Close to Perfect

by Tina Donahue

  Her eyes widened in renewed awe.

  This area was as lovely as the rest of the estate, drenched in tropical foliage, and very secluded behind numerous bushes and trees. Stone statues of cranes, flamingos, and other wildlife stood silent guard, while the Olympic-size pool couldn’t have been more inviting.

  No wonder Josh liked to swim in the nude. No wonder he had felt safe and protected.

  Tess looked at the crisp, blue water that made gentle lapping sounds as it hit the sides of the pool. On the bottom was a picture of two dolphins, their supple bodies arched as if they were jumping out of the water.

  It caught the waning sunlight, which sparkled back, and made the flickering flames of the outside torches seem downright seductive.

  Inhaling deeply, Tess looked over her shoulder to a glass table, two wicker chairs, and a refrigerator.

  Josh finally released her hand and went to the fridge. When Tess joined him, he handed her a bottle of chilled beer.

  She pressed it to the side of her neck.

  “You hot?” he asked.

  Of course she was hot, and it had nothing to do with the sultry, close night, and he damned well knew it. “Just a little warm,” she lied in her most casual voice. After taking a sip of that beer, Tess kicked off her sandals, went to the edge of the pool, then sat, dangling her legs in the water.

  It felt so good that it was a moment before she looked over her shoulder at Josh.

  He was sipping his beer as he continued to watch her.

  “You coming?” she asked.

  He arched one dark brow, swallowed his beer, then pulled a platter of something from the fridge before joining her.

  Tess regarded the fresh fruit, vegetables, and four types of dip as Josh rolled up the legs of his jeans, then sat next to her, dangling his legs in the water.

  Her gaze drifted from the food to his feet. God, but she liked his toes, and had an insane urge to hold them in her hands, to kiss the blunt tips.

  “Go on, try it,” he said.

  Tess’s face got hot, she looked at him, then at the slice of cucumber he held between his thumb and forefinger. That vegetable was drenched in the pinkish dip, but quickly forgotten as he slipped his free hand beneath her chin.

  Her lids fluttered and her heart raced.

  “Open up,” he murmured.

  Tess finally did, then held back a moan as he eased the food into her mouth with one hand, while stroking her throat with the other.

  “Good?” he asked.

  If he was talking about the food, Tess had no idea. A dribble of perspiration wiggled down her temple as she finally remembered to chew.

  Using his thumb, Josh eased the perspiration from her cheek. “Is it good?” he asked again.

  As far as Tess was concerned, this moment was like nothing she had ever experienced. Her senses were overloaded, and she definitely had to cool it. “Spicy,” she said at last, then took a prolonged sip of her beer and swallowed. “But very good.”

  Josh smiled.

  Her gaze drifted to it, she was briefly lost in it, before she said, “I can’t blame you for liking this.”

  Josh was about to pop a carrot, smothered with onion dip, into his mouth, but given her comment, he thought better of it. Lowering the veggie back to the tray, he lifted his gaze to her. “This what?” You, me, here?

  Tess licked dip off her lips and looked reluctant to answer.

  Josh lifted his brows as if to say Well? and waited.

  “This area,” she said at last. “The pool.” She gently moved her legs back and forth in the water, until her left foot touched his right ankle.

  Josh’s gaze lowered. To his surprise she didn’t move her foot.

  “It’s a really nice pool,” she said.

  He lifted his gaze. “I’ve always liked it.”

  “You’re really lucky.”

  No kidding, if she was talking about them being here together. Not that Josh figured she meant that. Taking a sip of his brew, he swallowed, then asked, “Why?”

  Tess moistened her lips as she glanced around. “To have all of this. It’s beautiful.”

  It didn’t come close to the woman beside him. “Well, it will be once it’s fully renovated.”

  “It’s beautiful now. Have you done some of this work yourself?”

  Josh suppressed a smile and took another sip of his beer. “You mean besides screwing in screws?”

  Tess flicked her gaze at him, then concentrated on the food.

  Taking his dip-smothered carrot, Josh popped it into his mouth, chewed, then swallowed. “Actually, I’ve done all of it.”

  Tess looked at him. “Shut up.” She glanced at the pool, then the surrounding area again as if seeing it through different eyes. “You actually did this and what’s inside?”

  “I’m capable.”

  “Obviously.” She met his gaze. “But you’re also very rich. Rich people don’t do their own work. What’s the matter with you?”

  “Hey, I’ve been poor. I learned.”

  “To fix old houses?”

  He smiled. “It’s called renovation or construction, and that was what I did before I got into real estate.”

  “You miss it.”

  “Am I that transparent?”

  “You looked really intense while you were working on that ceiling fan.”

  “Ever have one fall on you?”

  “You also looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

  “I knew you were watching me.”

  Tess arched one brow.

  Damn, she was luscious. Her smooth skin glistened in the light of the torches that also picked up the red highlights in her silky hair. “I miss the physical aspects of construction, which is why I keep my hand in it by renovating this place.” He shrugged. “My dad was the same way.”

  “He was in construction, too? He’s retired now?”

