Tessa's POV

Waking up with Mariah snuggled in my arms was surreal. We fit perfectly together. I'm a few inches taller but it's perfect. Holding her tight, I thought about last night.

"I'm so glad you know I could never cheat on you. I love you too much." Every muscle in my body went stiff. Leaning back, I started to panic. "Mariah, I…"

"Please, don't take it back." Searching my eyes, Mariah smiled. "Because I feel the same way."

Looking down at Mariah's face, I resisted the urge to kiss her awake. She's so peaceful when she sleeps. She loves me too. I never thought I'd learn what real love was. I never thought I'd learn it from this amazing redhead. Unable to stop myself, I kissed Mariah's forehead.

Groaning, she buried her face more into my chest. "No. I don't want to get up." Snaking an arm around my waist, Mariah sighed. "I'm too comfy."

"You can stay in bed while I make coffee. At some point today, I need to work on music and-" My voice trailed off. "And deal with something."

"Something or someone." Mariah mumbled. Her grip tightened around my waist.

She's still worried about Vicky. I don't blame her. She's still new to all of this. "Someone. I'm not going to allow her to harass you."

"It means a lot that you're so protective." Shifting, Mariah met my gaze. "I know you need to end things. Not that you still have feelings for her. Just a final closure…thing."

"I prefer last nail in her coffin but yours is nicer." Kissing the woman's forehead, I sat up to stretch. "Coffee first."

"Nooo." Sitting up, Mariah grinned at my confusion. "A good morning kiss first." Cupping my face, the redhead guided me into a tender kiss.

"Oh, is that the only reason you moved in? Just so you can get a good morning kiss every day?"

"Mmm. One of the many reasons."

"Mmhmm. Okay. I'll go make coffee." Throwing my legs off the bed, I heard a whistle. "Did you just whistle at me?" Grabbing my robe, I turned, giving the cocky redhead a full view. Her eye grew wide as her jaw slacked. "That's what I thought." With a smirk, I tied it. "Can you speak now?"

Mariah shook her head. "N-n-not really…"

Chuckling, I made my way towards the kitchen. I made sure to strut the entire way. She's so cute when she's flustered. Acts all big and bad but with one look she's putty. Starting the coffee, I thought more about last night. I can't believe Vicky thought that would work. Thank God Mariah didn't believe it. She knows me better than she thinks. I hope she sticks to those guns when it comes to me. But I'm going to put a stop to Vicky's bullshit before it hurts Mariah.

"I can hear the wheels turning in your head." Green eyes took me in. "And you're irritated. Thinking about what's her bitch?"

Snorting, I laughed. "Nice nickname." I paused, pouring us each a cup. "Yes, I need to put a stop to her antics. I won't let her hurt you again. I'm sick of her trying to ruin my life. I'm happy for once and I'll be damned if I let her get in the middle of that."

"Tessa," cupping my cheek, Mariah made me meet her gaze. "I know where your heart is. I also know you need to confront her about what she did. It's Saturday so I'll be waiting here, in our home, for you."

Smiling, my heart warmed. "I love the sound of that."

"I do too. Now, let's enjoy some coffee and breakfast. French toast?"

"You're cooking it?" My brow rose.

Rolling her eyes, Mariah smirked. "Yes, I'll cook. It's my turn anyway."

"Then definitely French toast!"

After a shower, I texted Vicky and told her to meet me at the park. Fixing my jacket, Mariah reassured me. "You've got this. You'll put a stop to her and it'll be done."

"And then I can come home and spend the rest of my life with the woman I love."

Smiling sheepishly, light pink tinted Mariah's cheeks. "Exactly." Tilting her head upwards, she kissed me. Unlike before, it was sweet and reassuring verses claiming and territorial. "I'll see you soon."

"See you." Hearing a ping, I scoffed. "That's probably her." Pulling out my phone, I read the message.

I'm at the park. Where are you? -Vicky

"Yup." Turning the phone, I let Mariah read the message before sending my own.

Leaving now. Be there in ten. -T

"What are you going to say?"

"I have no idea yet. But, please, shred those pictures. Fake or not, most people will just assume they're real."

"I'll talk to Kevin. He's an expert at computers. He probably has a program that can erase any pictures online. If anyone can find anything, it's him."

"Good idea. Love you." Kissing Mariah's cheek, I went out the door.

Arriving at the park, I saw Vicky leaning against her car. Parking a few spaces away, I wanted a reasonable amount of space between us so she couldn't damage my cherry red Volvo V60. I just started payments on this baby. I'm not allowing anyone to hurt her. "We need to talk."

"I'll assume she broke up with you because of the package she received?"

"You're not even going to try an deny it was you?" Vicky shook her head. "Fine. To your dismay, we're still together."

