Close to Perfect (17 page)

She rolled her eyes, repeated the swing, then growled, “I did that right.”

Josh nodded. No way was he going to complain. Each time she swung at that ball and missed, her supple, toned flesh tightened or quivered.

He might have watched her forever if not for the first drop of rain that hit his cheek.

As Josh looked up, another drop smacked his nose.

“Dammit,” Tess said, swinging again.

“Easy,” Josh said, “it's an itty bitty ball, not an ax murderer.”

Tess paused, glared over her shoulder at him, then cursed the ball and continued swinging.

At any other time, Josh would've just let her duke it out with that ball, but not today. Already those two drops had turned into a steady drizzle.

Tess hardly noticed as she studied the ball, then the club, then tried swinging it again, and again, and—

“Tess,” Josh said as it started to pour, “that's enough, let's go.”

She continued swinging.

“Tess!”

“It's only rain. There's no lightning or thunder. This happens all the time.”

“Yeah, I know, but we're getting soaked.”

“So? It'll be over in no time. Just give me a few more minutes.”

“You've got one second,” he said, then went to her, grabbed the club, tossed it to the side and said, “Time's up. We're going. Now.”

Her head swung to that club, then snapped back to him as Josh leaned down and threw her over his shoulder.

“Hey!”

“Quiet,” he warned, then headed for an oak with a wide canopy of leaves. By the time Josh got them under it and put Tess on her feet, they were both drenched and breathing hard.

She arched one brow. “Quiet?”

“That's what I said.” He crowded her with his body until she had to step back. “You're through arguing with me. Now be nice.”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth, then lifted to his eyes. In that moment, the world surrounding them grew very quiet, even the pounding rain sounded muffled, far away. The damp air was cooler now and perfumed with the pungent smell of earth.

Her flesh was scented with female need as she moved into him, wreathing her arms around his neck, kissing him, while driving her fingers through his damp hair to keep him from lifting his head.

Josh had no intention of doing that or ending this savage kiss. Tess's need seemed endless, as greedy as his, as she drove her tongue more deeply into his mouth and ground her hips against his, giving his body a taste of pleasure.

Josh wanted more.

Holding her to him with one arm, his free hand covered her right breast, then worked that flesh.

Tess pulled her mouth from his so that she could kiss his throat, his jaw, his cheek, before Josh captured her mouth, thrusting his tongue inside, then deepened the kiss even more.

It was a moment to dream, to hope, to—

“Tessie!”

Her thoughts paused to that faint, aged voice, while her mind tried to understand how that voice could be here, now.

“Tessie!”

This time, Josh heard that faint cry. He pulled his mouth from hers and backed away.

“Oh, hell,” Tess muttered.

Josh looked at her, then back at a really old guy with white hair, dark-rimmed glasses, and a huge umbrella he was using to protect himself from the shower as he slogged across the course to this tree.

“Tessie!” the man called again, then waved.

“Let me guess,” Josh said, “that's Bonnie and Clyde's dad?”

Tess pressed her fingers to her forehead. “Nope. That's Vic Lopez. Another devoted friend of my father.”

O
n the way to the office Tess drove, while Vic rode shotgun, and Josh got to sit in the back.

Like a little kid he pressed his face against the window, watching the rain, as Vic lectured Tess on good police procedure.

“Your client should never be in the front seat,” Vic said. “You're making him a target. You put him in the back. That way, if anything happens, he can sink to the floor and be out of sight, while you take care of business.”

Josh frowned. As if he would actually allow Tess to put herself into danger to save his sorry ass? Biting back a comment, Josh looked over his shoulder and met Tess's gaze in the rearview mirror. Her brows lifted.

Vic adjusted his trifocals. “You listening to this, Tessie?”

Her brows lowered. She returned her gaze to the road. “Yes, Vic.”

“Good. Now in a case like this, the one we have right now, if anything was to happen, I could put down my seat and shield the boy with my body to protect him.”

Josh turned back to his window as he tried to imagine that, but just could not. Each time his mind saw Vic scrambling over the seat to drape that aged body over his, that nightmare evaporated into something far more pleasant. The sweet scent of Tess's breath before he had captured her mouth, then the heated fragrance of her skin. The weight of her breast, its aching softness in the palm of his hand. The way her right leg had wrapped around his so that he had no chance of escape. The way her—

“What was that?” Vic asked.

Josh's head snapped away from the window to the old guy, then to Tess.

Her gaze remained on the road. “Josh was just sighing. Right, Josh?”

He hoped that's all he had done. “Uh-huh.”

“We boring you with our shop talk?” Vic asked.

“No, sir.”

Vic leaned into his door, then looked over his shoulder and past the headrest at Josh.

He could see the traffic behind them reflected in those thick lenses. “Really,” he said, “I enjoy police talk.” To prove that, he threw in a smile.