  Josh looked at the platter of fruits and veggies and chose a strawberry this time. After chewing and swallowing, he said, “He passed away when I was ten in a construction accident.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Tess rested her hand on his. “I didn’t mean to bring up anything bad.”

  “Who says you did?” Josh turned his hand over until hers was inside, then curled his fingers in a gentle caress. “I have good memories of him.”

  Tess’s head remained bent to their hands. “Yeah, I know what you mean. My mom’s been gone for two years now, but at times I still expect her to call me, you know?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  Tess nodded as if that pleased her, and then she sighed. “Mama was really sick, so I have to say it was a blessing when she passed. Deep down Pop wanted to hang on, so did I, but we let her go. Some of our relatives were upset, but I know it was the right thing to do.” She looked at him.

  Despite her words, Josh saw uncertainty in her expression and the sting of her relatives’ disapproval in her eyes.

  For the first time he imagined Tess as she was before she became a cop and then a bodyguard. Josh saw her as a little girl seeking approval, wanting only to please.

  Of course, that was before she had to be strong and capable and watching over everyone else—including her father and now him.

  “You made the right decision,” he said.

  She seemed grateful that he thought so. In the silence that followed, she lowered her gaze to their hands and traced his fingers with her own as if they had been doing this forever, as if they hadn’t just met.

  But they had, and Tess seemed to finally remember that as she lifted her hand from his. “So,” she said, her casual tone sounding forced, “is your mom remarried?”

  Josh didn’t want to talk about that, he wanted her to continue stroking him, but figured he better not press it. “Haven’t a clue.”

  Tess looked up. “You don’t see her?”

  “Nope.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since she wanted to put me up for adoption.”

  “Get out—really?”<
br />
  “Hey, I don’t fault her for that. She didn’t want to be a mother.”

  Tess couldn’t even begin to hide her surprise. She knew her own mother would have fought to the death to keep her, and that she would surely do that for any child she might have. And yet, his mother hadn’t wanted him? How sad for her. “So you were adopted by your dad?”

  Josh frowned as if he didn’t understand the question. “Is that possible or even necessary?”

  “I meant, the guy who raised you, the one you knew as a father, adopted you?”

  “No. My biological father found out that my mother was putting me up for adoption, and he decided to raise me himself.”

  “I’m asking too many questions.”

  “No. Just the wrong ones.”

  Tess started to pull her hand from his, but Josh gently increased his embrace, not allowing it.

  She looked from that to him.

  He smiled. “What would you like to know?”

  Everything. Did he ever ask about his mom as he was growing up? Did he wonder what had happened to her? Had his father told him that she didn’t want him? Could any adult explain that to a child, while also trying to soften the blow? Did he feel different than the other kids who had intact families? Did he like the women his father dated? Did he want one of them to be his mother?

  At last, Tess asked, “What happened when your dad died? You were ten, right? Did you live with a stepmother? Was she nice?”

  “She probably would have been if Dad had ever gotten married. He did prefer his women defanged.”

  Tess arched one brow.

  “Gonna shoot me now?” he asked.

  “Maybe later.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. And no, there was no stepmother or even a girlfriend to take care of me, all right?”

  Of course it wasn’t all right. It sounded awful. “You grew up in an orphanage?”

  “Do they even have those anymore?”

  “Be serious.”

  He smiled. “Now, you’re beginning to see why nobody wanted me.”

  “I didn’t say that. And you should never say that. Surely someone got you to adulthood. A priest? A parole officer? A bounty hunter?”

  He laughed. “My grandparents. On my father’s side,” he added.

  “Thank God.”

  “Hey, are you actually worried about me?”

  Well, sure. Who wouldn’t be? Not only was he great-looking and fun to be with, he had a good heart. Not that Tess was going to tell him any of that. “I am your bodyguard.”

  “Oh, right.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “But all that other stuff happened when I was ten,” he said.

  “That’s why I was worried. Were you a good boy?”

  “Better than I am now.” He gave her a sexy grin. “’Course now I have a driver’s license and can drink and can—”

  “Get your picture in tabloids. What in the world did your grandparents say about that?”

  “They don’t know yet.”

  “How’s that possible? They don’t live in the Keys?”

  “They live here, all right, but they’ve been traveling around the country in this huge sucker of an RV I got them. Looks a little like that weinermobile you see on those commercials. I am not kidding,” he said, speaking above her laughter. “Granma complained that they’d need oxygen because the thing’s so damned far off the ground, but Granpa took to it right away. Said it kicks butt.”

  Tess continued to laugh. “They sound adorable.”

  “They really like me, so what else is there to say?”

  Oh, there were volumes, and Tess would have said everything she felt, if she had been his real girlfriend. “You do know how lucky you are, don’t you?”

  “To have my grandparents putting up with me? Or to be out here with you?”

  The latter sounded nice, but he was just being kind. “To have your grandparents and all of this. Most guys would love to be in your shoes with what you have and all those women after you. And don’t tell me it sucks, I don’t believe it.”

  “You should.” He shrugged. “Sometimes I get lost in all of this.”

  “Lost?” Tess arched one brow. “You mean in your fantasies?”