Her face fell. "What?"

"Yup." I grinned triumphantly. "Mariah's smarter than you thought. She knows me too well. She saw right through your photoshop evidence." Taking a step inside Vicky's personal space, I became serious. "Leave us alone. Do yourself a favor and leave GC."

"What if I don't want to? You forget, I have those sexy pictures I took of you."

Feeling my blood boil, I tightened my jaw. "You post those, each one is considered revenge porn. Each picture is a felony. Are you sure you want your P.O. to know about that? I will press charges if I see any of those pictures." Thank God Kevin can take care of that if she does put them online.

Taking a step back, Vicky's face paled. "H-how did you know about that?"

"Because I did my homework on you. I have friends here who know their way around a laptop. I know all about your probation and how if you get even a parking ticket, you'll be thrown in prison." Leaning forward, my eyes narrowed. "Do not test me, Victoria. You will lose." With that, I turned and walked away.

Driving off, I had a newfound freedom. I'm finally done with her. She'll never bother us again. If she does, she'll pay for it dearly. Dialing Kevin, I waited.

"Hey, did it work?"

"It did. Thank you, Kev. It means so much to know that I had some ammo going in. Do you have a program that can like scan my face and see if there are pictures of me online?"

"Yeah, I've got something like that. Want me to run it?"

"Please. Will it take them down or…? I don't know how it works."

"It'll take everything with your face down. I might be able to tweak it a little. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you." Relief washed over me knowing I was safe.

"Now what are you going to do?"

"Go home to my amazing girlfriend. First I'm going to pick up a few brownies." Pulling into the Crimson Lights parking lot, I sat there for a few minutes chatting with Kevin. "Well, I'm here. I'll talk to you later." Mariah's still here. Good.

"Later. I'll let you know about the program." Saying our goodbyes, I ended the call.

Entering the coffeeshop, Sharon spotted me. "Hi, Tessa. How's your day?"

"Great. Can I get two brownies to go?"

"Sure." Placing two pastries in a small to-go container, the older woman placed it on the counter.

"How much do I owe you?" Before I could pick it up, Sharon placed her hand on it. Meeting her gaze, I questioned. "Everything okay?"

"Do you love my daughter?" Sharon's voice was protective.

"Yes, I do. I told her for the first time last night." Seeing the woman's demeanor change, so did mine. "Lucky for me, she feels the same way."

"I know. I've seen it. She's never been this happy before. It's good to see her smile on a daily basis." Taking her hand away, Sharon smiled. "Thank you, Tessa. Brownies are on the house."

"Thanks." Taking the box, I turned to walk out.

Pushing open the door, I looked around for the redhead. "Mariah? I know you're here. Your car is downstairs. I have brownies."

"Bedroom. Put them on the counter." She called.

"Okay…" Placing the box on the island, I made my way towards the bedroom. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. There on our bed sat Mariah, hair curled, wearing nothing but black lace underwear and my favorite leather jacket. Unable to speak, all I did was stare.

"Like what you see?" She purred. All I did was nod. "Come here then." Giving me a come-hither motion with her finger, I did as she asked.

"Wow…" Running my hands up Mariah's creamy thighs, I took her in. "You look…bonkers."

"You like it?"

"I do. Damn." I grinned. "As smokin' as you look in my leather jacket, you're not getting it."

"Damn it!" She laughed. "As long as I can borrow it." Wrapping her legs around my waist, Mariah pulled me against the bed. "I wanted to surprise you."

"You definitely did." Glancing behind her, I shuttered. "And you went through my bag of tricks…"

"I figured we could have some fun."

Seeing the woman's eyes darken with lust, I felt heat rush to my stomach. "You're just full of surprises."

"You bet…" Hooking a finger in my shirt, Mariah pulled me down for a kiss. Guiding me onto the bed, we never broke apart.

I moaned feeling her tongue asking for entrance. "Mmm. You want to be on top, don't you?"

"What gave you that idea?" With ease, Mariah flipped us and straddled my hips. Successfully, pinning my arms above my head.

Stunned, I laughed. "You little minx. You're using my tricks against me."

"I learned from the best. Don't you think?" An evil smirk played at painted lips. Taking hold of my wrists with one hand, Mariah reached behind her to pull out a pair of handcuffs. "Want to make this more fun?"

"Fun for who? And where did you keep those?" This woman is trying to kill me. And she might actually do it. I'll spontaneously combust if I can't touch her.

"Hooked into my lace underwear." She winked. "Well?"

Knowing they were the toy ones, I nodded. "Sure." I'll turn the tables soon enough. But for now, I'll let Mariah have her fun.

