He was prepared to give her whatever she needed, if it convinced her to marry him instead of the duke.
A rustle of cloth caught his attention. Spinning, he saw her creeping toward the gazebo, and all the breath left his lungs.
She came.
He said nothing as she approached, merely watched while heat scalded the underside of his skin. Judging by her expression, she was nervous and he didn’t wish to scare her further.
When she stepped in, she avoided his eye. “I shouldn’t be here.”
“No one needs to know, Maddie. Whatever happens is between us.”
“You know that isn’t true.” She crossed to the wooden bench, sat and arranged her skirts. Her hands were bare and that damn betrothal ring glinted in the dim light.
The breeze carried a chill in the air and he saw her shiver. Removing his coat, he strode over and placed it around her shoulders. “You should’ve remembered how cold it can get at night.”
“Yes, well. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I left my bedchamber, obviously.”
He lowered himself onto the bench. “I’ll not force you to stay.”
“I couldn’t risk that you’d sneak into my bedroom.”
His excitement dimmed slightly. He preferred that she came to him of her own free will, but he wouldn’t apologize for the threat, especially seeing as how it had worked. Instead of dancing around the subject, he blurted out what was on his mind. “You cannot marry him, not with things between us uncertain.”
“They are merely uncertain because you keep pushing me.”
“Hardly. You’ve admitted your attraction to me—without much prompting, I might add.”
“I never should have said that, not while I’m engaged to Lockwood.”
“Then there is what happened in the changing room.”
“Another mistake,” she said. “A momentary fit of insanity.”
“Wrong. It’s called desire and you are dancing around the obvious. I’ll not allow you to pretend any longer.”
“Oh, you’ll not allow?” She pushed off the bench, her movements stiff with anger. “You’ll not allow? Harrison, I am not free to declare my regard for another man. You have nothing standing in your way, no pressure to remain silent. Such a luxury does not exist for me.”
She was still denying her feelings for him, which irritated him beyond measure. Shooting to his feet, he stalked toward her, his soles thumping on the wooden floor. “Lockwood does not deserve you. He is completely wrong for you and will bring you nothing but loneliness and misery.”
Uncertainty flashed over her face before she masked it, but she did not back down. Instead, her spine straightened as she watched him draw closer. “You have no way of knowing that.”
“Please. I am familiar with the way your mind works. You need someone who will stand up to you, who will excite you. Otherwise, you’ll grow bored and unhappy.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The other children did whatever you said, no questions asked. You were like a brigadier general here, organizing and cajoling. I was the only one who challenged and questioned you. That was why you liked me best, why we became such good friends.”
She made a scoffing sound. “That is hardly true. We enjoyed causing mischief together.”
“No, I enjoyed causing mischief. You enjoyed planning said mischief.” He folded his arms and gave her a sly smile. “You never wanted a devoted acolyte . . . you wanted a partner in crime.”
“Perhaps, but that was a long time ago. We are not children any longer.”
“We haven’t changed all that much,” he said. “Not on the inside, which is how I am certain Lockwood will make you unhappy. Because you will run roughshod over him and become bored within a week.”
“I’ll have my tennis, our children. Life as a duchess.”
A life without him.
Children that were not his.
The idea of it made Harrison want to howl. He threaded his fingers through his hair and pulled on the strands, struggling for calm. “You are settling, Maddie.”
“To become a duchess?” Her voice rose several octaves. “You actually believe becoming a duchess is somehow settling?”
“When it comes to your happiness, yes I do,” he shot back. “I want you more than that arrogant duke ever could.”
She rocked back on her heels, seemingly stunned at his admission. “Why now? What has changed?”
He certainly did not want to travel this path, not yet. If he told her of his longstanding feelings, she’d likely go dashing back into the house. “Does that matter? Can you not just accept the fact that it has?”
If he thought that would appease her, he was wrong. Her eyes flashed green fire, as if his evasiveness angered her. “You’re right—it doesn’t matter because I cannot break this betrothal. The die has been cast.”
The hell it had.
He didn’t stop until he was directly in front of her, the tips of his shoes brushing her skirts. She had to crane her neck to meet his eyes but she didn’t move. A lovely flush worked its way over her cheeks, and he could see the pulse pounding on the creamy slope of her throat. The air grew heavy around them, as if it were weighted with anticipation and longing, and the tops of her breasts heaved as her chest expanded. His fingers itched with the need to finally touch her . . . but he wouldn’t do it. Not yet.
“Nothing has been settled until you walk down the aisle and recite vows. And I will not stop pushing when I am certain you are making a mistake.”
She licked her lips before whispering, “You cannot possibly know that.”
“You’d be surprised at what I know.” He leaned down, allowing his breath to tease her skin, and put his lips near her ear. “I know the two of you treat one another like strangers, when all the while you have been thinking of kissing me. Not trusting yourself alone with me. Nearly stroking my erection in the changing room.”
She sucked in a ragged breath, her body trembling. “Harrison . . .” The sound was faint, but he heard the plea, the yearning in the way she said his name.
Sensing victory, he pressed on. “I want to give you everything. All you have to do is ask.”
“Oh, God. This is wrong.”
Thunder rumbled overhead, as if the heavens agreed with her. He didn’t care. Nothing would keep him from her, not Lockwood or a betrothal. Not her family or society’s ridiculous conventions. Not the fucking Devil himself . . .
The only person who could stop him was Maddie.
“Do you want me?” He pitched his voice low, his body still angled over hers. “You may have as little or as much as you want tonight. I am yours for the taking.”
“I shouldn’t.”
They were both breathing hard, nearly panting. Need chewed its way through his lower body, his cock hard and ready. He knew he should take it easy on her, not pursue her so relentlessly. But Jesus . . . nearly everything he’d ever wanted stood in front of him.
“That is not an answer. It’s just the two of us here right now. No one else. But you must decide.”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, her eyes shifting to his mouth. The restraint nearly killed him, but she must come to him willingly, without coercion. Without guilt.