An Accidental Husband – Chapter 10

To the casual observer, it might have seemed like a typical Saturday for Joss. She spent time with her son, slipping an extra twenty dollar bill into his pocket as he went off to spend the rest of the day with a classmate's family. She cleaned, ran errands, paid bills. She laid out her clothes for next week, carefully hanging them by day in her closet. She emptied her email queue, reviewed legal journals. She roasted a chicken for Sunday dinner.

Only two things were out of the ordinary – she packed a small suitcase, and every once in a while she re-read a text message, which contained only a time and the name of a car service company, smiling softly each time she read it.

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"And how often does the owner, you said his name was Crane, right, visit the inn?" Joss asked.

"Oh, a few times a year, usually during the fall and spring migrations. We stay open year round unlike a lot of other places along the coast, just in case he decides to pop in for a few days, " the innkeeper replied, carrying Joss' suitcase as she followed him up the stairs. "He's done a lot to restore the native bird population in this area. If it wasn't for him, this place would have been bulldozed, the wetlands would have been filled in and there'd be a huge resort here instead."

"It's gorgeous. I'm surprised you don't have any other guests."

"Well…" the innkeeper smiled conspiratorially. "Mr. Crane is very particular about who stays here. In fact, you're the first guest we've had in months….here we are."

He led Joss into a large room, beautifully restored and meticulously maintained like everything else in this former Victorian mansion that sat on a bluff overlooking the ocean. A fire was cheerily burning, the covers on the enormous four poster bed had already been turned down and the curtains on the French doors that led out to a balcony were pulled back so that you could see the rolling waves.

After the innkeeper left, Joss unpacked her suitcase. She had also brought the gift bag from the party, and she pulled out an exquisite black corset, garter belt and coordinating accessories. There was a separate box and she smiled, recognizing Lena's flowing handwriting on the gift tag. Inside was a beautiful pair of red shoes.

She undressed, bathed and anointed her body. Walking back into the bedroom, Joss picked up the corset, but as she loosened the laces, the clouds parted, revealing the full moon shining on the water. Shoving all the gifts back in the bag except for the red heels, she slipped the shoes on, then walked over to the French doors, opened them, and holding onto the doorknobs, leaned out onto the balcony.

Joss stood there, letting the wind course over her naked body as she watched the moonlight dance on the water.

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John Reese's ability to move silently had saved his life on more occasions than he could remember. Tonight it allowed him to see the incredible vision on an inn balcony.

He hadn't slept, his back and shoulder ached from a hard fall saving today's number and on top of it the intended victim was more upset that the ploy the murderer used to lure him to a deserted office building – NY Jets season tickets – was fake than the fact that someone wanted to kill them.

Of course, Reese couldn't help reminding him that it had been over forty years since the Jets had won a Super Bowl.

It had been a long day, but a single word kept him focused.

Yes.

Joss had texted him that one word in response to his text.

Reese looked at that word one more time, then took one of the cars from Finch's fleet and drove to the inn. He knew that Joss had arrived safely at the inn and as he walked into the lobby, the innkeeper nodded as he tossed him an access card to the room.

He wanted to take the stairs three at a time, but years of training had him moving up the staircase and down the hall silently and Reese entered the room without making a sound.

The sight in front of him took his breath away.

Joss naked, except for a pair of red heels, leaning forward into the night wind.

Reese's eyes travelled slowly up her body, from her delicate ankles, toned legs and luscious rear end to her long black hair swirling around her shoulders, as he memorized every inch of the scene before him.

"I…"he cleared his throat, "I'm a tad overdressed, Joss."

She turned, giving him a full view of her beautiful face, full breasts and the tantalizing triangle between her thighs. "I didn't realize you were here. The Man in The Suit and the woman in her birthday suit. Yeah, I guess you are."

Joss closed the French doors. "They gave me some wonderful lingerie, but as I was about to put it on, I realized they were for Mrs. John Warren. Mrs. John Warren isn't here." She began walking across the room. "She's not the woman that you held in your arms or the one that you asked to come here tonight. We're not the Warrens." Joss stood in front of him, her eyes serious, intent. "We're two people who need to say things to each other – just this once. Then…you'll truly be my husband, and I'll truly be your wife. It won't matter that this marriage is fake." She took a deep breath. "John, I –"

Reese placed his finger on her lips, stopping her. He leaned forward, placing his forehead against hers for a moment, and then he whispered three words in her ear. He lifted her chin, whispering those three words again as he kissed her, his lips moving softly over hers as he said those words again and again, shuddering as she echoed him, her small hands pushing his jacket off his shoulders, unbuttoning his shirt, his clothes falling in a tangle around their feet.