Leaning forward, Mariah laced the small chain around an iron bar. Grumbling, she bucked her hips. "Move up." Moaning from the sudden contact, I did as I was told. Scooting up, I let Mariah cuff me in. "Too tight?"

Moving my arms and wrists a little, I made sure there was enough room to move but not enough to slip out of. "Nope. Perfect."

"Good." Starting a slow grind, Mariah slid her hands under my shirt.

"Ffffffff…." Letting my head fall back, I groaned feeling my jeans apply pressure where I wanted Mariah. "How long until you get me out of these clothes?"

"Not long, trust me." I whimpered feeling short manicured nails run down my sides. "As much as I love these jeans, I'd like them on our floor more." Mariah's voice dropped with her own lust.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon…" My voice trailed off as I took Mariah in. Even through her dominant demeanor, my gaze made her squirm. Shifting, the redhead captured my lips in a searing kiss and made her way down my neck. Forgetting about the cuffs, a loud clink rang through the room. Grumbling inwardly, I cursed agreeing to them. I want to touch her. Hear all of her sighs and whimpers. To tangle my fingers in her long curls. I'll just have to be patient.

"If you've already forgotten about them now, what's going to happen when my face is buried between your thighs?" Mariah husked in my ear before nipping my earlobe. Groaning at the thought, my hips bucked. The simple action caused Mariah to moan. Leaning back onto her knees, she peered down at me.

"It seems someone else is just as flustered even though she's trying to hide it." Grinning, I ran my tongue slowly over my teeth. "Get me out of these clothes and let's have some real fun." I motioned towards the toys Mariah had laid out. "You obviously had plans."

Little by little, the dominance Mariah had slipped away. "You don't mind skipping a lot of the foreplay?"

"This little game is up to you. I'm just along for the ride." Lust rushed back into Mariah's eyes. "I trust you."

"Damn it to hell, woman. When you say shit like that, I can't be all broody and sexy. I turn to mush."

Tossing my head back, I laughed. "Sorry not sorry."

"Uuuggghhh. You know I hate that phrase so much."

"Then do something about it." Clicking my tongue, I dared the redhead above me. "You know you want to."

Her eyes darkened the more I spoke. Grinding my hips against Mariah's center caused hunger to fill them too. Biting back a moan, she continued her line of open-mouthed kisses. Pushing up my shirt, Mariah kissed down my stomach. Getting to my jeans, she waited no time unbuttoning them and tossing them to the floor. Lucky for me, she took my drenched underwear with them. Taking her first stroke into my slick folds, we both moaned loudly. "Fuck, Tessa…"

"Yeah…" My hips bucked again feeling the redhead's tongue push deeper. "You're going to kill me."

"Luckily women can have multiple orgasms and with little down time before the next round." Kissing my inner thigh, Mariah nipped the tender flesh.

"I wonder how you learned that." My voice trailed off seeing Mariah staring back at me. I've never seen that look before. Hunger, love, adoration, lust, and so much more burnt behind Mariah's green eyes. "Take me." Moving back up my body, Mariah grabbed the sucking toy. "Be careful with that one. It's pretty strong unless it's on the fifth pattern."

"You said it was one of your favorites." The shorter woman inspected the purple and white toy in her hands.

"It is but-" An evil idea formed quickly. "Try it yourself first. To see what I'm talking about." Seeing her use that might send me over the edge but I can't help myself. "You need to angle it correctly to create suction." I grinned. "No need to wet it." My eyes moved down between Mariah's legs. "I know you're already soaked."

Without a word, Mariah positioned the toy in between her and the lace. Never breaking eye contact, she turned it on and threw her head back. "Fuck!"

Biting my lip, I watched as Mariah lost herself as she ground against the toy. Oh, God. If she keeps this up, I'm going to explode. All I want to do is touch her. Kiss her. And push her over that edge. Feeling myself pulse, I couldn't tear my eyes away as the redhead inched closer to oblivion. Pulling the toy away, Mariah buckled over me, face buried in my neck. "You alright?"

Moving to my ear, Mariah husked. "I want you to use this on me with your tongue…"

That's all it took. In one swift movement, I unlatched the cuffs and flipped Mariah onto her back. Looking down at the flustered redhead, I nearly growled. "Gladly." Hungrily, I devoured Mariah's lips in a searing kiss. I chuckled feeling the redhead push down on my shoulders. Kissing Mariah's neck, I purred. "You want me elsewhere?"

"Yes."

"Magic word."

"Please…" Peppering kisses down Mariah's body, I pulled away her drenched underwear. Slowly, I swiped my tongue through liquid heat causing Mariah to cry out. Taking the toy, I turned it on to pattern five and placed it over her pearl. "Fuck!" Her hips bucked against my face as I tried angling the toy.

