He grinned. “Concealed weapon.”
A snort escaped her. “Don’t give the press any ideas. I’d better jump in the bath.”
Josh rose from the bed and intercepted her before she’d taken two steps. “One kiss.”
She stared, sensed the tension riding him, and knew,just knew, letting him kiss her was a bad idea. But she craved his touch, wanted to feel a proper kiss rather than one of his quick pecks meant to solidify their pretense. Instead of replying, she continued to stare at him, fighting an inner struggle.
His callused hands curved over her shoulders, the rough spots on his palms and fingers eliciting a shiver. His gaze dropped to her lips, and he slowly lowered his head. At any time, she could’ve stopped him, should’ve stopped him. She didn’t. His mouth brushed hers, firm and competent. Hot and decadent. The intimate caress teased a moan from her, and he drew her closer, his hands slipping to her hips and pressing her nearer until she felt the solid ridge of his erection. Heat whooshed through her, and her mind hazed, her thoughts narrowing to the man who held her.
Big. Strong. He focused on her mouth and detonated her barriers. Instead of clear-sighted thought, a picture of them moving to the bed formed in her mind. Her hands roved his back, but she gained the merest impression of his musculature.
Too many clothes.
Skin. She needed to run her fingers over his torso, to experience the give of his muscles, and that wasn’t happening. Ashley struggled to move, to get her hands on that real estate.
Josh nipped her lip, and when she opened her mouth to protest, he slid his tongue against hers.
Oh.Oh!
That was better.
She stopped fighting and relaxed to enjoy herself. He pulled away, and with a moan of protest, she followed him, mashing their lips together with far less expertise than him. Not that Josh laughed. He gave a groan of his own and sank into a kiss again. His fingers kneaded the cheeks of her arse and not an inch of space separated their lower bodies.
Yes! Oh, this was so, so good.
Much better than the lukewarm, fumbling sex she’d experienced at university.
A foreign sound intruded.
Josh tensed then parted their mouths and pressed his forehead against hers. “Damn.” He pushed away from her. “Yeah, what is it?”
“There’s a woman and a kid here. She says she’s your sister,” Nelson called through the door.
“Summer? Thanks. I’ll be there in a sec,” Josh replied.
Ashley wanted to cry, but perhaps the timely interruption was a wake-up call. He was a soldier—ex-soldier—and she was a prime minister in waiting. At least, she hoped this office lay in her future.
“You’d better bathe and get ready for your next gig. Do I break out the suit?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Bother. She’d already liked Josh, and now she’d discovered the man had lots of sensual skills in his arsenal. Perhaps she should listen to Matt and buckle down to concentrate on the campaign. Men weren’t to be trusted—not in the romantic sense when she had so much to lose.
Without a word, she turned away to gather clean underwear and prepare for her evening.
Josh straightened his button-down shirt and left the bedroom, closing the door after him. In the kitchen, he nodded to Nelson. “Where is she?”
“I made her wait outside in her vehicle.”
Josh grinned. “I bet that went well.”
“Do you have a sister?”
“Yes, younger than me. She’s married to a military man, and they have one boy. Can Summer come inside once I verify she is my sister?”
“She can,” Nelson said.
Josh strode to the rear door and peeked through a crack. He spotted Summer leaning against the car, impatience etched into her frown.
When she saw him, she straightened and placed her hands on her hips. “You kept me waiting long enough.”
