Close to Perfect (21 page)

Tess swung her head to him, then looked back to her father and Josh as they turned the corner, disappearing from view. Damn.

“Where you going?” Vic asked.

Tess stopped at the hallway entrance. “The bathroom, all right?”

“Fine with me. But I expect to hear water running.”

God. As he, Hank, Sammie, and Peg went to the poker table to enjoy the munchies Josh had made, Tess went into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub worrying about tonight and the future.

Ten minutes passed before Vic apparently remembered her and shouted down the hall. “You okay, Tessie?”

She rolled her eyes, splashed cold water on her face, dried off, and came out. “Fine.” She moved past him to the kitchen, then stopped to Josh lying on the floor, looking at something under the sink, which her father was trying to illuminate with a flashlight.

“No,” Freddy said, “it's over to the left. You see it now?”

“No—uh—wait—move the light a little more to your left,” Josh said, “yeah, that's right, got it.”

Tess lifted her gaze from his fly. “Got what?”

Freddy looked at her. “Never mind. You wouldn't understand.”

“Oh, right. I forgot. I didn't inherit your plumbing gene.”

Josh laughed.

“You say something?” Freddy asked him.

“Got it,” Josh repeated, then slid out of the cabinet, and propped himself up on one elbow as his gaze lifted from her naked feet to her naked legs to her eyes.

At least, until her father directed the flashlight beam into Josh's eyes.

“Pop.”

“What?”

Tess took the flashlight from him and turned it off.

Her father looked as if he hadn't any idea why she was pissed this time, then spoke to Josh. “Let's have the wrench.” He put out his hand.

“I'll take that.” Tess snatched it from Josh before her dad could whack him over the head with it. Josh may have fixed whatever it was under the sink and he may have given her dad some good pointers on how to fix the stuff that was falling apart in this house, but he wasn't out of the woods yet—not by a long shot. “You go on and play poker.”

As Josh pushed to his feet, he was still blinking from having that flashlight beam in his eyes. “What are you going to do?”

“You don't have to cook,” Freddy said.

Tess looked at him.

“Okay, okay,” he said, “I'll be in there if you need me.” Instead of moving in that direction, he frowned at Josh. “You coming?”

“In a minute,” she answered for him, “he has to tell me how to heat up this stuff he brought.”

“I can tell you that. Use the oven or the microwave.”

“Pop.”

His eyes narrowed. “I'll be in there with my friends. We'll hear you if you call.”

Once he was out of earshot, Tess mumbled, “They'll hear us if we breathe.”

Josh leaned close and whispered, “What was that?”

She looked at him, then quickly averted her gaze before her thoughts got tangled and her heart made her do something stupid. Keeping her voice low, she asked, “What happened when you were outside with my dad?”

“What?”

Tess hesitated, then finally looked at him, and repeated her question.

Josh shook his head, then touched his ear as if he couldn't hear her.

She leaned closer and whispered, again, “What happened when you were outside with my dad?”

“Nothing. You smell good.”

Tess stepped back.

He mouthed,
You do.

She spoke in a normal voice. “How can you tell with all this stuff you brought?” She gestured to the serving plates. There were two kinds of burritos, three dips, beans smothered with cheese, rice smothered with hot sauce, several pizzas, marinara sauce, and lasagna. She lowered her voice, again. “Is that how you plan to get them off your back? You're going to cholesterol them to death? And don't you dare say that you can't hear me.”

He murmured, “I like it when you're mean.”

Tess closed her eyes. He was picking now to flirt with her?

“Not to mention unreasonable,” Josh said, then quickly added in a lowered voice, “all the stuff I brought is healthy and low fat.”

Tess opened her eyes and looked at it. “Wow, you're good.”

“You're just now noticing that?”

Of course not. The first day they met, Tess knew he could kiss like nobody's business, while his touch could revive the dead. Even when he was clear across the room, she could feel his male power and heat.

“Yo, Wyatt,” Hank called out from the other room, “you gonna play or what?”

“I'd like to,” Josh said in a voice only Tess could hear.

“I think Hank means with them, not me.”

“Not what I had in mind.”

“You do like to live dangerously, don't you?”

“Don't you worry, Teressa, I have everything under control.” He shouted to Hank, “Be right there! I have to write down the heating instructions for Tess so she doesn't mess up this food!”

She arched one brow as he looked at her.

“Well, I do.” He smiled.

“Teressa?” she asked.

