I swept my gaze slowly around the apartment, taking everything in. Her single bed had an arrangement of pillows so that it could be used as a sofa. The small table could only seat two, and she probably used it as a desk as well.
Everything was clean
and tidy, with a huge bookshelf, and one section of the wall was covered in photos. “Are these your friends?” I asked, moving in to get a better look.
“Yes. We were all very close in high school, but everyone went their separate ways after college.”
A large photo at the bottom showed Tara laughing wildly with another girl who looked familiar. “Wait – didn’t she run the fashion show?”
“Yeah, that’s Laura. She’s the one who talked me into modeling for Jessie.”
“That was very sweet of you,” I said, as I flattened my hand against her lower back and rubbed gently. Her body seemed to relax every time I touched her. “You were extremely brave.”
“Jessie was really lucky to have you helping her out,” she said with a shy smile.
“That’s what big brothers are for.”
I turned so that we were face to face, and held her gently. “Now that you’re in my world, I’m here to help you anytime you need me,” I said softly, kissing across the top of her hair. “Sometimes I work strange hours, but I’m usually just a phone call away.”
“I’d never want to bother you,” she said, but I felt her fingers pressing harder into my arm and shoulder.
“You’ll never bother me.”
Dropping my lips to hers, we became lost in our kiss. My hands ran down her back to drift cautiously down her curvy behind. Tara didn’t pull away, leaning closer until we were practically grinding together in the center of her apartment.
Her soft lips parted, letting me explore her sweet mouth until I swear I heard a tiny moan. Once she seemed properly breathless, I stepped back.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about feeding you. How about you sit at the table while I cook? Your only job is to point out where the pans and things are.”
Tara’s sweet, high giggle rang through the room as she took her place. As I chopped and assembled our beef and red pepper pasta, she really got into her job of directing me around her space. I loved that she became more outgoing as she became more comfortable with me.
She shared more about her work, and how it could be both frustrating and inspirational to work with parents.
I shared stories of Jessie, and how many times I’d had to bail her out over the years. Tara seemed to appreciate that I doted on my quirky sister.
I got the distinct impression that Tara didn’t get much attention growing up, since her older sister was always in the limelight. Hopefully I could help Tara understand that she was in the center of my own personal spotlight from now on.
Thankfully, she absolutely adored the dinner I made for her, and seemed impressed that I brought miniature cheesecake tarts for dessert.
“This way you can try several different flavors at once, and save a few for breakfast,” I said, reaching out to hold her hand on the table.
“Plus, they look like hors d’oeuvres from fancy parties,” she laughed. “You must be used to lots of those.”
I shook my head. “Usually at parties like that I’m trying to get the heck out as fast as I can,” I chuckled.
We cleared the plates, then I saw that Tara was biting that beautiful pouty lip again. “I can leave anytime you like,” I said, sliding my hand up her arm to caress her shoulder through the thin dress.
“It’s not that,” she said quickly. “I’d like you to stay a while, it’s just that…is it weird if we sit on my bed, since I don’t have a couch?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Of course it’s a couch,” I said mildly, walking over to arrange the cushions to make it more sofa-like.
She blew out a sigh of relief, and came over to sit close beside me. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking up at me through her eyelashes. “I just get nervous sometimes.”
Leaning so my shoulders were against the wall, I slipped an arm around her, so that she snuggled against my chest. “You don’t have to be nervous around me, Tara. I don’t expect to stay the night. I’m absolutely fine with taking things slow.”
Her head swiveled as she pinned me with those bright eyes. “When we were on the runway, you encouraged me to just go for it, and it was absolutely the right suggestion.”
“Yes...” I was curious about what she would say next.