"You need to stay still for a second." All she did was groan as I held her hips down. Dipping my tongue inside, caused Mariah to whimper. She won't last long. She's already pulsing. Changing vibration patterns and curling my tongue caused Mariah to tremble.

Tangling her fingers in my hair, Mariah stammered. "M-more…p-please…" Her hips bucked wildly. Petting her thigh, I asked a silent question. "Yes…" Taking hold of the woman's leg, I dug my nails into the creamy flesh causing Mariah's world to shatter. Arching off the bed, a silent scream escaped her. Every muscle tightened, trembled, and released as Mariah collapsed onto the bed. "Fuck…"

Xxx

Mariah's POV

The next few months flew by. Tessa's music career skyrocketed and she was close to launching her first album. Lucky for me, when Tessa went on the road, I got to cover the sets for GC Buzz.

Walking into the studio, Tessa and Devon were finishing a recording session. Waving, I took a seat to listen. I love hearing her sing. I'm so glad she was able to make her dream of becoming a musician come true.

"Chase the shadow, day light dancing on your skin. Slowly rising, coming into view. Oh, it all, it all makes sense when I see you." As she finished, the musician placed her guitar down and walked towards me. Her face fell the closer she got. "You're crying…" Tessa's voice trailed off. Starting to panic, she stammered. "Are you okay?"

"The finished version of that song is beautiful." Sniffling, I wiped my face. "I've heard it around the apartment but in a studio…there's something different about it."

A slow smile made its way to the musician's face. "The song is about you and how I feel."

Trying to keep myself together, I smirked. "Are you trying to make me burst into tears?"

"I'm not trying to." Tessa smiled. "But as long as they're happy tears…"

"You girl here is killing it." Devon chimed in. "Tessa's been in the groove lately. All the new songs are fantastic. If the singles we've released are any indication, the album is going to top the charts."

"She works her butt off when it comes to music." I beamed.

"It really shows." The businessman smiled proudly.

"I'm right here! Can you stop talking about me like I'm not? It's awkward." Sharing a laugh, Devon and I agreed. "Thank you." Turning her attention towards me, Tessa grinned. "Let me get packed up and we can go home."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Watching Tessa walk back into the sound booth, I thought about the past six months. We've come a long way. So much has happened between us. I never thought I'd fall in love with a woman but here I am. I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Let's go, gorgeous." The way she looks at me still makes butterflies takeover my stomach. A dark brow rose when I didn't respond. "Mariah?"

Snapping out of my thoughts, I smiled. "Yeah, let's go home."

Entering our apartment, Tessa placed her guitar in the corner and hung her coat. "Mariah, what's up? I'm getting an odd vibe from you." Biting my lip, I began to fidget. "Mariah?" Taking my hands in hers, Tessa's brow furrowed. "Talk to me."

Feeling the words bubble up my throat, I let my feelings flow freely. "I love you so much. It grows every day. The past six months have been a roller coaster but I wouldn't change a second of it."

"Okay…" Hazel eyes studied me. "There's more. I can see it."

A nervous laugh vibrated my throat causing me to look away. "You always could tell."

"Mmhmm." Tessa nodded. "Now, you just have to breathe and say whatever it is."

Biting my lip again, I clenched my jaw. "Eventually, at some point, I want…" Why is this so hard to say? I've thought about it for at least a month now. I'm not asking for it to happen tomorrow but someday. "Tessa, I…" A slow smile made its way to the musician's face. Frowning, I questioned flatly. "What?"

"I think I know where this is going." Taking a small envelope from her pocket, Tessa smiled as she pulled out whatever was inside. "I had this made for you. It's a piece of the first guitar string I ever broke. I've kept it with me as a reminder. Last week, I had a jeweler make it into a wearable ring."

Feeling my heart pound, I stammered. "Tessa…"

"Let me finish." She laughed softly. "I know it's only been eight months but I want to marry you one day. Let this be a pre-engagement ring or at least a place holder until we decide to take that step." A cautious smile ghosted the musician's lips. "What do you say? Maybe marry me one day?"

Nodding slowly, I smiled. The tension and fear I had in my chest dissipated. "Yes, of course." Sliding the wire ring onto my finger, a brilliant smile beamed from the musician. "Tessa, you're…" For the co-host of a TV show, I'm pretty speechless.

"Yours?" She offered with a cheesy grin.

Rolling my eyes, I wrapped my arms around the woman's neck. "So cheesy."

"Yeah, well, that's what finding the right woman will do to you." Smiling, the raven-haired beauty captured my lips in a tender loving kiss.

Smiling into the kiss, I muttered. "So very true."

A/N: Song used: When I See You by Cait Fairbanks.