Clara approached. “You’ve known him a long time?”
Caroline nodded. “It feels like my whole life.”
“We’re all so happy. We figured if Jason could find someone, Josh should be able to. I give your sister a lot of credit for putting up with that one.”
Caroline had to think about what Clara had just said. “I’m sorry. Jason? He treats Meg like a princess.”
“And thank goodness for your sister. That boy always had some attitude. He’s so much more grounded since Meg came into his life.” Clara leaned in and whispered. “I mean no disrespect, of course, but you won’t have that problem with Josh. He’s such a good man.”
Caroline’s brain started processing everything Clara was telling her and the picture that had been painted of Josh all these years was making less and less sense.
“If I had a daughter,” Clara continued, “I’d want her to marry a man like him.”
“How has Josh been getting along with his father? They seem to have plenty of differences.”
Looking around, Clara made sure the coast was clear and then went on. Caroline felt like she’d hit the information lottery. “Mr. Campbell senior is impossible. Josh works so hard, and his father screws things up all the time. Josh is at his breaking point. It all came to a head when Mr. and Mrs. Campbell went after the little girl. You should have heard some of the fights here. The walls shook.”
Didn’t that figure?
Sometimes her sister could be such a moron. Apparently, she had an ally in Josh, and she never saw it. She still didn’t. What made Caroline happiest was that after all this time, she’d learned she’d been right about Josh all along. He was a good man. A very good man. Now all she wanted to do was keep him.
Quiet settled between her and Clara, and it wasn’t just a lull in the conversation; it was an understanding that was cemented when the two women locked eyes.
“Clara, are you telling her stories about me?”
Josh’s booming baritone filled the room and Clara smacked his arm as she went back to her desk and took her purse from the drawer. “I told her you’re a brat and that she should watch out for you.”
The exchange between them was lovely—bordering on sweet, but definitely crossing over into affectionate. They were a beautiful group of women all right, and she could see why Josh loved them.
He crossed to her and Caroline took in the whole package, all while her heart picked up speed. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, but his light blue dress shirt was crisp and his tan silk tie had a small, intricate pattern.
“Hi, I’m sorry I kept you waiting.” Leaning in, Josh kissed her on the lips.
“It’s fine. Clara and I got to know each other.”
He nodded and kissed her again. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Clara chuckled and patted his back. “I like her,” she said to him. “Don’t mess it up.”
Once Clara disappeared down the hall and the other two assistants followed, they were completely alone. That’s when Josh pulled her in and kissed her for real. Light exploded behind her eyes, and a warmth spread out from her belly to every part of her.
This was magic and Caroline never wanted it to end. She hadn’t ever been more sure that she was in love with him. She didn’t know if it was new, something that had developed recently, or her old feelings welling up and taking hold, but there was no doubt in her mind that this was it for her. He was her soulmate. Her love. And she had to find a way to help him believe she was for him as well.
Stepping back, Josh looked her up and down and then pulled her back in, while his hand skimmed over the silky fabric of her dress but his eyes settled on her sexy high heels. “I thought it was easier to kiss you. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. I, ah, I don’t usually wear heels, but...”
“I love them. Makes me hot.”
“Everything makes you hot,” Caroline said jokingly.
“That’s not true,” he said as he dragged her into the office. “Everything about
you
makes me hot.”
There was nothing on this Earth that could have squashed her mood at that second. Yeah, he was talking about sex, but it was all about sex with her. He didn’t want anyone else, just her. Somewhere inside her the nerve bubbled up and she let her fingers run over his hard chest. “Is that so?”
His hands were still caressing her waist, filling Caroline with the most delicious need. “Poor Josh, I didn’t realize I tortured you so.”
The heat between them was kicking up and Josh had no trouble playing along. Dropping his head, he hovered over her lips, and Caroline just waited for him to travel one more inch before claiming her mouth.
She wanted him. Wanted him so bad her insides were burning. “Are you going to kiss me?”
