Her body fit neatly against his, like spoons in a drawer, so snug he felt her shiver, heard her soft gasp.
He was going to loosen one arm so he could caress her cheek, but she dug her chin into the crook of his elbow, grabbed his arm, hooked her leg behind his as she swung her body to the side, and suddenly he was flying over her back to hit the deck again. This time she dropped to straddle him, the heel of one hand poised just below his Adam’s apple, the other pressing his right shoulder to the deck. She hooked her lower legs over him, the tops of her feet pressing down on his knees.
He gulped.
Someone lit another lantern in the passageway. Enough light now filtered into the hold that he could see her warm brown eyes glittering in glee, her teeth bared in a triumphant grin, her breath coming in soft pants from her exertion.
She bent low to whisper in his ear. “That’s two.”
He shuddered. As she began to lift away, he grasped her head with both hands and surged up for a kiss. She met his hunger with a fierceness of her own, her enthusiasm making up for any lack of experience.
“You’re magnificent,” he breathed, and pulled her in for another kiss.
She slowly straightened her legs, covering him with her body as she met his kiss with equal fervor, twining her fingers in his hair.
One of them moaned. He cupped her face with his hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
“Not so bad yourself,” she murmured when they separated for a breath, before diving in for another kiss. She made herself more comfortable lying on top of his body, making parts of him rise to attention.
He groaned. He lifted her head away from his, cupping her cheeks, holding her still so he could look in her eyes. “Marry me,” he said, surprising them both.
Chapter 23
Harriet’s eyes opened wide, her mouth open in a perfect “Oh .”
He kissed her again. “You should marry me, not Zach or Sir What’s-It, your farmer.” He hadn’t planned to propose, but now that he’d said the words, he realized he meant them.
She reared back, and he rolled so they were both on their sides, facing each other. He cradled her head in one curved arm, stroking along her jawline with his free hand. Now he could see her brow furrowed in confusion.
“Whyever do you think I’d be interested in marrying Zach?”
He stroked the pad of his thumb over her lush, kiss-swollen bottom lip. “He said he was going to make you an offer.”
“He did.” She kissed his thumb. “An offer to buy my share of Tesoro.”
The horse? What he’d seen had been about the damn horse?
Nick let his head fall to the straw in relief. “From the deck I saw you two embrace, and I thought …” He shrugged with one shoulder.
“When we get back to England we’ll research how much his full offer should be, but as a show of good faith, he’s giving me a down payment that’s enough to cover the mortgage next week. It’s a huge relief.”
When Zach had said he was in love as never before, he’d meant the horse? Not Harriet? Nick groaned. How very like Zach. “And your farmer? Will you jilt him to accept me?” He leaned forward for another kiss, sliding his hand under her coat to rest in the curve between her hip and ribs.
“No.”
Nick’s eyes flew open. “No?”
She shook her head. “No jilting. He hasn’t proposed yet. Not exactly. Percival said his parents wouldn’t approve the match if I had no dowry. I had hoped Father’s treasure would be valuable enough to provide it.”
In relief, Nick leaned forward to claim another kiss, his hand pulling her body close to his, roaming along her back. “So you fibbed to me when you told me you were betrothed to him.”
She lifted her head from the deck, resting it on her palm, her arm bent. “I said I intended to marry him. And when I said that, I meant it.”
Nick mirrored her position, making sure he wasn’t putting any pressure on the healing wound on his forehead. “And now?”
She trailed fingers down through his hair and traced his ear, touching his earring and stroking his earlobe. The ensuing jolt of pleasure made it difficult to concentrate on her words. “I’ve since realized we won’t suit.”
He surged forward, pressing her back into the straw with his body, claiming her mouth in a kiss while his free hand continued to caress her, searching for access to bare skin.