Vic regarded him for a moment more, then turned to Tess. “Now, here's what you need to do in the future.”

As she endured that lecture, Josh stared at the scenery passing by, barely listening, until Vic said, “I thought we told you all of this at the last game.”

Last game?
What game? Josh worked his mind around the events of these past weeks and knew that Tess hadn't been out of his presence long enough to go to any game, unless it was after that press conference.

He leaned forward in his seat. “Did you just say game?”

Vic swiped his handkerchief across his nose, then looked over his shoulder at Josh. “That's right. Me, her dad, Hank, and Sammie all play poker every week, except last week when we couldn't all make it. Tessie always sees to the food—at least since her mom's been gone—don't you, Tessie?”

She sighed. “Yup.”

“Tessie cooks?” Josh asked.

She shot him a look in the rearview mirror for the nickname and the comment, then gave Vic a hard stare.

The old guy finally stopped laughing. “Let's just say Tessie tries her best.”

“Really.” Josh spoke to her. “And you actually go grocery shopping for that food? You've been holding out on me.”

Vic muttered, “Not from what I saw on that golf course.”

Tess looked from Josh to Vic, then decided to play it safe and keep her gaze on the road.

Josh sank back in his seat and very nearly smiled, because the mystery was solved. While he had stayed home, alone, that night worrying about her, she had simply been at a poker game with her dad and all of his very devoted friends.

Friends Josh really wanted to get off his ass and hers so that what happened today at the golf course wouldn't be repeated.

Josh knew he could simply ask them to back off, but figured they'd just give him some cop double-talk. Demanding that they leave him alone was probably what Freddy wanted most. The man could then say he was running this show or they weren't doing it at all, then tear up the contract.

But what if the unthinkable happened? What if they got to know him and started to trust and like him, especially Freddy?

Even that guy had to have a soft spot, other than the one he reserved for Tessie. And Josh thought he just might know the way to reach the guy's heart, give him something to think about, something to do, other than making life miserable for him, of course. Suppressing another smile, he asked, “Hey, Vic, at these weekly games of yours, you play for cash?”

The man turned around as far as he could in his seat. “No, we play for passes to Disney World.” He made a face that gave him a dozen more wrinkles. “Hell, yes, we play for cash. Why? You gonna call a cop?”

Tess mumbled, “I think Josh is kind of tired of cops.”

“I'd like in on the game,” he said.

Tess looked over her shoulder at him, then back to the traffic when someone honked.

Okay, that blindsided her. “You're kidding, right?”

“Never been more serious in my life,” Josh said to her, then spoke to Vic. “You guys looking for some serious action?”

Tess growled, “They're retired.”

“Retired,” Vic admitted, “but not dead.” He looked from her to Josh. “What do you have in mind?”

“Depends on whether you guys play like girls or like men.”

Tess stopped at a light that was only yellow and endured the honking of the car behind her as she turned in her seat and glared at Josh.

He was oblivious. So was Vic.

“Five card draw is for little girls?” the old guy asked. “Five card stud is what nuns play?”

“I wouldn't know,” Josh said. “I don't play with nuns. Look, if you guys can't keep up, then maybe I'm wasting my—”

“Hold it right there,” Vic growled. “You think you know it all? Well, let's see if you do. Impress me.”

“Fine.” Josh leaned up in his seat. “You ever play variations like DogButt and Monkey Love?”

Vic didn't miss a beat. “I've heard of them. They don't interest me.”

“Really?” Josh arched one brow as if he just couldn't believe it. “How about Don Juan?”

Vic snorted. “I thought that was your game. Looks like you've been trying it a lot with our Tessie.”

Oh, hell. She lowered her head and breathed hard.

Josh wasn't even fazed. “Trying, maybe, but hardly succeeding. Nobody gets anything past Tessie. Now you and the other guys? I think you're gonna be real easy.”

Tess tightened her fingers around the steering wheel as Vic said, “Oh, yeah? Well, prove it.”

During the following minutes, Josh did, talking about poker games Tess was certain Vic had never heard of. She sure as hell hadn't. Of course, she never participated in those weekly games. She just tried her best at cooking stuff for those goons to eat, then listened to them moan about it as they played regular poker. Nothing like Josh was talking about now. There was Pick a Partner, Caribbean Stud, Omaha Hold'Em, Golf, and Howdy Doody.

As he ticked off the rules of each, Tess was certain he was making that stuff up.

By the time he got to the particulars of a game called Bloody Sevens and one known as The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Tess was ready to drive the Mercedes into the ocean.

Vic, on the other hand, was actually warming up. “That one sounds interesting. We ought'a try it.”

“No way,” Tess said. “You know Pop likes his poker clean and neat, none of this fancy stuff.”

“It's not fancy,” Josh corrected, his voice patient as all get-out. “It's challenging. That's what guys need. Of course, there's even a game you might like.”

