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her made the blood bubble through her veins like champagne. Russ’s car was only a few steps away, and Carly felt reluctant to leave the evening behind. She sighed.
    “Tired?” he asked.
    She shrugged.
    “It was nice of you to help Janet with the twins.”
    “They’re cute. Robbie’s got dimples.” She looked up at Russ. The streetlight was broken, so his face was all hard planes and shadows. She touched his cheek.
    Her feather-light touch stopped him in his tracks.
    “Did you ever have dimples, Russ?” Carly asked and frowned. “I can’t remember.”
    Thirsty for her touch, he shook his head. “No, but you did,” he whispered.
    “Not anymore,” Carly whispered back.
    Her eyes were as blue-black as the night, and she was looking at him in a womanly wanting way. He turned her in his arms, slightly, slowly, wondering if and when she’d pull away. To his surprise, she moved closer. Her fragrance wove its way around his mind, stealing his sense. Her breasts were one deep breath away from his chest. It would only take one step to feel her legs brushing against his tensed and waiting thighs.
    Her lids lowered, hiding her eyes from his. Still her hand remained soft and caressing on his cheek.
    “Russ, I don’t really care whether you had dimples or not. I just wanted an excuse to touch you,” Carly said in a voice so low, he almost couldn’t hear her.
    His heart turned over. He took a deep breath, and she closed the miniscule gap between them.
    “Know what I wish now?”
    “What?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet, not wanting to disturb the magic of her closeness.
    Carly looked up at him then and moved her hand behind his neck. The gesture was unmistakable. She pulled his head gently toward hers.
    “I wish I knew what your mouth felt like,” she said in a husky voice.
    His heart somersaulted, and his blood roared in his ears. He’d always considered himself a man with superior self-control, but when she tentatively touched her lips to his, he lost it all.
    His hands clenched around her forearms. There would be bruises tomorrow. He took her supple mouth with the passion of a man who’d waited too long. He thrust his tongue past her parted lips, wanting to possess her body, mind, and soul with the kiss.
    When she gave a soft little moan, he checked himself and gentled, letting her explore. With a mix of excruciating pain and pleasure, he responded to her sweet probes, molding her body to his. She pushed her fingers through his hair.
    He ran his restless hands up and down that sanity-robbing dress of hers, stopping just short of her breasts. When she rubbed against him, he groaned and gave up on restraint and felt the shape of one plump breast in his hand.
    “Oh,” Carly murmured against his open mouth. She edged her lips away, gasping for air. Her body hummed as if she’d been caught in an electrical storm. Still stroking her peaked breast, he kissed her neck and bare shoulder.
    “You could push a man straight over the edge,” he muttered.
    She could feel his hardness pressing against her. She could hear the desire in his voice. The knowledge made her blood pool low in her abdomen.
    His breathing harsh and unsteady, Russ slipped his hand to her back. He pulled her to him, as close as they could get, clothed, under the mayor’s broken streetlight.
    They stood that way for several moments until finally sanity returned. With reluctance and care, he separated their bodies and looked into her dazed eyes. “Well, did you get your wish?”
    He watched Carly’s gaze fall to his mouth. He felt the burning begin again and shook his head. If he kissed her again, he’d have a hard time not ripping that little dress off. Somehow, he managed to unlock the car and help her into it.
    With jerky movements, he started the car and put it into gear.
    “Russ,” Carly began, “know what I wish now?”
    A strangled laugh bubbled from his throat. “Carly.”
    “What?”
    “Shut up.”
    She did.
    Russ spent the rest