Close to Perfect (28 page)

Tess relaxed her body so that it gave him what he wanted and what she needed. Inhaling deeply, she finally lowered her head and opened her eyes.

Josh was already watching her; his gaze was all male and completely dangerous.

It made Tess bold. It made her want to please him as she had no other man. Lifting her hands, she cupped her breasts because he could not. She flicked her thumbs over the taut nipples and squeezed those soft globes; she tightened her muscles around him, holding his cock prisoner, before relaxing, then tightening, again.

His nostrils flared, his fists clenched.

She continued. Her body was relentless in the pleasure she was bringing to them both. Her lips parted in a quiet sigh.

Josh wasn't as delicate. He growled; he even swore as he tried to maintain control of a situation that was in her hands, not his.

At last, Tess released her right breast and lowered her hand to her clit. As she slowly stroked it, while lifting herself off his cock, Josh's eyes closed. When she lowered herself back onto him, he raised his chin to the sky.

Her movements became faster then, more assured. She stroked his thickened shaft with her body, while teasing her erect nub with her hand.

The feeling was too intense, nearly unbearable. Still Tess worked her body against his in this dance that was like no other. The moves belonged to them alone; the lapping sea, the whispering wind was their music.

It was an act of love that could not be denied and one that brought a primal growl from Josh and a moan of delight from Tess as they both reached climax.

In the following moments, the breeze cooled her damp flesh, while her muscles continued to convulse around his cock.

At last, though, only their mingled sighs remained to remind them of what had just happened.

Moistening her lips, Tess lowered her head and looked at Josh.

His lids were heavy, he looked as sleepy as she felt, while his expression was pure contentment. “Come here.”

Tightening her muscles to keep him inside, Tess leaned forward, draping her body over his.

Josh smiled, then closed his eyes as she gently kissed his mouth.

“Nice,” he said.

“There'll be lots more,” she promised, “after you rest.”

Josh ran his tongue around his mouth as he shook his head.

“No. I'm fine.” He paused to yawn. “I don't need to rest.”

“Sure you do.” Tess gently kissed the side of his mouth and his cheek. “Old farts always do.”

That got him cooking. His eyes immediately opened; he looked more alert than Tess did after ten hours of sleep. “What?”

“I'm just trying to avoid killing you, Josh.”

“Fuck that.”

“Oh, baby, I want you to do that to me, but are you really up to it?”

He laughed. “When in the hell are you going to be nice?”

“Not now.” With as much grace as she could muster, Tess pushed to a sitting position, then off of him.

Josh frowned. “What are you doing?”

She looked from that fire on the beach to him. “Were you planning to cook us something over there?”

“Stuff 's already made. It's in a cooler. Why? You hungry again already?”

Tess ran her tongue over her upper lip, then slipped it back inside. “I'm always hungry.”

He arched one brow. “Good, now get back—” Josh paused, then shouted, “Hey! Where are you going?”

Tess looked over her shoulder at him. She pointed to the back of the boat. “There's a platform there where I can go into the water and swim over there.” She swung her arm to that fire.“It looks nice. See ya.”

“Hey!” Josh shouted again. “Wait!”

Tess spoke over her shoulder as she continued to that platform. “What is it now?”

Was she kidding? He shouted, “What about these damned cuffs?”

Tess had just reached the area above the swim platform. Turning to him, she shouted, “They're not real, Josh. Did you actually think I'd bring real cuffs?” Her laughter was musical, filling the night air. “Just pull them apart really hard and they'll fall right off.” That said, she went down to the platform and dove into the water.

Josh heard that splash, but couldn't believe it. Tightening his fingers into fists, he clenched his jaw, then pulled the cuffs apart as hard as he could.

“Damn!”

Just as Tess had said, they fell right off, sending his hands smacking into the other rails because he had used too much force.

“You are so going to pay for this!” he shouted, rubbing his banged-up wrists as he pushed to his feet, then padded off the platform to the side and dove into the water.

