Close to Perfect (23 page)

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Authors: Tina Donahue

BOOK: Close to Perfect
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“Not that night,” Tess quickly said. “I don't want to mess up my heels and clingy gown.”
His gaze turned inward as if he were trying to picture that. “A red gown?”
“Sure, if that's what you want.”
“You have more than one, in different colors?”
Tess laughed. “I haven't got any, but I do know how to shop for that... and whatever I need to wear beneath it.”
Josh leaned toward her and spoke in a voice that was downright husky. “A garter for your gun?”
“If that's what you want. I'll even let you pick it out.”
He seemed surprised. “You want me to come along?”
“I'm insisting upon it... so I get what you want. If you're not too busy.”
“Let me free up some time on my calendar.”
That's my bad, bad boy.
Tess lifted her hand and gently smoothed the hair near his ear. “A lot of time.” She ran her fingertip down his cheek to his mouth, then gently traced it as she murmured, “I'm warning you, I don't shop fast. I like to feel the fabric against my skin and see how well it drapes my body.”
Josh's eyes fluttered closed. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. “You'll model each gown for me?”
“Whatever you want.”
 
 
He wanted to be with her, pure and simple. He wanted to tell her he loved her; but it wasn't that easy.
Maybe after that formal dinner. If Tess told him then that she didn't feel the same, Josh knew he would have at least enjoyed their night together and even today's shopping trip.
They were in Kiki's, a cavernous warehouse that Tess swore by, possibly because it was stuffed with billions of gowns and every other kind of female apparel.
The place was so damned big it was twenty minutes before Josh realized that except for little boys with their mothers he was the only guy here.
The ladies certainly noticed. Josh saw more than a few of them sneaking glances at him, then Tess. She was so consumed with rifling through a rack of gowns, she didn't even see those two young women who were whispering to each other and now coming over.
Oh, shit.
The young brunette with close-cropped hair spoke first. “Hey, Josh.”
Tess finally looked up.
Before she pulled out her gun, Josh blocked her view of the girl and grabbed one of the gowns. “I like this one,” he said, lifting it by the skirt.
Tess's gaze followed the hanger as it fell off the dress to the floor.
“I'll get it.” The second Josh bent over, there was a hand on his ass.
He straightened and turned.
The brunette was licking her lips, while her blonde friend was wiggling her fingers as she said, “Hey, Josh.”
He stepped back, then quickly looked over his shoulder at Tess. “Sorry.” He pulled her out of the rack of clothes he had just pushed her into, then felt a hand stroking his arm.
“Do I know you?” he asked, his voice hard as he turned to the blonde whose wiggling fingers were still trying to touch him.
She moved closer. “We know you. We saw your picture on the Net
.
Mmmm.”
“Take off your shirt,” the brunette ordered. “Let's see that yummy tattoo on your—”
“Go away,” Josh said, his voice even harder. “I'm with someone.” He slipped his arm around Tess's waist, pulling her close.
“Hey, there,” the brunette said to Tess, then gave him a wicked smile. “Now, come on, take off your shirt. I want to see that bad-ass tattoo on your—”
“Okay, that's it,” he interrupted. “I'm not interested in what you want. I will never be interested in that. If you have anything else to say, it better be an apology to this lady—my lady.”
The young women looked at each other, then laughed.
Josh's voice got frosty. “We're waiting for that apology.”
“Screw you,” the brunette said.
“Bite me,” the blonde said.
As they walked away laughing, the brunette looked over her shoulder and shouted, “Old fart!”
“Hey, watch your mouth!” Tess shouted at that girl, then spoke to him. “You're not that old.”
He looked at her.
Her eyes widened. “You still have a way with women.”
“You think?”
“I didn't say it was a good way.”
“And what is a good way?”
Tess turned into him, pressing her fingers against his chest. As Josh stroked her back she lifted her face to his. “What you're doing, for starters, unless you're looking for my weapon.”
“I have to.” He leaned down to her and murmured, “Yours is always far more concealed than mine.”
Tess pressed her face into his chest, suppressing a throaty laugh.
Josh hugged her as hard as he dared, then swung her out of the way of three older women who needed to pass.
“Thanks,” the third one said and smiled.
Josh gave her a wink, then spoke to Tess. “Better get that gown.”
“Whatever you want.” She eased out of his embrace and headed down the racks studying the gowns, while he studied her.
After a moment, Tess looked over her shoulder at him. “See anything you like?”
She knew he did. Arching one brow, Josh joined her. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
Tess's gaze slowly rode him. “Maybe.”
“That's it? Just maybe?”
“I haven't even begun to look at everything I need.” Seeing that they were alone, Tess flicked her fingers over his fly, then spoke above his strangled gasp. “Come on.”
Any damned where she wanted.
An hour later Josh had gowns draped over his arms and shoulders as he backed into a dressing room followed by Tess and the salesgirl.
“Now, take your time, you two,” the girl said to them both, then spoke to Tess. “You need anything, just holler. I'll bring it to you.” She looked at Josh. “Have fun.”
He smiled as she closed the door. “This is turning out much better than I thought.”
“No kidding,” Tess said. “You're finally getting to sit.”
Josh looked over his shoulder to the chair, then sidled to it and took a load off. “That's not the only reason and you know it.”
“You bet.” Tess lifted the gowns from his right shoulder and arm and hung them on a hook. “You were really getting tired of carrying this stuff, huh?”
“I'd rather see it on you, than me, and you know it.”
Tess flicked her gaze at him, then lifted the gowns from his left side and hung them up. “Why, Mr. Wyatt, are you actually asking me to model these for you?”
Josh tried not to sound too enthused. “I believe that was the plan, Officer Franklin.”
Tess faced him. “Whatever you want.”
