Molly nodded, so she said her goodbyes and they left. She zipped up her coat, happy to slide into Carter’s truck so she could turn on the butt warmers once he fired up the engine.

“It’s cold,” she said. “And it sure feels like it could snow.”

“Yeah. Let’s hope it holds off until after the parade on Saturday.”

She was looking forward to seeing snow, but she understood it could potentially mess up the roads—and the parade, which she was also looking forward to seeing. Being a part of the town square project had been so much fun. She was excited to see it open, to hear and see people’s reactions to it.

As she sat there musing about the parade and the town square, she realized that Carter wasn’t going in the direction of her house, but taking her to his.

“Kidnapping me?” she asked as he turned down his street.

“Yes. Got a problem with that?”

“No.” They hadn’t had a moment alone in a while. She was more than ready to be kidnapped.

He pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. “You’re spending the night, unless you have a strong objection.”

“Why don’t you quit talking about it and take me inside? It’s already getting cold out here.”

He shot her a look that was pure sexual desire. “You’re the one talking.”

She opened the door and slid out of the truck. They hurried inside and Carter punched the button to shut the garage door. Molly dropped her purse on the dining room table, peeled off her coat and threw it on the chair, then started down the hall toward the bedroom.

Carter caught her halfway, pinning her against the wall.

His mouth was on hers before she could catch her breath.

This was what she’d wanted, what she’d thought about every day since that night he’d laid a hot kiss on her in his car. She buried her fingers in his hair and moaned against his lips, taking as much as he gave.

His hands slid under her shirt—cold fingers, but she didn’t care, since her body flamed hot with desire. And when he cupped her butt and squeezed, angling her body so she could feel exactly how much he wanted her, all she could do was rub against him, anxious energy sizzling through her.

He lifted her shirt off, then popped the clasp on her bra, filling his hands with her breasts. His mouth soon followed, and she felt the frenzy of desire, the need to touch his skin with her hands and her mouth. She unbuckled his belt, drew his zipper down, shoving at his jeans to draw them over his hips.

She slid her fingers inside his boxers and wrapped them around his cock, loving the sound of his groan.

“I’ve thought about this every night since I put you on my lap in the car,” he said, mirroring her thoughts.

“Me, too. I want this, Carter. I want you.”

He kissed his way from her breasts to her neck, taking a moment to run his tongue over her throat before taking her mouth again.

Heady passion had her in its grasp, a roller coaster of fevered need. Carter drew her up and carried her the few remaining steps into the bedroom, dumping her none too gently on the bed.

She didn’t want gentle. She wanted him.

She kicked off her shoes while he wrestled with the zipper of her jeans, then drew them down her legs. They shed the rest of their clothes and he grabbed a condom, then climbed on to the bed, spread her legs and slid into her, making her cry out from the delicious pleasure.

As he moved within her, he slowed, his gaze meeting hers in a moment of pure tenderness that nearly broke her. She lifted, wanting the raw passion, the animalistic, mindless need, not this heartbreaking emotion that nearly tore her in two.

She closed her eyes, letting the physical sensations carry her away.

But Carter wouldn’t allow it.

“Molly. Look at me.”

She ignored him for a few seconds, but his movements made her gasp.

“Molly.”

She opened her eyes, and it was like drowning in a sea of mesmerizing green.

She was lost, physically and emotionally, and she had no hopes of keeping herself away from him. Not when he was inside her, moving within her, knowing her body as he did. His fingers laced with hers, and he took her right where she needed to go, his eyes never leaving hers as they both came with a fury that made any control she’d hoped to hang on to explode in a million tiny pieces.

And still, he held on to her, as if he was trying to communicate his thoughts, his emotions, without words.

But she couldn’t listen. Maybe she didn’t want to acknowledge that it was possible he felt something deeper than just this amazing physical force that drew them both together. She focused on the ever-consuming waves of her orgasm, the physicality of it all, the pure thrill of how this man owned her body so completely.

It was all she could allow. Anything else would be devastating to her heart, and she wasn’t ready for that yet.

She might never be.

After, he kissed her neck, rolled to the side, allowing them both to catch their breath. Carter left the bed for a moment, then came back, pulling her against him. She laid her head on his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.

“Give me ten minutes, then we’re going for round two.”

She lifted her head to stare up at him. “Is there a prerequisite number of times we’re doing it tonight?”

He grinned. “Yeah. Until I pass out or can’t get it up anymore. We haven’t had a lot of time together lately, and I’ve missed you.”

She laughed. “I’ve missed you, too. And tomorrow’s a workday.”