As he swam hard to the beach, Tess had already reached the shallow water. Her naked flesh glittered beneath the moon and then in the firelight as she went to it. Turning, she finally saw him and waved, as if she hadn't just left him cuffed to that damn rail.

“Don't you dare move!” he shouted.

She immediately stopped waving, looked over her shoulder at the cabana, then went into it.

He growled, “You are so going to pay for this.”

By the time Josh finally crawled out of the water and onto the beach, he was panting like a man who had just had two orgasms and no rest.

Not that he recalled his fatigue as Tess came out of the cabana patting her hair with a large beach towel.

Water continued to glisten in those thick, dark waves and in her triangle of hair. The firelight turned her flesh to gold. She looked unbelievably dewy and ripe.

When Tess saw him, she smiled. “Josh. You made it.”

As if he wouldn't?

Her gaze lowered to his wrists. “I see you got the cuffs off, too.”

As if he would be here if he hadn't? Inhaling deeply, he put out his hand for the towel.

Tess gave it to him.

Josh dried his face, then spread the towel over the sand.

“Still tired?” she asked. “Gonna take a nap?”

He looked at her.

Tess gave him a sweet smile, until he grabbed her arm while also wrapping his leg behind hers. Just like that, she lost her balance and he had her on that towel. Before she could recover, Josh was holding her hands above her head as he straddled her. “Quit wiggling,” he ordered.

Her brows drew together. “When you get off of me.”

“Aw, baby, you really want that?”

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Damn right I do.”

“In time.”

“What are we going to do?”

He arched one brow. “Shouldn't you be asking what I'm going to do?”

“Sure, if you're going to be playing alone.”

He laughed. “I'm not.” He sobered. “And you're going to do as you're told or I swear you'll be walking home.”

“I'll be good.”

That remained to be seen. He released her wrists. “Put your hands behind your head and don't move them until I tell you, understand?”

“Whatever you want, Mr. Wyatt.”

Josh looked down. Her hands were on his pecs. “Tess.”

“Sorry.” She put them behind her head and arched her back.

His gaze fell to her naked breasts. They were so luscious, he got slightly dizzy.

Shaking his head to clear it, Josh pushed to his feet, then went to her legs. “Spread 'em,” he said.

Tess's eyes were hooded, her lips plush and parted as she opened her legs, bending them at the knees, fully presenting herself to him.

It was a moment before Josh remembered to breathe. When he spoke, his voice was thick with desire. “Don't move.”

She did not as his gaze touched each part of her, awed by her beauty and the ease with which she endured his scrutiny, but then, she hadn't been sheltered. She lived life like a man. Free. Uninhibited. Reckless.

That reckless part and her desire to keep putting herself into danger as a cop, bodyguard, careless driver, or what-have-you was definitely going to have to change after tonight.

Josh sank to his knees. Slipping his hands beneath her ass, he lifted his gaze.

Hers was already softened, turned inward, as if she was anticipating the pleasure.

He liked that. “Don't move,” he ordered, then lowered his head to her clit, licking it, then suckling.

Tess let out a ragged moan.

Josh flicked his tongue over that hard nub, until she started wiggling. When she tried to close her legs, he moved his hands to the insides of her thighs and used his strength to stop her.

She swore in Spanish.

He smiled, then returned to pleasure, licking her swollen lips and clit, alternating between the two so that she wouldn't come quickly, so that she would have to wait.

As the pleasure intensified and her clit became increasingly sensitive, Josh slipped two fingers into her opening.

Tess immediately lifted her ass, she moved her hips from side to side, she tried to close her legs, but Josh was far stronger and did exactly what he wanted until she was at the edge.

“Ready?” he asked.

She whimpered, then shouted as he allowed her climax, but no peace.

As Tess's chest heaved with her strained breathing, Josh removed his fingers, then lifted his cock and drove deeply inside.

