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Richard bit back his laughter at her antics and resolutely shook his head. “I don’t think we should kiss each other.”
“Kiss me,” Leticia demanded.
“No,” Richard replied just as forcefully.
“Come on,” Leticia moaned. “I want you to do it. Kiss me! Kiss me!” At that, there was a loud banging on the door, and she sprang away from him.
Harry’s voice filtered through the closed door. “Are you two all right in there? It sounds like you’re fighting again.”
“We’re fine,” Leticia called back, and then, Richard seized the moment.
He narrowed the space between them and tipped his head toward hers. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she inhaled sharply, but she did not back away from him or try to make a joke out of the situation now.
“Richard!” Harry shouted. “Leticia! If you don’t open this door soon, I’m coming in after you.”
And without another second to spare, Richard closed the distance between himself and Leticia and gently but firmly pressed his lips to hers. She swayed underneath the passionate kiss, and he reached out to place his hands around her waist to steady her. As he did, she relaxed and seemed to melt in his arms. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment as her lips moved in response to his own.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
For a long moment, Leticia stood very still and allowed Richard to kiss her. She did what she thought she was supposed to do in that she closed her eyes and returned his gentle kiss by pressing her own lips up to his. She lifted her hands, thinking of wrapping them around his neck, when he pulled back and moved a step away from her. For a moment, a bereft feeling plagued her as she missed the tingling that shook her knees at the thrill of his touch, but that was fleeting as she came to her senses.
“I never—” she said, lifting her gloved hand to touch her mouth.
“Yes,” Richard murmured, “I’m sure you haven’t.” His eyes were full of humor and at that moment, she saw the roguish side of him that had heretofore been absent in all their dealings.
“Richard,” she scolded. “How dare you kiss me in such a way!”
“You asked me to,” he replied evenly, taking a long moment to straighten his cravat.
“Still,” she persisted. “It is highly improper for a man to kiss a woman…like that.” She floundered to find the right word to express what had just happened between them. For so long, she’d only thought of Richard as her friend…perhaps, she’d always fancied him as a bit of a stuffed shirt. But the man who had just kissed her was not the man she had known her whole life. He seemed like an entirely different person to her now.
Richard smiled at her but did not say anything.
“And on your wedding day, no less,” Leticia continued, motioning toward the door. “What would people say if they knew you were supposed to be marrying someone else, but you were in here kissing me?”
“They’d likely say that you had just declared you were madly in love with me, and I was…testing the waters…to see if we suited each other.”
Leticia felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment. She knew she should be offended by his words, but considering the circumstances, he had mostly described the situation accurately. “Well,” she harumphed, “what do we do now?”
“Follow me,” Richard said simply, taking hold of her hand and towing her toward the door.
“No,” Leticia tried to stomp her foot in protest, but seeing as Richard was so much stronger than she, and his momentum was already carrying them toward the door, her feeble tantrum made little difference. “I’m not leaving this room until you tell me exactly what we’re going to do next.”
He paused and gave her a sardonic look. “Now who’s afraid of being spontaneous?” A taunting smile rose to his face, and Leticia felt a mixture of anger and intrigue roil inside her. He gave her hand a gentle tug and pulled her closer to the door. When Richard used his free hand to open the door, Harry was standing there in an awkward pose. It was clear he’d had his ear pressed to the door, doing everything he could to eavesdrop on their conversation. But now, as Richard and Leticia emerged from the room, Harry stumbled backward several paces.
“I…” Harry faltered, “I admit it. I was listening at the door.” Richard laughed sharply, but Leticia was not amused. She frowned at Harry.
“Where is your mother?” she demanded. “Aunt Amelia would never allow you to behave in such a manner.”
“She went back into the chapel to see to Richard’s mother.”
“Has she recovered at all?” Richard asked as worry lines appeared around the corners of his mouth.
Harry shrugged. “I didn’t know anything had happened with her until one of the wedding guests came out here to fetch your mother.”
“What?” Leticia asked. “What happened to the Dowager?”
“She fainted,” Richard said flatly. “And now, so as to save what’s left of this day and our honor, we must finish this ceremony.”