“If I do, that won’t be the only thing I do.” They were both breathing hard, at the edge of their control. The heat between them was wild.
“I was counting on that.”
His mouth took hers in a kiss that was almost punishing. But it wasn’t only the kiss that had her back against his office door, his hands under her dress ripping away her thong. It was need. Pure and simple need. “Caroline, this is crazy, it’s crazy.”
“I know, but don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
He didn’t. He kissed her again and this time she felt the brush of his fingers over her thighs. He was teasing her, deliciously, and the wetness between her legs was giving away just how much she wanted him. “What do I do?” she asked. “What do I have to do?” Without waiting for an answer, she reached for him, started undoing his belt, released the clasp at his waist, and opened his fly. Her hands slipped inside his briefs and her big, strong man moaned.
“Caroline, this is dangerous...”
“I want you,” she said. “Now.”
“I don’t have any protection.”
“You’re such a Boy Scout,” she said. She rose higher and nipped his lip while her hands stroked his erection. It was hard, unbelievably hard. It made her wonder what he tasted like, how it would feel to take him like that, but Caroline put the thought out of her head because she didn’t have that much nerve. Not yet, anyway.
“We shouldn’t take chances.”
He was being responsible and she had to appreciate that, but he didn’t always have to be the one who was prepared. “Would you be okay if I was on the pill?”
He stopped, froze, and gazed in her eyes. “You’re on the pill?”
“Uh-huh.”
“For how long?”
“A while.”
“Okay, that’s good. Really good.”
“Will you make love to me now?”
He didn’t answer her, but he did kiss her again, teasing and tasting with his tongue. Sending her mind to a floaty place where all she wanted was to feel him. She wanted to feel him everywhere.
He reached around under her dress and grabbed each of her ass cheeks with his big hands. Then he lifted her up. “Put your legs around me.”
Caroline did what she was told, wrapping her legs around his hips, hanging onto his broad shoulders. Josh kept his eyes on hers, and in his own way he was telling her this was okay.
And it was okay because she was with him and she loved him, loved everything about him.
It didn’t take long for him to find his way inside her and with his strong body supporting her, Caroline felt heaven as he moved inside her. This was so much more than physical, and she suspected, based on Josh’s reactions, that he knew it too.
“It’s too much, Caroline. I want you too much.”
“It’s not too much.” He kept driving into her and at the same time she kissed his face, reassuring him, loving him, even though she couldn’t tell him.
“I want you all the time. I think about you all the time.”
“Oh, Josh.” Caroline felt the ache at her center spread everywhere. The threatened burst wouldn’t be just physical; it would be emotional, too. Her heart was too full and she didn’t know how to contain all she felt for him.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.” She knew he would. She knew he would leave and Caroline would never recover from losing him. Ever.
She held on tighter as her body released. “Oh, oh...” she whispered against his ear, wondering when the waves of sensations would stop. Wishing they wouldn’t.
“That’s my girl,” he said into her hair as he surged into her, picking up his pace and forcing her into a frenzy once again. Josh moved with all the power and grace she’d come to know, but with more desperation, more at stake.
When he came, the burst of warmth that filled her was beyond any intimacy they’d shared. Maybe it was because they were both more involved, more invested, but it made her feel closer to him and she sensed he felt the same. There was something different about this time. She understood why they had to be safe, but as she did one other time, Caroline thought about a child. About having a baby. About having Josh’s baby.
“Pick up your skirt and hold it. It’s going to be a little messy.”
“Okay.” She did what he asked and let him lower her to the floor, tottering on her high heels as she continued to hold her skirt and watch Josh grab for the closest box of tissues.
They were both kind of a mess. He looked at her and drew a breath.
“What?” He was staring at her and she couldn’t figure out what the look on his face was all about.
“You have no idea how hot you look with your skirt hiked up, your high heels, the thigh-high stockings and no underwear. I’d make love to you again if I didn’t feel so bad about the first time.”
“Why do you feel bad?”