She cried out in Spanish, she pushed her fingers through her damp hair, she finally moaned as Josh brought her close to this newest completion, at which point he stopped.

A moment passed as she breathed hard and seemed confused by his actions. At last, Tess forced her eyes to open. She frowned, then whined, “What are you doing?”

Josh continued to pull out of her until he was free. His stiff cock was slick with her moisture and scented by her flesh. Lifting it, he asked, “You want this?”

Tess gave him a look that said he was nuts. “Of course I do.”

“How much?”

She arched one slender brow. “Enough to use my martial arts training on you to get it.”

“Not your gun?”

She did not return his smile.

Oh, she was ready for anything now. “You want this,” he said, “then it's on your knees, back to me, and don't forget to lift your ass, and spread those legs really wide.”

She looked like she wanted to slug him. She also looked intrigued.

As that won out, Tess quickly got into the position he wanted, then shouted loud and long as Josh plunged inside, riding her as she wanted.

Freely. With no ground rules.

Until everything but their shared pleasure faded away and they were finally one.

T
hey made love twice more in the glimmering light of the fire before Josh surrendered to fatigue, admitting at last that he was an old fart.

“You'll get your second wind in a day or so,” Tess said, as she stroked his tattoo. It was so damned virile her toes curled. She wanted him again and again, only that wasn't going to happen right now. He was sprawled naked and facedown over three of the towels, leaving her only one. “Maybe you'll do better then.”

Josh slid his arm away from his eyes so he could see her. “Better?”

She nodded. “I wrote it all down in the sand. There's a column for you and one for me. By my count, I had three orgasms to your ten. Not fair, I admit, but then, I can wait to be satisfied. I don't want to kill you.”

He laughed until he quickly ran out of steam. “I hope you know the tide's going to wash that away, then where's your proof that I've been unfair to you?”

That was easy, it was in her heart. It would be a long time before Tess forgot that he hadn't been able to love her as she loved him.

Not that Josh seemed to notice or care. He yawned lustily, then snuggled his body into those towels, rather than into her.

Tess suppressed a sigh. “Our totals are way up here,” she said, arguing her point to at least keep him awake. “The tide's not going to reach them.”

Josh slid his arm back to his eyes, keeping her and the rest of the world away. “Then the wind will.”

“Not if I cover them.”

“If you do that, you'll mess them up, which proves my point—they're not permanent.”

Neither was tonight. Neither was love. Even her parents' devotion to each other hadn't kept her mother alive. Still, out here by the fire, beneath the moon and the stars, Tess just wanted to hope for the impossible. She knew she was acting like a fool, but she didn't want to face the coming days and years without him. “So, they're not permanent,” she finally mumbled. “So, I'll just keep working on them whenever something happens.”

“Do what you want. But once we're gone, they're gone.”

“So, maybe we'll just stay,” she argued as he stretched, then yawned. “We've got that food in the cooler. It'll stay cold for a while.” They could stay here until that stuff ran out. If his people came by to restock, they could stay that much longer. This might never have to end.

Josh finally finished his yawn. “What?”

Hell. “Nothing.”

“No, tell me. I caught the part about you getting cold, but missed the—”

“The cooler's stuffed with food, all right?”

Josh moved his arm and looked at her. “No need to shout, I can hear fine; I'm just a little tired.”

Tess continued to kick sand over her foolish tallies, destroying them before the tide, the wind, or his indifference did it for her.

“You're hungry, again?” he asked.

“No.”

“But you're still cold?”

“I'm not cold, all right?”

“Sure.” He rolled over onto his back and lifted his hands in surrender. “I just thought I could warm you up.”

Of course he could, but for how long since nothing was permanent, especially them. “I'm fine, but your fire's going out.”

Josh looked at the stone enclosure, then groaned. “Oh, hell, we have to go back.”

Huh? “Because the fire's going out? Can't you just fix it?”

