by Tina Martin
Zoya laughed.
“You and Zoya look like you could be twins,” Tennyson said to Amira.
“We get that all the time,” Zoya told him.
“Yeah, she’s two years older than me,” Amira said.
“Do you know if Mordecai is going to make it?” Zoya asked Amira.
“He said he was ten minutes behind me, so—”
“And where’s mom?” Zoya asked, but got her answer when she saw her mother walking toward them. She smiled admiring her outfit, makeup—the whole ensemble. And had she gotten her hair done? Got the gray strands all died black with a head full of bouncy curls.
“Ma, you look hot!” Amira exclaimed. “You got a date after we leave here?”
“Oh, stop your mess, child,” Florence said, waving off her comments. “Hi, Tennyson.”
“Hi, Florence. Good to see you again.”
“Hey, Ma,” Zoya said. “You look very pretty tonight. Is there some mystery man you’re hiding from us?”
“Not at all. I figured I may as well get my hair done since I’ll be going to a wedding soon.”
“Wedding?” Amira asked, her eyes stretched open as wide as they could go as she stared at Zoya.
“Wedding?” Mordecai said as he walked up to the table. “I know we ain’t talking marriage just yet?”
Tennyson stood up and introduced himself to Mordecai while shaking his hand. He found the man to be tall, about the same height as Harding and he could see the resemblance between the brothers as he could with the sisters.
Mordecai gave Zoya and Amira a kiss on the cheek. Then he stepped around the table and hugged his mother, taking the seat next to her directly across from Tennyson and Zoya.
“So, who’s over here talking about the ‘M’ word?” Mordecai asked.
Tennyson smiled. “I didn’t think the subject would be the topic to open up the discussion this evening, but yes, I would very much love to marry your sister.”
“Zoya’s getting married!” Amira said ecstatic.
Mordecai wasn’t smiling at all. “Zoya, you’re getting married?”
“I am,” Zoya said holding up her left hand so everyone could see the ring.
Florence and Amira were beside themselves with joy. Mordecai? Not so much. He’d always been protective of his sisters and since neither hadn’t shown any real interest in a man, he didn’t have much protecting to do. But now, out of nowhere, this man puts a ring on his sister’s finger. That didn’t sit well with him.
After trying a few appetizers, Mordecai broke his silence when he asked, “How long have you known my sister, Tennyson?”
Tennyson could see the irritation on his face already, so he knew right off hand that Mordecai wasn’t excited about his sister getting married. “A little over two weeks,” he answered.
Mordecai shook his head. “Two weeks. That’s not enough time to fall in love with anyone.”
“It was for us,” Zoya chimed in to say, coming to Tennyson’s defense – not like he needed her to.
“Well, forgive me if I think this is a load of crap,” Mordecai said.
“Mordecai—” Florence said.
“I’m sorry, but I call bull, Mother. There’s no way this should’ve happened. I mean, really, Zoe? You pick tonight to introduce us to your fiancé—a man you’ve known for all of two hours but ironically enough, you don’t know the man yourself.”
“Mordecai, stop being judgmental and try to get to know Tennyson,” Zoya said.
Tennyson sat calmly watching it all play out.
“I’ll pass,” Mordecai responded, heated. “A man who would take advantage of my sister is not a man I want to know unless it involves rearranging his face.”
“Mordecai!” Zoya said, her face red with embarrassment.
“I’m out,” he said after he stood up and tossed a mozzarella stick into his mouth as he walked away from them.
“I’m so sorry, Tennyson,” Florence said. “Mordecai can be a bit of a hothead.”
“It’s okay, Florence. I completely understand where he’s coming from. If I had a sister, I would probably be as protective as Mordecai, but I can assure you, I have Zoya’s best interest at heart.”
“I trust that you do.”
While Tennyson was chatting with Florence, Amira whispered to Zoya, “Does Harding know about the bling?”
“He knows about Tennyson. He doesn’t know we’re engaged yet.”
“But he knows you and Tennyson are an item?”
“Something like that, and he didn’t react the way Mordecai did. “I knew he would have a hard time with the news, but I had no idea he would react like this. I’ll have to talk to him.”
“Yeah, good luck with that. You know how Mordecai is.”
“But he has nothing to worry about when it comes to Tennyson,” Zoya said. “He’s the best.”
Tennyson must’ve heard her make the statement because as soon as she did, he placed a hand on her thigh and squeezed.
She glanced over at him and smiled, then gripped his right hand with her left, holding hands under the table, silently making the decision to be strong together.
Chapter 26
Tennyson didn’t want Zoya to worry about a thing so he decided to handle Mordecai his way – the upfront, straightforward way – the only way men should handle situations. He walked up to his townhouse, rang the bell and waited.
Mordecai opened the door and upon seeing Tennyson standing there, said, “I said all I had to say to you, man.”
“You did, and I sat there and listened. Now, I would like for you to hear what I have to say,” Tennyson told him.
Mordecai stepped outside. “There’s nothing you can say to convince me that you actually love my sister.”
“I’m not here to convince you of anything,” Tennyson corrected. “I’m here because my soon-to-be wife is upset that you are so strongly against the man she loves.”
