by Tina Donahue
Tess figured he had to be kidding. Snuggled against the walls and resting on every chair in this room were scores of baskets with sweetly scented flowers, lewd banners, and pictures of women in provocative poses.
I wouldn’t joke about something like this, he had said, especially after those humiliating pictures.
Humiliating wasn’t the half of it. “Wow.” Tess looked at him. “You are popular.”
His brows drew together. “Believe me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Actually, it sucks.”
“Oh, yeah?” Tess went to one basket that was simply stuffed with pink tea roses and baby’s breath. The kind of arrangement one might send to the parents of a new little girl.
Tess lifted the photos that had been included with the basket. This babe was naked as any newborn, but a lot more active, as she went through various contortions in a pool. Tess arched her brows as she looked at Josh, then waited for him to lift his gaze from her butt.
After several seconds, he did. “Sorry. What did you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
He nodded, agreeably. “Then what were you about to say?”
What else? “I know lots of guys who would give up several decades of their lives for this kind of adoration.”
“Like who?” He went to her and whispered, “You’re not involved, are you?”
Tess looked down as he again held her wrist. If possible, this caress was even gentler than the last.
Of course she wasn’t involved. Would she be here if she was involved? Would she have kissed him as she had? Would she be getting dizzy to the way his thumb was gently stroking her wrist?
Tess couldn’t recall any guy doing that as well as Josh. The only men she had seriously dated were cops; macho cowboys whose idea of a great date was beer and pizza with the guys, sack time with her—which they counted as intermission—then back to the guys just as soon as a game or porno came on.
It sucked beyond belief and hurt to her core, but oddly enough, Tess could have put up with all of that if they had also been kind, tender, faithful, the same as her dad had always been with her mom. That’s what Tess needed in a lover and an eventual husband.
Hell, no, she wasn’t involved. Not that she was about to admit it so easily to this man. “What?”
He whispered the question, again.
Tess’s gaze lifted and her brain went right back to mush. A thread of sunlight had broken through the clouds and was touching his hair, turning those thick locks a pale gold, which made his brows and eyes seem even darker, all too male, and downright dangerous to her heart and good sense. “What?”
Josh looked at her mouth. “Huh?”
Okay, time to get a grip. Inhaling deeply, Tess pulled her wrist from him and stepped back. “Why are you still whispering?”
Josh’s gaze remained on her mouth as he inclined his head toward the bank of windows in here. Though the angle was different, that boat and paparazzo were still outside with a good view of this room through the wind-whipped palms.
Right. “Don’t you have a place more secluded than this?”
“Only the restrooms.”
She regarded the windows. “It never occurred to you to get drapes or shades?”
“I’ve never walked around here in the nude, but if I do,” he added as she looked at him, “I’ll definitely consider covering the windows.”
Uh-huh. Tess glanced around, then went to the intercom on the wall and turned on the music.
A hot Latin number came up with lots of trilling, whooping, and lusty squeals.
She glanced over her shoulder at Josh. “This okay with you?”
His gaze lifted from her heels to her eyes. “What?”
Tess joined him at the conference table. “You okay with the music?”
He seemed stumped for an answer, though slightly aroused. “Sure. Do you like it?”
“I like the fact that the bum outside can’t hear us now.”
Josh arched one dark brow. “You think I’m being foolish.”
“You’re being cautious. That’s good.”
He smiled.
“Is there a phone in here?”
“Why?”
“You need to call building or marina security to get rid of that guy.”
His brows lifted as if he hadn’t thought of that. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he moved even farther away from the window and made the call in a lowered voice.
Just as he turned back to her, Tess lifted her gaze from his butt.
“Better?” he asked.
Not better—as good—since Tess liked looking at his face as much as she did every other part of him. “Are you involved?”
Just like that, his smile faded into an offended frown. “Would I have asked you to pretend to be my girlfriend in public if I were?”
If he wanted to put the brakes on a currently soured relationship he might. “I don’t know, would you?”
“No.” He went to her. “Are you involved?”
Tess stepped back. Josh followed. One of those Latin singers moaned and moaned. “Not at the moment,” she said, still edging back.
He continued to follow, with both of them moving in time to the music. “Good. That works well with my plan.”
She stopped. “About those ground rules.”
He stepped back. “What about them?”
“At your place I get my own bedroom and bath, which is off-limits to you.”
He looked offended, again. “I thought that was a given.”
“Just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
“Guess the honeymoon’s over, huh?”
Tess stepped towards him again, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. “Don’t forget, I do know how to protect myself.”
That she did, but she sure as hell hadn’t done it during their kiss, nor had Josh felt her concealed weapon while she was that close. Where in the hell did she keep it?
His gaze moved all the way down to her adorable toes before Tess cleared her throat.
Josh looked up. “No matter what you may think, I don’t throw myself at women.” He gestured to the flowers in this room. “It’s actually the other way around.”