“I could add wood to it, yeah. But in a few hours it'll be dawn. We still have to go back to the marina, then there's that ungodly long drive to my place. Even if we start now, even if you drive the boat and my car so damned fast that you break the sound barrier, it's going to take forever.”

Tess didn't mind.

Josh obviously did. Despite his fatigue he pushed to a sitting position, then grunted to his feet.

When he offered his hand, Tess didn't take it. “Shouldn't we clean up?”

“One of my staff will be by in the morning to get everything. We can just go.”

“Why leave work for them?”

“Tess, that's what they're being paid for. Just leave it.”

“Won't the tide wash it away, too?”

Josh looked as if he couldn't care less, but finally picked up the towels and threw them at the cabana, then again offered his hand. “We've tidied up, let's go.”

She pushed to her feet without his help.

Josh lowered his hand. “Believe me, my staff won't mind. Okay?”

“Whatever you say.”

He hesitated, then sighed. “You're tired. You can sleep on the way back.”

Tess leveled her gaze on him.

“Or not,” he quickly said. “Whatever you want.”

She wanted to stay. She didn't want this freaking night to end.

Josh lifted his brows as if he hadn't a clue what to say next. At last, he turned and trudged towards the water. When he finally noticed that she wasn't following, he called out, “What are you doing?”

She was stalling. “Give me a minute; I'm looking for my garter.” She kicked listlessly at the sand.

Josh finally returned. “Are you sure you lost it here?”

She had lost it after swimming here and he hadn't even noticed. She had made a special trip to buy the damned thing and already it was forgotten. “No. Let's go.” She ran past him to the water.

Once they were back on the boat, Josh seemed afraid to say anything and that suited Tess just fine. He had said far too much on the beach.

They dried off and dressed in silence, then went to the pilothouse for the trip back.

It was finally over.

As Josh steered the boat back to the marina, Tess sat on the bench to the side, her face turned to the window, her eyes filling with tears.

She had no right to be sad. This conclusion had been inevitable from the moment she had walked into Josh's office—against her father's wishes—then let him kiss her after they had known each other for two seconds.

After that, it went downhill fast with their picture being published in that tabloid, followed by her father's shouts.

Tess smiled at that memory, then lowered her head and held back tears, because he would definitely be the last.

No way was she kissing clients anymore; it was too damned painful. And the worst hadn't even happened.

She still had to tell him her news. Even Peg didn't know it yet, because she would have just blabbed and blabbed. Tess had gotten her father's promise that he would let her handle this.

So far, she had managed it badly. She had made her plans on the day that football player was exposed in the tabloid, but had said nothing to Josh.

She had been selfish, wanting to go to that dinner, wanting to dance, wanting to make love.

Only that was all over now; time to move on.

She sighed.

“Tired?”

She rubbed tears out of her eyes and looked at him. “What?”

“Are you tired?”

No. She was in love and scared, and she wanted to tell him how she felt, but no matter how great her dad thought she was, no matter how great Tess knew she was, she wasn't from Josh's world.

Her gaze lowered. He was wealthy beyond anything she could have imagined for herself. He was young and good-looking and surprisingly sweet-natured—at least when he wasn't being a jerk and bossing everyone around. With even half of those good qualities and a lot more of the bad, he could have any woman he wanted.

Even if he wanted her, how long would it last without a deep and abiding love when there were so many others willing and eager to take her place?

“Tess?”

She looked at him and finally recalled his question, then decided to lie. “I am a little tired.”

“I'll have us there as fast as I can.” He took a prolonged look at the night vision screen. “Once we're at my place, I'll put you to bed.” He turned back to her and grinned. “My bed. I'm moving your stuff into my room first thing in the morning.” He returned his attention to the instruments.

Tess looked at them, then the side of his face as her heart started to pound.

Had he just asked her to move in with him?

She thought back and decided that he had not. He had simply stated that he was moving her stuff into his bedroom.

For how long? And to what end, other than sex, of course?

Josh started to whistle as he looked outside at the sea.

