The Beauty Within (30 page)

parts of the story. When Gunnar finished, Inge intoned lowly into the phone.

“I have to meet my future sister-in-law.”

“Inge!”

“Gunnar, it’s pretty much a done deal,” she said matter-of-factly. “And the

reason I called you in the first place was so you could come to the anniversary

party we’re throwing for the agency. Last weekend in August. Bring her. I’d

like to meet her.”

Gunnar shook his head. Inge could be downright bossy when she wanted

to be. “And what if she says no?”

“Then let her talk to me. I’m very good at the art of persuasion.”

“
Det er utpressing
,” Gunnar muttered.

“Persuasion…black mail…is there a difference?” Inge asked sweetly.

“With you, not really…”

“Glad you’ve come to terms with that fact,” Inge said, then switched gears,

“has she ever thought of modeling? The plus-size market is booming, and the

more ‘real’ the woman looks, the better…”

“Tyler is definitely not a model,” Gunnar said. “She’s painfully shy.

“She could pose with you—oh! Speaking
of
, a new client of mine was flip-

ping through old portfolios, and he has a concept you would be
perfect
for—”

“Inge…”

“I know you ‘quit’,” Inge said, and he could imagine her putting “quit” in air

quotes, “but the hot, buff, Nordic look is back in, though to be fair, it’s never

really been
out
—”

“No.”

She sighed. “Fine, I’ll drop it for now, but we’ll talk about it when you get

here. It’s still in the planning stages. He didn’t foresee a launch time before

October anyway.” Only his sister could turn a personal call into business and

vice-versa.

“The answer will stay the same.”

“Remember my skills at persuasion.”

“Blackmail.”

The Beauty Within

161

“Semantics. Okay, I gotta go, we’ll chat later, and I want to talk to Tyler

also! She sounds amazing, Gunnar. I’m very happy for you, and I’m sure
mor
and

pappa
will feel the same. Tell them before they hear it from me!”

“Yes,
søster
. I love you.”

“
Samme
,” she replied, then disconnected.

He spent the next thirty minutes preparing the dinner, the salmon baking

while he cooked the pasta and prepped the bread to go into the oven right

before they were ready to eat. He then put the steeped tea into a pitcher and

put the pitcher in the freezer to accelerate the cooling. His sister liked Tyler,

perhaps for the simple fact he liked her, but since it was rare for him to tell his

family about a woman he was dating unless he was serious about her, Inge

knew just how significant Tyler would be to his life. And the LA trip…he didn’t

know if he wanted to put her in that environment, honestly. The people there

could be very shallow and brutal when they wanted to be, but Inge and Roger’s

agency was among the most fair and compassionate in the business, which was

why it had done so well.

When Tyler woke up, it was close to five in the afternoon. She shuffled

into the kitchen with a shy expression, and Gunnar stood up straight, pulling

away from the refrigerator. They stood there staring at each other for a mo-

ment before Gunnar closed the refrigerator door and approached her. He

cupped her face, and she gave him a small smile that he returned.

“Hungry?” he asked softly.

She nodded, moving closer to him and nipping at his bottom lip. “Yes.”

He groaned softly, wrapping his arms tight around her and kissing her lips

gently. “I love you, Tyler.”

She tucked her face into his neck. “It’s so nice to hear you say that.”

“I’ll always say it and mean it,
elskling
,” Gunnar vowed, sliding his fingers

into her hair. “Don’t doubt me or us, okay?”

“I’m sorry…”

He shushed her apology with a kiss to her temple. “No more apologies.

Come, let me feed you.”

Tyler pulled back and smoothed her hands down his torso. Gunnar sucked

in a breath at the awe and reverence in her eyes, and couldn’t muffle his groan

when her mouth latched onto a nipple through his shirt.

“Tyler…”

“You’re so damn beautiful, Gunnar,” she whispered, his body jumping at

the contact from her soft lips as she spoke. “I can’t believe you’re with me.”

