The kiss was perfect, a promise of love that would never wane between us. It was the realization of the dream we’d both fought for, from the moments I’d watched him in high school, through the stolen glances in college, the touches, the way we sent each other up in flames at the first rush of desire.

Then he changed pace, consuming my mouth with the plunge of his tongue, each stroke setting a fire between us. His pads dug into my breasts as he pulled me closer. I relaxed as he lifted me gently, trusting his balance on skates. My fingers dusted over the sweat-soaked strands of his hair, and I didn’t mind. Hell, I wouldn’t have had it any other way, not when we were right where it all started.

“We’d better get out of here before we melt the ice,” I whispered against his lips.

Josh laughed, twirling me so quickly my head spun. No matter what the next year brought, we had this perfect moment to fall back on.

I was going to spend the rest of my life loving Josh Walker, because despite every obstacle that had been thrown in our path, we were making it. I was going to be his wife.

“Turn left here,” I mumbled, looking down at the map on my cell phone, more than a little distracted by the way the diamond on my hand reflected the sunlight from the window. Engaged! “That should get us to—” I looked up when Josh turned right. “Uhh, babe? Left.”

“The hotel is right.”

“Indeed it is, but there’s a really cute café I thought you might like for dinner.”

“I have other plans,” he said, his entire focus on the road as he passed the car in front of us.

“Which include?” I asked as he slid between two cars to turn right into our hotel parking lot.

“Room service.” He put the Jeep into park and reached for my seat belt in one smooth motion as he unclicked his own. Josh was kissing me before the belt had time to zip back into the door. His mouth demanded my immediate surrender, and I more than gladly gave it as he pulled me toward him.

My fingers bunched the soft material of his shirt as sparks of desire flared, igniting the fire that had been banked while leaving the rink. His grip on my waist tightened as he deepened the kiss, and I leaned across the console, thankful that it kept me from straddling him in the front seat.

I slid my hands under his beanie to feel the gentle scrape of his newly cut hair against my palms as our mouths melded. He groaned when I rubbed my tongue along his, and the sound cued my already fired-up sex drive that it was go-for-launch. His hand slipped under my shirt, stroking the skin along my rib cage until he palmed one of my breasts with a gentle squeeze.

Then I was the one groaning.

His breath caught, and he ripped his mouth from mine. “Upstairs. Now.”

I scrambled out of the Jeep, and he met me in front, grasping my hand. He intertwined our fingers, and even the small motions of his thumb against my palm sent pulses of want from my fingers to my stomach.

Josh’s face was tight as we walked through the lobby to the elevator. He jabbed the call button and then stared straight ahead at the doors. The only sign I had that he still knew I was here was the constant movement of that thumb against my skin, caressing me with small circles.

With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and we backed up to let the occupants out. Then we walked in, and the doors shut behind us after Josh pushed the button to our floor. He turned, pressing me into the corner of the elevator, the look in his eyes hot enough to take my breath in a rush. His mouth met mine, open and needy, and I forgot that there were probably security cameras, and guards watching them, or hell, that there was even a world outside this elevator.

I had Josh against me from breast to thigh, setting fire to each of my nerve endings as his hands moved to my rear and lifted me into him—what more could exist? Holy. Shit. He was hard against me. One of my legs lifted around his waist, and he pressed his hips against mine, rocking subtly against the inseam of my jeans.

The doors dinged behind us. Josh dropped my leg and broke our kiss. I sucked air into my lungs and stepped to the side as a couple of middle-aged women entered, then moved in front of Josh to shield him from their cursory gazes. Their arched eyebrows and quickly shared glance said they clearly knew what we’d been doing.

“We’re engaged,” Josh said in an all-too-happy voice.

I slowly looked at him, my mouth dropped slightly. We got caught making out in an elevator, and his response was to tell them our marital status?

“Congratulations,” one of the ladies said, stifling a laugh before they both turned around and began discussing their plans for the evening.

Yeah, this wasn’t mortifying. Not in the least.

They chose their floor and the elevator started to carry us up. Undeterred by our company, Josh took hold of my hips and pulled me back against him, then set his lips to the side of my neck in a soundless, openmouthed kiss. I barely held in a moan when he scraped his teeth over my skin, licking away the sting.

The ladies stood ahead of us, lost in conversation, as his mouth moved up to my ear, only to run his tongue along the shell. “I can’t wait to get you naked,” he whispered so quietly I barely heard him. A shiver ran down my spine. “Then I’m going to lick a path from your neck to your breasts, down to your stomach, until I reach that perfect, pink—”

The elevator dinged and the women stepped out, the doors closing behind them.

I turned into Josh’s kiss, biting his lower lip gently. “You’re killing me.”

He slowly shook his head. “Not yet.”