“Oh, yeah?” Vic said before she could. “Tessie doesn't like to play. She usually just walks behind us, looking at our cards, with her face giving away our hands.”

“I do not do that,” she muttered.

“If you play with us, you won't get a chance,” Josh said.

Play with us?
Already he was a part of the group, inviting her inside? “What'd you have in mind?”

“Let me tell Vic first.”

Tess came to another stop—at a red light this time—then looked in disbelief as Josh whispered to Vic, with that guy quickly laughing.

“Don't tell her,” Vic said. “She'll kill you.”

“In that case,” Tess said, “you should definitely tell me.”

Josh gave her a patient smile. “No need to get upset. Remember, you are driving.”

Not to mention tightening her jaw. “You going to tell me or not?”

“It's no big deal,” Josh said. “The game's simply a variation of stud poker. High and low hands split the pot. You have a showdown after a round of betting.” He shrugged. “I could go on, but you have to be playing it to really know what I'm talking about.”

“Tell her what it's called,” Vic said, then snickered.

“Oh, I don't know,” Josh said. “Maybe I really shouldn't tell—”

Tess interrupted, “What's it called?”

“The Price Is Right.”

So? “I don't get it,” she said.

“No kidding,” Vic said. “In poker circles it's known as Grocery Shopping. You don't get that, either.”

The old guy howled and so did Josh.

As those two goons had a good laugh at her expense, Tess pulled away from the light.

When the laughter finally died down, Josh asked Vic, “Think I should apologize to her?”

“Don't know if it'd do any good. When Tessie gets mad, there ain't much you can do about—”

“I am still in this car,” Tess said. “I am still driving it. So, if you want to arrive safely, you better wait to discuss me after we get to where we are going.”

“See?” Vic said to Josh.

Tess rolled her eyes and got real. “Josh, you're not going to that game. I won't allow it.”

“I'll ask Freddy,” Vic said to Josh. “I'm sure he'll say it's all—”

“This isn't a good idea!” she cried.

“Why not?” Josh asked. “You're supposed to be protecting me, which means we should be in the same place at the same time, not me in my house, while you're at your dad's, during those weekly poker games. Actually, I think it's perfect.”

Vic looked at Tess. “He's got a point, hon.”

He's got a screw loose.
Why was he doing this? Tess looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror. “You really want to play poker with my father and all of his friends?”

“I'm looking forward to it,” Josh said to her, then spoke to Vic. “Next game, Tessie and I will be there.”

Uh-uh. No damned way. Not if she had anything to do about it.

Once they returned to the office, Tess was determined to get Josh alone to ask him why in the hell he was doing this. She was fully prepared to listen patiently, then no matter what he said, shake some sense into him, threaten him with her weapon if need be, or kiss him senseless so he'd see things her way.

She never got the chance.

Suddenly, Josh was a
very
busy man.

He spent what remained of the morning, then the rest of the day, on the phone or in meetings, which he must have suddenly called, since he hadn't planned on being at work at all today.

The only time Tess saw him was when he was with Peg, or Alan, or a staff member.

The only time Josh actually spoke to her was when another female fan slipped past all the security, because she was posing as a postal worker. Unfortunately, she wasn't delivering any mail, only herself.

Once Tess was finished escorting the young woman off the premises, did she get Josh's gratitude? Did she get so much as a smile?

Hell, no.

When she returned to his office to tell him the matter had been resolved, Josh was already with yet another staff member, this one a young guy who eyed Tess as if he had seen her tabloid picture.

Before Tess could think to give the guy one of her nasty cop stares, Josh said, “You should really pay better attention to these matters so what happened just now, with that young woman, won't happen again.”

Right. Tess wanted to slug him. Since she couldn't, she decided to wait until she got him alone that night.

Didn't happen.

At eleven
P.M.
Josh was still in a business meeting and Hank told Tess to go back to the estate, that he would see Josh safely home.

“Give him hell,” she muttered, then gave up on seeing him alone that night.

The following day was no better. They were never alone; he was always busy, and definitely avoiding her.

Well, fine. Tess decided to take matters into her own hands. She called her dad.

“Hey, Pop,” she said when he answered the call, then got straight to the point. “Vic talk to you about Josh yet?”

“You mean naked guy?”

Exactly. Before his love fest with Vic in the car, where those two goons had bonded, Tess would have vigorously defended Josh, calling him by his given name, or referring to him as the client, or even Mr. Wyatt. No more.

“Yup, that's who I mean.”

“Yeah, Vic mentioned him. Why? Do I need to wear a disguise to the grocery store again this week? You two got more photos coming out on—”

“Nope. That probably won't happen again,” Tess said.

“Probably?”

Well, yeah. No way could she be more specific than that. Who knew what photos had been taken of her and Josh before he decided to ignore and avoid her.