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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 so” 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’” 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 ainst hers was perfect His kiss was powerful and gentle at the sa closer into his ehtened around her and his kiss beca h all his worries about her were in the kiss There was a desperation in his touch thather that he cared about her safety That he cared about her He was kissing her like she belonged to him And it onderful

Josh loved the way Caroline went molten in his aret what could have happened to her Tried to put thoughts of her being hurt out of his uidly caressed hers If anything had happened to her, he didn’t knohat he would do There would be no holding him back There would be no need to worry about his career, because he would traet 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 thatHe only wanted to feel To touch Caroline and to reassure hi was fine That she was fine

He trailed his lips across her jaw and down the coluive hiernails bit into his shoulders as she held on tightly He doubted that she even knew she was ently bit the curve where her neckhim 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 h to the curve of her behind Caroline pressed her breasts against his chest She hter 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, droith 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 hiest ti a decision An important decision He held his breath She smiled softly