“Are you coming back?” Caroline made a cup of tea. “Or are you going to entertain yourself in there forever?”
She wondered what Josh thought of her minuscule terraced house. It was nothing compared to the castle, but Caroline had been overjoyed when her grandfather had left the former miner’s cottage to her in his will. With two small bedrooms and a bath upstairs, and just the kitchen and living room downstairs, you could have fit the whole house into the grand room at the castle.
Josh sauntered back into the kitchen, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the doorjamb.
“I don’t get it. When do you have time to read?” He pointed to the wall planner pinned above the kitchen table. “You’ve got meetings coming out of your ears. I don’t see how you can read that many books as well.”
“I’m a fast reader.” Plus she lived alone and didn’t have a social life. Sometimes she wished she didn’t have so much time to read.
Josh’s face fell when his attention turned back to the workbook. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Caroline placed her mug of tea on the table beside him and turned to get the cookies she’d been hiding in the back of the cupboard. She didn’t question the logic of trying to hide cookies from herself. After all, she clearly knew the hiding place.
As she stepped past Josh, an arm snaked out and wrapped around her waist. Caroline yelped as Josh pulled her against him.
“What are you doing?” Her voice quavered.
“Exactly what the minister intended. Getting to know you.”
She thought he sniffed her hair. Was that normal? “We need to fill in the book.”
“Later, baby. I’ve been around you for hours and I’ve been well behaved. Now my belly is full and my other needs are rearing their head.”
Caroline pushed at his arm, but she may as well have been trying to unhinge an anaconda. “Other needs?” She was almost afraid to ask.
“The need to be close to you,” he murmured against her hair. “The need to hold you. The need to breathe you in.”
“Let go of me.” She pushed to get away from him, but he held her fast.
“No way.”
She snarled at him. Wanting him to release her and hold her tighter all at the same time.
“You’re holding me against my will.”
“No, baby, I’m holding you against my body.”
He leaned over and gently nipped the curve where her neck met her shoulder. A shiver ran up her spine.
“You feel good. You smell good too,” he whispered against her skin. “What is that fragrance? I love it. It’s going to drive me crazy if you don’t tell me.” Josh ran his lips up to her ear.
Caroline was overwhelmed by sensations. His breath on her skin. His arms holding her tight. His body, so solid against hers.
“Caroline?”
She cleared her throat. “It’s soap. Dove soap.”
“Seriously?” He nuzzled in her hair behind her ear. “It can’t be soap, it must be you.”
He inhaled her deeply. “Yeah. It’s you. You smell like Christmas.” He buried his nose into her hair. Caroline wrapped her fingers around his arm, holding tight. “Do you taste like Christmas too?”
His voice sent vibrations racing through her body. And then his tongue trailed down from her ear to her shoulder. He playfully bit the muscle in the curve of her neck, and a little moan escaped her.
“I’m not sure we should be doing this. Maybe we should wait until after the wedding to…you know?”
His arms wrapped tight around her, and he pulled back from her to look her in the eyes. The twinkle in his eye was back. She was amusing him. Again.
“No, I don’t know. Explain it to me.”
His full lips curled into a slow, sexy smile. Caroline half expected a flash of sparkling light to twinkle off his teeth.