood the weird jokes about relationships at the relationship’s expense. Was it really funny? Was he missing that component to his humor?
“I’d actually like to hear more about what Mr. Carter is planning on doing about the eyesore outside of the club gates.” Tessa nudged Kip with her elbow as he heard his father launch into a loud rant involving speed bumps and their proper height. She smirked as she poured herself a drink like his.
“C’mon,” she whispered to him and gestured with her chin for him to follow.
Kip took a glance at the four older adults now deep in discussion before he followed her out of the room.
Out in the hall she walked close to his side and spoke conspiratorially. “I didn’t survive this house without learning how to take control of a conversation. It’s probably why I’m so good at my job.”
They walked down a short, dark hall and turned a corner.
Kip wasn’t sure if he started to feel more at ease because the scotch was doing its job or if it was because they were getting further away from his parents.
“I figure we have until dinner is ready before they send someone to find us.” She opened a door at the end of another hall and ushered him into the dark room.
The door clicked shut behind them and she flicked on the lights.
“This used to be my room,” she said taking a sip of her scotch.
Kip nodded as he turned in a slow circle, taking in the wall of windows, mats, and soft decorations.
“You’d think,” he said narrowing one eye at her suspiciously, “that if you grew up in a yoga studio, you’d be better at it.”
She arched an eyebrow as she took another sip.
“Unless the hot yoga class was just an elaborate ruse to meet me,” he said taking a step closer to her and tucking a renegade strand of hair behind her ear.
“My mom redecorated the moment I moved out,” she explained, her eyes picking up the rays of the setting sun just outside the window and sending gold sparks shooting through the deep blue.
“I think maybe I’m starting to understand your animosity towards yoga,” he said with a teasing smile.
Tessa sucked in her bottom lip and bit down. “Yeah,” she said slowly. “Speaking of animosity…”
Kip lifted his chin and took a small step backwards. “That’s fair,” he said.
“You want to talk about it?” she asked.
Kip chewed on the inside of his cheek. Not really. He hated talking about it. He talked about it with his therapist, but that had been it.
Usually he would be fine when seeing his mom or dad, but that was also because he had mental exercises he performed leading up to it.
He hadn’t been able to prepare so he felt a bit blindsided. And that wasn’t Tessa’s fault. She had no way of knowing because—this is where his thoughts came full circle—he didn’t like talking about it.
“I didn’t know she was going to invite your parents,” Tessa said after he hadn’t spoken in a minute.
“I know.”
“But I feel like I should have guessed. Based on your reaction, I’m wishing I had.”
Kip shook his head, denying her assertion. “No, it’s not on you to anticipate something we’ve never even spoken about.”
“It feels like it’s on me,” she said softly. “Who else is going to have your back in this kind of situation?” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m just really excited for the responsibility.”
He felt his mouth twitch. “You’re excited—”
“Yes.”
“For the responsibility—”
“Yes.”
“Of anticipating my needs?”
“Yes.” She swallowed and took a step towards him, holding his eyes.
The air in between them changed, sending a frisson of awareness through his body.
“You’re not wearing anything that sparkles,” he said. He shook his head because he knew it didn’t explain anything, and yet it was the one thing he could actually vocalize as to what was wrong.
“What?” she asked, eyeing him curiously.
“You always have a little sparkle on. And while you look,” he swallowed as his gaze ran over her again. “So good. Damn. Seriously.” The black dress clung t
o her body showcasing the curves and muscles he’d been around to help develop over the past few weeks. And her legs—shit, he wanted to bust something when he looked at her mile-long legs. “But,” he tried to get back to his point. “You always wear something with glitter on it.”
Tessa dropped her eyes to the floor as a small smile curved her lips. She stood in thought for several seconds before letting him know why.
“There’s no glitter allowed in my mom’s house.”
Kip’s eyebrows dipped harshly with his frown.
“She doesn’t like the mess,” Tessa went on to explain, but not in a way as if she agreed. “She says it gets into everything—carpet, drapes, clothes, furniture. I suspect it’s probably something to do with my father’s illicit affairs. It’s a way of tracking where he’s been since glitter is so difficult to wash away.”
“That’s stupid,” Kip stated bluntly.
Tessa coughed a laugh. “It is. But this is how they live.”
Kip shook his head and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Now it made sense. “I was freaking out,” he began to confess. “Because I was afraid you were changing who you were for other people.”
Tessa had been taking a sip of her scotch and she almost spit it out with her laugh. She recovered and came closer to him. She held out one manicured hand and tilted it back and forth. There, in the cuticle beds on each finger, was a line of gold glitter.
“I’m not great at following stupid rules,” she said, with a throaty chuckle.
The pressure in his lungs lifted, making it easier to breathe again. A fact he hadn’t realized until it was gone. Of course, Tessa wouldn’t conform to silly requirements.
He knew that.
It was a truth so regular that he found himself washed in shame for even thinking she would be swayed to be someone else.
She was a little rebel and he loved it.
He loved her.
Whoa.
Okay so that had happened.
“What’s going on in there?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
He tried not to smile, but she was way too cute to avoid it. “I was thinking about you,” said.
“Me?” She arched an eyebrow. “Good things?”
His gaze grew lazy as he stared into her eyes. “Always good things,” he murmured.
She gave him a smirk and held his eyes for a beat before crossing the room and putting her back against the wall. In one long, slow, graceful decent, she sat down with her legs out in front of her and crossed her ankles.
She tilted her head to the side, beckoning him to join her.
Kip took another minute to admire his girl—the dress, the hair, her small rebellion holding a glass of scotch aloft, the setting sun.
His safe place.
He’d never had one before.
***
TESSA
Kip joined her against the wall facing the windows.
