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“Write? Write what?”
“Novels. Romances, in particular.”
He sat back and considered her and when his mouth turned up at the corners, she expected the jab. There was always a jab.You write porn? Oh, you write that? You don’t want to write a real book?Caroline had heard them all, and it was because of reactions like those that she rarely told anyone what she did. She was a member of her local romance writers’ group, went to conferences and took classes, but the only person who knew she was seriously trying to get published was her roommate. Her family had put the idea down so many times she’d stopped talking about it. Now she’d told Josh and she waited for his first dig.
“That’s awesome,” he said.
Wait. What?“Excuse me?”
“I said it’s awesome. I can’t even imagine writing a book.” He stood suddenly and left the room. When he came back a few minutes later he was carrying the second bottle of wine. Caroline was still stunned at his reaction and didn’t say anything when he filled her wine glass. “That’s amazing. Why are you an engineer? Shouldn’t you have gone to journalism school or become a college professor or something, so you could write?”
“Like I said, I was good at math and science. My mother wanted me to have a secure profession and I always do what I’m told.”
Good God, she was confessing to Josh. She’d had too much wine, was probably a little drunk on his presence alone, and now she was telling him her family woes. She needed to shut up.
Yet, she kept talking.
“It was hard to go against anything my mom wanted after Dad died.”
“But you can do both, right? You have been. Have you finished a book yet? I think it’s great.”
“They don’t understand. They call it my hobby.” She looked around and found a box of tissues on the table behind the sofa and she turned and grabbed the whole thing. She pulled one out of the leather-covered box and blew her nose. She was drunk. Her nose was running and her eyes had filled with tears. “It’s not just a hobby.”
Josh reached over and pulled her into the crook of his arm. This night was getting better and better. “Families can suck,” he said. “No matter what I do someone is pissed at me. So, I stopped worrying about what other people thought, and did what I thought was right.”
“It’s good in theory, but I don’t know...”
“Come on. Let’s finish the wine, and watch the movie.”
“I’ve already had too much. I can’t hold my alcohol. Two glasses is my limit.”
“How many have you had?”
“Four. And a half.”
He laughed and refilled her glass. “This should be interesting.”
* * *
Josh pressedthe heel of his hand to his forehead. How much wine had he drunk? How long had he been asleep? Checking out the table, he saw the empty pizza box, the tin that held the garlic knots and a completely empty bottle of wine and a second one that was almost there. Considering he was still buzzed, the answer to the wine question was too much. The clock on the fireplace mantle told him the rest. It was almost eleven o’clock and to his right, on her side and curled up with a throw pillow, Caroline was fast asleep.
Her glasses were on the couch next to her and she made a breathy little noise every time she exhaled. Josh did not know what to make of this girl. Growing up, she was always following Meg around. Caroline might have been five when the Rossi family took up residence in the estate manager’s house, but he never really knew her. She was never on his radar.
Now she was on his couch, and when he leaned in he caught a whiff of her scent again. That vanilla and cinnamon smell that made him think of cookies. Warm cookies.
Josh crouched on the floor next to her and placed a hand on her knee. Caroline’s black tights were soft and smooth and as he moved his fingers lightly over the fabric, she stirred, her eyes fluttering open. His blood seemed to hum the minute those gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes blinked at him. Damn.
She was still sleepy, still coming out of the food coma he’d fallen into himself. But unlike him, she didn’t seem concerned about where she was or the time. Josh never expected Caroline’s hand to reach out and stroke his cheek, but when it did, when her gentle touch made his heart beat faster, Josh sensed he was in trouble.
“I like this dream,” she said.Dream?
“Caroline…”
“You’re talking in this one. You’ve never talked before.” Her voice was thick and sweet and she obviously thought she was dreaming. About him.
Wow.
“I don’t talk?” He shouldn’t play with her like this, but he couldn’t resist. He kind of felt like he had to be careful. Wouldn’t it be like waking a sleepwalker?
