warmed her.
'Show me how you would like to be kissed, Harrison.'
He finally put his arms around her. Then he told her to open her mouth.
She tried to ask him why, but then his mouth settled on top of hers and she forgot all about asking him anything. A shiver passed down her spine and she instinctively tightened her hold on him.
It was the most amazingly wondrous kiss she'd ever experienced. His mouth was almost hot against hers, demanding and yet gentle, and then his tongue moved inside her mouth to rub against hers. The passionate way he kissed her made her weak with pleasure. She clung to him, squeezing herself tight against his chest. She felt embraced everywhere. Her softness was surrounded by his arms and his thighs. She felt him shudder, knew then he was just as affected by the kiss as she was, and suddenly realized she was every bit as powerful as he and just as much in control of what would or wouldn't happen.
His mouth slanted over hers hungrily, with blatant ownership, but all of her inhibitions were gone now, and she kissed him just as eagerly.
He ended the kiss much before she wanted him to, but she refused to move away from him even when his hands dropped down to his sides. She rested the side of her face against his chest. She heard the thundering of his heartbeat. Or was it hers hammering inside her head?
He was breathing as raggedly as she was. 'I didn't want to stop.'
Her whispered confession sounded bewildered. Harrison took a deep breath, trying to regain some semblance of control. He was still reeling with his own bewilderment and astonishment, for in truth, he'd never felt such instantaneous hot passion with any other woman.
'Did you want to stop?' she asked.
She sounded breathless. He was pleased to know she'd been just as affected as he was.
'No, I didn't,' he admitted. 'And that's exactly why I did. Let go of me, Mary Rose. It's time for you to go home.'
She didn't want to leave, but she guessed she would have to. It wouldn't have been polite or ladylike to try to nag him into kissing her senseless again. She slowly turned around and walked to the doorway.
She looked back at him when she reached the step. She wanted to tell him good night. The words got trapped in her throat, however, and she simply stood there staring at him. He looked so amazingly perfect. He stood in the glow of the oil lamp, and in the light, his skin took on a golden tone. He leaned against the bedpost, and when he shifted his position, she could see the muscles ripple under his skin. Douglas had told her Harrison had the strength of three men, yet she knew he would never use his physical power against her.
'I feel safe when I'm with you.'
She was surprised she'd said the words out loud. Harrison smiled. 'You should feel safe with me. I would never hurt you, Mary Rose.'
'Did I kiss like a girl again?'
He shook his head. 'No, you kissed like a woman. What happened tonight can't happen again. I never should have started something I can't finish.'
He threaded his fingers through his hair, his frustration apparent with the action. 'We can't become involved.'
'We're already involved.'
'No, we aren't,' he said, his tone hard, unbending.
She didn't understand what had come over him. She nodded, then turned and walked away. She tried to reason it through while she got ready for bed. After an hour of trying to sort it all out, she finally gave up. She knew Harrison was attracted to her, for the way he'd kissed her told her so. She wasn't the patient sort, but she decided she would have to try to be patient until she figured out what his problem was. There had to be a good reason why he didn't want to pursue a relationship with her. The man had a reason for everything he did. She guessed she would have to wait until he told her what it was.
And then she would find a way around whatever obstacle was holding him back.
She put on her slippers and her robe and went downstairs to the library. Adam was inside, rereading one of his favorite books.
Her brother was sitting in a worn, brown leather easy chair. A fire crackled in the hearth, warming the room.
'Adam, may I interrupt you?'
Her brother looked up and smiled. 'Of course,' he agreed. He closed the book he'd been reading and put it on the table next to his chair.
There was another identical brown leather chair flanking the other side of the fireplace, but she walked past it and sat down on the footrest next to Adam's feet.
'I wanted to talk to you about Harrison.'
'Is something wrong?'
'No,' she assured him. 'Nothing is wrong. I like him… very much. I think he likes me too. He seems to, anyway.'
'Then what's the problem?'
She looked down at her lap. 'I asked him to kiss me last week. He finally got around to agreeing tonight.'
She looked up at her brother to see how he was taking her confession. Adam didn't show any reaction. He took his spectacles off, carefully folded them, and put them on top of the book.
'He kissed you.'
'Yes,' she replied.
'And then what happened?'
'He told me he wasn't ever going to kiss me again.'
'I see.' A slow smile eased his expression. 'Did he tell you why?'
'Yes, he did,' she answered. 'But his explanation didn't make any sense at all. I know he enjoyed kissing me. He looked like he did, and he felt like he did, but he only kissed me once, and now that I've had time to think about it, maybe he didn't like it as much as I did.'
'You said you liked kissing him. I think we need to talk about that.'
'I did like kissing him, very much. I like him, Adam. He told me we couldn't become involved, but he wouldn't give me any reason why we couldn't. Maybe he's trying to protect me from heartache,' she continued. 'Perhaps he knows he's going back to Scotland, and he doesn't want to begin a relationship only to leave. He might also be like Cole.'
'How exactly is your brother?'
'Cole doesn't want to be trapped by any woman. He's always telling me he'll never get married. Do you think Harrison feels the same way?'
'I don't know him well enough to answer your question, but I do know Cole. He's all talk, sister. He just needs time to meet the right woman. Then his attitude will change.'
'Why do men think of marriage as a trap? Women aren't taking away their freedom, for heaven's sake.'
'In some ways they are,' Adam replied. 'Once married, always married. If a man has made the wrong choice, he's trapped, isn't he?'
'I suppose, but the woman is also trapped.'
Adam's mind began to wander. He was thinking about Harrison now. He realized he needed to find out more about their guest. If Mary Rose was becoming involved, it was Adam's duty to make certain Harrison didn't hurt her.
'Adam?'
'Yes?'
'What were you thinking about just now?'
' Harrison,' he answered. 'I realized we don't know all that much about him. I believe you should give yourself some time to get to know him better before you ask him to kiss you again.'
She agreed with a nod. 'I'll try.'
'Cole told me I needed to have a talk with you about men and women and…'
'Intimacy.' She supplied the last word before he could.
