I Love to Hate You: Revenge has never tasted so sweet... (Marry in Haste Series Book 1)
Page 12
The look he gave her sent liquid fire coursing through her veins, and her knees trembled. When he tapped the roof, and the carriage started off, the movement knocked her off balance. He took full advantage and pulled her into his lap. “I can’t have you rolling around in here like a drunkard. You might injure yourself.”
She removed his hat and tangled her hands in his hair. “Thank you for taking such good care of me. In fact, thank you for taking such good care of everything. It was a cruel trick to play on Harry, but he can’t have failed to learn his lesson.”
Rushbourne dipped his head and nibbled at her earlobe. “No crueller than the trick you meant to play on me,” he pointed out.
“It’s as well I did, or you would have had a most frustrating period of courting ahead of you. You might never have been able to change my attitude towards you.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he murmured, sliding a hand up her thigh beneath her gown. “I have my masculine wiles and attributes. You respond well to those. And had you not ensnared me, and then enslaved me, I had a plan in hand.”
“What might your plan have been?” She wriggled in his lap.
“I was going to seize and kiss you in the dark.”
She aimed a mock slap at his shoulder. “What makes you think it would have worked? Such arrogance.”
“Oh, it would have worked. Trust me. My kisses always win over the women.”
“It could have failed utterly. There’s a first time for everything. Now, tell me about these other women you’ve kissed.”
“They are of no consequence. All but pale imitations of you.” His grey eyes regarded her earnestly, and warmth enveloped her. “I see no one but you, hear no one but you, feel no one but you. You are the centre of my world, Miss Athene Hartville.”
“No longer ‘Heartless’, then?”
“Decidedly not.” He pulled her close, and she felt the heat of his love surround her, filling her with joy and hope.
But being on his lap was starting to distract her, arousing a yearning she recognised immediately.
“Have you ever made love in a carriage?” she asked, hopefully.
“No,” he said, then kissed her. When he drew away, he added, “But as you say, there’s a first time for everything.”
She threw her head back and laughed. He chuckled too, and soon the whole coach was filled with the sound of their merriment. Athene knew with a certainty bright as the falling snow that, with this man by her side, every day of the rest of her life would be brightened by laughter.
And warmed by the fire of his love.
Acknowledgments
I’m eternally grateful to my long-suffering partner, Tim Robey, and the two very special writer friends I met early on in my writing journey, Anna Albo and Shelley Iñón. Thank you so much for having faith in me! Thanks are due also to fellow authors Eve Pendle and Barbara Monajem for keeping me going, and for sharing their time and expertise with me. Finally, I’d like to mention Tara Kingston, and thank her for all the hard work she does for the Touch of Intrigue Facebook group.
About the Author
Bestselling author Elizabeth Keysian adores history and archaeology, and writes romances that give the reader an experience of travelling back in time.
She feels very British-despite her Viking ancestry-and loves creating rich backdrops for her stories based on real places and actual experiences. She used to be a re-enactor, so has sampled the living conditions, clothing, and smells of the past. She’s also sampled the food, which was actually pretty good.
Her characters battle their problems with both tears and laughter, but she always guarantees them a Happily Ever After, no matter what she’s put them through.
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Elizabeth is a founder member of A Touch of Intrigue – a Gathering of Authors and Readers of Historical Romance. They have the best Facebook parties EVER. Please join up: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ATouchOfIntrigue
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Seduction, Scandal & Spies- heart-pounding, captivating historical romances from Elizabeth Keysian- there are plenty more on the way!
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