“Beautiful name.” He held her chin between his thumb and forefinger, then lifted her face to his.

Tess was a goner. She whispered, “Josh, I really don't want to live this dangerously.”

“What do you mean?”

Her gaze drifted to his rich mouth. Her eyes fluttered closed as he gently brushed his lips over hers.

Tess inhaled sharply.

Josh murmured, “I better go before your dad sends out a search party.”

“Like he'd even care if you're gone with Peg here?”

Josh straightened and got serious. “Are you pissed that I invited her?”

Tess opened her eyes, but kept them lowered. “No.” Not only was her dad going to benefit from Peg's company, Tess figured when this was all over, she could at least grill the woman about Josh's romances that no longer made the tabloids.

She sighed.

“You're sure?” Josh asked.

“Very,” she said, her voice still lowered. “Thanks for asking her. My dad's been very lonely.”

“You're welcome.” Josh cradled her face in his hand, until Tess smacked it away.

He frowned, but kept his voice low. “That's the way you treat a guy you've just thanked?”

“Yeah, when that guy's trying to get himself killed in my father's house. Believe me, I'm on your side. I'll even call nine-one-one if you need it.”

“I won't. Just you wait and see.”

“Uh-uh. I'm staying in here.”

“Chicken.” Josh playfully patted her butt, then headed for the living room to continue winning over her dad and the rest of this crowd so that they'd finally trust him, leaving him and Teressa alone.

It was going to be a piece of cake. Already they were attacking the second plate of munchies, while Freddy was still making eyes at Peg. If the man needed even more convincing after that, Josh had an ace in the hole... all those helpful hints on how to fix up this place.

Feeling ready for anything, Josh pulled back his chair. “So, we going to play, or what?”

Freddy was the first to look up. Gone was the smile he had just shared with Peg. Now, his expression was asking what right Josh had to even pose such a question when it was his first time in this house.

The others weren't any better. They had all stopped mid-chew to exchange glances with each other, before lifting their gazes to him.

Josh suddenly knew what a cornered felon felt like.

He looked over his shoulder at the kitchen. Tess was leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed against her chest, head lowered as she slowly shook it.

“Well, guys,” Freddy said, “are we going to play—or what?”

One after the other said they were ready as their gazes remained on Josh.

“Then, let's play,” Freddy ordered.

Josh sank into his chair.

An hour later, the crowd was enjoying the main courses he had prepared, and the poker game, and making him the butt of every joke.

Peg had tried to defend him, for about three seconds. After that, she switched sides and gave this group even more ammunition by bringing up his past.

“I kid you not,” she said now, after a lengthy story that had everyone howling, “Josh actually did that on his first job.”

“Not the brightest jewel in the crown, huh?” Hank asked.

“Oh, shut up,” Sammie said, then patted Josh's hand. “He's cute. He doesn't have to be smart.”

“Lucky he didn't become a cop,” Vic said, “can you imagine him with a gun?”

“Not even one that shoots glue,” Freddy said.

They all laughed, again, after which Peg revealed yet another stupid mistake in his past.

Shit. Josh hadn't been treated this badly on that first construction job when he was eighteen. Then, Peg had been the only woman around to see everyone laughing at him. Now, he also had Tess to consider.

Forty minutes ago, she had padded into the room, sprawled on the sofa, then became quickly engrossed in a paperback police procedural that couldn't have been as gory as what was happening to him.

“Aw, he didn't do that,” Freddy suddenly said to Peg, then laughed so hard he actually got up from the table and bent over at the waist. “You're making it up!”

“I kid you not,” Peg said, as she stared at the man's ass.

Josh rolled his eyes, then finally slid his gaze to Tess.

She was already looking at him.

It was so unexpected Josh lowered his beer to the table without tasting it. It was so welcomed, he could hardly breathe as her gaze drifted to his mouth and lingered, before she, again, met his eyes.

In that moment, her expression was filled with such honest regard, Josh finally understood what it meant to be a man. All the sex in the world couldn't give him a tenth of what Tess was providing now—the approval of a woman who was his equal in everything that mattered.

If she had found him lacking, no praise on earth could have made up for that disappointment.

It was a feeling that humbled and awed, making Josh realize something he hadn't until now. He was falling in love with her, and probably had been from the moment Tess had first walked into his office, moving like a dancer.

Josh wanted to smile at that memory, but did not. Love was serious business. It was an endless responsibility he had never been faced with before, and he really didn't need the extra pressure tonight, considering Hank was suddenly kicking his foot under the table as he sagged in his chair and just laughed and laughed.

