Final Call (Call #2)(35)
Author: Emma Hart

He joins me in the shower, and after rubbing his hand over my butt, he pulls me into him. I rest my hands on his chest and look up at him.

“We’ll see,” he murmurs, lowering his face to mine. “Until then though…”

He pulls the door shut and turns up the water temperature, spinning me into the wall.

Oh boy.

Chapter Fifteen

“Tyler! Where the bloody hell are you, you ignorant bastard?” a woman’s voice shrieks through the house. It’s followed by the slamming of the door.

I jolt, sitting straight up on the sofa and placing my Kindle down next to me. What the…?

“Tyler!”

“Jesus, Tessa!” Tyler yells down the stairs. “What did I do this time?”

“You slept with my bridesmaid, you absolute knobhead!”

Oops.

Tyler appears in the hallway in my line of sight, wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. His hair is still dripping wet, and I watch as he runs his tongue across his bottom lip.

“Did I?”

“Yes! Two nights ago!”

He stops for a moment and scratches his jaw. “Shit. What was her name?”

“Tyler!” Tessa steps forward and shoves him in the chest. “One thing. That’s all I f**king asked of you. Don’t sleep with my bridesmaids! It was all you had to do. The only damn thing and you couldn’t even do that.”

“Now, Tess—”

“No. No. Don’t ‘Now, Tess,’ me, you prick.”

“In my defense, sis, you have, like, ten bridesmaids and they all look the same.”

I feel the heat of her stare from here.

“They do not all look the same! And her name was Lilly!”

“Lilly, Lilly…” Tyler claps his hands once. “Oh, Lilly!”

Tessa smacks her hands over her eyes. “Why couldn’t I get a normal brother? Why did my parents have to give me one who can’t keep it in his pants for his own sister’s wedding?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? Not that bad?” Her voice rises a few octaves. “I get married in five days, and Mum and Dad don’t fly in until tomorrow. I have a thousand things to do, so imagine how delighted I was to travel across London this morning and find one of my bridesmaids crying because my brother didn’t call her back.”

“Hey. I never promised to call her.”

“Oh, you are such a giant arse, Tyler!”

The front door opens and closes. “I should have guessed you’d be here when I heard the shrieking a block away,” Aaron says dryly.

I cross my legs Indian-style. So I’m enjoying the drama. Shoot me. It certainly beats my book.

“Aaron. Fantastic. Does it get better?” Tessa cries.

“Jeez, Tessa. Do we need to call someone to calm you down?” Tyler asks.

“No need, man. London Zoo put out a call earlier. Their Bridezilla escaped,” Aaron retorts.

Both of the guys laugh, and I frown.

“You two are utter ass**les.”

Everyone stops and turns to me. Tessa’s eyebrows shoot up, her lips parting.

“Ooh, is this…”

“Tessa, meet Dayton.” Tyler waves an arm between us. “Dayton, meet my lovely twin sister.”

Tessa springs forward and wraps me in a hug. Oh okay. Okay.

“I’m so happy to meet you! I’ve heard so much about you from Mum, who heard it from Aunt Carly… But yes.” She coughs and sits next to me, her earlier anger seemingly dissipated. “Gosh, you’re pretty. Aaron, why didn’t you tell me how beautiful she is?”

My cheeks flush. Geez, this family has a thing about making me blush.

Tyler stuffs his hands in his pockets, reminiscent of the cocky teenage boy he obviously was. “Yeah, Aaron. Why didn’t you tell her?”

“You.” Tessa turns on him and points a stern finger. “Shut it. I’m not done with you. Aaron?”

“Tess, the last time we talked, you were telling me my wife was an utter bitch who had more Botox than brains.” Aaron shucks off his jacket and drops it over the back of a chair before sitting. “That was two and a half years ago. You’ve avoided me ever since.”

“I’ve avoided you and my brother,” she sighs. “Individually, you’re professional businessmen. Together? You’re knobs. Utter knobs.”

Tyler frowns. “I took it earlier because you were pissed but watch your mouth, Tess.”

“The day I watch my mouth is the day you watch your dick.”

I disguise my snort with a cough. Tessa winks at me and turns back to Aaron.

“I’m glad you divorced her, by the way. If you’d tried bringing her to my wedding, she would have conveniently ended up in the river that runs in front of the house.” Tessa sniffs. “A place my brother may just end up.”

“What did he do now?”

Tessa launches into an explanation, much quieter than before but just as passionate. I can see the ire in her eyes. The anger is practically vibrating around her, and she takes a deep breath when she finishes.

Tyler scuttles from the room and reappears a minute later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He sets them on the table in front of us, his smile tinged with shame.

“I’m driving,” Tessa snaps.

“I’ll take you home and you can get your car tomorrow.”

“Believe me, Ty. The last place I want to be right now is in a car with you.”

“I’ll have a car collect you,” Aaron butts in. “For the love of God, Tess, just drink the wine and calm down.”

She takes a deep breath, and I hand her a filled glass. She shoots me a small smile, taking it, and downs half of it in one go. I raise my eyebrows at Aaron, and he smirks in response. Yep. I see what he meant when he said she was a proper lady.

Wine-glugging aside.

“Ty, can you just try not to sleep with any more of my wedding party, please? I’m going crazy here without Mum to help me, and I just don’t need any more stress.”

Tyler sighs. “I’m sorry. But next time, can you make sure they all wear badges saying ‘Tessa’s bridesmaid’ so I don’t do it?”

The look she gives him is so heated it could set ice on fire.

“Okay, okay.” He holds up his hands. “I’ll behave.”

“Thank you.” She closes her eyes and sits back.

“Hey!” he cries after a moment. “I’ve got an idea.”

“God no,” Aaron mutters.