Reckless C-9

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thank you to all for reading and following Tess and Nate's journey.
It was nice to see a lot of new people had left comments as well, though I have to admit it's a thrill to see recurring names that I now recognize.

In answer to a few responses:

Zjfizz, I'm so glad you decided to pick up the story even though we were already at the 8th (now 9th) Chapter; I know that having to catch up sometimes puts people off. In this case I'm just happy it didn't have that effect on you.

CARLY, I'm going to see if I end this story well enough and see if all you readers are satisfied. You never know, I could seriously screw up from here-on-out :-S But just so you know; I would very much like to then pursue Carol and Di's stories in two separate books.

Cassie: I like the hot and spicy too ;-) I think heat can add to a narrative.

Amy, nashy, Lene and Aislinn: Thank you for your enthusiastic replies; it's so nice to see my story is so appreciated.

Lara: I'm not proficient in Italian myself...but I'm doing my poor best. There's something VERY sexy about that language.

Alison: Another threatening comment, I cannot however say that I didn't enjoy it. It made me laugh aloud just like the previous one did. You need to get writing to woman! Otherwise I just might come and hunt YOU down, ha-ha.

ANYWHO:-
I'm trying to work out what you would all like to see happen in the remainder of the story, so there's a poll at the bottom of the page. Please leave comments as usual for general feedback.

I look forward to what you have to say.
Read, enjoy...comment!
D x
********************
Until the following afternoon, Tess had almost managed to convince herself that the whole lunch episode with Jackson had been a dream. But then around twelve thirty Cal appeared having decided to hold her to their delayed lunch date, he managed to wreck the illusion by spending her entire lunch hour ribbing and questioning her about Jackson over mocha and grilled chicken. Fortunately using her natural self-possession, Tess successfully managed to deflect his questioning and instead distracted him by talking about his art.

After lunch and until closing time, the Gallery was exceptionally quiet. She was so distracted with thoughts of Jackson and what he had revealed that after closing Tess barely remembered the walk home.

The truth was she was still extremely confused. Though Jackson had explained his connection with her brothers he had still allowed himself to become physically close to her. Even after Tess had pronounced it best to put distance between them; he had said no. Even point blank refused! What did that mean? Had Jackson already mentioned their involvement to Damien? If he had, Damien hadn't come thundering home...did that mean Damien approved?

Tess let herself into her flat and flung herself onto the sofa. With a sigh she then proceeded to smooth her forehead with wary fingers and closed her eyes as she finally allowed herself to think of his kiss in the cafe...She could still feel the pressure of his lips lingering on hers, and when she swallowed she could have sworn she could still taste him.

That kiss had been filled with such want and greedy need that it had felt as if Jackson had been trying to claim her; possess her. But at the same time, he had held her with an almost engrained protectiveness. Tess shivered as she remembered the touch of his fingers on her skin; it had felt kind of...nice.

Her eyes snapped open,
"No..." she mumbled to herself in disbelief. She wasn't even going to go there.

With a shaky breath, Tess recalled the promise she had made to herself: 'No longer would she allow large males interfering in her life.' And now Nate had come along posing a bigger threat to her freedom than her brothers ever had. Because this time Tess somehow knew that if she allowed herself to fall in with his demands; thrust herself within his power, it was possible she would never be able to find her way out again. Tess had never admitted to anyone that it was true what everyone said...she knew she was wild and reckless; it was part of her soul and she'd be damned if some male tried to quash it out of her. No longer would she be ruled and contained, not by Jackson, not by her brothers; not by anyone. She would not lose a piece of herself along the way.

With that determination in mind, Tess grabbed her mobile and dialed.

"Carol? It's Tess. Are you up for a night on the town?"

"Hell yes babe! But are you sure you're up for it?" it was a strangely gentle question coming from Carol, she was obviously very concerned. "I bumped into Cal today and he mentioned that Jacks..." But Tess cut across Carol before she could even finish.