Freddy continued to howl as he inclined his head toward Josh. “That one's a real—”

“That's enough,” Tess finally said. Her voice was surprisingly gentle, which gave it that much more power.

“What?” Freddy asked.

Sammie cleared her throat. “She said, that's enough.”

Josh looked at the woman.

“Aw, hell,” Hank said, “we were just having fun with this one. Don't get all—”

“His name is Josh,” Tess interrupted.

He looked back at her.

Her gaze was still on him. She seemed not to care that her father was frowning. She seemed indifferent to everything but him.

“He's an amazing man,” she added in that same gentle voice. “Shame on all of you for saying otherwise.”

It got so suddenly quiet in here, Josh could hear the fridge kicking on and Peg's bracelets jangling.

Didn't matter to Tess. Her gaze remained on him for a long moment before she casually looked back to her book, as if what she had just said was the most natural thing in the world.

I just had to protect him
, she had told Peg after that awful press conference,
and I'd do it again in a second, so shoot me.

Josh wanted to thank her and hug her, though he wasn't crazy enough to do that now.

He hoped to God Freddy wasn't going to ask Tess what in the hell she was doing by defending him in front of everyone. Josh didn't want to know that she was only doing it because of the contract, because she wanted to help her father's business; that she was acting solely as his bodyguard; that her feelings for him stopped there, with the exception of some future sex.

He wasn't ready to hope that she might be falling in love with him. He sure as hell wasn't man enough to ask.

“We gonna play or what?” Freddy finally asked in a subdued voice.

“I'm in,” Hank mumbled.

“Me, too,” Sammie said, after which Vic chimed in that he was also still playing.

Josh looked at his cards, then returned his attention to Tess.

Her head remained lowered to that book, her expression unreadable.

“Hey, hon,” Peg said in a quiet voice, tapping his hand.

Josh looked at her. “What?”

“You in?” she asked.

He looked back to Tess knowing that whether he was in her life or out was completely up to her.

T
he rest of the evening went smoothly, if Josh counted hard stares, rather than emasculating comments, as the measure.

At least the letup in insults gave him a chance to win a few hands, using moves preferred by serious poker players.

That seemed to do the trick for Hank. When it came time to leave, the man actually clamped Josh on the shoulder as if they were buddies, not like he was trying to injure him. “You're all right.”

Freddy muttered, “Not as bad as some.”

“Careful,” Peg said, “or he'll stop cooking for you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Freddy shot back. “Then maybe you'll just have to start.”

“Only if you're nice, mister.”

As those two huddled and shared a private laugh, Josh looked at Tess.

She had fallen asleep on the sofa more than an hour ago and hadn't stirred since. The paperback was draped over her eyes, that lush mouth hung open, and there was a smear of marinara sauce on her chin.

Men had fought wars to protect scenes like that, hoping to come home to it. Josh couldn't imagine a better reward. He smiled.

“Hey, cutie.” Sammie slipped her arm around his waist. “Whatcha doing?”

Falling in love. “Just seeing if Tess is okay.”

“Looks to me like she's in for the night.”

Not a chance. Josh wanted her home with him where she belonged.

Freddy must have known it, too, because the man asked Peg to get him another beer. As she headed for the fridge, he joined Josh and Sammie.

The woman immediately tightened her embrace as if warning Josh to make a run for it.

No way. He wasn't about to leave Tess, not even if that meant a fight with Freddy.

The uncomfortable silence grew, before the older man said, “Tessie's been like that since she was a toddler.”

Josh looked at him. All the hard-ass cop talk and male blustering couldn't erase the love in his eyes as he looked at his little girl; nor could it erase the fear that another guy wanted to replace him as the most important man in her life.

Josh knew if he had a daughter he would feel exactly the same. No guy would be worthy of her, not even if he loved her completely, because that jerk would surely want her in his bed and that wasn't something any father could abide.

God, men were fucked up. “I don't know what you mean—been like what?”

Freddy slid his gaze to Josh. “The way she is now. You've only known my daughter for a very short time, I'm her father.” He looked at her again, and smiled. “She's a light sleeper unless she feels really safe. When she does, like now, even gunfire won't wake her.”

Josh tried to work his mind around that pleasant image.

“She sleep like this at your place?” Vic asked.

Freddy frowned at his friend. “I would hope he wouldn't be able to answer that.”