His gaze dropped to her hands as she quickly unbuttoned her shorts, then lowered the fly, exposing her navel and that silky skin beneath it.
Josh swallowed; he adjusted himself in the chair. Tess moved her hips gently to the right and back to the left as she eased those shorts over her hips and thighs, then straightened allowing them to skim past her legs to the floor.
She stepped out of them.
Josh stared at her white thong, a scrap of silk and lace so brief it just barely covered her dark, furry mound. In fact, a few of those hairs had escaped, curling around the lacy edges.
He adjusted himself again, then looked at that series of mirrors reflecting her plush, naked ass from every angle imaginable, especially as Tess bent at the waist to pick up her shorts.
Josh's heart slammed into his chest at the scene that created.
Tess lifted her head.
His gaze followed her hair swaying back and forth above that gap in her top that exposed her breasts.
“Hold these.” She tossed her shorts.
They hit Josh in the mouth.
“Sorry,” Tess said.
Josh held them against his chest. “Not a problem.”
Tess straightened, then looked down as she unbuttoned her top.
Josh pressed the shorts to his face, inhaling deeply of her soft, powdery scent.
Tess's gaze lifted. He lowered the shorts. She undid the last button, then removed her blouse.
Josh put out his hand, ready to take it.
Tess dropped it over his arm.
He pushed forward in his chair as his gaze settled on her lacy bra. It was as white as that thong with tiny satin straps that must have had a hell of a time holding up her full breasts. That soft flesh strained against those cups, her tightened nipples pushed against the silky fabric, until she unsnapped the front, opened, then removed it.
Josh stared.
“Here,” she said, tossing her bra.
He didn't move quickly enough; hell, he could barely move at all.
“Sorry,” Tess said, again, as the bra landed on his head.
Josh left it there as his heart paused, then hammered out of control, because Tess was now running her fingers beneath her hair to pull it off her shoulders, which served only one purpose—to give her breasts full exposure.
The areolas were a deep pink and as tight as the tips. There was a small mole on her left breast and a stray white thread on her right.
If Josh were to live fifty years past today, he would never forget how the end of that thread wiggled gently with her breathing as it clung tenaciously to her naked flesh.
“Josh.”
His gaze lifted to hers, then went right back to her breasts.
They looked even bigger than just a second ago. “Yeah?”
“I'm ready.”
His gaze jumped to hers, then shot to the door, before he looked back. “What?”
Tess gestured to the gowns, which caused her right breast to quiver.
He really liked that.
“Josh.” When he finally looked at her, Tess continued. “Which gown do you want me to try on first?”
He flicked his gaze at them, then looked at all those reflections of her bare ass. “The red one.”
Tess planted her hands on her hips, which caused her breasts to jut out.
Josh liked that, too.
“They're all red,” she explained.
No kidding? He looked at them, then pointed to the first.
“You're sure?” she asked. “You like that?”
She was curling her toes again. He smiled. “Oh, yeah.”
Tess turned her back to him as she went to get that first gown.
Josh didn't waste a second as his gaze prowled her silky back, her naked buttocks, those seamless thighs, then back to the thong that rode her hips.
He was about to adjust himself again, but then simply spread his legs to give his boys a chance to breathe and his cock somewhere to go since it just kept getting thicker and harder.
Tess knew. As she finished unzipping that gown, she looked over her shoulder at him. “You doing all right?”
“Never been better.” He followed her gaze to his groin, then suddenly realized something. “Bad girl. You're not wearing your weapon.”
“It's in my purse.” She regarded the outline of his erection for a moment more, before meeting his eyes. “Want to hold it?”
God, she was killing him. “Bad, bad girl.”
Tess smiled, then returned to him, standing between his legs as she slipped that first gown over her head.
That silky fabric skimmed her naked breasts before fluttering to her waist and then tumbling over her hips to mid-calf.
Josh looked up as she turned to the side, holding her hair above her head.
“Zip me,” she said.
He dropped her clothes and leaned forward. Placing his left hand on her hip, he eased the zipper up with his right, then ran his forefinger over the edge of the fabric that skimmed her breast.
Tess arched one brow, as if he needed to behave himself, before she turned to face the bank of mirrors. “What do you think?”
He really liked the back of that thing. It dipped very close to the top of her buttocks, but also had thin ribbons crisscrossing that section to keep her decent.
“Nice,” Josh said, running his forefinger over those ribbons.
Tess inhaled sharply.
Josh looked at her reflection. Her gaze was already on him, her expression an invitation.
He took it. Moving his hands to her hips, Josh wrapped his legs around hers so Tess had no choice but to remain.
“Put your arms over your head.”
She did. It made her look like a dancer, it made her his as Josh moved his hands beneath that gown to her breasts, supporting their weight in his palms, flicking his forefingers over the taut nipples before he roughly fondled her, unable to stop himself.
Tess's moan told him she didn't mind his rough touch. Her quick intake of breath told him she wanted more.
The knock on the door stopped it.
Josh quickly brought back his hands and opened his legs.
“Hey, you two doing good?” the salesgirl asked as she poked her head inside.
Josh nodded so vigorously the bra fell off his head.
Tess spoke in a voice thick with desire. “Uh-huh.”
“Good.” The girl really smiled as she looked at the gown. “Oh, hey, that one looks great on you. Don't you think?” she asked Josh.
He had to clear his throat before he was able to speak. “Uh-huh.”
“You really should get that one,” the girl said to Tess.
“I'd like to see the others first,” Josh said.
The salesgirl nodded agreeably. “Oh, sure; don't mean to rush you guys. Take your time. I'll be by in a bit to see how you're doing.” She shut the door.
Josh looked at Tess.

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