Mordecai rolled his eyes. “She can’t be in love with you. My sister is notorious for dissing men.”
“If that’s the case, ask yourself why she said yes when I asked her to marry me.”
“That, I don’t understand.” Mordecai crossed his arms.
“Listen, man—I like how you’re protective of your sister. I admire it and I’m aware of the fact that it stems from your father’s absence in your lives when you all were growing up.”
A muscle flexed in Mordecai’s jaw, not intentionally—just something that happened when his patience was being tested. “It was difficult for me to grow up without my father,” Mordecai said. “I tried the tough guy act—tried to act like his absence didn’t faze me, but it did. I felt a huge piece of myself missing because I didn’t have a father to cheer for me. He was too busy cheering for his real family. So, if I felt the way I did, imagine how my sisters felt. That’s why I’m protective of them. They’ve already been let down by the most important man in their lives. I don’t want them being let down by another guy who can’t fulfill his promises.”
Tennyson nodded, completely understanding his viewpoint. “I get it, okay. I do. And, unfortunately, I, too, know how it is to grow up without a father. I know Zoya has issues with trust in that regard, but I want you to know that I’m not in this to hurt her. I want to be the man for her—the rock for her and my feelings for Zoya are genuine. I have no ulterior motives and no intention of breaking my promises.”
Mordecai softened his cautious gaze. He still felt a level of apprehension but it was comforting to know that Tennyson also knew what it was like to not have a father. Amazing the things that brought people together…
“Do you have time to come in for a beer?” Mordecai asked.
“Yeah, man.”
Mordecai opened the door and Tennyson followed him inside.
“Nice place,” Tennyson said.
“Thanks. It’s nothing special.” Mordecai took two beers from the refrigerator and handed him one.
“Thanks, man.”
“Yep,” Mo
rdecai said. He took a swig of beer. “I honestly thought you’d catch more flak from Harding than from me. As soon as I left the restaurant, I called Harding.”
Tennyson chuckled.
“I did. He told me he had a chat with you…said you were a good dude. That’s all I want for my sister.”
Tennyson nodded.
“It’s still mind-blowing to me, though,” Mordecai admitted.
“What is?”
“That you can profess love this early on in a courtship.”
“My mother always told me love just happens and trust me, I thought she’d lost her mind when she told me that. At that point in my life, I’d never found anything remotely close to love, but when I met your sister, all that changed. My mother was right. It just happened.”
Still skeptical, Mordecai asked, “Being that it happened so quickly, do you think you two have what it takes to withstand trials?”
“I hope so. Trials are challenging for anyone and I’m not oblivious to the fact that we will have plenty of them. Losing my mother was a trying time for me, and Zoya was right there.”
Mordecai’s brows raised. “She was?”
“Yes.”
“Your mother passed away recently?”
“Yes. Last week, actually.”
“Wow. I’m sorry to hear that, man.”
“Thank you.” Tennyson finished his beer then said, “I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
“It’s all good. I was just watching some TV.”
“Well, I have a wedding to help plan by Saturday.”
Shock took over Mordecai’s expression. “Saturday?”
“Yes.”
“Just when I was starting to like you, you throw this at me.”
Tennyson chuckled. “When it’s right, you don’t want to wait. You’ll know the feeling one day.”
“I doubt that, but I hear ya. Just keep my sister happy. That’s all I ask.”
“You got it,” Tennyson told him.
Chapter 27
When the rest of the Champion family learned Zoya and Tennyson were engaged, they all made arrangements to be in Wilmington for the wedding.
All of them.
Dante and Emily made the trip with their boys – Ezra and baby Nehemiah. Dimitrius and Melanie arrived with Grace while Desmond and Sherita showed up with the twins – Nolan and Celeste. Harding and Savannah had arrived Friday night and settled into their Shell Island Resort Hotel at Wrightsville Beach – the same resort where the wedding reception was taking place.
Beneath a perfect, blue sky, a calm wind and seventy-degrees of good weather, Tennyson repeated vows after Zoya had already said hers. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the man who promised to love her forever. A man she thought she’d never find.
He stared back at his bride, taking in all of her beauty. She was wearing a white gown with lace straps. Her hair was done up in curls, decorated with pearls and white flowers.
Her maid of honor, Amira, was in all tears, happy that her sister had found love.
The minister pronounced them husband and wife and before he could instruct Tennyson to kiss his bride, he was already capturing Zoya’s lips in all of their sweet glory, sealing their union with their family and friends as witnesses.
* * *
Immediately following the ceremony, the wedding party posed for pictures, then went to the ballroom at the hotel where the reception was going on. Dante had insisted upon paying for something, so he had all the food catered and set up buffet style. Desmond secured the ballroom for the night and Dimitrius reserved the penthouse suite at the hotel for the couple. Savannah took care of making the room honeymoon worthy with champagne, flowers and a bunch of other finishing touches.
The gift table was overflowing with presents from the over one-hundred guests and by the sound of forks striking plates, they were all enjoying their meals as Tennyson and Zoya shared their first dance as a married couple.
