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“You could do it in your knickers,” she suggested with an innocent smile.

Josh and Kitty looked at each other. The corners of his mouth trembled to suppress laughter, and his eyes shone with amusement.Out of the mouths of babes and children.

Josh was unphased by the whole idea of Twister, apparently. As Ammy unboxed the game, Kitty couldn’t remember the plastic playing sheet being so small. Both she and Josh were tall. How the hell would they both fit on the mat?

Wendy had taken up a watchful residence on the sofa, and as the game started, all Kitty could do was hope that her knees didn’t give out. The first few spins were easy, but things unravelled when Amelia was on to the fourth.

“Left hand green,” she ordered.

Josh, who was in a squat with one hand behind him, had to put his other hand down and ended up in a crab-like tabletop pose. Standing far too close for comfort, Kitty couldn’t help but notice his T-shirt had ridden up, and his bronzed, toned stomach was on full display. Her mouth suddenly ran dry. Abs like his weren’t something she saw every day, and boy, where could she sign up for a subscription? Kitty was trying so hard not to stare that she forgot to take her turn.

“Come on!” said Ammy.

“Yes, sorry,” Kitty mumbled breathily, wishing her shorts weren’t quite so tiny. The only place she could put her hand down was on the other side of Josh, which meant she’d be bent double over him.

They were going to make a giant X-shape of awkwardness together, but there was nothing else for it. It was her turn, after all. Kitty moved her hand across and over Josh’s body, giving him way more space than was strictly necessary. Still, the heat of his skin radiated through her thin T-shirt, and their eyes met as she balanced above him. His were full of mischief.

“I’m pretty sure I saw this in the Kama Sutra,” he said.

“What’s that?” asked Ammy.

“It’s a puzzle book, especially for adults,” he replied.

The way his eyes bore into Kitty sent a tingle across her skin. Instead of the crippling embarrassment she felt, he acted like the situation was hilarious. All she could think about was how close their hips were, not to mention their…Stop it!She needed to focus on staying upright, not the proximity of his package.

“I believe you're blushing, Kitty,” Josh said, his eyes full of mischief.

“I’m not!” she said, with emphasis. “It’s all the blood rushing to my head! Please hurry and spin the wheel, Ammy. I might pass out if we stay like this.”

“Right hand red!” she shouted, her impish face grinning.

“Seriously?” said Josh. “That’s a physical impossibility.”

Aha!A chink of weakness in his superhuman Twister strength, perhaps. Maybe those abs couldn’t do the impossible.

“Ha! Maybe your experience with Kama Sutra puzzles will help,” Kitty said, one eyebrow raised in triumph.

She had the easiest choice. She only had to move one of her hands to the next dot. Josh needed to twist under her to make his turn, but Kitty’s entire upper body was in his way. He attempted to make the move three times, retreating to his starting position after each try.

“Come on, buddy, is that all you’ve got?” she said, sensing victory was near.

Josh narrowed his eyes and, with a look of determination, launched himself in a half twist underneath her, ending up on his back in a crumpled heap across the game board.

Kitty giggled. “I wish I could have seen that in slow motion,” she said, staring down at him with a grin of pure delight.

“My uncle normally wins. He’s strong, even if he has bendy legs.”

Kitty admired Josh’s arms as they lay above his head. His thick biceps escaped the sleeves of his T-shirt, and her tongue flicked out to wet her bottom lip. She wondered how his arms would feel wrapped around her.

“I told you I got his legs right,” Kitty said and was about to get up when Josh lifted his hands to the sides of her waist and tickled her.

Immediately, Kitty went down on top of him, screaming and cackling all the way. Her reaction to being tickled was a mix of horror and uncontrolled laughter. All the noise was too much for Wendy, and she launched off the sofa to check if they were okay, licking their faces and barking at the top of her lungs.

“Get her off!” Kitty screamed in laughter. “It’s disgusting!”

She tried in vain to push Wendy away and, in desperation, burrowed her face into Josh’s chest to escape the onslaught. His arms were around her in a moment, and their warm skin touched. His embrace was safe and strong, and a wave of goosebumps danced over her skin where his fingertips rested. While he shielded her from Wendy’s overzealous tongue, Kitty relaxed against him, enjoying the feel of his firm body under hers and the fresh scent of his hot skin. What she wouldn’t give to stay in his arms all night.

Josh commanded Wendy to back off, then lowered his head to whisper in Kitty’s ear.“Are you okay? She can get a bit overexcited.”