Harriet had no time to react before his lips seized hers. His tongue swept into her mouth at once, claiming her small gasp of surprise. Instinctively, she understood that unless she put an end to it, this man wouldn’t stop until he had claimed every single part of her, stolen every single one of her breaths.
Mother Mary.
A romantic at heart, Harriet could appreciate all the elements—such as kissing—that went with romance. And this kiss... she could almost believe in things that did not exist and surrender everything without any caution.
Almost.
A small spark ignited deep within her and took flame. A fire lit in her heart to teach this man a lesson.
I can play this game of yours as well, Lord Marquess.
She crumbled the special license in one hand as the other shoved into the locks of his hair. She returned his kiss with the fervor of a lover reunited with her long-lost love.
“You taste like a dream,” he breathed against her lips before deepening their kiss again.
So did he. There was no denying that. He tasted of something dark, something so intoxicating that it brought chills to her skin.
No!
She could not forget what he was doing—thrusting an unwanted marriage of convenience upon her!
She twisted out of his embrace, retreating a few steps to gather her wits. Game or not, it was a dangerous one to play. She couldn’t believe she kissed a man!Thisman.
“Harriet.”
There he went again—pronouncing her name as though it tasted like a sweet piece of candy. “You’ve proved the point that, unsurprisingly, your arrogance knows no bounds, sir. How dare you accost me in my bedchamber? We are not wed yet.”
And the fact remained that no one had thought to ask her about her feelings about the marriage. Not her father and certainly not the Marquess of Leeds. She might as well have been invisible for all the care they had shown. She was not about to make it easy for them. They didn’t take her feelings into account, so she would not consider theirs.
“I’m proving to you just how pleasing I find you, Harriet. And you enjoyed my kiss. I may be wrong in many things, but I’m not mistaken in that.”
So what if she did? She would never admit it. And a kiss didn’t prove anything.
“And what about the priest? Is that not a bit presumptuous on your part?”
“Whether we wed today or wait until the banns are read, we will wed—we must for your own sake. I see no reason to delay the inevitable.”
“What about me? Did it ever occur to you that I might want a big, lavish wedding?”
His brows knit together. “Is that what you want?”
“Is it not a bit too late to be asking me this?” Did he expect her to suddenly reveal her dreams to him? Just like that? Shelifted the document to his face. “Thisis what I want.” A forceful yank ripped the special license in half.
There. This is what I think of your methods.
He clenched his jaw, but other than that, he remained calm. Too calm. “This won’t change anything.”
No.
But it would give her time to give him a tough tussle. Test this mettle of his. Harriet had not been jesting when she’d threatened to run off to the Americas. In fact, mayhap this was the best way to put his determination, his commitment, to the challenge. He’d have to either fight for her or give up.
“I know,” she said, ripping the paper in two more halves for good measure before tossing it to the floor. “But it shall be a pain having to explain to the archbishop why you need another license.”
And give me the opening to escape you.
*
Two hours later,Will entered the Hillstow residence again with another special license. This time, he didn’t make the mistake of keeping the document in his hand but instead secured it in the pocket of his jacket, nestled safely against his chest.
