Picture Perfect

embarrassing, but I wanted to smell and look good for her. Yeah, it was that bad. I’ve never given a shit about looking good for anyone. We’ve got a stylist that takes care of our tour wardrobe, but in real life I really don’t give a shit. I’ve sure as hell never taken a shower, flossed, brushed my teeth, used mouthwash, shaved, dried my hair and then put on cologne to go on a date. Or, a non-date I guess, since it was a family dinner. In any case, I did it for Tessa and I hoped it would work for her.
    My drive to her hotel seemed to take entirely too long. I missed her. I can’t even explain why, but I did. I’d never been excited about seeing a girl. Even with my high school girlfriend, we’d been more of a thing because of proximity. Our ‘relationship’ had been one big piece of bullshit drama after another. We argued at parties, broke up every few weeks, cheated on each other and in two years never managed to have an in-depth conversation about anything . We were young and dumb, and our relationship reflected that. As my non-rock band friends have gotten into relationships I’ve always found myself being jealous, wondering what it would feel like to be so enamored of somebody. Now, I knew.
    When I stepped out of my car, I had some extra spring in my step. My heartbeat sped up when I saw Tessa sitting in the lobby waiting. She smiled when she saw me, but I’m pretty sure that I stared at her like a total idiot as she walked toward me. She had on a pair of khaki shorts, a black tank top and a pair of black converse sneakers. You’d think that casual attire would have made her beauty easier to handle, but it didn’t because she looked amazing. I’d never have guessed that a pair of converse sneakers would look so damn sexy that I’d have trouble staying calm. Who knew?

Chapter Thirteen

    I was a nervous about going out with Flynn and his family. Not because I was nervous about his family, they were lovely. Flynn was too, but he was what made me nervous because it was him that made my heart skip beats. That alone scared the bejesus out of me. It had certainly never happened before.
    I felt Flynn’s presence before I saw him. I couldn’t help the shit-eating grin that broke out across my face when I saw his attire. We were dressed practically identically, and I found that hilarious. He was wearing a black t-shirt, khaki cargo shorts and a pair of black converse. People were going to wonder if we’d purposely coordinated, but I thought it was a good sign that maybe we really were compatible.
    He might have been dressed casually, but he was the most beautiful man I’d ever set my eyes on, bar none. There wasn’t anyone that even came close to Flynn’s beauty or magnetism. Even his walk was sexy, and I enjoyed watching him as he came closer to me. I had to remind myself that dissolving into a puddle in the hotel lobby would be frowned upon.
    When Flynn reached me he pulled me in for a hug, just like he had when I’d showed up for the all hands on meeting earlier in the day. I’d noticed that he had hugged his father, grandparents and Cole’s parents earlier as well, so I assumed he was just comfortable being affectionate. Another check mark in the positive column for Flynn as far as I was concerned. Lee had been the polar opposite of affectionate unless it was sexual in nature. I wished that I’d really noticed that before. Damn me for making such a foolish decision and giving Lee something that I’d never be able to get back.
    Apparently I’d tensed up when I thought of Lee, because Flynn pulled away and put his hand under my chin to tilt my head back. “Babe, what’s wrong?”
    Shaking my head, I sighed. “I’m sorry I just had an unpleasant memory. It’s nothing to worry about.”
    He didn’t just gloss over that or let it go. Instead he kept one finger under my chin as he stared into my eyes for a moment. Apparently whatever he saw there reassured him that I really was fine. He smiled at me as his mouth moved closer to mine, and I’m pretty sure I smiled back. I can’t be sure though because I was in a total Flynn-induced daze. He kissed me quickly and gently, and I melted against his chest. For just a second our tongues touched, and then it was over. Sliding his fingers through mine, he walked me out to his car. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the feeling that I was having, but it definitely wasn’t something I’d ever experienced before.
    Flynn might be one of the most famous