"Do you plan to go there every day?"
"No, I couldn't do that. There wouldn't be enough time for anything else, and I have so much to do around here. Once Corrie starts talking to me, and we've gotten to know one another, then I'll probably go just once a week for a nice long visit. I believe we'll become good friends. You haven't told me yes or no yet."
"About having dinner on Sunday?"
She nodded. "If you're going to go to the trouble to cook a special meal of course I'll be here." He paused. "Adam was angry you left without telling anyone where you were going, wasn't he?"
"He wasn't angry. He was disappointed." She let out a sigh. "That's far worse. If he yelled at me, I wouldn't have felt as guilty."
"Are you going to tell him about your plans for tomorrow?"
"We already discussed it. I have his approval. Understand, Harrison. He doesn't want me to ask his permission to do anything. He realizes I'm capable of making my own decisions. He just wants me to be cautious. I promised never to go there alone. You're going to catch a cold," she added. "You should put a shirt on. Good night."
She turned to leave. He wanted her to stay a little longer. He grabbed hold of her arm and said, "Wait."
She turned back to him. "Yes?"
"I've never met anyone like you."
God, he couldn't believe he'd said that. He felt like a simpleton. "You're very kind," he said.
Mary Rose remembered all the terrible things she'd said to Cole about Catherine Morrison just a few minutes before and couldn't in good conscience go along with Harrison 's misconception.
"No, I'm not kind," she admitted. "I try to be, but sometimes I turn into a shrew. I can even be cruel."
Harrison didn't let go of her arm. He started to pull her closer to him. He knew he had lost his mind, because for the first time in his life he couldn't and wouldn't let good sense prevail. He had already decided not to get personally involved with Mary Rose.
He was still going to kiss her.
"What are you doing?"
"Bringing you close to me."
"Why?"
"I want to kiss you."
She was astonished. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
He'd drawled out the word, made it sound incredibly seductive. She almost sighed out loud, but stopped herself in time.
"Do you want me to kiss you?"
"That isn't the issue." She paused. "I don't understand," she admitted then. "You have barely spoken to me all week, or even looked my way… and now you want to kiss me? Harrison, I don't believe you're being very logical."
She sounded stunned by her own conclusion. He laughed. "I'm not being logical."
"Why do you think you want to kiss me?"
She'd turned the tables on him. Now she was being the analytical one.
"I believe in fair play."
She still didn't understand. He pulled her up tight against his chest, lowered his head, and kissed her forehead. Then he took hold of her hands and put them around his neck.
She didn't resist. She still looked thoroughly puzzled, but not at all uneasy. He hadn't put his arms around her yet, and wouldn't if she gave him any indication of fear or refusal.
"You kissed me," he explained. "Several times I recall. Now it's my turn, and that, Mary Rose, is what I call fair play."
"Oh, God, you weren't sleeping, were you?"
She sounded mortified. She turned her gaze to his chest. Harrison nudged her chin back up with his hand. He kissed the side of her cheek, just the way she'd kissed him, then kissed her on the bridge of her nose.
She got over her embarrassment almost immediately. "You must have enjoyed it," she whispered.
"No, I didn't," he told her.
"You didn't? Why not?"
"You were driving me crazy. You kiss like a girl."
Her fingers began to toy with his hair. She was surprised by how silky it felt. She let out a little sigh and moved closer to him. She loved the feel of his skin against her. The heat, and strength, radiating from his body 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.