Goody Two Shoes (Invertary Book 2) by janet elizabeth henderson

door, Caroline confronted Josh. “This wedding is your idea. You need to be more involved. I have a lot on my plate right now, what with the community centre, the committees I’m involved with and the restoration of the castle. You need to pull your weight.”
    Josh scratched his head as though the idea of planning a wedding was a bewildering one. “I thought women dreamed about this sort of thing. Don’t you have a plan somewhere? A list of stuff you want at your wedding? Don’t you have a scrapbook?”
    “You’ve been watching too many romantic comedies. I haven’t spared a thought about getting married since I was nine, and back then my fantasy wedding involved riding on a unicorn and having a bubble machine at the ceremony.”
    “We can do the bubbles, but the unicorn might be hard.”
    “You’re not taking this seriously.” She folded her arms. “I’m beginning to think that you don’t take anything seriously. Do you have any idea how maddening that is? We have less than three weeks to organise a wedding. People need to be invited. Accommodation needs to be sorted. Where will two hundred guests stay? Have you thought about that? Would your Hollywood friends like to spend the night in the local B&B? I need to find a dress. I don’t even know where to look for a dress. Then there’s registering for gifts. Where would we do that? Here? America? Do we even want gifts? Not to mention the other little things that need to be sorted, like the ceremony, the best man, maid of honour, rings. There isn’t enough time to do everything and I have no idea how you expect this wedding to go.”
    Josh took a step towards her, crowding her space. “You’re really cute when you’re panicking.”
    “I am not panicking. I’m trying to organise a wedding. A wedding you have to help with—”
    Before she could continue her lecture, she saw a flicker of desire in his eyes. He moved towards her like a cat on the prowl. Without thinking, Caroline stepped back and felt the wall behind her.
    “We need to sort this out.” She was ashamed of the tremor in her voice. “I’m serious here.”
    “I know.” Josh closed the distance between them. “You spend far too much time being serious.”
    Caroline grew anxious as he put his hand on the wall beside her head. “What are you doing?”
    His free hand cupped her cheek. Far too gently for a man who towered over her, making her feel small at five foot six.
    “I don’t know you well enough for this.” Caroline’s breathless words were at odds with the nervous flutter in her stomach.
    His impossibly blue eyes smiled at her. “About time you did, then.” His words were a breath on her lips.
    “Did what?” Caroline’s voice was a whisper.
    He smiled a slow, knowing smile. “Get to know me, of course.”
    And then his lips were on hers.

CHAPTER SIX
     
    Fireworks went off in Josh’s head. He was pretty sure it was his synapses frying from the sensation of Caroline’s lips on his. She tasted exactly how he’d imagined her to taste. Like peach cobbler and something else. Something uniquely Caroline.
    He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips and felt, rather than heard, a gasp escape her. He gently bit at her bottom lip, and her rigid posture crumbled. Josh moved the hand he’d placed on the wall down to the small of her back. He sucked on her bottom lip. Slow. Gentle. Caroline trembled. She tentatively grasped the cotton of his T-shirt above his heart.
    “Yum,” Josh murmured against her lips.
    He leaned back to look at her, holding her tightly lest she escape. Heavy eyelids blinked open as she turned her face up him. What he saw made his breath stutter. Gone was the woman who delighted in ruling the universe. She’d been replaced by someone softer. Someone more vulnerable. Someone who knew desire. And that desire was directed at him. Before she could wake from her daze entirely, he captured her mouth again.
    He clasped the back of her head. Gently, but firmly