“How did I get so lucky to meet such a wonderful woman like you?” Tennyson asked her.
“No, I’m the lucky one,” she said, tracing his mustache with her index finger.
“We should make everyone leave so we can head up to the penthouse suite.”
Zoya chuckled. “I wish. This party is going to go well into the morning.”
“You’re probably right.”
Tennyson glanced around and noticed Harding and Mordecai standing next to each other looking their way. He grinned.
“Your brothers still look like they could kill me,” he told Zoya.
“They’ll be fine. I’m glad you talked to Mordecai and calmed him down some.”
“Me, too.”
“You know why he was so upset, right?”
“Yeah. I’m taking his little sister away,” Tennyson said.
“Well, that, too, but mostly because Mordecai is a straight up womanizer.”
Tennyson chuckled slightly. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Me and Amira joke about him having the ‘Dad’ gene.”
“Oh, so he thinks I’m like him and therefore, not good enough for his sister. Is that what it is?”
“Bingo.”
“Now it all makes sense. He doesn’t have to worry about me, though. Once I commit to something, I’m all in and baby, I’m all yours.”
Zoya smiled. “And I’m all yours.”
* * *
Tennyson picked up his bride when the elevator opened on the fifteenth floor. She squirmed and wiggled in his arms.
“I probably should’ve given you the room key first,” he said.
“Where is it?”
“It’s in my coat pocket.”
Zoya dug around until she found it, then as he stood in front of the door, she swiped the card to unlock it. He lowered her when they entered the room. They both marveled at how beautifully it was decorated for them – the candles, the extra touch of rose petals and chocolates on the bed along with two bottles of champagne on ice – it was everything they needed to end the night (more like super-early morning) on a special note.
Tennyson took off his suit jacket and bowtie, buttoned his shirt down two buttons then poured two glasses of champagne.
“For you, Mrs. Tillman,” he said, handing Zoya a glass.
“Thank you, Mr. Tillman,” she said taking the glass from his grasp. She took a sip then studied the diamond on her finger. “I can’t believe I’m married.”
“I can’t believe you’re mine,” Tennyson said.
She smiled.
“Finish drinking that champagne so I can really make you mine,” he told her.
She didn’t hesitate to pour it up, finishing the glass completely, and he didn’t hesitate to take her mouth in a way he hadn’t before. The level of need was off the charts as his tongue plowed into her mouth, swirling with hers as he undid the clasp of his pants. His hands crawled to the back of her dress to pull the zipper, then he slowly lowered the straps of her gown past her shoulders and down her arms until it fell to the floor. When he had completely exposed her nakedness, he took a moment to admire her body before his hands touched her firm breasts.
“Amazing,” he uttered. He lifted her again to carry her to the bed this time as if putting her body on display, all for his glory. His eyes took in the well fit body, the creamy tone of her skin, black hair and hazel eyes that drove him wild. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on those hips and his mouth on everything else.
She watched him undress fully easing his boxers down his legs like he was stalling for time and slowly revealing a prize, delaying her eyes the grandeur of his nude frame. But when he stood straight up, she saw the full man that he was.
And he said she was perfect…
His body was the definition of perfection, comprised of nothing but muscles from his defined torso on down to the hard muscle that stood tall and proud between a pair of taut thighs.
It was in that moment that she felt filled with need – anticipation choking her. She wasn’t at all w
orried about this being her first time – she just wanted him. Needed him. Needed to feel the love she’d been without for so long.
“C’mere,” she whispered, then chewed on her lip as he placed a knee on the bed, crawling over to her. His warm body blanketed hers as he lowered his mouth to take more tender kisses, and then he used his fingers to trace her face with the slightest touch, all down to her ear when he nibbled the gummy flesh.
His tongue massaged her neck, down to her collarbone where he used the very tip of his tongue to tease her there. Utilizing his lips like traps, he clamped down on her breast, one then the other like he couldn’t decide which was his favorite, eliciting pleasurable moans from his lover.
Those sounds stirred something in him, provoking him to do more exploring, kissing her just below her rib cage, on down to her inner thighs, touching the tender flesh at the apex of her thighs.
She gasped as her body jerked upward in response to his intimate touch. He’d barely touched her there and already she was going crazy. With his fingers, he touched that sensitive spot, massaged her there and felt her body jerk again while her moans grew more wild and desperate. And then it happened – she toppled over with desire at his hands, her mind temporarily shutting down while trying to grasp this new experience.
“Oh, Tennyson,” she whimpered and when she did, he slid his tongue into her mouth while his body below began its entrance into her.
She gripped and squeezed his biceps and held on, already feeling twinges of pain, hoping the feeling wouldn’t last so she could concentrate on making love instead of being nervous. Still, she grimaced and winced as her body struggled to receive the thickness of him. She closed her eyes tight as if it would somehow help her bear the pain but it didn’t do much to alleviate the invasion taking place.
Tennyson rose up to his forearms. “Zoya, if you need me to stop—”
“No. It has to happen,” she panted.
“I don’t want to hurt you and by the look on your face, I feel like I already have.”