“Maybe you haven’t met the right woman.”
Josh lowered his arm and regarded her.
There was a brief moment of quiet before new music filled this room. This number was slow and sensual, the lush sounds of muted trumpets and classical guitars. Music that brought to mind images of a man and woman, their bodies entwined, their passion played out in a timeless dance.
Josh knew that most women might have used this moment to look away or to ease the tension with come-on chatter that wasn’t arousing. Not Tess. She returned his gaze; she fucking held it captive, not breaking their silence.
He liked that. “Could be,” he said, then softened his voice even more. “So are we through with the ground rules stuff?”
She seemed to be weighing her answer, then moved past him and didn’t stop until she was nearly to the other side of the room. “We haven’t even started.”
Josh wasn’t a bit surprised or disappointed. He liked a challenge. It made winning that much more satisfying. He turned to her. “I won’t intrude on your privacy when you’re at my place.” Unless you want me to.
“When we’re alone, you do your thing, I do mine.”
“Just like a regular marriage.”
She arched one brow. “No more swimming nude in the pool, either.”
“I don’t mind if you do, really I don’t.”
“Yeah, I know.”
He smiled.
She chose to ignore that. “No touching below the waist or above the waist when we’re in public.”
“Not even your shoulder or your cheek or your hair or—”
“You know what I mean.”
That he did. She was talking about her outstanding butt and lovely breasts. Try as he might, Josh couldn’t keep his gaze from dipping back down to her
creamy throat and the rest of her chest that suit jacket exposed. “I do know how to act in public.” He took several steps towards her. “It’s the private moments I seem to be having trouble with.”
“Not with me you won’t.”
God, she was sexy when she was authoritative. He moved still closer, wanting to know everything about her. “Did you like being a cop?”
For once, her composure faltered. She seemed genuinely surprised by the question before she lifted her narrow shoulders. “Sure.”
“Was vice better than patrol?”
“It paid better.”
“Did you face a lot of danger?”
“It wasn’t like what you see on TV.”
She was talking like an ex-cop again, not giving him straight answers.
Josh recalled the entry on her resume about that commendation for bravery. When he was reading it, that award had seemed exciting and oddly sexy because it was no more than words on paper. The reality, however, was that she had risked her safety, her life, her future.
What was the matter with her?
What was the matter with him? He barely knew her, but suddenly he was worried that she took too many risks? Now, he wanted to protect her? “You were commended for bravery. What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Josh frowned. “How can you say that? You were in danger.”
“Maybe.”
“How much danger?”
“What does it matter? I’m fine now, though you look a little weird. Why?”
Because he was worried about her. Not that Josh was about to say that to a woman who was going to be protecting him. “Why don’t you want to talk about—”
“It was nothing.” Tess waved her hand in dismissal. “Just a domestic dispute.”
Just? “Aren’t those the worst?”
She shrugged. “He didn’t have a gun.”
Josh’s brows lifted. “Good to hear. So, what did he have?”
“A lot of nerve for pulling that knife on a bunch of cops.”
“A knife?”
“Calm down. It was just a little one, not a machete.”
As if that mattered? “You weren’t alone?”
“Of course not. I was with my partner. We called for backup.”
“Your partner was a guy?”
“Don’t tell her that. Look, the brass liked to segregate those cops with mustaches from the ones without. But,” she added, when he didn’t return her smile, “the backup was all guys.”
“What did they do?”
“They hauled the perp away after I cuffed him and read him his rights.”
“They let you do all the work?”
Her brows drew together. “I only broke one nail, it wasn’t that bad.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
If she did, she wasn’t giving any ground.
Josh liked that, though he was having a bit of a problem with her macho bravery. “Weren’t you scared?”
At last, Tess sighed. “Of course, I was scared. I would have been a fool not to be scared.”
“Why’d you do it, then?”
Her frown had returned. “It was my job.”
“I meant, why did you become a cop?”
“Why not? It seemed right.”
Josh wasn’t buying that.
Her expression changed. “My dad’s a retired cop. He put in nearly thirty outstanding years on the force. It’s all in the brochure. Didn’t you read it?”
“I stopped on the witness protection and relocation part.”
“Sound interesting?”
“Only if it’s for the paparazzo. Your dad really wanted you to be a cop, huh?”
She laughed.
It was completely unexpected, so throaty and unrestrained, Josh was unbelievably aroused, even as a wave of tenderness washed over him as he imagined how she must have looked and felt after taking down someone much bigger, someone who was armed. Damn, she was something.
“Pop yelled at me for a week,” Tess finally said. “He told me I was nuts for wanting to follow in his footsteps.”
Josh nodded, because he agreed with the man. Of course, that was all in the past. Being a bodyguard, especially his bodyguard, wasn’t going to be risky, not like being a cop. “What changed his mind?”
“What makes you think his mind was changed?”
“You’re here now. You’re working for him.”
A smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Only because I’m very good at what I do.”
“I know. I’ve read your resume. So, you took down more bad guys than most?”
“I had my share of collars.”
“Do you still have your cuffs?”
Those lovely eyes widened slightly; her chest and throat flushed pink. “Think I might be needing them to secure you to your bed?”
“I’m game, if that’s what you want.”
Uh-huh. What Tess wanted wasn’t something she was about to share with Josh, because already she wanted him on top of her and beneath her and all over her, and if she wasn’t very careful there’d be no end to her wanting. “I want a contract.”
He ran his thumb over his jaw as he regarded her. “To spell out what we’re going to do with your handcuffs?”
Bad, bad boy. “To spell out the particulars of my services as your bodyguard.”
“In private. In public, we’re romantically involved, remember?”
As if she could forget that? “Exactly. In public.”
“Sure you want that in writing?”
“My father will insist upon it.”
Josh’s expression said that he had momentarily forgotten about the man. “Because he used to be a cop, too.”
“That’s right.” Tess moved toward him. When she didn’t stop, Josh instinctively took a step back. “He really liked the life,” she said, as she continued to approach and Josh continued to retreat. “He loved taking down perps and collaring bad guys and using his cuffs and muscle, and sometimes he really misses that and looks for excuses to, well, you know, get back into the game if he sees something bad going down.”
Like his little girl being hustled by a guy who was exposed buck naked on the cover of a tabloid? Josh sensed the Franklin clan was one hard nut to crack. Of course, her dad wasn’t going to be around during those nights she spent in his house as his bodyguard.
Even if they were separated by numerous rooms, Josh knew he was going to enjoy her lingering scent, the gentle slapping of her bare feet as she moved down the hall, that musical, lilting voice as she talked to herself or issued more ultimatums to him. “Let’s get you that contract.” He headed for the intercom.
Before he could buzz Peg, Tess said, “Wait.”
Oh, hell. She couldn’t have changed her mind already, could she? Josh looked over his shoulder at her, ready to argue his case. “Why?”
“We need to figure out how we met, when we met, and other stuff about our romantic relationship, just in case anyone asks when we’re out in public. That, I don’t want in any contract.”
No kidding. “If anyone asks, we could just tell them it’s none of their business.”
“Yeah, we could, but who’s going to take that for a final answer?”
Josh nodded. “You don’t want them digging into your private life.”
“I don’t want my father reading their version of my private life while he’s in line at the convenience store.”
Josh hadn’t thought about that even though he should have. Pretending to be involved with him was going to expose Tess to the tabloid press as more than just his girlfriend, at least until this died down.
Despite his desire to see her again, hell, to see her continually, he just had to ask, “Sure you want to do this?”
She glanced at the windows. The security guys were watching as that boat left the area. “If it’s done right.”
And if it wasn’t? Josh wanted to assure her that everything would be just fine. Knowing he couldn’t even begin t
o do that, he asked, “And if it falls short?”
Tess looked at him. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
Not to mention criminals and pissy corporate attorneys like Alan. Still... “How about your dad? What’s he going to think about all of this?”
Her face quickly paled, but then she shrugged. “I’ll handle him, too.”
Josh wanted to ask if she were absolutely certain of that, but didn’t dare. He figured she’d have him pinned to the floor with her knee on his throat in two seconds flat. Besides, she was a grown woman—nicely grown—and could do whatever she wanted even if her father didn’t like it. If the man fired her, Josh would just hire her without Privacy Dynamics. “Okay.” He went to her and leaned down until their noses just about touched. “We’ll do this as perfectly as possible. How did we meet?”
Those delicate nostrils continued to flare with his proximity. “Beats me.” Her voice was downright breathless.
Damn, he liked that, and not only because he had caused it.
“How do you usually meet your women, Mr. Wyatt?”
Women? Like he had dozens of them? Mr. Wyatt? Like they hadn’t gotten well past that? “Usually through business, Ms. Franklin.”
She smiled at his formality. Her gaze drifted to his open collar. “I could say I arrested you while I was still a—”
“Please don’t.”
She lifted her gaze, then looked right back down at his chest. “We could say that you hired me to be your bodyguard and—”
“Please don’t.”
She looked at him again. Her gaze and voice softened even more. “You don’t want a woman watching over you?” Her brows started to draw together. “You don’t think a woman can watch over—”
“I didn’t say that.” And he sure as hell would never think it. Not with this woman. Josh knew he’d fight a fucking war for the right to have her watch over him. Not that he wanted to publicize the fact. “It’d just be a field day for the press given how you look.”
She glanced down, then up. “Because I’m wearing clothes?”
He smiled. “You’re not the typical garlic-belching, in-your-face goon most people would be expecting. Believe me, I’ve already interviewed several.”
“Did you kiss them, too?”
He laughed. “No—I knew they wouldn’t kiss back.” He sobered. “Not like you did.”