“There’s no place I’d rather be,
kjære
,” he returned, pulling up her face so his

mouth could cover hers. He would’ve been content to kiss her and more had it

not been for the smell of finished salmon penetrating his lust-filled senses. He

pulled back reluctantly and tapped his index finger against her nose before

seeing to their meal.

162

Savannah J. Frierson

Tyler assisted by setting the table, and he smiled when her face brightened

when he told her he had tea in the freezer.

“You made me tea,” she gasped, pulling out the chilled pitcher and hugging

it. “
Mmm
, I really love you now!”

Gunnar chuckled, covering the salmon in foil to keep it warm as he toasted

the Italian bread. He leaned against the counter next to the stove and watched

Tyler pour the drinks. Damn it all, but she belonged here, in his house, in his

life. His eyes drifted to her flat tummy, a little sad at the knowledge she wasn’t

with child, having found out the news a few days ago, but he knew they both

weren’t
really
ready for one. Suddenly, he was glad for Inge’s invite. He wanted

Inge to meet Tyler, wanted Tyler to meet his family. He knew hers and adored

Wendy and Damon; he wanted Tyler to get to know the people who helped

shape him to become the person he was now.

“You okay, babe?”

Gunnar blinked, and saw Tyler’s concerned gaze as she put the pitcher

into the refrigerator. He went to her and kissed her cheek.

“My sister invited us to LA.”

“
Us
?”

“Yes. I told her about you. She likes you and wants to meet you. It’s an an-

niversary party for her talent agency.”

Tyler took a deep breath and frowned. “LA…I don’t know, babe…”

“You don’t have to give an answer now,” Gunnar said, squeezing her a lit-

tle. “Just think about it, okay? It’s the first weekend in August.”

She nodded, and he kissed her temple before patting her behind and telling

her to sit so they could eat.

He fixed both their plates and set them down on the placemats Tyler had

set on the table. They held hands as Tyler said the blessing, and then started to

enjoy Gunnar’s culinary efforts. Gunnar kept up a steady stream of conversa-

tion, telling Tyler stories about Inge and their childhood in an effort to warm

her to the idea of meeting her. She seemed to enjoy his tales, and he was glad to

see the light back in her eyes and the smile on her face.

Inge was right. It definitely was a done deal. Now all he had to do was con-

vince Tyler of the same.

Sixteen

“Dinner at our house. Six sharp. Tell Tyler since I know she’s with you,

seeing as when we called the house and the cell all we got were recordings…”

Gunnar bristled at Damon’s knowing tone, looking behind him where Ty-

ler was still sleeping, tangled in his sheets. It was seven in the morning, and the

only reason why Gunnar wasn’t upset by Damon’s early call was because he

was about to get ready for his run anyway. “You think you know everything,”

he muttered.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Damon challenged. Gunnar remained quiet, cursing

silently. “That’s what I thought. So everything worked out, then? No dramatic

episodes? Things breaking? Curses hurled? Black eyes?”

“
Black eyes
?”

“Former girlfriend. Never date a boxer,” Damon said, and Gunnar heard the

shudder in his voice. “Anyway. Come. It’s chill, but maybe you should take

Tyler home for a change of clothes, yeah?”

“I hate you.”

“Liar. And if you did, would suck for you, wouldn’t it?”

“Why’s that?”

“Six sharp,” Damon repeated, then told him bye before hanging up. Gunnar

flipped his cell phone closed and set it on the nightstand, then turned and

pressed a kiss on Tyler’s bare shoulder blade. Her skin was so soft and smooth,

and he couldn’t help running his cheek against it. Tyler shifted slightly, but

hugged the pillow and settled back into slumber. Gunnar wondered what was

wrong with him for leaving her nude and tempting in his bed. They’d made

slow love until well into the night, both of them needing the affirmation after

their first test as a couple. He was very glad Tyler had been willing to listen,

and he learned he needed to give her some space during the beginning stages of

her anger or frustration. He planned to make those instances very rare.

164

Savannah J. Frierson

He planted one last light kiss to the nape of her neck before putting on his

running gear and heading out for his jog.

