Close to Perfect

by Tina Donahue

  She was behaving unprofessionally, no one had to tell her that, but there were worse things in life than a woman admiring photos of such a beautiful man.

  “Yo, miss?”

  Tess finished moistening her lips, and flicked her gaze to Alan. His expression was as pissy as that greeting.

  Ignoring him, she looked at Josh.

  In that moment he forgot what he had planned to say. His gaze dipped to her lush mouth, those freshly moistened lips, before returning to her eyes. A wave of desire so completely consumed Josh that he was unable to tell Alan to shut up.

  As the attorney went on and on Josh saw that need again flaring in her eyes. They were hazel, a warm, golden color, as exotic as the rest of—

  “Very well, miss,” Alan said in his most condescending tone, “you leave me no choice but to warn you.”

  What the hell? Josh gave him a frown.

  Alan ignored that as he continued to address her. “If you’re here to throw yourself at Mr. Wyatt so you can turn around and slap him with a lawsuit, it won’t do you any good. I’m an attorney and I know the law.”

  Good God. Josh glared at the man, then looked at her.

  A faint blush stained her smooth cheeks, though that had nothing to do with embarrassment as she finally looked at Alan. A moment passed and then another as she took in the attorney’s full length, before lifting her gaze. It was as cool as her voice. “Is that right?”

  Josh’s brows arched. Even the most macho of men would have gone limp in all the wrong places at that dismissive tone.

  Not Alan. “Exceedingly so.”

  “Then you must also know what constitutes slander.”

  He frowned. Josh smiled. Damn, but he liked her. Her manner was confident, her voice surprisingly musical, lilting, conjuring up images of sheer island wear, sultry nights, and moist flesh.

  When her gaze touched his, liquid heat poured through Josh, again.

  “I believe you misunderstand,” Alan said.

  She swung her gaze back to him. “No, I don’t think I do.”

  His voice hardened. “You’re trespassing.”

  “There you go again,” she said.

  “Now, now, play nice you two,” Peg said. “Especially you, Alan. I invited her inside.”

  Josh smiled. “Thanks.”

  The young woman seemed momentarily surprised by that response, then returned his smile.

  It was so lovely and approving Josh couldn’t help but grin.

  Oddly enough, that killed the magic. All at once, her expression changed from approving to no-nonsense—watch it, buddy.

  Josh fully intended to watch all of it. Didn’t she know that?

  Her arched right brow said that she did.

  Losing his grin, Josh moved around his desk.

  “You invited her in here?” Alan asked Peg.

  “Yup,” Josh said as he bypassed the attorney and went straight to her, not stopping until he was close enough to capture her fragrance.

  It was soft and powdery, reminding him of spring air in colder climes; that first hint of warmth scented by delicate flowers.

  He smiled.

  Her cheeks flushed again.

  That and her softening gaze had Josh damned near giddy. “Hi.” He offered his hand.

  Her gaze remained on his as she slipped her own inside.

  Her fingers were slender and warm, her skin deliciously soft, but her grip was as firm as any guy’s.

  She was no pushover; that was for damned sure, which aroused Josh all the more. An easy woman had never been his style. This woman had all the makings of a challenge, out of bed and in.

  His cock continued to thicken as he imagined her naked flesh on top of his as he plunged deeply inside her sweet, wet heat. Not that Josh was about to let that arousal creep into his voice, at least not yet. “Josh Wyatt, miss—”

  “Tess Franklin,” Peg said.

  “Tess,” Josh said, his gaze still on her.

  That faint blush deepened until it was nearly as dark as her silky peach suit. “Mr. Wyatt.”

  “Josh,” he corrected, in an easy, welcoming tone. “What can I do for you?” Please, God, let it be something good.

  “Ah, Josh,” Peg said, “it’s not what you can do for Tess. It’s what she can do for you.”

  Even better. Josh nodded as if he understood, while his fingers gently caressed hers. “And what can you do for me, Tess?”

  Although she had come fully prepared to answer that question, and many others, at the moment words escaped her.