A small voice inside was telling her to slow down. Not because they were actually doing anything dangerous, but because the emotions sparking around them once they’d crossed the threshold to her old room could have started a wildfire.
And wasn’t that its own kind of danger?
“I feel like there’s a lot we need to talk about,” she said, cradling the crystal tumbler in her lap.
Kip’s hip was pressed to hers, and their line of connection continued down his thigh to his knee where they parted again. He’d worn dark dress pants and a white button up shirt, sans tie. His longish hair had still been damp from his shower when she’d picked him up. It had dried in her favorite style—messy and kind of in his eyes.
No, it wasn’t really Kip. But it was a version of Kip she understood. This was the person he had to be in front of her parents. She’d noticed how he’d been careful to wear long sleeves to cover his tattoos.
Before the thought finished she set aside her drink and pulled his arm into her lap.
He didn’t ask what she was doing, instead he just let her have control. She unbuttoned the cuff and expertly rolled the sleeve up to expose the octopus.
Without being prompted he angled his body and gave her his other arm. She felt his eyes on her face as she did the same thing.
“There,” she said, her voice husky. “Much better.”
Her gaze left her handywork to find him staring at her. His eyes dropped to her mouth and she felt her lips part in response.
They hadn’t kissed since that first time and it had been a slow form of torture for her. Not that she was complaining. The anticipation had been building to a point where she was wondering if she’d instantly fall apart the moment it happened.
He brushed her hair out of her eyes, his hand lingered near her jaw, barely touching. But she could feel the heat of him. His fingers extended gently into her hair at her ear and his thumb grazed her jaw line. It came forward again and his thumb brushed across her lower lip, slightly tugging it to the side. His eyes watched its movement, pupils dilated.
“Kip,” she said, his name a prayer on her lips.
His eyes bounced up to hers and back to her lips.
Then his mouth descended and brushed across hers.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Her eyes closed as she let out a soft gasp. His hot tongue traced her lower lip and she opened her mouth further.
She wanted him.
All of him.
He read her mind and their tongues tangled, sliding against one another, finding all the places that needed attention. He tasted like scotch and saltwater.
She let out a moan that was new to her ears. She’d never been so wild with a man that she lost control of her faculties.
But Kip was unlike any man she’d ever known.
Her legs moved restlessly as she tried to angle her body towards him, needing to increase their contact.
Her hands found their way into his messy hair, a place they had longed to be for quite some time.
Their kiss grew in urgency and Tessa wished they were anywhere else.
Kip broke away, his breathing heavy.
“Tess,” he whispered against her lips. “There are things—” he swallowed as he tried to catch his breath. She peppered his lips and jaw with small kisses. “I need to tell you.”
She rested her head against the wall behind her, taking in the sight of him. His hair even more messy, his eyes lit with lust and adoration.
Her heart pounded in her chest.
No one had ever looked at her like that.
Like they were lost for her.
Kip smiled, his deep dimples coming out to say hello. She ran her hands from his hair down to cradle his face, her thumbs tracing the lines of his smile.
“What do you need to tell me?” she asked.
“You are so incredibly beautiful,” he said softly. “Every part of you.”
He took a deep breath, calming down, and then sat back against the wall. He reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers and pressed it to the top of his thigh.
“I think, given what just happened.” He squeezed her hand. “We should talk about this weekend and any expectations… or, uh, concerns we might have.”
Tessa nodded once.
Ah, yes.
The sexy times.
That small voice in her head was back, reminding her that they hadn’t discussed his feelings about his parents. In fact, it could be argued that he’d changed the subject in a deliberately sexy way in order to distract her.
However.
A conversation about future intimacy needed to be had as well.
“What are you hoping for this weekend?” she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“Well,” Kip chuckled softly and picked up his drink from where he’d sat it down next him. He drained the rest of the scotch and she noticed his cheeks were pink. “That’s one of those things we haven’t talked about.”
He rotated his head to face her and she saw the conflict and…was that embar
rassment?
“Tessa,” he started, his voice rough. “My experience is…limited.”
“Limited,” she repeated, her mind trying to translate his non-specific wording.
He licked his lips and his eyes drifted to the side. “I’ve never…”
“You’re a virgin?” she guessed.
His eyes snapped back to hers. “Technically.”
“What does technically mean?” she asked with a half-smile.
Kip was a virgin? Why was that so forking hot?
“It means I’ve done…stuff with women, but I’ve not had the full experience.” He pressed his lips together, his expression wary.
Okay, interesting.
Tessa tried to keep her excitement tamped down.
“May I ask why?” she asked carefully.
His face grew even more pink and he looked around the room. “Well, I think the treatments had a lot to do with it.”
“But since then…?” she coaxed.
He ran his free hand over his face. “I just… I never wanted to go too far with someone I didn’t have… permanent feelings for.”
Oh! She totally got that!
“You want to be in love,” she stated.
His eyes finally connected with hers again. “Yeah.”
Her smile softened and squeezed his hand. “Me too.”
His eyebrows dipped swiftly. “You’re a virgin?”
She grimaced. “No. I made a couple forgettable mistakes. But I decided a few years ago that I didn’t want to sleep with anyone unless I was going to marry them. Telling a guy you’re dating that you need to be engaged before you put out really helps to weed out the jerks.”
“Engaged?” Kip asked, worry flashing in his eyes.
Tessa shook her head and hurried to explain. “No. I mean, kind of, but not really. I don’t exactly have a super strict rule. I fall in love way too easy. I just want to know he loves me too before I give him everything I can’t take back. Does that make sense?”
He nodded slowly. And his eyes drifted out of focus again.
Tessa decided to rest her head on his shoulder and watch the last rays of the sunset while he filtered through his thoughts.
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