Page 55 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

Tori felt a little shiver of pleasure go through her.“I guess not.He kept coming around.”

“Yeah.I totally understand why.”His voice was even deeper now.

She watched him move closer, felt him slide his hand up her arm, over her shoulder, to the back of her head, and smelled the scent of his aftershave with a hint of champagne as he leaned in.

“So, none of that’s weird, Tori,” he said softly.“It’s all fucking loveable as hell.”

Then he kissed her.Sweetly.But hotly.She’d never realized how sexy a kiss that was all lips could be.No tongue, no wandering hands.Just lips.But there was something about it that made her feel desired in a way she’d never felt before.

And she wanted more.So much more.Not just the physical stuff.She wanted to tell Josh about Fergie and Frodo and Fiona, her triplet fainting goats.She wanted to see his eyes widen when he found out she’d had a sloth for a while.She wanted to know about his childhood too.Though she was ninety-nine percent sure that he’d been an outgoing, getting-dirty-in-the-bayou-whenever-possible kind of kid.

But she also wanted more of the physical stuff.Definitely.

Tori shifted, keeping their lips locked together, until she could slide into his lap.She straddled his thighs and soaked up the sound of his groan and the feel of his hands dropping to her hips.Not to move her off his lap, but to press her more firmly against his fly.

He was hard.Really hard.And big.And suddenly the warm feeling he’d caused by actually being interested in her animals turned into hot, licking flames.

She ran her hands up the sides of his neck and into his hair.She loved the way that made him groan too.She wanted to strip him down and rub her body all over him the way Webster did against the catnip-filled dolphin he hid from all the other animals.She hadn’t felt this for a guy in averylong time.

Finally he pulled back, breathing hard.

She stared down at him.

“Damn.You are so fucking sweet,” he told her, his voice gruff.

Tori smiled.“Thanks.”

“And I’m not sure how to feel about this, but all of that sweetness makes me want to see just how naughty I can make you.No matter how bad I’d feel the next day about debauching you.”

Debauching.Thatwas a great word.She wiggled on his lap.

His hands clamped down, keeping her from moving.

“I’m not as sweet as I seem,” she told him.

“No?”It was clear he didn’t believe her.

“I’ve punched a couple of guys.I ruined a girl’s prom dress with cow poop.I stole…some things one time.And I put my hands in unspeakable places and walk through crap—literally—on a daily basis.”

He laughed, almost as if surprised though.“Okay, but let me guess here.You punched the guys over some animals.You ruined the girl’s dress because of something with animals.And you stole food or something for animals.”

Ah, he was paying attention.She grinned.“Almost.The girl had a couple of dogs that had been together for three years, since they were puppies, and she sold one—justoneand split them up—so she could afford that dress.And the guys were brothers and their cat had kittens and their dad didn’t want them so he told the boys to take them out to the country and dump them.”

Josh’s fingers dug into her hips.“So you went after them and punched them and saved the cats?”

“I punched them in the parking lot after school,” she told him.“Then I went to their house and stole the kittens.”

“So those were the things you stole that one time?”His mouth was curving.

She nodded.

“Does it count as stealing if you take something they didn’t want in the first place?”

She laughed.“Hey, I’m trying to be a badass here so that you’ll debauch me.”

His eyes got hot instantly and his smile dropped.His expression was completely serious when he said, “I’m not sure anything could stop me from doing that.Except you saying no, of course.”

“There’s no way I’m going to say no,” she told him sincerely.

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