Picture Perfect

right. It wasn’t time. I would have kicked myself in the ass later for having sex after knowing him for two days.
    Eyes serious and intense, he put a hand on either side of my face and looked at me. “I promise you that I’m not trying to fuck and run Tess, but you aren’t sure of that yet. You also don’t fully know that you can trust me. I know that I have to earn that trust. This isn’t a fling so it it’s not something that I have any experience with, to be honest. You’re different, sweetness. For you, I want everything to be just right.”
    Sweet Jesus, the man was melting my goddamn brain. I couldn’t help myself. I smiled at him and nodded my agreement. He didn’t push or say anything more; instead, he behaved like a perfect gentleman and bent to retrieve my bikini bottoms before helping me stand so that he could put them back on. He stayed bent before me as he pulled them up my legs and I watched him in wonder. It was ridiculously erotic watching Flynn redress me, and I grinned like a total moron when he placed a soft kiss on my stomach once he had the bottoms in place.
    I realized right then that I could so easily fall in love with him that it scared the shit out of me. I was in deep and falling fast.

Chapter Eighteen

    Once I had Tessa dressed, I showed her where the pool was before excusing myself to the bathroom. I was so hard that it felt like I was made of granite and I needed to calm down. But more than that, I had to get a grip on my emotions. No one came close to Tessa, no one ever had. How scary was it to feel that way about someone I’d known for such a short amount of time?
    It blew my mind that if I’d not been interested in signing The Chaps that I never would have seen her photo and likely never would have met her. I’d essentially fallen for her the moment that I’d seen her picture and I didn’t know how to assimilate that. Nothing about that was rational, but being with her made me feel solid in a way that I never had. The whole situation was forcing me to reevaluate my position on fate.
    Once I left the bathroom, I spent a few minutes on the phone confirming the details of our dinner. I’d come up with something that I hoped she would really like. I’d taken my dad’s advice to heart because I agreed with him. Going over the top and taking her to some fancy ass restaurant wasn’t going to do it for Tessa, at least not yet. She’d write me off as a jackass if I did that, and I didn’t want that.
    I was pleased when I got out to the pool and found her floating on a raft. She looked comfortable and that made me happy. I needed her to feel at home wherever I was. Running across the flagstone pathway, I took flight and dove into the pool. Tessa’s delighted laugh rang through the air as I broke the surface just next to her raft. A feeling of pure joy that I’d not experienced before overwhelmed me, and I put my arms around her and pulled her under with me.
    We surfaced together, both laughing. Most girls would have pouted or been seriously pissed that I’d either fucked up their hair or make-up by pulling them under, but Tess didn’t give a shit. She was having fun, not trying to show me her best angle. I adored that about her.
    Catching me off guard, she jumped up and pushed me under by my shoulders. I spluttered as I came back up with a laugh. “Shit, Tess! I don’t know where you hide it, but you’ve got some muscle type strength, babe.”
    Shaking her head at me, she chuckled. “When I’m at home, I kick-box three days a week and run six days as well. I know getting on a treadmill at the hotels won’t be an issue, but I’m already trying to figure out what I can do to make up for missing a bazillion days in the ring while we’re on tour.”
    That. Was. AWESOME. Once again, Tessa exceeded expectations. I seriously thought she’d answer by telling me she did fuckin jazzercise or some shit, but it turned out she was in shape because she did real workouts that didn’t involve jumping up and down and following the commands of an instructor named Barbie.
    “Today’s your lucky day, babe. The workout fairy literally just fell into your lap. Cole and I do MMA to work out five days a week. We’ve hired a trainer to keep our asses in shape on tour. Devon’s already asked if she can use the guy as her trainer, so it wouldn’t be any problem to have him train you as well.”
    Tess beamed at me as if I’d just told her Wolfgang Puck was going to be cooking all