"Don't worry about me; I am more than up for it. Can you get Di on board and oh yeah- can you lend me something fabulous to wear?" Tess ambled over to the mirror in the hallway and considered her features: the bane of her existence..."Something sexy...REAL sexy."

"Oh that won't be a problem babe." Carol laughed, "We'll be over around 9:30." and then she hung up; no doubt already browbeating Di into tonight's shenanigans Tess thought with a wry smile.
**********
Sitting in his dark corner of Barnaby's Bar, Nate watched as Tess, flanked by her two pretty friends, sashayed through the main doors. Jesus, it was like déjà-fucking-vu. All heads turned in their direction, all male eyes devoured the picture the three of them made framed in the shadowed doorway.

The sweet brunette on Tess' right looked cute in a pale pink doll dress, seemingly projecting an image of innocence. The blonde bombshell Nate knew from Damien's past grumblings to be named Carol stood proud and as confident as ever in some kind of scarlet wrap dress. As for his Reckless...Nate's mouth had gone dry as his gaze locked unwaveringly upon Tess. She was beyond eye-catching, she was more senses ensnaring; somehow even more so than usual. And damn, it was usually bad enough!

His eyes feasted on Tess' curvaceous figure from head to toe. Her raven hair was swept up in one of those styles that seemed to challenge the very laws of physics, the whole heavy mass appeared seconds away from tumbling down around her smooth bared shoulders and creamy cleavage. Curves that surely featured in every man's wet dreams were revealed by a bodice hugging corset, the underlying silk material of which matched her intense emerald eyes to perfection whilst the overlaying back lace wrapped her in mystery. The edge of the corset skimmed her hips and met a pair of black jeans that fitted her like a second skin; they hugged her shapely arse before following the long contours of her legs. Nate swallowed an instinctive groan as his eyes finally fixed on the killer 'come fuck me' heels she had encasing her dainty feet. Her whole appearance was smoldering; the clothes merely accentuated her natural dramatic beauty. The kind of beauty that was the epitome of femme fatale; the sort that could bring even the strongest of men to his knees.

Unlike last time, it seemed the men crowding the bar had no scruples in meeting the girl's eyes. Nate wasn't overly surprised, Damien and the others had been gone nearly a week, their lingering threats didn't seem as real as they had a week before with their looming presence for reinforcement. Nate refocused on the scene in front of him; the punters were eying each other in competition, whilst an eager few were already pushing and scrambling their way to the girl's sides. Last time Tess had appeared in Barnaby's, the Rivera warnings had held the masses at bay and Nate had only needed to approach her to intercept Sharky. It looked like he'd need to intervene faster this time. Nate downed his pint in one and then gave himself a bare minute as he laid out his plan of attack.
**********
Surveying Barnaby's Bar, Tess felt relief seep through her, felt muscles she didn't realize she had tensed ease as she detected no ruggedly handsome pirate waiting to waylay her.

Other guys eyed her and her friends speculatively, but their stares barely registered; she was used to the avid gazes and didn't fear them. Not that she feared Jackson; as she had tried to very inarticulately explain to him, it was more that she feared what he made her feel; what he might tempt her to do. To risk. To surrender.

Soon enough the first wave of males were surging across the bar more than happy to try their luck. Tess inwardly winced when, in his distracted hurry, one of the younger approaching guys jostled a passing waitress because he'd gone so wide eyed staring at her.

Sharing a quick glance with Di and Carol to see how they were reacting to their more than welcome reception, Carol was ready and waiting with her usual cloak of calm whilst timid Di gulped but then seemed to rally- squaring her shoulders and turned to the advancing company with determination. Tess felt such love and gratitude go out to her two best friends in that moment; they were here simply because she had asked them to be. Swearing she would make it up to them, Tess refocused on tonight's plan...to distract herself from Jackson.

Tess spent the next few minutes circulating through the bar exchanging greetings, smiles, and flirtatious banter with the men who were trying to impress her. So far she hadn't identified any potential distractions, which was one of the main reasons she was still circulating; Tess didn't want to give any particular guy the go ahead in trying to 'pick her up' unless she was sufficiently interested.