Tess wasn't certain she'd ever whistle again. As depressed as she had been just a few seconds ago, now she was as pissed. Did he just assume she was going to be his bodyguard or pretend public girlfriend forever, or, at least, until he got tired of it? Did he think he could play at this relationship when what she wanted was something more than just being his live-in lover?

Given the way he was now whistling up a storm, probably so.

After tonight he probably figured he could pretty much have whatever he wanted. Of course, she had enjoyed this night with him and had slept with him because she loved him and because she knew she wouldn't be seeing him again, not because she was looking for some fast fun.

So what would happen if she didn't give him that fun? There were dozens, maybe hundreds, of other women who would jump at a chance to move in with him.

Tess knew they were nuts or didn't know what love was. She did and no way could she open her heart and allow herself to be vulnerable, then have it all come crashing down when Josh met someone else, someone he would truly adore and commit to. That would kill her.

Tess wanted what her parents had shared. The security that on each and every day of their marriage there would be a commitment. No matter how bad things got, no matter how bored they got, they would stick it out.

Josh didn't have to do that. He had enough money and success to keep the good times rolling with as many lovers as he wanted only she wasn't going to be one of them. “No.”

He stopped whistling and looked at her. “What?”

“I can't. I won't.”

He seemed confused. “Can't what? Won't what?”

“Move into your bedroom.”

Josh looked stunned, then quickly grinned. “Will you quit playing with me? Come on, I'm excited about this.” He wiggled his brows. “And you will be, too, when you see my bedroom.”

Tess wondered if he was listening to what was coming out of his mouth.
My bedroom?
Not
ours,
but
my
? “Where I'll formally begin living with you?”

His smile faded. “I don't know if I'd use the term formally. But yeah, what else?”

A commitment would have been nice. Being told he loved her, in addition to wanting to sleep with her, would have been pretty damned great. The possibility of marriage somewhere on the horizon would have been a joy. But no. Her place was in his room, in his bed, in his house, in his world, on his planet until he decided otherwise.

“My father could think of a lot of what else's.”

Josh stared, then shook his head as if he didn't believe she had said that. “I'm certain he could, but you're a grown woman, Tess.”

“And because of that, you think I should make up my own mind.”

He started to smile, but didn't, as if he thought better of it. “Of course.”

“Then, my mind's made up. I'm not going to be your live-in girlfriend, Josh. And I'm not going to be your pretend girlfriend in public anymore, either.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

He seemed thoroughly confused. He turned back to the night vision screen and the rest of the instruments, then looked over his shoulder at her. “You're saying you didn't have a good time tonight?” He shook his head. “You can't tell me that. I wouldn't believe that.”

Tess pressed her fingers to her forehead and forced her voice to remain far calmer than she felt. “Josh, tonight has nothing to do with my not moving in with you.”

“You've already moved in with—”

“I'm leaving tonight.”

“What?”

Despite his surprise, Tess remained calm. This was no different than her days on the force when everything was falling apart around her, people were screaming, sirens were blaring, and she had to keep a cool head. As tears stung the corners of her eyes, Tess told herself to remember that, because as pissed as she still was, she also felt like she was going to die. “I'm already packed.”

“
What?
When in the hell did you—”

“Last night. My bags are in the closet, ready to go.”

“Go
where?”

“My apartment!” she shouted right back, then lowered her voice. “My home. Our contract is over.”

“Since when? Look,” he said, interrupting her, “if you don't want to move into my room, fine. Keep your room. I don't care. Take the whole upstairs if you like. If you need your space—”

“Josh, this isn't about space. You don't need me to be your bodyguard anymore. You haven't needed that for days, not since that football guy got blindsided by the tabloid.”

“Is that what this is about, what Alan said?” Josh shook his head and smiled. “Tess, he doesn't run the show, I do, and—”

“The contract is over when the problem stops,” she said, her voice firm. “That was clearly spelled out in it. No,” she said, speaking above him. “I have a new job starting the day after tomorrow.”