“There was no stipulation about where those kisses would take place.”
She frowned. “You mean like in a ballroom? What’s wrong with here?”
He sent her a pitying look. “I don’t mean geographically. I mean physically. As in, ‘where on your body?’”
Harriet’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Where on mybody?” she repeated hoarsely.
Morgan’s eyes were bright with amusement, and something else, something hotter she was afraid to identify.
He nodded. “Three kisses on the lips isn’t much of a prize. Not when there are so many other, more interesting places I could put my mouth.”
“But—I—” Harriet could barely form a coherent thought. Her heart rate seemed to have tripled.
Where else was he thinking of kissing her?
Damn it all.When she’d conceived of this bet, she’d done so with the delightful expectation of kissing Morgan on thelips. She was desperate to know how his mouth would feel against her own. But now she might never get the experience. She wanted to punch him, the perverse creature.
“Can’t youstartwith my mouth?” she managed. “For the first one?”
His gaze dropped to her lips, as if he was considering the idea, and she bit the lower one in nervous response. He expelled an audible breath that sounded suspiciously like a groan.
“No, I’m afraid not. That would be too easy.”
“So where—? When—?”
His expression turned wicked. “I’m not going totellyou. It will be a surprise. Anticipation is half the fun in cases such as this, believe me.”
Harriet suppressed a growl of frustration. She should have expected something like this. She’d been a fool to underestimate the fiendish ways a Davies could twist a bet. Still, she had no doubt she was equal to whatever new challenge he presented.
“It can’t be anywhere public,” she said quickly. “You’ll ruin me.”
He flashed her an unapologetic grin. “Itmightbe in a public place. There’s something especially thrilling about the risk of being caught.”
Harriet frowned, torn between irritation and insult. Was the thought of kissing her so boring that he needed to spice it up by adding an element of danger?
He spoke again before she could ask.
“But Idopromise we won’t be seen. I think we can both agree that we don’t want this”—he swirled his finger between the two of them—“to get out.”
She shuddered at the thought. “Definitely not. But you can’t possibly guarantee we won’t be seen. No matter how careful you are, someone might come along and—”
“Are you refusing to pay?”
She glared at the accusation. “Of course not. But—”
“Then allow me some credit for greater experience. We won’t be seen.”
Harriet let out a disgruntled huff. This was not how she’d expected this conversation to goat all.
Morgan sat back and straightened his cuffs, then glanced out of the carriage window. “Ah, here we are. Hanover Square.” He glanced back at her. “Will you be attending Maddie’s soiree on Tuesday evening?”
“I’ve been invited, yes.”
He sent her another wicked smile as the carriage rocked to a stop. “In that case, I’ll see you there.”
He pushed the handle to release the door and swung it wide.