The whole thing was proving to be a major miscalculation on Tess' part; rather than distracting her from thinking of Jackson, her devoted swains were simply making Tess think of him more. She couldn't help herself from comparing each admirer to Jackson, and the admirer always seemed to come up lacking.

The Bar was packed now, the music was blaring and the bar was hot. Tess could just about make out Carol entrenched on a bar stool on the other side of the room in the center of a devoted group of guys who looked like they were hanging on her every word. Carol caught her eye and they exchanged a quick nod to communicate that they were both alright.

There was never really any need to worry about Carol, Tess reflected. Carol always seemed to know how to handle herself- and others. It was Di that usually worried Tess. On that thought, she began scanning the other side of the room in the direction Di had gone. Tess could see that Di had preferred to mix with a crowd of girls and guys so she wasn't the sole center of attention. She was laughing coyly up at a lad who looked completely smitten. Tess smiled to herself, glad that Di was having fun.

Just then Tess caught the eye of a good looking guy who had propped a shoulder against the bar and had been watching her. Tess smiled her first genuine smile of the evening when she realized it was Cal; he grinned that familiar cocksure grin of his and made his way through the press of bodies to her side.

"Well don't you look gorgeous." He raised his voice lightly to be heard over the music, giving her a teasing full body appraisal with his eyes. "I see you've been breaking hearts left, right and center all evening."

Tess laughed and shook her head. Cal was looking over her head beyond, squinting as if he were looking for someone. Tess was just about to teasingly ask him who had him so enraptured when he suddenly snapped his gaze back to her.

"Fancy a dance?" Cal smiled wide and gestured to the dance floor. Narrowing her eyes in return, Tess wondered what he was up to. There was humor flickering in his eyes, but aside from the usual boyish charm, his face was smooth and not giving anything away. Besides that, Tess knew Cal didn't particularly like dancing...probably because he wasn't very good at; he unfortunately had no rhythm. So why was he making the sacrifice?

Beyond curious Tess agreed. When they reached the dance floor she put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a questioning look. But he just laid his hands at her waist and moved their bodies to the, thankfully, slow pulse of the music whilst he leant close to her ear so he could tease and joke with her and still be heard over the music.

That was until he looked over her shoulder briefly and then suddenly zoned back to her face,

"So what was up with 'tall, dark and...furious' yesterday?" A couple next to them bumped Tess and Cal moved one hand to the small of her back to hold her more securely.
"A bit of a jealous type isn't he?"

Tess grimaced, looking over Cal's shoulder to avoid his glance. She should have known he'd try and tease her about that. He was as bad as her youngest brother Jamison; he loved ribbing her too.

"He's just a friend of my brothers." She mumbled, but then out of the corner of her eye Tess could see Cal's eyebrows had risen in disbelief.

"What?"

"He just strikes me as very...determined. That's all." Cal said with a mischievous wiggle of his eyebrows. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead as the music stopped then pulled back and smiled into her face. "Well I have to go; I'll see you at the Gallery."

Tess watched him leave in bemusement, but then shook her head with a low laugh. Unpredictable, that was Caleb.

"Planning a date with your boyfriend?"

With a squeak she hoped he hadn't heard over the music, Tess knew that rumbling voice even before she turned around. When she did, it was to find that he was looming over her. Her heart leapt to her throat as she realized how close he was. How he had managed that feat without her noticing Tess had no idea. But at least she had solved the mystery concerning Cal. He had obviously seen Jackson approaching through the crowd and thought he would have a little fun. Looking up at her looming pirate, Tess wondered if Cal had succeeded...was Jackson jealous?
**********
Nate met her eyes and smiled. Tess just stared up at him for a moment, blinking. Allowing his smile to deepen, Nate reached out and took her arm; dragging her deeper onto the crowded dance floor.

