He yanked on her hand. She flew off the sofa to land in his lap.
Caroline felt relief from his answer buoy her spirits. She tried not to think too hard about the nausea she’d felt when she’d feared things would end between them.
“You would probably be better off with someone who is used to the whole celebrity thing.” She briefly wondered why she was trying to talk him out of his commitment.
“Probably”—he grinned wickedly—“but where’s the fun in that?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts. I’m done talking. Now we get to the good part about fighting.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “It’s time to make up.”
Before Caroline could utter a word of protest, not that she could think of any, Josh threaded his hand in the back of her hair and pulled her mouth to his. The touch of his lips against hers was perfect. His kiss was powerful and gentle at the same time. She opened her lips for him, moving closer into his embrace. His arms tightened around her and his kiss became more demanding. It felt like there was something more to it. It was as though all his worries about her were in the kiss. There was a desperation in his touch that melted her defences. He was telling her that he cared about her safety. That he cared about her. He was kissing her like she belonged to him. And it was wonderful.
Josh loved the way Caroline went molten in his arms. He ran his hands over her soft curves and tried to forget what could have happened to her. Tried to put thoughts of her being hurt out of his mind. She let out a tiny sigh of pleasure as his tongue languidly caressed hers. If anything had happened to her, he didn’t know what he would do. There would be no holding him back. There would be no need to worry about his career, because he would trample over it to get to the people who hurt his fiancée. It was all that mattered.
She was all the mattered.
Josh didn’t want to look too closely at what that meant. He didn’t want any more talking, examining, analysing. He only wanted to feel. To touch Caroline and to reassure himself that everything was fine. That she was fine.
He trailed his lips across her jaw and down the column of her throat. She moved her head to give him access. Her fingernails bit into his shoulders as she held on tightly. He doubted that she even knew she was marking him, but he loved the sensation. He gently bit the curve where her neck met her shoulder, and she moaned, pulling him closer to her.
“I need you.”
“Yes.” Her answer a shuddering whisper.
Josh ran his hand down her back to the edge of her pink dress and found the bare skin of her thigh. Her skin was like silk that rippled under his touch. His mouth moved back to hers as he trailed his hand along her thigh to the curve of her behind. Caroline pressed her breasts against his chest. She moaned into his mouth. Josh grasped her tighter. The dress had to go.
He reached for the zip at the back of her neck and tugged. Caroline pulled away from him. He stilled. One hand on the zip, another on the curve of her behind. Caroline’s breath was laboured. Her pulse was beating a tattoo at the bottom of her throat. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, drowsy with the same passion he felt. She placed a palm on each of his cheeks and stared into his eyes. Josh was afraid to move. Afraid to shatter the moment. He couldn’t name what he saw in her eyes as she looked at him. The depth of it made him feel awe. After the longest time, she nodded as though making a decision. An important decision. He held his breath. She smiled softly.
“Take me upstairs, Josh,” she whispered.
Josh felt something within him shift. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes briefly. Everything fell into place and nothing had ever felt more right.
He grasped her hips and placed her on her bare feet before him. He brushed her lips gently with his and then stroked his hand through her hair. Her hand folded into his. Without saying another word, Josh led her out of the living room and up the stairs to her bedroom.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
There was no doubt in Caroline’s mind that she had fallen in love with Josh McInnes. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but as she’d looked into his eyes, she’d known without a doubt that she had. She’d nodded to herself as she accepted the knowledge as truth. This man. Her man. She’d waited her whole life to love someone completely. And he was the one.
She watched his back muscles move as he led her up the stairs. His jeans clung to his backside, making her mouth water at the sight. She had never wanted anything more than to be in Josh’s arms. Than to belong to him completely.
As he gently led her through her open doorway to her bed, she expected to feel nervous. The sum of her experience with men was so small as to be negligible. But she didn
’t feel anxious or afraid. She felt sure. This was what she wanted. It was going to happen anyway—their wedding was days away and Josh had been clear that he wanted children. But it felt right to Caroline that she wasn’t going to make love to Josh because it was part of her agreement. She was doing it because she loved him.
“I kind of wish I’d left the door now. I keep expecting that any minute, someone will wander into your house and ruin this.” His smile was cheeky, but his gaze was hot and seductive. It made her quiver.
“You’re the only one with a key.”
He traced a finger down her cheek. “Are you sure about this? I can wait.” He paused. “If I have to.”
She smiled. Poor, suffering man. Yeah, right. “I’m sure. I want this.”
“Last chance to change your mind,” he teased.
“You can’t get out of it that easily.”
His eyes darkened with a passion that smouldered. “I don’t want out, baby.”