He took her by the hand and led her to the bathroom off his office and they both cleaned up. He didn’t say anything and Caroline wished he would just answer her question.
He zipped his trousers and stuffed his hands into the pockets. “I was too rough with you.”
“No, you weren’t. Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Caroline, I took you against the door of my office. I shouldn’t have done that. You deserve better.”
Caroline finished pulling herself together and went to him. Going up on her toes, she brushed a kiss against his lips. “I loved it. It was reckless and crazy and I love that I can get you that hot. We’ve been through this.”
“You do. No doubt about it. Still...”
“Stop apologizing. If something isn’t okay, I’ll tell you, but with you...” She ran a hand over his cheek. “With you, I want everything.”
Both of them froze for a moment, realizing how Caroline’s words came out, realizing that she’d pretty much admitted her feelings for him.
What had she done?
Josh, to his credit, didn’t dismiss what she said. “I should take more care with you. I just should.”
There was no arguing with him, and there were so many other things between them that this wasn’t worth even the tiniest disagreement.
“I’ve been such an idiot,” she said.
“Why?” He stepped to her and took her hands in his.
“For ever listening to my sister. For thinking you were anyone but who you are.”
Caroline knew she was lost when Josh kissed her lips lightly. “If I am anything more than my reputation, it’s because you bring out the best in me. It’s all you.”
***
In the car on the way to his apartment, Josh was still replaying the wild sex he’d had with Caroline in his office. It was beyond being just great sex. The emotional reaction he was having to her hit him square in the chest. Being with her wasn’t filling just a physical need; it was just filling him. Every damn part of him wanted her and Josh knew he was falling in love.
And for the first time in his adult life he didn’t think he wanted to stop it. He felt like he was part of something special. Caroline was so sweet, so smart, so beautiful, that when he realized she might have feelings for him, it was beyond what he thought he deserved.
His family relationships aside, Josh didn’t know if he could do this without hurting Caroline, and that was the very last thing he wanted.
But he wasn’t about to give her up, either.
She was tucked into the crook of his arm in the back of the car while they sat, unable to move in downtown traffic. The tulips he’d left her were in her lap, and she was fingering one of the blooms and staring off into space.
“What’s on your mind? Work?”
“Yes. Lately it’s all I think about.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I...” She stopped suddenly and turned to him, a look of what seemed to be panic washing across her face. “Oh, my God. I can’t believe I didn’t tell you.”
Caroline covered her mouth, her eyes wide, and she took a deep breath before she spoke. She seemed almost overcome. So much so that he was getting worried.
“Tell me what?” Shit, this was bad. He just knew it. “Caroline?”
“I got a call today.”
“A call?”
“I didn’t say anything, but a few weeks ago, I put out some feelers with friends of mine about job prospects.”
“Yeah, you neglected to tell me that.”
She was smiling now. Smiling big. “I didn’t know if anything would come of it, but I had an interview last week with this gigantic structural engineering firm.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” This was a huge step for her and he couldn’t help but feel proud. “So, what happened?”
“Well, ahhh, I got the job.”
“You did?” He planted a kiss on her lips. Then another. “That’s amazing. You’re amazing.”
“It’s a promotion, more money, better perks... better everything.”
Josh wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her in. “I wish you’d called me the minute you got off the phone! This is incredible. When do you start?”
“In a month. I knew you were busy, today with the new investor. As it is I feel bad we didn’t go over the site plan.”
Josh kissed the top of her head, something that was becoming an affectionate habit, and eased back just a bit to look in her eyes. “This is great news, and I am never too busy for great news. Or you. I have the data regarding the plan in my briefcase, if you feel like going over it later. If not... ” He nipped at her ear. “We can just celebrate.”
“Oh, I like that idea. You’re so smart.”
Josh pulled her closer. “We do okay together, don’t we?”
Caroline’s head dropped against his chest. “This has been the best day.” She looked up and her eyes seemed liquid now, swimming with emotion, and all he wanted was to make her happy.