“You're right,” Josh quickly said. “I can't. Believe me, sir, I've given you nothing to worry about. Tess has given you nothing to worry about.”

Vic asked, “What about those pictures in that tabloid?”

Josh resisted the urge to swear. “She wasn't asleep then.”

“No kidding,” Vic said.

“We have separate rooms,” he mumbled.

“Keep it that way,” Freddy said.

Josh suppressed a sigh, and not only because of that directive.

Although he had never actually witnessed Tess asleep at his house, he certainly saw her every morning. With the exception of the first, she was always bent over the counter, head resting on her arm, while her other hand cradled a cup of coffee strong enough to dissolve paint.

It had never occurred to Josh that she wasn't getting enough sleep because she felt uncomfortable in his house or uncomfortable with him. He simply thought she wasn't a morning person.

He looked at her now and had to wonder if she'd ever feel this safe with him, especially after that tabloid stuff. What woman would want to willingly be involved in that, unless she was after her own publicity or simply wanted to enjoy his status and wealth?

Tess surely wasn't looking for any press and she was as unimpressed by his lifestyle as her father was. Not that the tabloids cared. They would hound her; first, because of him, then, because of her beauty. And that would give stupid kids—like the one who'd called that night—pictures to drool over.

Pictures that were private; moments that were no longer sacred or safe.

Fuck, why did it always have to keep coming back to that? Why couldn't the world just leave them alone?

“You gonna have her stay here?” Vic asked Freddy. “You want me to take the boy home?”

Before Josh could argue that he wanted Tess to do that
,
Freddy grumbled, “Why you asking me? She's the one making that call.”

Josh looked at the man, surprised Freddy was already frowning at him.

“Go on,” he said to Josh. “Ask her.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“Don't thank me,” he complained, “you don't know my daughter when she gets really pissed. You think tonight was bad? Believe me, I've seen worse. When she told me she wanted to be a cop and I said not a chance, she didn't back down, not even when I started hollering. She told me flat out that I couldn't stop her. Hell, if the possibility of getting shot on duty couldn't stop her, how could I? So I let her be a cop. When she wanted to be a bodyguard, I had to let her do that, too, which brings us to you.” Freddy swore beneath his breath in Spanish, then sighed. “She could've been a dancer, but oh, no, she had to do all this other stuff.” He gestured to her. “She's a grown woman. Where she sleeps tonight is up to her, not me—not you. Go on.”

“Yes, sir.” Josh moved closer and lifted his hand to nudge Tess out of sleep, but didn't know what part of her to touch; not with her father, Vic, Hank, Sammie, and now Peg watching. At last Josh bent at the waist and murmured, “Tess?”

“Oh, for God's sake,” Freddy said, “you'll have to do better than that.”

Josh looked over his shoulder at the man, then flinched as Freddy hollered,
“Teressa!”

Jesus. As Josh pressed his fingers against his aching ear, Tess finally moved in a slow, sensuous stretch that had the book falling from her face, and liquid heat shooting straight to his groin where it lingered, making him too damned hard for this crowd.

“Teressa!” Freddy shouted again.

This time, her eyes fluttered open. She squinted at Josh, then smiled.

His cock and balls simply ached with frustrated need. Before they ached from something far worse, he slid his gaze to the side, to her dad.

Tess's smile paused. She looked at her father, then all of the others. After running her tongue around her mouth, she asked, “Party over?”

It would be, if she didn't go home with him. “Yup.”

Tess looked at him. “You win?”

He would, if she went home with him. “At times.”

She yawned, then asked, “Time to go?”

“Uh-huh . . . unless you want to stay at your dad's.”

Tess didn't even hesitate. “Just give me a minute and we can leave.”

Josh wanted to smile to that
we,
but didn't dare. His gaze slid to the side just in time to see Freddy crossing his arms over his chest.

“Will you look at that?” Peg asked.

Josh didn't want to, but figured he should. He followed the woman's gaze to see that Tess had already closed her eyes and had fallen back to sleep.

What now? Rather than screaming her name, again, Josh looked over his shoulder and said to Freddy, “I'll just carry her to my car.”

Vic spoke up. “Unless Freddy wants to.”

“With his hernia?” Sammie asked.

Freddy shot her a look, then stole a glance at Peg.

She gave him a wink. “Sunday, right?”

His face flushed. “It's a date.”

“Maybe I should give you my address now,” she said. “So you don't get lost.”