He settled his palms in the middle of her back and pulled her against him, then swayed his hips to the sensuous soul music. He felt her suck in a breath, felt her senses quake before she snapped them back to attention and tried to put a little distance between her breasts and his chest, but his big hands on her back kept her just where he wanted her. She had no choice but to lightly place her palms on his broad shoulders.

"You could have ASKED me to dance." The feel of her soft, warm curves pressed against his much harder frame felt like heaven.

"You're right. I could have." The scent of her filled his head, wild roses...God she was sexy as hell. "You didn't answer my question Reckless." Nate reminded her, he'd almost lost it again when he had seen her in that Caleb's arms. He felt when Tess recalled what the question had been; her spine tensed slightly under his palm.

"My relationship with Caleb is none of your business."

"Relationship?" Feeling his temper build, Nate knew his eyes must look hard as ice as he stared Tess straight in the eye; hers widened in response then lowered quickly.

"So you ARE screwing him." Nate's voice had lowered to a rumble. "Meeting him later for some arbitrary sex are you?" He moved one hand up her back to the base of her skull where a few stray curls rioted on her exposed nape.

"Did he get you hot?" He wrapped a soft as silk curl around one of his fingers and tugged gently so Tess tipped her face up to look at his as he captured her emerald eyes.

He lowered his face and touched his lips to the whorl of her ear,
"Does he turn you on?" She sucked in her breath.

"Does he make you ache?" he whispered hotly, teeth worrying her ear lobe. He moved,

"Do I?" he said, breathing the question against her lips before lightly brushing his mouth over hers and tracing her luscious bottom lip with his tongue. Tess gasped beneath his mouth and Nate took advantage of her parted lips to devour her. God but he couldn't help himself, seeing her with any other guy- however innocent left him spitting mad. Soon enough, she was kissing him back, her tongue encouraging his and she wound her arms tight around his neck and clung. Her lips were swollen and ripe; he bit the pouty bottom one before surging deep and demanding she kiss him back with the same fiery passion that had ensnared him.
**********
Tess wanted to hate him. She wanted to hate him even as she kissed him back. But how could she? He made her forget she stood on a crowded dance floor. Made her forget everything besides how good he was making her feel.

Her hands drifted upwards, Tess plowed her fingers through his slightly overlong hair as he slid his hands across the small of her back to her sides and followed the curve of her waist to her hips. Then his warm callused fingers played with the ruffled lace there before slipping beneath, thumbs skimming her abdomen, fanning out to press against her heated flesh. Tess gasped into his mouth as she felt her very skin tingle from his touch, the sensation spread to her nipples making them taut as if he had caressed her there. Soon enough a telltale heat rushed between legs.

Then the kiss changed, became gentle as if he wanted her focus on his hands rather than the kiss. She tracked them under the lace as he fanned his palms to the curve of her derriere, slid them down to cup her bottom and he pulled her tight against the long hard bulge just to the right of his button fly.

Her own choked moan mixed with his low groan gave her a small window of sanity. Tess tore her mouth from his, breasts heaving she shifted her gaze to his face. Jackson met her eyes watchfully and Tess helplessly shivered and licked her lips, finding the taste of him there. She watched as his eyes slowly heated again, melting the ice. Something must have shown in her expression. His eyes raced over her features; when his gaze fixed on her lips again, they throbbed.

Tess saw rather than heard Jackson mutter something, but his tone had been low and harsh. One of his large hands closed tightly about hers whilst his other arm fell from her waist reluctantly as, head rising, he scanned the bar. Moistening her lips again, Tess' wits seemed to be working unusually slowly. She had a strong suspicion that if they'd been functioning normally, they'd be urging her to flee. But right at that moment she simply couldn't find the will.

"This way." Jackson said gruffly, tugging her with him through the crowd. He escorted her to a door by the wall of the bar that Tess had failed to notice before. Ignoring her weak, "Wait...Where are we going?" Jackson swung the door inward and whisked her through.