They said those words over and over again as Reese swept Joss up and carried her to the bed, running his hands from those red heels to her full red lips as she stretched out on the sheets. He lay down beside her and they said those words again as their bodies twined together, as she parted her legs and he entered her, as they cleaved together and became one, as they cried out together and as they finally, hours later, fell into a deep, blissful slumber, safe in each other arms.

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Joss had always enjoyed looking at John Reese, but this morning was a special pleasure. He was naked, his oh-so-carefully coiffed hair was tousled and there were marks on his skin where her red heels had dug into his back. She watched as he rose from the bed, enjoying the twist and play of his muscles as he placed another log on the fire, coaxing the flames back to life.

Joss' lips quirked as he checked in with Finch, her mind concocting an imaginary split screen as she visualized John's partner in his three-piece finery having a serious conversation with the man standing before her.

"Finch was able to track down that Cuban émigré that Taylor wanted to talk to. They're meeting him at noon." John turned to her, smirking as though he had read her mind after he'd hung up the call.

Taylor and Finch had formed a special friendship after the kidnapping – her son had texted her that he was meeting the older man for lunch today. Joss smiled. "Classified documents, interviews. What's next, a secret field trip to the island?"

"They'd be down and back before we knew it." John sat down next to her. "Finch likes looking out for the people he cares for."

He ran his hand through her hair. Joss shivered as his fingers traced along her jawline, down her neck and over her clavicle, back arching as he cupped her breast. She watched as he leaned forward, his tongue slowly circling her areola first in one direction, then again in the opposite direction.

Joss gasped as he touched the just the tip of his tongue to the tip of her nipple, then groaned as he took it into his mouth, at first sucking gently then with more force as her hips began thrusting forward. All the sudden John bit the other nipple and the sight of his sharp white teeth tugging on her dark brown peak sent her over the edge. She fell back as an orgasm surged through her, then lay there, her eyes half closed, as he settled between his legs.

John took his rigid cock in his hand and ran the head of it back and forth over her glistening essence, teasing her to another release. "You're so wet, Joss," he whispered, "so beautifully, beautifully wet." He ran his fingers along his mouth, closing his eyes for a moment, as he tasted her.

Joss turned over, getting down on all fours, parting her legs, chuckling as he moaned at the sight of her quivering vulva. "Jesus, Joss..." John knelt behind her, running his hands down her back, tracing her tattoo, then curving over her rear end, squeezing the silky skin.

"I want you deep inside me, John."

He growled and then entered her. Joss sighed as John thrust inside her, filling her and then withdrawing again, the sounds of their bodies moving together merging with their moans of pleasure.

They reached the pinnacle together and then fell forward, exhausted.

Later that day, Joss modeled the corset and garter belt outfit, and while John appreciated it, he asked her to wear the red shoes again – twice - and they both agreed that they liked that outfit even more.

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Six months later Joss and Finch sat on a park bench watching Reese, Taylor and Bear play an intense game of fetch.

"So…were you telling the truth about not being able to fix that program right away?"

Finch turned his body to look at her.

"It was something John said the night when he told me what happened with my personnel records. I didn't realize it until a long time afterwards. He said that you were trying to fix it."

Finch raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying, Detective?"

"Finch, you're like Yoda in a three piece suit – you don't try. You do or you don't do*. I can't see you being out played by some runaway program that the city dumped three weeks later."

He smiled. "So are you saying I'm incompetent or that I'm a meddler, Jocelyn? Neither one is very complimentary."

Joss looked across the field, sharing a long look with Reese as Taylor and Bear went after a ball that had rolled down the hill. "I'm saying that you look out for the people you care for, Harold." Turning her face back to Finch's she gave him a soft smile. "Dinner on Sunday?"

"I'll look forward to it, Mrs. Warren."

They both turned to watch the game.

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It was well after midnight. Bear padded quietly to Taylor's room and jumped into bed beside the young man, snuffling happily. Reese closed the door and moved silently down the hall to the master bedroom.

He slipped into the bed. His wife rolled over, nuzzling his neck.

"Joss, it's three o'clock in the morning."

"Get naked, husband."

He smiled wolfishly. "Yes, dear."

*Yoda - "Do or do not…there is no try." The Empire Strikes Back (1980)