It was already a little too warm for comfort, so he cut his jog a half-mile

short. When he came back into his home, he saw Tyler in the kitchen, wearing

his T-shirt and her panties as she prepared breakfast. The sight made him

hungry, all right, just not for anything on the stove or in the oven.

She must have felt his presence, for she turned to him and gave him a large

smile. “Good morning!”

“Definitely better than yesterday’s.”

She blushed and ducked her head. “I behaved like a jealous idiot yesterday,

Gunnar. I’m so ashamed of myself…”

“I can’t blame you,” Gunnar said, giving her a lackadaisical shrug while ap-

proaching her. “If I had seen Quincy planting one on you, even with me

knowing you didn’t love him anymore, he would’ve had broken limbs and I

would’ve been in jail.”

“Gunnar!”

He wrapped his arms around her and nipped her shoulder. “It’s truth, Ty-

ler, and you know that’s all I’ll ever tell you,
kjære
.”

She tilted her head up and gave him a quick kiss. “Better be.”

He chuckled and kissed her again. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Cheese grits, bacon, scrambled eggs with cheese, and buttermilk biscuits

from scratch.”

“So much for that diet, huh?” he teased, pressing his hands into her tummy.

“Hush your mouth! This is my ‘last hurrah’ breakfast that you will partake

with me,” Tyler said. “And go wash. You smell like a five-mile run!”

“Actually only four and a half. It’s already hot outside.” He nipped the

curve of her ear, then frowned as the beginning of her statement finally seeped

into his brain. “And what do you mean, ‘last hurrah’?”

“I’m going to start working harder to get in shape so I can be ready by Au-

gust.”

“What?”

“Your sister’s party? If I’m gonna go, I’m not goin’ a hot mess—”

“You
aren’t
a hot mess—!”

“Compared to people in California I am!”

“Tyler,” he said with warning, squeezing her again. “Don’t. You’re doing

fine. You’ve already lost ten pounds. If you lose too much too quickly, it can be

dangerous—”

“But people do it in Hollywood all the time—”

“No, Tyler,” Gunnar said, his tone firm and final. “We’re not changing a

thing. You’re going to do this the right way or you’re going to find yourself

another trainer.”

She shrunk away from him after the declaration, and he cupped her cheek

in his hand. “Tyler, I’m sorry if I sound harsh, but I mean it. It’s the safe way or

The Beauty Within

165

no way. You’re perfect just the way you are, though I know for health reasons

you may have to lose a few more pounds, but aesthetically, you definitely have

nothing to worry about in that department, okay?”

She didn’t answer him right away, stirring the grits and checking the bis-

cuits. He held her tighter, trying to infuse his love and his truth into his

embrace. “I love you, Tyler, everything about you. Everything about you is

gorgeous and wonderful. I’m proud of you, proud you’re my woman and proud

to be your man, okay,
kjære
?”

She nodded and kissed him. “Go wash.”

He laughed and kissed her once more before doing her bidding. When he

returned the aroma of a bona fide Southern breakfast filled his nostrils, and

Tyler was just putting a basketful of fluffy, golden brown biscuits in the center

of the kitchen table.

“Baby, you know you’re going to have to marry me now,” Gunnar said,

mostly serious.

Tyler’s eyes went wide before she laughed and shook her head. “What for,

Mr. Health-nut? It’s not like you’re gonna eat this on the regular anyway!”

“But four times a month,” Gunnar whined, coming up behind her and nib-

bling at her neck and shoulder. He’d matched her attire and only wore pajama

pants and a tank. It would be a chill day today.

“Gunnar, stop! I am
not
for breakfast!”

“Don’t make me challenge that statement, Tyler,” he murmured, moving his

hands to cup her breasts and thrum his thumbs against her nipples. They

hardened instantly and she moaned. Gunnar thought she had the world’s most

perfect breasts; and the more he caressed them, the more he wanted to feast on

them instead of the wonderful breakfast Tyler had made.

“Boy! For real, now! The food’s gettin’ cold.”