  He had really beautiful brown eyes that were as dark as his brows and a shadow of beard, which made his hair seem that much lighter. His eyes were also bright with intelligence that was softened with patience and respect. A potent combination in any man. Male was in every part of him, even his clean, masculine scent. It reminded Tess of leather, tobacco, and torrid summer nights when all caution was lost. It drove even more of her good sense away.

  At least, until Alan impatiently cleared his throat.

  As Josh shot him a look of warning, Tess figured she should pull herself together.

  It wasn’t like her to behave so foolishly; she had never done such a thing before, especially with a man. Early on, Tess had been determined to be the equal of any guy.

  For some reason, Josh Wyatt made her forget everything she had believed was important, while also making her feel more female than she ever had.

  His heat, touch, the sound of his deep, rich voice, the power of his male presence was even more intoxicating than the photographs.

  Of course, those photographs were the only reason she had come here today. It probably would be best if she remembered that.

  “It’s all in here,” she said, easing her hand from his.

  As Josh looked down at that, then to the envelope she was pulling from her shoulder bag, Alan spoke up.

  “Don’t touch that,” he ordered Josh, then frowned at her. “I should have guessed. You’re a process server and that’s—”

  “More slander,” Tess interrupted, “or at the very least, another preposterous assumption.” She looked at Josh. “I’m a bodyguard.”

  No shit? His gaze immediately trickled down her, lingering on her heels. They were the same peach color as her suit with a cut out area to expose her toes.

  Her nails were polished in a pinkish tint that was so adorable and arousing Josh had an insane urge to drop to one knee so that he could stroke, then lick those lovely toes. A bodyguard’s toes.

  That brought him back to reality fast as his gaze inched back up her. To his guesstimate, she was probably five-seven or eight, weighed no more than one hundred and twenty-five pounds, though she wasn’t skinny—oh, no. Her flesh was ripe, toned, tanned, and looked raring to go.

  Even so—a bodyguard?

  Josh smiled, unable to help himself, as his gaze settled on the deep V of her suit jacket. “Since when?”

  The edges of that jacket moved slightly with her very deep, very pissed breath.

  Uh-oh. Josh lifted his gaze and wasn’t a bit surprised that her slender brows were drawn together. After clearing his throat, he used his most professional voice. “How long have you been a bodyguard?”

  “Since I left the force.”

  His eyes widened. “What force?”

  “The. Police. Force.”

  She had said that very slowly, as if he was unbelievably dense or an incredibly bad, bad boy.

  “You’re a cop?”

  “Ex-cop.”

  Not even CSI: Miami had cops that looked as good as this.

  “You carry a gun?”

  “All the time.”

  Josh struggled for a moment, then let his gaze trickle back down her. Where in the world could she have concealed a weapon in that outfit? The suit fit her nearly as well as skin. As far as Josh could tell, the only thing pushing against that fabric were curves that were supposed to be there.

  At last, he glanced at her thighs. Was it possible that she was sport
ing a gun in a frilly garter? Did bodyguards do that? Did ex-cops?

  His brows lifted as he considered that. Maybe that’s why she had that slit on the side of her skirt, instead of in the back. Maybe she reached beneath that slit to pull a weapon out when she needed it.

  Amazing, but nice. Josh figured even the most hardened criminal would definitely notice that frilly garter and her sleek, tanned thigh, whether she was pointing a fucking cannon at him or not.

  “And you have credentials to prove this?” Alan asked.

  “Prove what?” Josh asked. Hell, had he spoken his thoughts aloud?

  “It’s all in here,” Tess said. She waved the envelope in her hand as she went to Alan.

  Josh followed.

  Her gaze noted that, before she looked at him.

  Josh looked right back.

  Tess’s brows lifted before she turned to Alan.

  Once the envelope was in his hand, the attorney gingerly pulled papers from it as if they might be hooked to a bomb. After he glanced at the first, he actually smiled. “Ah, well this explains everything.”