He looked at his daughter, then Josh, then finally gave up the fight. “I got a pen and a piece of paper in the kitchen,” he said to Peg.

“I'm right behind you.”

As they left the room, Josh made his move before anyone's mind was changed. Slipping one arm around Tess's waist and the other beneath her knees, Josh lifted her off the sofa and into himself.

Just like that, her body molded to his, fitting perfectly as her face snuggled against his chest and her breath warmed it.

Vic moved closer. “Want me to open the door for you?”

“Please.”

Once he had propped both the door and screen open, he asked, “Want me to open the car door for you?”

Josh smiled. “I would be forever grateful.”

“Getting heavy, huh?”

It was a burden that felt needed and completely right. “What do you think?”

Vic gave him a sly smile.

Before the old guy got too involved in this adventure, Josh inclined his head toward the sofa. “Keys are on the cocktail table.”

“I'll get her purse and shoes, too.” He moved faster than his age would have allowed, then hurried outside, but stopped dead in the front yard as he looked down the street. “Looks like she parked way down there.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Wonder why she did that?”

“We can ask her after I drop her.”

Vic looked over his shoulder at Josh, nodded quickly, then hurried to the car.

Once Josh got Tess that far, he lowered her to her feet, but kept his arm securely around her waist.

She took just that moment to lift her arms and stretch, hitting him in the jaw with her closed fist.

Damn.

“Did I just hit you?” she asked, then yawned and stretched again, rubbing her body against his.

“Bet that hurt, huh?” Vic asked.

Josh inhaled deeply to that sensual stretching and nodded.

“Better get her inside,” Vic said, “before she has you on the ground.”

Josh figured he didn't have that far to go. Every part of him had already surrendered to this woman. Trouble was, she was all arms and legs and body parts he couldn't touch, not in front of Vic.

And then there was another problem.

Josh kept his voice lowered as he asked, “Where's she have her gun? I didn't feel it around her waist.”

Vic lifted her purse. “That's because it's in here.”

“Put it in the backseat,” Josh said, then added, “gently.”

As Vic did that, Josh finally got her into the passenger side of the car.

“Hold it,” she suddenly said, then yawned again. “I'm supposed to be driving.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So I will?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good.” Her head fell to the side. Her eyes were already closed.

Josh waited a moment to see if she had really fallen back to sleep or was faking. Could be she just liked to play with her dad's head and now his. Licking the tip of his thumb, Josh gently rubbed that sauce from her chin, then brought back his thumb, sucking it clean.

Despite his enjoyment and arousal, Tess did not move. She was completely out of it just as Freddy had said, but not because she finally felt safe with him. Josh figured those beers she had tonight had helped, along with pure exhaustion. Even so, there wasn't any telling how long it might last, so he was extra gentle as he put on her seat belt.

“Everything all right here?”

Josh flinched at Hank's voice, hitting his head on top of the door frame before he turned around.

Despite their previous camaraderie, Hank's meaty arms were now crossed over his broad chest, his eyes narrowed.

Josh rubbed his bumped head. “Everything's fine.”

“I'm driving,” Tess said in a sleepy voice.

Josh looked from her to Hank. “See?”

The man's eyes remained narrowed.

“Tell you what,” Josh said. “If we have any trouble, I'll just use my panic button to get you. Night.”

As Vic laughed and Hank continued to frown, Josh got into the car, quickly started it and pulled away.

When those two were finally no more than tiny objects in his rearview mirror, Josh stole a glance at Tess.

Her head was still resting on her left shoulder; her eyes remained closed as she slept.

Looking back to the street, Josh had to wonder what it would be like to wake up during the night, in their bed, and see her as she was now. To know that each morning her warm, soft body would be molded to his, because that's where she just had to be—no other place would do.

No other man would be able to give her what she needed.

It was a heady fantasy that kept Josh occupied until he pulled into his estate and faced the brutal truth. What began as sexual attraction, pure and simple, was becoming increasingly complicated and potentially painful.

Not that Josh would have even minded some future pain if he thought there'd be lots of joy preceding it.

His heart was already lost, there was no getting it back, and he wasn't certain she even wanted it.

During the following minutes, he sat in the car in front of his house watching Tess as if she might disappear. As if this might be the last moment that he saw—

Uh-uh. No way was he going to allow himself to dwell on that because it wasn't going to happen; at least, not tonight. Tomorrow and the next day, who knew? Not him, that's for damned sure, because he wasn't going to think about or face that right now, either.