  “I wish,” he mumbled, then shrugged again and regarded his surroundings. “Honestly, it would be nice if the people I meet would like me for me, not my bank account. Sometimes, this is all a woman sees.” He looked at her. “The wealth, the stuff, not me.”

  Tess’s smile faded. Although she fully understood what he was saying, that downside of his wealth had never occurred to her until now. “In that case, they’re fools.”

  Josh appeared genuinely surprised. “That’s the nicest thing a woman has ever said to me.”

  “I doubt that.”

  He looked down, then used his free hand to trace her fingers.

  It was a small touch, hardly intimate, but this man’s goodness, his scent, his utter maleness made Tess wonder how in the world she was going to make it through the rest of this night. At last, she pulled her hand from his. Before Josh could comment on that or ask anything she might not be ready to answer, Tess said, “We really should decide on how we met and all, just in case anyone asks.”

  Josh lifted his gaze. Whatever he was feeling was now well hidden behind an expression that was as casual as his voice. “Okay. How’d we meet?”

  Tess thought fast. “Anywhere but a grocery store since I avoid going at all cost.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  She couldn’t imagine why, unless he was going to start being like other rich clients and expect her to do errands and stuff, in addition to living with him and pretending to be his girlfriend. “Why?”

  “Because that’s part of my itinerary. I go once a week.”

  “By yourself?”

  “No. Now, you’ll be with me.”

  Tess nearly smiled. “Where else do you usually go?”

  “Nowhere special. Just hardware stores for supplies, junkyards for supplies, and construction sites, but that’s just because I like them.”

  Tess continued to frown. “You said earlier that you usually meet women through business. Are you telling me you’ve met women at those places?”

  “None that look like you.”

  She worked her mouth around so she wouldn’t smile. “Where else do you like to go?”

  During the next fifteen minutes Josh told her.

  At last, Tess sagged to the concrete, her gaze on the brightest star in the sky, as she answered his last question. “Nope and nope. I don’t play golf or go yachting in my free time.”

  “Better get used to it now, baby; it’s part of my itinerary.”

  No kidding; so where in the world could they have met when it wasn’t a part of hers?

  Tess turned her head to look at him, to tell him that she was an ex-cop, not an heir of Princess Di, but did not.

  Josh was already looking at her, his gaze both tender and aroused. A potent combination that washed everything else away.

  Tess said nothing; neither did he, and somehow that seemed right. It seemed enough.

  It reminded her of those moments when she came upon her parents as they sat in the backyard. Many times, they’d simply be exchanging a soft smile or gaze because of something they had just shared.

  Until now, Tess had no idea how intimate that could feel, how very powerful, though it didn’t last.

  The sweet silence was finally broken by a bird flying overhead. Tess followed it with her gaze. “Maybe we met at a bird-watching club?”

  Josh groaned. “Since you don’t seem to enjoy any of the things that I do in my spare time, then—”

  “Hey,” she interrupted, “I did not say that.”

  “You didn’t exactly do backflips when I mentioned that fixture sale at Home Depot.”

  “Was that about the time I asked for another beer?”

  He smiled. “Come on, what do you like to do in your spare time?”

/>   Oh, that was easy. Tess smiled. “Dance.”

  Josh didn’t look at all surprised. “You move like a dancer.”

  “Oh, yeah?” She was flattered by his compliment, but also realistic. “You should have seen my mom. She taught the tango and the merengue and all kinds of ballroom dances for a living. That’s how she met my dad.”

  “No kidding? A retired cop actually took dancing lessons?”

  “He wasn’t retired then, and he did it for his job.”

  “It was some kind of anger management course?”

  Tess laughed. “No, of course not. He had to go undercover for one of his assignments, and he had to learn how to tango for it. I know it sounds weird,” she quickly added, “but that’s how they met and fell in love.”

  “Then we’ll say we met dancing.”

  Tess opened her mouth, then closed it without saying a word.

  If Josh noticed her surprise, it wasn’t obvious in his expression. After a moment’s pause, he reached out and gently touched her cheek.

  Tess swallowed. His fingers were hot and dry, his gaze intent. She expected him to kiss her; she had been expecting that all night.

  He did not.

  There was need in his gaze, but he restrained it as he gently stroked her cheek.

  Tess inhaled deeply, luxuriously.

  His expression said he liked giving her that small pleasure. He next traced her lips with his finger, then smiled as he wiped a bit of dressing from the side of her mouth.

  Tess smiled, too, then without thinking captured his hand and licked the length of his finger, before swirling her tongue over the blunt tip.

  It was only then that she realized what she was doing. The ground rules she was breaking. Ground rules she had insisted upon.

  Pulling in her tongue, Tess released his hand and started talking about dancing. The clubs she frequented most, the music she liked, the kind of moves she preferred.

  Josh listened without comment.

  At last, Tess asked, “So, you want to use that?”

  “Sounds good.”

  She nodded.

  “You still hungry?”

  She was, but not in the way he meant, unless he wasn’t talking about food. “I don’t want you to go to any trouble to make anything.”

  “I made it earlier, so it’s no trouble.”