  Josh craned his neck to see whatever had amused Alan. The man rarely smiled, so this was a problem. Already Josh liked Tess far too much to be disappointed by whatever she had brought.

  “Your resume,” Alan finally added. “How fortuitous that you thought to bring it.”

  “You know it really is,” she said in a surprisingly agreeable voice. “Until I get coverage in a tabloid, I’ll just have to rely on my resume, now won’t I?”

  Joss laughed. Tess looked at him.

  He cleared his throat. “Give me that,” he said to Alan.

  As Josh bent his head to her resume, he again caught her powdery scent. It was on these papers and that envelope; it filled this room.

  Inhaling deeply, he forced himself to concentrate. After a moment and some quick math using her dates of employment, he figured she was twenty-eight.

  The resume didn’t indicate whether she was involved with anyone. Of course, she wasn’t married, Josh had already checked for a wedding ring.

  “If you’ll look at the second page,” Tess said, “you’ll see I’ve successfully completed FBI training programs.”

  No shit? Josh looked at her, then right back down, really reading her resume this time.

  It was surprisingly impressive.

  She had been a police officer for six years prior to working for Privacy Dynamics, Inc., a firm offering celebrity and VIP protection, private investigations, background checks, and a whole slew of other services, including witness protection and relocation.

  Damn. Josh hoped this tabloid thing didn’t come to that.

  He glanced at her employer’s brochure, seeing that the firm had recently been launched and was headed by a man named Fred Franklin.

  Josh’s gaze jumped up.

  Tess’s gaze was on his chest. She was moistening her lips again.

  Okay, so Fred probably wasn’t a current or ex-husband, not with the way she was looking at his chest, and how she had previously looked at his tabloid photos. Could be this Fred was an uncle or her dad.

  Josh wondered how the man had known he needed a bodyguard, unless Fred just figured he’d give it a shot by sending his lovely daughter or niece over here to sell him a contract.

  Smart man.

  Josh returned his attention to her resume, nodding in approval to those commendations she had accumulated during her short time on the force. One was for bravery in the line of duty, several were for civic activities, and others were for her excellence in firearms and other police stuff.

  Real stuff. These weren’t just honor badges for showing up on time or looking great, they were for honest-to-God police work.

  Josh’s breathing picked up. He started to shift his weight but thought better of it. Already his rod was so hard it didn’t need to be stimulated more by brushing against his clothing.

  He continued reading and getting excited. Despite her exotic beauty and quick wit, Tess was skilled in the use of practically every firearm imaginable, not to mention room clearing, building clearing, searching techniques, vehicle formations (whatever that meant), managing the media and bothersome paparazzi, using unarmed defense tactics to ward off not-so-nice fans, protecting individuals in crowd situations, pre-planning all itineraries so that nothing bad happened, hostage rescue, and hand-to-hand combat.

  Again, Josh looked up. This time Tess was staring at those tabloid photos. “You’re skilled in hand-to-hand combat?”

  It was a moment before she looked at him, and another moment before her gaze completely cleared. “Yes, sir.”

  Yes, sir? Damn, he liked her cop talk. “Aikido, karate, jujitsu?”

  Her eyes widened. “You know martial arts?”

  Only to say the names. He smiled and shrugged. “Not really.”

  Alan cut in. “Why don’t you educate us?”

  This time Tess regarded the man for so long Josh was certain Alan wouldn’t only go limp, but would start squirming.

  When the attorney finally looked uncomfortable, the way only a cop or a woman could make a man feel, she said, “That would take a very long time. Are you certain you want that?”

  Alan’s face turned a bright red.

  Josh suppressed a smile, and was glad he had as she next turned to him.

  “I’ll make this fast,” she said. “Briefly—”

  “No need to be fast or brief. Take your time.”

  Her lips remained parted, her gaze held his as the sound of a boat’s motor, the wind, and rustling palms briefly filled the silence.

  During it Josh thought about a lot of things, like how fortuitous it was that she had happened in here today, because she was giving him ideas about all kinds of stuff... stuff that actually had to do with her work as a bodyguard.

  So why did such a luscious woman become a cop? What had convinced her to risk her safety and to compete with the boys? All she had to do was look at a man with those warm, honey-colored eyes and that guy was a goner.

  Had she dated a lot of cops on the force? Was she dating one now? Did one of the other bodyguards have his eye on her? Had she noticed? Had she liked it?

  “You ready?” she asked.

  It was a moment before Josh understood the question, though he immediately noted the mischievous glint in her eyes. “Sure. Shoot.”

  Peg leaned toward him. “Remember, Josh, she is armed.”

  He nodded, and again wondered about garters and weapons and her sweet, sweet thighs. “I’ll be careful.”

  Tess looked skeptical. “There are many H2H combat styles, but the—”

  “What’s H2H?” Alan asked.

  “Hand-to-hand,” Josh said, his gaze still on Tess.

  “Don’t interrupt again,” Peg warned.

  “It’s all right,” Tess said. “It’s best to pay attention since I’ll be giving a pop quiz at the end of this.”

  Josh smiled.

  So did she. “You ready?”

  “For anything,” he said.

  She looked briefly intrigued, then got serious again. “The most popular hand-to-hand combat techniques are Jeet Kune Do, Defendo, H2H American Self Defense, Krav Maga, Systema, and Hocks Close Quarters Combat.”

  Peg chuckled. “Close quarters combat, huh? Now, that one sounds interesting.”

  Tess smiled. “Remind you of a few dates you’ve had?”

  Peg laughed.

  “Which technique do you use?” Josh asked.

  Peg looked at him. “Me?”

  He arched one brow, then looked at Tess.

  Her attention was already on him, her gaze thoughtful.

  “You,” he said.

  Her cheeks and throat flushed. “I like Krav Maga.”

  He liked the way he could make her blush. He bet none of the cops on her old force or those burly bodyguards she worked with could do that. “Any reason?”

  Her gaze traveled his length, then returned to his eyes. “It avoids injury. I can take cont
rol of an individual who’s far taller, muscular and stronger than me without harming them, even if they have me in a bear hug. With Krav Maga, there are no rules. It uses an individual’s vulnerable spots, even a very well-toned and fit individual, so that I can protect myself.”

  “Good for you,” Peg said, then spoke to Josh. “Better remember that.”

  He would, especially that no rules stuff, and everything else about this very unexpected and amazing young woman. Her cheeks were really rosy now, as if she liked to talk about her work, or had just been thinking of what he had—them engaging in some erotic H2H combat.

  Suppressing a smile and the urge to move closer so that he could capture even more of her delicate scent, Josh looked back to her resume and that brochure for Privacy Dynamics. As his head remained bent to those papers, his gaze quickly moved to her thighs, her shapely calves, those long, slender toes peeking out from the openings in her peach-tinted high heels.

  She should always wear shoes like that, even in bed. If she shared his, Josh would want her hair hanging loose as it was now, and the rest of her stripped bare, except for those shoes and a garter, with her weapon removed.

  He would definitely insist upon that. At least, until she gave him that hard cop’s stare she liked to use on Alan, who was still unimpressed.

  “Even if your credentials are excellent—”

  Josh interrupted the man. “They are.”

  Tess seemed pleased with his assessment, but also confident as if she knew it to be true.

  Cocky and soft. What a combination. But then, what else could Josh have expected from a delicious ex-cop bodyguard?

  Alan cleared his throat. “That may well be,” he said to Josh, before addressing her, “but Mr. Wyatt has already decided on another—”

  “No, I haven’t.” Josh looked at Alan, then Peg. “I’d like to interview Miss Franklin now, so if you two don’t mind...”

  Peg nodded. “I’m cool.” Because Alan wasn’t, she slipped her arm through his to pull him from the room if need be.

  “Josh,” the attorney said, “I really should stay while you interview—”

  “We’ll be fine,” he said, then asked Tess. “Won’t we?”